Star Ledger: Maplewood Gun Dealer Rejected as Baseball League Sponsor

We're pretty crunchy-granola, as they say, here in Maplewood, NJ, so you may be surprised to hear that a gun dealer even lives in town.

But, as reported by The Star-Ledger, Matt Carmel of Maplewood does indeed run a gun dealership and manufacturing business, Constitution Arms. His son has played in the South Orange-Maplewood branch of the Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken baseball league and Carmel wanted to pay the $300 to sponsor a team under the name Constitution Arms for this season. The South Orange-Maplewood Baseball Committee rejected his application by a vote of 8-1, citing potential controversy.

So, what do you think? Did the committee act rightly, shielding kids from an inappropriate sponsor? Or did the Committee go against the "big tent" ethos of the two towns that touts a sense of open-mindedness and tolerance?