cougar1717
Member
Friday afternoon, about 1/2 hour before closing, I ran into my local gun shop to just take a look. As I'm looking around, a young man and an older woman walk in and say they want to look at home defense handguns for her. So the guy working the counter asks a few pertinent questions: pistol or revolver, caliber, frame size, etc. By their answers, it becomes pretty obvious that these two are mother and son, but the son seems to be answering all the questions. So they pick out a pistol and the salesman pulls out the form to start paperwork and explains that an FBI check is involved. At this, the mother bristles and looks at the son as if he is supposed to fill out the paperwork. At this point, as they are having a little spat over who is going to fill out the paperwork, it comes out that mom "has" to complete the form. The saleman immediately asks who is buying the gun and explains what a straw purchase is and that it is a felony. The saleman picks up the gun from the counter, holds it out of reach, asks the son's age, and explains that he could place the gun on layaway if he's close to being 21. When he responds that he's 19, the salesman places the handgun back in the case and cordially thanks them for coming in. After seeing all this go down, it was time for me to go, but I was proud of my LGS for not batting an eye to make a sale. The mom could have filled out the paperwork, paid for the gun, and given it to her son after they left, but the salesman asked the right questions and when the truth was revealed, protected himself and the gun shop owner instead of seeking a commission.