No automatic pistols. Conspiracy?

[bootless]

I'm from So Cal and the Bass Pro down here has had little inventory of pretty much any automatic pistols for the past few months. The salesman here showed me the inventory numbers on the computer which were mostly zero or a small number for most Glocks, Sigs, Smiths etc. He said these numbers were for all of the Bass Pros in the nation.

A couple of weeks later I was at the Las Vegas Bass Pro and they had pretty much everything in stock. I asked the salesmen what gives? He said there is something fishy going on in CA because all the Bass Pros get their inventory from the same places and he can get or already has most pistols. He didn't know why the So Cal Bass Pro doesn't have the inventory that he has. Is there a conspiracy going on in CA or are Californians buying more guns?

 

[THE DARK KNIGHT]

No one wants to sell guns in California.

 

[bootless]

I don't get it. Bass Pro is a huge chain that sells a lot of guns. Why would they supply vegas but not so cal? They would surely be bought in CA

 

[THE DARK KNIGHT]

They would surely be bought, but california has so many restrictions (compared to somewhere free like NV) it's probably not worth the trouble of selling there. this is just my speculation though not any sort of fact.

I live in NJ and it's the same here. why bother selling in NJ? Just go to PA and sell because they have freedom there.

 

[bootless]

It still seems odd because CA has such a large population, especially compared to NV. It seems irresponsible to not try and sell in CA.

 

[KYShooter]

Maybe the manager of the store it an anti-gun liberal ****** nozzel and doesn't request restocking of the evil baby killing semi-auto handguns.

 

[bootless]

yeah maybe. And maybe I need to get out of so cal one of these days

 

[Grey_Mana]

Before I jumped to conspiracy, I'd go with reckless speculation:
-did they screw up their BATF paperwork? Might be prohibited from stocking.

What is their lawsuit situation? Seems like somebody is always suing a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer. Might be under a court order.

 

[MrCleanOK]

The guns may be the exact same, but if they have to be sold with a 10 round magazine in California, that is an entirely different SKU in BassPro's logistics program. Wheel guns don't have this problem, which might be why you are seeing shortages on autos.

Mere speculation, but this could be a contributing factor.

 

[danprkr]

yeah maybe. And maybe I need to get out of so cal one of these days

Um, it's someday! Run, run far away.

 

[bdickens]

Why does everything have to be a conspiracy?

 

[Justin]

No one wants to sell guns in California.

You can say that, but you'd be utterly wrong. California is one of the biggest markets for gun retailers in the entire country. Even with the number of ridiculous gun laws California has in place, the market is obviously lucrative enough that manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and customers are willing to jump through the hoops to be able to sell or own firearms in the state.

 

[oneounceload]

Maybe the local laws in that particular instance are very cumbersome; maybe there have been enough gang-related instances, they are law-suit shy.....maybe......there could be LOTS of reasons. Look on most gun sales sites - many are no longer selling to CA, which is exactly what the gun control folks want.........

 

[CoRoMo]

It's kinda like walking over a bed of broken glass.
It can definitely be done if you know how, but it isn't all that fun.

Seriously though, more than likely it has something to do with the store or the suppliers. They obviously have and will continue to stock those items, but maybe they have issues with their system of ordering, purchasing agent, budget, etc.

 

[Noxx]

It's been my experience locally that when it comes to handguns, Basspro just flat sucks.

Sure they have a giant store, with lots of inventory on most imaginable outdoor items. They carry a nice selection of rifles and shotguns.

Handguns? No. Their stock is low, their prices are laughable. The same goes for their ammunition, and their reloading section borders on non-existent. Simple fact is, Bass Pro is an outdoors shop, and they happen to carry firearms. They are not, at least here in SoCal, a "gun shop" by any means. They either cannot or will not compete, and as such it should not be a surprise that their inventory is very limited.

 

[Frank Ettin]

I see three possibilities:

[1] They had sold a lot and hadn't restocked; or

[2] They don't sell many so they don't bother keeping many in stock.

[3] The particular store is poorly run.

 

[damien]

You can say that, but you'd be utterly wrong. California is one of the biggest markets for gun retailers in the entire country. Even with the number of ridiculous gun laws California has in place, the market is obviously lucrative enough that manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and customers are willing to jump through the hoops to be able to sell or own firearms in the state.

Northern Illinois is the same situation. The percentage of people here who own guns around here seems to be far less than the rest of the country, owing to the FOID card and personal feelings of the people in these parts. But the gun stores are large and well stocked. That's because 10% of a population of 10 million people is still larger than 50% of a population of a few hundred thousand people.

 

[Frog48]

The guns may be the exact same, but if they have to be sold with a 10 round magazine in California, that is an entirely different SKU in BassPro's logistics program. Wheel guns don't have this problem, which might be why you are seeing shortages on autos.

This is the most likely situation. As a business practice, it makes little sense to keep a large inventory of a niche item.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Why does everything have to be a conspiracy?

Because it's much easier to blame things on a conspiracy than to obtain the knowledge of business practices and then apply critical reasoning skills when it comes to evaluating a situation.

 

[Quiet]

I see three possibilities:

[1] They had sold a lot and hadn't restocked; or

[2] They don't sell many so they don't bother keeping many in stock.

[3] The particular store is poorly run.

What he said.

 

[Marve]

Because it's much easier to bash the concept of conspiracy and focus on every little business practice and then apply critical reasoning skills in an agenda to avoid conspiracy when it comes to evaluating a situation.

Fixd

Yea, no conspiracy ever. No one is anti gun. Nobody has ever tried to ban our guns. Nobody especially dislikes semi autos. Conspiracies don't happen. It's not possible that a store manager would have anti gun tendencies

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Maybe few of them are Kali approved?

 

[mp510]

They need different offering for Cali than the rest of the country- the specific models (finish, options, etc...) need to be approved, no >10rd mags, etc... My feeling based on what you said is that they sold them and replacements aren't available from their suppliers.

 

[hanno]

If I had that question, I would pick up the phone, call the Bass Pro Shop involved, request to speak to the manager, and ask him. But that's just me.....

 

[BMF500]

I'm from So Cal and the Bass Pro down here has had little inventory of pretty much any automatic pistols for the past few months. The salesman here showed me the inventory numbers on the computer which were mostly zero or a small number for most Glocks, Sigs, Smiths etc. He said these numbers were for all of the Bass Pros in the nation.

A couple of weeks later I was at the Las Vegas Bass Pro and they had pretty much everything in stock. I asked the salesmen what gives? He said there is something fishy going on in CA because all the Bass Pros get their inventory from the same places and he can get or already has most pistols. He didn't know why the So Cal Bass Pro doesn't have the inventory that he has. Is there a conspiracy going on in CA or are Californians buying more guns?

Uhhhh......The Bass Pros in Katy, TX, the one in Houston on 288, and the one in Gonzales, LA have plenty of semi-autos in stock, especially the last 2 I mentioned, the Katy location is relatively small in general. It might be a Cali-thing, there was an orange sticker on the box of my Para GI Expert that I bought a month and a half ago the said "NOT FOR SALE IN CA".