Ever wonder why some fun stores won’t let you carry loaded guns on the premises? And some even prohibit outside gats altogether? You’ll read some cranky Armed Intelligentsia comments on the subject here from time to time. But incidents and accidents like this, from kdvr.com, may have something to do with those policies: “An employee of a gun supply store was shot in the arm after a gun was accidentally fired Saturday afternoon.” Not a lot of details, but we’d lay at least even money the gun that “went off” at Rocky Mountain Shooters Supply was brought in from the outside. We all know the corner gun store can be cavalcade of rule two violations, with more lasering going on that at the Crimson Trace test facility. Most people shrug it off, though, figuring the guns aren’t loaded. And they’re usually not. Until they are. Heads up.
This gun store also has an indoor range. A rented gun might have been brought back to the counter that was still (knowingly or unknowingly) still loaded for different reasons such as a jam or confusion by a renter how to operate an unfamiliar gun, etc. Bottom line: safety rules were broken.
My wife and I ceased going to our local gun shop about 2 years ago. Range time? We belong to an outdoor and indoor shooting club. Ammunition? We roll our own, buy from a local reloader, gun show or purchase off the internet. New firearms? We buy off the internet and ship to a friend who has an FFL or go to a gun show.
The level of idiocy and DERP at gun stores scares the hell out of us.
There are two reasons this TV station decided to report on this story:
1. This is a very rare occurrence, therefore it was news-worthy.
2. This TV station is anti-gun, and this news story reflects badly on the guns community.
So what meaning should we take from this story. NOTHING. There is no ‘moral’ here, because this is an extremely isolated (anomalous) event.
To their credit, I think it’s unusual for the press to use words like “…gun was accidentally fired.” It’s usually “it just went off,” like it was in a bad mood.
One day the gumball machine got misplaced with the hand grenade machine.
I don’t have a local gun store anymore.
All guns are always loaded. Any mindset less than that is asking dor trouble.
I rounded the corner of a rack of rifles at a local average gun store the other day and found the barrel of a hunting rifle pointing down the aisle at me. Some douche bugle that was “testing the scope” actually waved the muzzle at me and grunted unintelligibly to tell me to move. I used a loud indoor-voice asking him to “stop aiming that gun at me!” which drew a few stares, but he put the rifle down and scurried off.
If the store doesn’t trust me with my loaded gun, then I can’t trust that they sell a product worth buying.
I used to shoot there all the time until Triggertime gun club opened up a few years ago. I never saw anything out of the ordinary while I patronized the place. Most likely some d-bag customer’s own gun.
Still safer than most gun-free zones.
Dangerous about the small-time local gun store?
That feeling of dread, seeing the same old 10 guys hanging out every time you set foot in there. It’s like that one corner of your local McDonalds, except you feel even less welcome if you aren’t part of the VFW hall.
Death from boredom waiting to actually buy something while they ignore you and your pile of ammo to talk about that wang-dang-sweet-poontang-Da-Nang-gang-bang that only cost $10 each. For the fourth time this month. Not sure if they forget that they tell the same stories every week, or if it really was the most excitement they’ve ever had.
Worry about getting shot at a local gun store? I worry much more about wanting to shoot myself.
I used to work at a freindly LGS. Most peoples gunhandiling is quite poor. I never had a problem with customers carrying. Just so long as it stays holstered.
Pretty dangerous to my sense of taste. I’ve seen enough thousand dollar rifles with fifty dollar scopes on used racks to last a lifetime.
My local gun stores seem to be incredibly safe … I have never heard about any firearm accidents or any violent crimes, ever.
In fact the first time I ever heard of a violent crime ever at any gun store was the truckload of guys that drove into a gun store at night a few weeks ago … and even that is a stretch because they attempted to rob the store at a time that they thought there would be no one there. And then there was the event in Indianapolis about two weeks ago. Other than those two events, nothing, nada, zilch.
The biggest danger by far in my LGS comes from the individuals working behind the counters and the special brand of customer service found only in gun stores. Ranging somewhere between profound, practiced indifference and open, outright hostility.
Their motto: Things would run a lot smoother around here without these damn customers screwing things up.
It really would. You have no idea the ignorance they have to deal with. It makes even very freindly people like me very jaded very quick. That doesnt make their attitudes right, but you must understand. I was ready to lose my cool on the next person that asked about guns from video games or how to make an AR full auto or telling me why GLOCKS/1911s/ARs/AKs are crap and how they read in a magazine or saw a youtube video about it and how that makes them an expert when theyve never even shot one. Its frustrating.
