Racist Gunshops

[BamBam-31]

Jammer Six, more power to you, bro.

Yeah, I'm the buddy Beetle's talking about. There's a local shop around here that's pretty racist. If you walk in and you're not white, they hush up and eye you suspiciously. When I asked to see a firearm, they asked, "What do you need it for?" When white customers walk in, they visibly ease up and become friendly, chit chat, etc. They don't mind making it very apparent that if you're not white, you're not welcome.

No thanks. I got more than a few of my buddies into guns (yay me!). I'm bringing them and my business elsewhere.

 

[Balog]

Jammer: excellent post. As a man married to a 1/2 Mexican woman who's been shot at by skinheads, I can sympathize. However, I can't say I agree with one of your points.

The WNBA isn't equality. Equality would be female players in the NBA, at the same rates of pay, based on the same criteria, points scored, without becoming a cause for comment.

Comparing discrimination based on race and separation of men and women in sports is an inaccurate comparison. The reason men and women have separate leagues for physical sports is because women simply cannot compete at the same levels. Even in golf only the very best women can compete with the middle of the pack men. I'm sorry to counter all the PC rhetoric, but it's simply not possible. Let's say that we have a truly "gender-blind" basketball (or soccer or golf or any other sport depending on physical strength and stamina) league. If the players were let in based solely on physical standards, very few women would make it. And given the expense in constructing separate facilities for a small number of people, they would most likely be playing as a sort of novelty. Of course, I suppose the women could shower with the men, but I doubt either side would be comfortable with that.

Basically what I'm objecting to is saying that treating a minority differently than a white person is the same as treating a man differently than a woman. It's simply not true. There is a real, physical difference between the sexes which simply doesn't exist between the races. Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine.

 

[Bill Hook]

When I asked to see a firearm, they asked, "What do you need it for?"

"To kill Whitey."

 

[Pendragon]

Living in San Antonio has brought the whole racial thing to my mind more than I am used to.

As a non-hispanic white man, I am in the minority. (60% hispanic here).

I took my wife to 3 flea markets today looking for antiques and whatnot. I would say all 3 were at least 95-98% hispanic.

I was not scared or uncomfortable - but I was aware of it much more so than usual. It is good to give these kinds of subjects their due from time to time.

So here I posit:

The whole idea of America is 100% incompatible with the ideas of racists.

They believe that being a member of a certain lineage imbues an individual with a certain worth or worthlessness. The persons actions, morality, choices, talents and accomplishments have nothing to do with how the person is percieved.

America is about the power and inestimable worth of the individual. No matter your color or race or background, what makes you great are the choices you make and the actions you take.

Funny - most racists I see are not what you would call "successful". I wonder if they are just lame people who know they will never amount to anything to they take up this "cause" because it gives them a sense of worth that they are incapable of earning for themselves.

I have a relative (not by blood) who always talks about "them" and "those people" and whatnot. She did not want us to move to Texas and tried to tell is about how many black people there are in the south and (as an aside) "they can be really VIOLENT!"

Goodness.

:banghead:

 

[Jammer Six]

There is a real, physical difference between the sexes which simply doesn't exist between the races.

So, a man who is 4'-6" would be a better center in the NBA than a woman of equal ability who is 7'-2"?

 

[BamBam-31]

"To kill Whitey."

LMFAO!!

Don't tempt me, Bill, I might actually use that one next time!

 

[Moparmike]

Good post jammer...

While I have not experienced or seen any racism in my local gun shop, I have seen some predjudice based on age. I assume this is because of the fact that less young people are ''big buyers'' these days, and they are deathly afraid of some random sting by the Bastards Always Terrorizing Firearm Enthusiasts (BATFE).

I however have recieved a crapload of flak about my political leanings (rookie mistake) about being a libertarian. Anyone who knows anything about Ozark Armory II in Springdale, AR knows to avoid the crazy red-headed guy.

 

[spacemanspiff]

as a self proclaimed bigot, i gotta say that i dont really care what a person Thinks about whatever. they dont like me cause my skin is browner than theirs, or not as brown as theirs, so what?

there are different types of 'racism'. on one hand, there is those who have formulated opinions based upon their personal experiences.
on the other hand, there is those who were taught to hate by friends/family, and often have never met the object of their hatred.

i would call myself a racist of the former description. HOWEVER, i try my hardest to not let my opinions be made known to those who i dislike. i would never assault (verbally or physically) someone for no reason.

i think its perfectly okay for a person to have their own opinions, but the minute they take it a step further and have actions fueled by their hatred, its a different story.

for example, theres a white supremicist group up here, based out of the mat-su valley. they leave flyers on car windshields from time to time, advocating their efforts at maintaining 'racial purity' and whatnot. an independant paper interviewed their leader, and he was going on and on about how 'the natives are scum and should go back to where they came from'.
now, i'm no rocket scientist, nor a brain surgeon, or even a high school graduate. but when you come to a state thats sole indigenous population is us savages, how the hell can you say 'go back where you came from!'??

but the last couple years, there have been more racially motivated assaults and vandalisms that make a savage like myself nervous. most recently has been paintball attacks on natives. one group of kids actually videotaped themselves doing it.
the native heritage center was spray painted with the slogan: "Have some pride, Killl a tribe".

yet a lot of alaska natives dont see the need to worry about their safety. of those that live in anchorage, very few natives carry concealed.

