Likes on this photo are approaching half a million on the social networking website Facebook and it has been shared some 84,000 times.

Now Charles Vaught, owner of Northeastern Safety Supply on Roanoke Avenue, is selling the signs, which have earned him a bit of celebrity status on Facebook.

At the time of this interview likes on the social networking website had reached 426,000.

The photo had been up a few days on the Bowstix Facebook page before Vaught even realized it was on there, the photo being the idea of his wife, Wendy, to help promote the business. It was also put on the Facebook U.S. Conceal Carry page. “It really went popular with Bowstix.”

The photo already gained some 100,000 likes before Vaught realized it was going viral.

Why the photo is so popular is open to speculation. “A lot of people believe if more people were armed there would be less mass shootings,” he said at his store. “We’ve got some people saying the exact opposite.”

Somewhere in the middle is the reality. “I would rather die fighting back than die in a fetal position,” he said.

Overall, the sign, which Vaught has posted in his business, has received positive comments. There are some comments, however, in which posters say they would never go into a business that allows guns inside.

For Vaught it was a business decision. “I sell guns, holsters and ammo. I want to make sure they have the proper fit.”

Vaught has sold about 50 of the Coroplast signs and about 25 of the metallic signs. He has sold 25 to 30 decals, which have the same message as the original sign he has at his business.

The signs can be ordered through Northeastern Safety Supply’s eBay store.

Most of the sales have been out of state, although two have been bought locally. “I sold one in Switzerland.”