John Lykins isn’t your typical pharmacist. In Lowell, Arkansas, just outside Fayetteville, he runs Lowell Pharmacy — a neighborhood spot where customers can grab a prescription, a soda, or even a Glock 22.
Lykins, 50, has been serving the community from his pharmacy since 2003. Five years later, he obtained a federal firearms license, and soon after, began selling guns alongside over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and sunglasses.
“It started when I bought 100 surplus Glock pistols from an FBI auction,” Lykins told The Post. “Then it just took off. Now I have a large supply of rifles and handguns.”
The pharmacist-turned-gun-seller lives on a 980-acre farm with his wife and three children. He recalls receiving his first gun at age six from his father, who said he earned it by “going to the dentist and not crying.”
Business is steady at Lowell Pharmacy, which employs 10 staffers and can see up to 100 customers a day, whether they’re picking up antibiotics or a Sig Sauer 365 — the shop’s top-selling handgun.
A recent report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a firearms trade group, notes that U.S. civilians owned 506.1 million firearms from 1990 to 2023. “In Arkansas, we can carry openly or concealed,” Lykins said. His pharmacy also stocks canned goods, provides gunsmithing services, has a snack counter, and a waiting area for prescriptions.
Lykins explained the process for gun purchases: “To buy a long gun, a person must be 18 and show valid ID. They fill out a form, and we send it to the FBI to check for any prior criminal activity.” Federal law requires handgun buyers to be at least 21 and follow similar paperwork and background checks for rifles and shotguns.
Beyond sales, Lykins participates in The Armory Project, a program for veterans experiencing mental health struggles or suicidal thoughts. Veterans can temporarily surrender their firearms to him for safe storage — free of charge — until they are cleared to handle the weapons again. “This has only happened three or four times,” he said.
Injecting humor into his business, Lykins also sells a blue T-shirt labeled: “I BUY MY GUNS FROM MY DRUG DEALER.” Hoodies are available too via NWARX.com.