TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) – Guns and Ammo remains open after the Tuscaloosa City Council voted down a business license revocation 4-2.
“It’s a very rare thing for the city of Tuscaloosa to do,” Tuscaloosa Mayor WaltMaddox said. “I think less than 10 times in my entire career has this process been exercised.”
Prior to the hearing, Mayor Maddox provided the details for how the evening would go. The city’s attorney, Scott Homles, had 30 minutes to make their arguments, share evidence, and call witnesses. Guns and Ammo’s Owner, Josh Wakefield, and his legal representation were given the same guidelines.
“This is not a judicial hearing,” Maddox explained.
Yet, the council chambers felt like a courtroom. There were opening arguments, witness testimony, and evidence presented to the council, who ultimately had to decide the fate of one man’s livelihood.
“I’m very relieved that it’s over,” Wakefield said.
In August, Wakefield was arrested and charged with 26 counts of violating the city’s Secondhand Dealer Ordinance. Wakefield’s employee, Rex Piggot, was arrested on two different occasions, also on 26 city ordinance violations.
“I don’t understand how the council cannot revoke his business license,” TPD Chief Brent Blankley said.
Blankley was the second witness the city’s legal counsel called to the podium.
Blankley’s testimony came after TPD Investigator Jeff Curvin’s. During Curvin’s testimony, he told the council that once in March, and three times in June of 2025, Guns and Ammo purchased firearms from the same convicted felon.
During those four occasions, Guns and Ammo did not know the seller was a convicted felon, according to the gun store’s attorney Josh Swords.
“Prior to Aug. 4, 2025, Wakefield and his employees at Guns and Ammo had no way to legally check if someone had a criminal history,” Swords said. “They had no legal way to know if a gun coming in was a stolen firearm. That ability is up to the Tuscaloosa Police Department.”
Curvin told Piggot in late July, the man they purchased four guns from was a convicted felon. A couple of days later, Guns and Ammo purchased another gun from the same man, Curvin said.
That man and those guns was the catalyst for a multitude of events, charges, and allegations that led to Tuesday night’s public hearing.
“I was confident that when we got before the city council that they would see the truth,” Swords said.
While the city attorney showed surveillance video and photographs, Swords and his client had additional evidence – a phone call.
“Mr. Curvin never called me back,” Wakefield told The Council.
Wakefield played an audio recording of a voicemail he left for Curvin at 5:52 p.m., on Aug. 7. Wakefield provided his name, phone number and asked the officer to call him back.
On Aug. 8, TPD executed a search warrant for surveillance video TPD could not obtain the day before. However, Wakefield emailed Curvin that video the same day dozens of officers searched Guns and Ammo, which led to both the owner and employee being charged with dozens of ordinance violations.
One of those violations included not abiding by the 10 day hold rule. But, eventually, the city’s legal counsel said all of the guns were in the store where they were supposed to be when the search warrant was executed.
“How can you be violating a 10 day hold when you’re holding the guns? Still haven’t figured that one out,” Swords told the council.
Councilor Cassius Lanier left prior to the vote. Councilors Joe Eatmon and Raevan Howard voted for the revocation. The remaining four voted no.
An eruption of applause echoed the moment Mayor Maddox said “the revocation is denied.”
While Wakefield can continue to operate in the city, he still has another legal battle to hurdle.
“We did what we were supposed to do, we held the gun for 10 days, they took us to jail on a completely bogus charge,” Wakefield said.
Criminal charges are still pending, but Swords is hopeful for yet another positive outcome – this time in the courtroom.
If you’d like to watch the full hearing and see all the evidence presented, you can go to the City of Tuscaloosa’s Facebook page.
Guns and Ammo also has a link on their website to the documentation, videos, and recordings they provided to the Council.
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