 

[Detritus]

Wasn't a guy behind the counter, but a customer. but the incident was both one of the most scary "run ins with racist schmucks" i've ever had AND the most surprising example of store personel dealing with said person...

Small gunshop in north MS late march of 2000 (just before i moved to texas) i'm int eh store browsing and this guy looking to be about my own age walks in, whips out his newly minted post-21st-b'day Driver's License, says he wants a pistol....

then proceeds to act out a paraphrase of the infamous "I need a gun to shoot some 'cans with" joke

just as the litte SOB finishes delivering his line (i'm standing there in shock, with my back to the guy) i hear a resounding "SMAAACK", turn and realize that the guy waiting on this turd (the shop owner it turns out) has just slapped the living daylights out of the kid, and is now telling the kid in a low steady voice, "Now listen up, I spent 25 years in the Army, i fought in Korea and Vietnam, fought beside men of every race, creed, or walk of life upon this planet, watched them fight and DIE for the man beside of them. and every single one of them was a better man than you'll EVER be!! NOW, Get out of my store, before i actually get MAD!! ". (this may not be exact for the wording but it's close and it conveys the meaning)

Now, i do not advocate the use of physical violence that was resorted to, and looking back on it i beleaive that simply telling the kid to take his hatefulness elsewhere would have been more appropriate, but at the time it was a bit gratifying to see the kid get stomped on for his ignorant bigotry.


i've run into racism in more places than i can count, including on rare occasion places where I as a caucasian was the target of the hatred/discrimination. my response, as i belive it is with most of you, is to simply vote with my feet and my money.

Sadly, I was once the target of unwarranted accusations on the job... but that's not something that needs to be aired here.

 

[BryanP]

SpacemanSpiff says

for example, theres a white supremicist group up here, based out of the mat-su valley. they leave flyers on car windshields from time to time, advocating their efforts at maintaining 'racial purity' and whatnot. an independant paper interviewed their leader, and he was going on and on about how 'the natives are scum and should go back to where they came from'.

Oh. Well. I guess they buy into the Bering Strait migration theory. "Send'em back to China where they came from." Morons.

When I used to live in San Antonio I heard one schmuck make the "Go back to Mexico where they came from" comment and I couldn't resist pointing out that there was a pretty good chance that the family of the guy he was talking about was living in the area when it WAS Mexico.

I've run in to the occasional gunshop racist. Sometimes I've just left, sometimes I've made a point of telling them that I wouldn't be buying anything there and why. Money talks. Especially when it walks.

 

[Ed Straker]

Well, I have an opposite story. I used to frequent a gun shop owned by a former Marine who fought on Guadalcanal.
He's passed away now, and the shop has closed. But, he used to talk about the Japanese he fought in disparaging terms.
I dated a girl from Japan for a while, and one day brought her with me when I dropped by the shop. Didn't even cross my mind, the Japanese thing, it was just me an a girl going to see my friend. He smiled and offered her a piece of bubble gum, like he does with every female visitor.
So it's good that he realised he difference between the 'Japs' he fought, and this cute girl I had with me. Good guy. Semper Fi, John.

 

[Neal Bloom]

"I need a gun to shoot some 'cans with"

I have always wondered if that included Ameri-cans?

 

[Waitone]

Never been a gunshop with racists. Been around some class A idiots for the way they handle guns.

The absolute worst racists I ever had to deal with was an Irish-Catholic from Chicago. The guy made well over $100K a year and dressed in $500 suits. Highly professional dealing with fellow honkeys but came unglued around non-honkeys. The man sickened me.

 

[Mike Irwin]

There ARE physical differences that are tracable to where an individuals' ancestors took root.

Skin color is the big one.

Northern Europeans... Generally fair skinned and fair haired. No need for excess melanin in the skin, which protects you from the effects of the sun.

Those from Equitorial and Southern Africa, as well as other tropical regions. Generally much darker skinned as the melanin is the body's natural defense against the sun.

People whose rootstock is in colder climates tend to be shorter but with broader bodies, which promotes conservation of body heat.

