Gunshop mini rant (yes another one)

[FMarlon]

Ok, visiting a gunshop today. Never met the owner before today. We got to talking about (duh) guns.

I asked him if he could get for me a fair condition mauser rifle.

He told me to get the hell out of his shop. Said that he dosent sell, and I quote "To punks who only want "cop killer" automatic guns"!

Many responses came to mind. But I tried to take THE HIGH ROAD

I told him that he has just lost any and all future business from me and all of my friends from the range I frequent.

I left.

Did I handle this well or what?

 

[2nd Amendment]

We're blessed with the seeds of our own destruction in our midst.

Being the argumentative type I'd have probably found it necessary to try and enlighten his neanderthal mindset but in the end I'd have probably told the fool the same thing you did.

 

[Treylis]

I asked him if he could get for me a fair condition mauser rifle.

He told me to get the hell out of his shop. Said that he dosent sell, and I quote "To punks who only want "cop killer" automatic guns"!

Were you talking about a Mauser K98K?

If so, why didn't you point that out to him? (Of course, after that I wouldn't have bought from him anyways.)

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Yes, sounds like you did the mature thing- but my morbid curiosity would make me want to continue the conversation and try and determine what the heck he was talking about.

"cop killer" automatic guns"!

I'd love to know what the heck he was thinking...

 

[FMarlon]

Yes I was talking about a Mauser K98K. This guy was totally unbelievable.

I have found out from a friend of mine that it is his son who does all the firearm puchases for the company, but still this guy was too rude.

Plus apparently, he is one of those people who think only the military and police should be allowed guns.

He did have a mosin on the shelf I was thinking about getting today, but will never buy from this bigot.

I also asked him about Glocks and he said he didnt carry the guns that gang bangers used. I didnt have the heart to tell him there was onr in a glass case about 2 feet to his left.:banghead:

 

[P95Carry]

What a total - unmitigated - a$$wipe .. sheesh. Why in heck is he even in the business.? Incredible.

I can think of many things I'd LIKE to have told him ... if on the Low Road!

K98 - ''Cop Killer Auto'' ...... geez, where is he comin from? Shucks!

 

[MatthewVanitas]

If his son is running most of the business, it might be worth trying to drop by the store when the son is around.

Just have to find a diplomatic way to say "your da is an idiot and is running the family business into the ground". Diplomatically.

Who knows, maybe in a couple months he'll encourage Dad to spend his spare time fishing instead of harrassing customers, thus freeing him up to stock his shelves with all the gang-banger pistols and cop-killing 19th Century rifles that we all know and love. -MV

 

[stealthmode]

you should tell the name of the store so other people wont get the same treatment. i like when people have rants about gun stores, they are funny.

 

[Treylis]

Yes I was talking about a Mauser K98K. This guy was totally unbelievable.

I'm sure Paul Mauser would have been proud that even in 2004, his guns still have such a fearsome reputation. ;-)

 

[whm1974]

Plus apparently, he is one of those people who think only the military and police should be allowed guns.

Then why is he running a gunshop?

-Bill

 

[yayarx7]

Money.

 

[Bainx]

1. Patronize other gun shops
2. Purchase from the internet
3. Repeat as necessary

 

[LynnMassGuy]

I would have taken the low road...the lure of the darkside is too strong sometimes.

 

[Werewolf]

You are just too nice of a guy.

I would first have pointed out the error of his message without actually calling him an idiot. But I guarantee he would have felt like one by the time I was done.

After asking after the Glock and getting dressed down again I most assuredly would have pointed out the one in the glass case 2' away and pointed out that Glocks were the weapon of choice for many if not most police departments in the USA.

I would have then read him the riot act pointing out that pissed off customers tell 10 people and these days with the internet that number could easily become 10 million people.

And last but not least - being a crude kinda guy and more than likely really ticked off by then I'd have given him the single fingered salute combined with a friendly "Have a nice day - idiot" remark as I left.

I'm not one who cares much about winning friends and influencing enemies as can easily be seen by the above.

 

[George S.]

