"Glock" Moral Dilemma

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marb4

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A guy who works for me turned 21 recently and was excited to purchase his first handgun. The day after he bought it he was so excited to tell me he had gotten a Glock 9mm brand new for only $349. After my jaw hit the floor I asked him where he had gotten a brand new Glock for only $349 and he mentioned a small dealer fairly close to our area that has a little shop in his garage. Knowing that this particular dealer usually prices firearms ridiculously high (even before the recent craziness) my "something ain't right here" radar started going off. I asked him which Glock 9mm he bought (17, 19, etc). His eyes kind of glazed over and I knew we had some problems. Anyway, I just congratulated him and asked to see it after he picked it up. Yep, my fears were confirmed when two days later he came in and showed me his new "Glock" aka Hi Point C9. He was happy as could be and I was in too much shock to say anything. I just smiled and told him to be safe and practice with it a lot. Inside I felt like throwing up. He's a good kid and I hate to see him ripped off yet I also hate to burst his bubble. My moral dilemma is this:

1) Do I explain to him that his pistol is not what he thinks it is? (don't mean to HiPoint bash in any way)

2) Do I tell him he was totally ripped off price wise?

I suppose someone needs to educate the poor guy before he pays $1000 for an AR-15 that turns out to be a Ruger 1022. I know he's going to feel like crap though and I hate to ruin his first handgun experience. Suggestions?
 
Oh...ouch. I'd be so tempted to take him out to lunch or somewhere and explain things one on one as gently as I could, and then maybe take him to have a little chat with that dealer, too. But I'd need to know the kid really well first. Like jumbo said, maybe he really isn't, uh, ready for that conversation. What are the odds he never knows or cares what the difference is?
 
There's absolutely no reason for someone to be this ignorant. He can't read the writing on the box or on the gun? Caveat Emptor.

I wouldn't say anything to him. Another overused saying.."ignorance is bliss." I would just steer clear of him. Someone that ignorant will probably not bother to educate himself on gun safety.
 
You tell him that it isn't a Glock, but instead its a Hi Point. American-made, good price, and still a good reliable pistol, as long as he has good mags for it. Because that really is true.

No need to bring up price because in three months, it could turn out to be a steal of a deal. Besides, if he's happy, he won't care that he paid 2x the price in a few years when he's still shooting it.
 
You really have no obligation to tell him, however, if truly a friend, I'd explain that he didn't buy a glock but a hi point. Don't bash it, but don't up sell it. It's a Hi Point. If he asks your opinion, personally, I'd say there are generally several ideas of what constitutes a "good gun". If it goes bang every time he pulls the trigger, good enough. But also explain that if he wants a Glock, to perhaps, take you with him to go shopping next time.

Perhaps he was so excited about it, he had misheard the store clerk. But the sad reality is he was probably led to believe it was a glock or was as good as a glock.
 
...ignorance...
Click to expand...
The only reason I might disagree is that I was once younger and ignorant of many things. Ignorance is fixable.

However some young guys do seem to use Glock to mean any semiauto handgun, so he may just be really happy with his "Hi-Point glock".
 
I mostly agree with the above posts, however I think it's important to note that being familiar with {firearm safety, how guns work, how to responsibly own one} and being familiar with {brands, models, monetary value} are two separate things. Don't get me wrong - I think it's important to have both - but just because someone doesn't know a 1911 from a Whitney Wolverine doesn't necessarily make them unqualified for the safe, responsible ownership of a firearm.
 
Appreciate the replies so far. He's been working for me since he was in high school through a CO-OP program. (He's full time now) Believe it or not he's actually a pretty bright kid but I think very naive is probably the best description. After I wrote my OP I began to wonder if he is using the term "Glock" as a generic term for any handgun. Odds are he'll probably put a box of rounds a year through it. Still I'd like to see him develop a genuine interest in shooting and wouldn't want this to be a bad a experience for him. Maybe "ignorance is bliss" is the best way to go here. Next time he decides to buy a gun maybe Ill casually suggest going along with him.

By the way, I did give him the safety lecture (4 rules of gun safety) before he went out and bought it. Did the same thing when he turned 18 and bought his first motorcycle.
 
If you want to help this kid, impart a bit of your wisdom on him.

1) Inform him that he bought a hi point and not a Glock and how to tell the difference.

2) Teach him how to price shop

3) Be gentle

If you don't care, just let him keep getting ripped off until someone with some balls wakes him up. At least if he's always broke he has to keep working for you.
 
He paid $349 for a HP?:eek:

Is it possible the guy that sold it to him said WTTE, "it operates like a Glock - same trigger pull each time - one pull = one shot." Something like that and your friend heard what he wanted to hear?

He may be happy with it. This is like talking to a guy about his girlfriend (she isn't good enough for you blah blah blah). I would let someone else tell him.
 
The media has convinced quite a segment of the population that "Glock" is synonymous with a semi-auto handgun.
That semi-auto handguns have existed for almost 100 years prior to the Glock doesn't matter.

I have seen several people, generally without much or any firearm experience, use Glock as a generic term.
 
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Ouch, dang.

This makes me think of a kid buying a "GTO" without realizing that it's really a LeMans. (the old Pontiacs I mean, not the modern versions)

Does this kid have internet access? It boggles my mind that in the internet age, people will still plunk down lots of money for something they know nothing about. Ten minutes reading on the internet would've prevented this kid's problem.

Although lately, I've seen the same thing at the local gun store just recently. People are coming in looking for a gun and have obviously done NO research whatsoever. You can tell based on the questions they ask. One guy asked "what ammo should I get for home defense (.40cal)".

A little research would've gone a long way, and he would've been better informed instead of tying up the salesman's time in a busy shop (the salesman answered: "Full metal jacket" by the way)
 
The first person to tell him gets to decide how it's done... gently or derisively. You only get to decide who tells him if you decide it should be YOU.

It sounds like you genuinely care about this young man...
NOW BITE THE BULLET AND GO TELL HIM.
 
They are both ugly black and squarish. Whats the difference exactly?







Just jokes.... Id file a BBB complaint if he was specifically told he bought a Glock
 
Many in that age group use "Glock" as a general term for a black pistol (not stainless). I bet he really doesn't think he has a glock brand gun, yo.


Or...... He is a raaaaaatard.
 
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