John Lykins is a drug-dealing gun seller — and darn proud of it.
The enterprising Arkansas businessman owns and runs Lowell Pharmacy, a friendly neighborhood hangout where folks can sit on the soda fountain stools, get a prescription refilled — or purchase a Glock 22.
Lykins, a licensed pharmacist, has been operating his drug store in Lowell, just outside Fayetteville, since 2003. He got his federal firearms license in 2008.
Not long after, he started selling guns right alongside pills, vitamins and sunglasses.
“It started when I bought 100 surplus Glock pistols from an FBI auction,” Lykins, 50, told The Post. “Then it took off from there. I’ve got a large supply of rifles and hand guns.”
The pistol-packin’ proprietor — who lives on a 980-acre farm with his wife and three kids — said his father gave him his first gun at age 6 “because I went to the dentist and didn’t cry.”
Business is brisk. He’s got 10 employees and a busy day can see 100 customers barreling into the establishment to purchase a box of bullets or pick up their blood pressure pills.
“People come in for all sorts of things,” said Lykins. “They may need their antibiotics or they may need a Sig Sauer 365, which is our biggest selling weapon.”
A January report released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a firearms trade association, noted that between 1990 and 2023 US civilians packed 506.1 million firearms.
“In Arkansas, we can carry concealed or openly,” said Lykins, whose shop also includes several types of canned goods, and offers gunsmithing services, a snack counter, and an area where folks can wait for their prescriptions.
“To buy a long gun, a person must be 18 years of age and show valid ID. They fill out a form, and we send it to the FBI to check for any prior criminal activity,” he said.
Under federal law, handgun buyers must be at least 21-years-old, and undergo the same paperwork and vetting process for rifles and shotguns.
The trigger-happy store owner is also an active participant in a program for veterans called The Armory Project, which allows veterans experiencing mental health issuesor suicidal thoughts to hand in their weapons to Lykins for storage, which he does for free.
When the ex-service member is given the okay by docs and feels they can mentally and emotionally handle the weapon again, then Lykins gives it back.
“This has only happened three or four times,” he said.
Lykins shoots some humor into his merchandise. Along with his long line of products, he sells a signature blue T-shirt emblazoned with the words: “I BUY MY GUNS FROM MY DRUG DEALER.”
You can purchase one by going to the website NWARX.com.
“We’ve got hoodies too!” added Lykins.
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