I agreee with going back and talking to the son when dad isn't around. You handled the situation pretty well by leaving but telling this guy that you will not shop there or recommend the shop to your shooting friends probably fell on deaf ears and it will not get back to the son.

Go in and tell the son what happened and relate the experience in a way that indicates you would consider shopping there but the prior visit left some bad feelings. If the son is a good businessman, you will either get an apology from him and maybe a good deal on the Mauser you want or even some other gun that might interest you. If you consider doing this, bring money to show you are interested and are willing to accept an apology for being treated in that fashion.

If the son treats you the same way as dad did, then just politely tell him what you told dad and what you intend to tell others; that this shop will not get any of your business or any of your friend's business.

 

[Jim K]

I think it would be a waste of time to try to patronize that shop. If you meet the son elsewhere, tell him that his father ordered you out of the shop so you have never gone back, and have told your friends that they apparently are not welcome. You can also say that since they don't want to sell to private persons, you hope the police business is enough for the shop to survive.

There must be other shops around who treat customers right and might even know something about guns.

Jim

 

[mustanger98]

This thread reminds me of an experience I had about a year and a half ago. The management (in the sporting goods dept of a locally well-known dept store) developed a habit of trying to insult my intelligence every time I turned around, then started trying to use used-car sales tactics on me. I finally told them I wouldn't buy a pig in a poke, left, and never went back. I left with them knowing I think they're idiots. I do business with a couple who run a small shop and are more like neighbors.

 

[Third_Rail]

Tell us what the shop is so we can ALL avoid it.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Sounds like he hasn't got his Prozac levelled out yet. Or maybe the Viagra just isn't working for him.

 

[yorick]

The funny thing is, that he's probably telling the story to his clueless old fart friends as

"...so this young punk came in and wanted to buy some damn german machine gun to kill cops with today - when I told him is no uncertain terms I didn't sell that crap, then he wanted to buy a gangbanger plastic junk gun! Sheesh - I kicked him out of the store so fast he didn't know what hit him...huh huh huh huh...."

and his old fart friends are nodding and saying "..man you were way too nice, I woulda called the cops on him - punks like that shouldn't be allowed to own guns anyway, and he probably had a record a mile long...huh huh huh huh huh...."



(personally I'd never pass on an opportunity to make an idiot actually feel like an idiot - hell, it's practically a public obligation)

 

[mustanger98]

You know, I wonder whether it would've made any difference to him whether it was a K98k or a M1 Garand.

FWIW, in a case like this, I'd have to say yorick is right about making idiots feel like idiots. I also agree with not patronizing that place. Like I said, there's a place local to me I don't bother with too.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Did I handle this well or what?

You did. You might post the name of the shop so others can avoid doing business there, too.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Yup, it would no NO good argueing with him. makes him look bad as well as yourself. It takes FAR more maturity to turn handle it in the manner you did. Kudos to you!
Also think it would be beneficail to share with the rest of us the shop identity. Show 'em that the mistake of one can surely influence many, even indirectly!

 

[JohnKSa]

Anyone who doesn't know what a Mauser rifle is shouldn't be working at a gunshop alone.

Besides being impolite, the guy is scary ignorant to be selling people guns and ammunition.

 

[mustanger98]

You know, you don't have to argue or be rude back to win. In this case, the ignorant guy calls a Mauser K98k a "cop killer machine gun". What I would do is hold up a picture of the rifle- an advertisement in Shotgun News for example would work real well, I think, unless you have an ad you printed off the net with picture, price, condition, etc- and say "is this the one you're talking about?". If he still acts ignorant, then tell him how you'll tell all your friends not to patronize his place. But, if he see's what you're talking about and says "we can get this", maybe he'll have learned something.

I was remembering earlier some of the talk in my dealer's shop. The first thing they ask is "do you have a pistol tote". ("tote" = CCW permit) If so, rock on. If not, then it's instant check time. But they don't assume the customer is a criminal wanting to kill cops. If the instant check comes back denied, it's time to look further, but until then, the buyer is presumed to be honest. The owner's wife was telling me once that they've had trouble with the baggy pants crowd, members of which blamed shoplifting of muzzleloader stuff on "all these mexicans around here". Oh, and they'll order me anything I want.