Whatever. Keep whining about your gun store job, I have absolutely zero sympathy for you.
I had to work retail as a cashier at one of the big box stores for six months after graduating college. The level of abuse I received from customers simply for being there was more than you’ll ever get working at your LGS so man up and deal with it.
Mike, exactly. It is pretty funny to hear about the ‘great burden’ of the gun store employee.
To lift some Carlin – You know how stupid the average American is? Just remember, half of them are even dumber.
It’s frakkin’ retail. Restaurants, sporting goods, clothes, gas stations, auto repair shops, motorcycle shops, electronics, you name it, there’s always idiots walking through the door. If there’s not, you’re either closed or you are not in retail.
Answering plan-9-from-outer-space questions, figuring out what they want, helping them find it, making them want it, then taking their money is the job.
That gun shop employee attitude is why I seldom set foot in any LGS unless I have no other choice.
I have to say I have had some of those guys but then again I went to 2 a sales in Maryland and the Guy let me try several guns even made a few suggestions as he helped narrow down what I was looking for and while I was there he was helping someone else and showed him several guns. Some places I have been it seems like they don’t want to take one out unless you have handed them a CC to pay for it then they might let you touch it before putting it in the vault. (I really don’t like the 7 day waiting period.)
Thanks
Robert
In most gun stores, you’re more likely to die of neglect than by being shot.
Easily solved problem. Next time that you go in for a haircut tell the person cutting your hair that you want to walk-out looking like one of RF’s South African models.
It’s more dangerous for me to drive to my local gun store than it is to actually be inside.
I work for my friendly LGS, and there’s a sign on the door prohibiting loaded weapons. Reasons being, a) many customers’ gun handling skills are very poor in general, b) many customers consistently break the four rules without a second thought, and c) the sign hopefully makes people think twice about whether the guns they’re bringing in for trade or sale are loaded or not. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. (The sign, btw, does NOT apply to loaded weapons carried on your person, concealed or not, provided they stay holstered)
But y’know, even given all that, I still feel that my commute to work is more dangerous than actually being there, and my commute is a 4 minute walk.
Rules posted on the walls at my LGS:
“1. Please follow the rules of Jeff Cooper at all times. If you don’t know them, please turn 180 degrees – they are posted on the wall behind you.”
“2. Before bringing in an outside firearm that is not holstered on your person, please ask an employee for a chamber flag and insert it into the chamber of your firearm.”
“3. Please, no unholstering of concealed or openly carried firearms on our premises without an employee’s permission and supervision.”
VIOLATORS WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE
I think their bases are covered, and I think it’s a pretty safe place to be.
That lgs is where I bought my first gun. Great place, generally knowledgeable staff, great turnaround time for orders. I have to guess this was a range gun. They had (have?) a rule stating that you have to use their ammo for range use. Could have been a first time user trying to clear a jam and thought the staff would know how to help.
Local Gun Store is the safest place in town, anywhere in California. With Gov Moonbeam in charge, convicted criminals are being released to save California money. The savings realized will be spent stripping the 2nd amendment rights from good, upstanding citizens, without a blemish on their record. This Ammendment clearly drafted by the framers, was for citizen protection, and governments first duty is citizens protection. Tell me how this fits, release the criminals, and take guns from the citizens. If criminals were in any way affected by laws, they wouldn’t be criminals. Breaking laws is a criminals occupation, law makers (mostly lawers), make laws to employ more lawers. Business is slow in California, since they are driving all the good, job creating business out of the state, along with their tax paying citizens, so releasing these guys will keep the over abundant attorneys employed for a while, and increase the need for police, and fire fighters. Wow another reason to grow government, and it’s debit, all while driving out taxpayers. Gun Laws protect who? Weather you like guns, are indifferent, or don’t personally care for them, the framers understood the benefits of the 2nd Amendment (unmolested), and so should you, it was carefully structured for your protection.
Gun stores are the only retail establishment I have been to where customers are treated as an annoying interruption to their day.
You obviously haven’t been to the UK.
You also haven’t been to my local K-Mart, Home Depot, Target, Walmart, or Radio Shack. I have found that just about any store that hires teenagers gets zombies hypnotised by their &#%$@! cell phones, at least in my neck of the woods.
You’re going to the wrong stores. In nearly all gun stores I’ve been to, I’ve been treated in a friendly manner. Perhaps it’s a regional thing. Folks here in the central US tend to be friendly unless you give us reason not to be.
Comments are closed.