Those from hotter regions generally tend to be thinner and taller.

There are also differences in the bones that an anthropologist can generally use, with a pretty good rate of surity, to establish what race a person belongs to.

 

[SoCalGeek]

He starts spouting some racial stuff and how he's protected by the 1st Admenment. My wife and I left, quick. Not before telling them that we would not be back ever!

This is what most people fail to understand. They have the first amendment right to say whatever in the hell they want to say. They can have <racist/homophobic/bigoted/_____> beliefs if they want to. Everybody else has the right to not support them if they so choose. However, i think it also goes a little too far. A lot of times when i meet/hear about/am around a racist or somebody with racially biased opinions, people talk about kicking his or her ???. No, no, no, no, NO. I disagree with their opinions, but i don't hold it against them as a person- often it's just somebody was brought up that way. (You'd be surprised how many will admit "It's how i was brought up")

Edit: My bad. Not "whatever in the hell they want". Whatever in the hell they want, with the exception of the "My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins" rule. That is, they have no right to threaten people or say things that would start a panic or a riot.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"This is what most people fail to understand. They have the first amendment right to say whatever in the hell they want to say."

Well, actually, no they don't, but that's not entirely germane to this conversation right now.

What is germane, however, is that while people generally have the right to spout whatever festering brand of horsehockey they want, they do NOT have the right to expect me to listen to it, or to support it by association...

 

[semf]

JimJD that gun store you were talking about woulbn't have been in Kissime would it. I went t a shop in Kissime that was going out of business and selling everything "cheap" I had a few things I was going to buy and was trying to deide on a little j-frame, When the owner,a very minor local celebrity started holdin court and running down Puerto Ricans ( It should be added that he was going out of business because of some illicit dealings with sending guns to PR) I simply put every thing on the counter next to the register and walked out. I have always regretted not saying anything.

I'm a 6' white boy born in Japan, my maternal grandparents are German Catholic, my paternal grandfather was an exalted cyclops in the Klan, My step grandfather (the one I call grandfather) is Japanese/Philipino, my ex-wife is Puerto Rican and Black (or as she calls herself Af-Rican), which makes my son mixed breed, my current wife is Vietnamese, when I was in high school in Alabama I was sent to a black school on the bussing program for a year. I have dealt with racism in one form or another my whole life. Now that I'm old I don't have to put up with it amongst friends we usually handle it by making jokes about it (my handle on another forum is DirtyJap, a nickname given to me by my Jap. grandfather) with business owners I'll handle it with my wallet

 

[JimJD]

Jammer Six, That was a great post!
I stand and applaud you!

I too am of mixed background, Chinese-Irish, and have had people(of all colors) time and time again pull the same exact stuff in my presence.
They realized pretty quickly I don't stand for that kind of behavoir and mindset.

SEMF, it was'nt where you mentioned. It is close to Lakeland.

 

[semf]

I think I know that one to. Does it start with P

 

[Bainx]

"Can't we all just get along?!"....group hug

 

[Frank5]

Gun shop racists don't bother me. If I get stuff at a good price,I don't care if the owner is an exalted cyclops or whatever they are called OR if he's a skinhead or nazi. If I get a good deal I take it.

That sort of stuff does not bother me one way or another. I've even heard slurs like honkey,cracker & peckerwood come from the mouths of blacks & it didn't faze me. (I'm a white male) I've got more important things in my life to worry about.

Most people who show off their racist leaning like the reaction they get. When you walk out or display a shocked look on your face,you give them what they crave. The best thing to do is just ignore them. This way you deny them the attention they want.

I'll have to agree that many hardcore racists are losers but many sussessfull people just hide thier beliefs & are almost as racist. So who is worse....the guy who is outward or the guy who hides it?? It does not faze me either way.

Actually.......I get a kick out of many white liberals/multicuturalists. They love diversity but they live in a lilly white area. Thier kids go to a mostly white if not all white private school,as opposed to a more diverse public school. Many are members of all white clubs/organizations. A lot of these people are just full of $#!t.................plain & simple.

Me......All of my friends are white. I live in a white area. I don't observe black history month nor do I celebrate diversity. I get along with my non white co workers & don't make a big deal of it.

PS.....The goofball that gave a nazi flag to a 3 yr old was way out of line. That would have even p!$$ed me off. If one follows that idiology so be it (no I don't) but to involve other people's kids is not right. I would said something to that bonehead.

 

[p35]

My kids are half white and half Japanese. When the first one was a baby, some kid working at the local Home Depot started asking if he was "really sleepy or what's with his eyes?" I just laughed it off- I'm sure he didn't mean anything racial by it. The only time I've been uncomfortable was at a rural beach on the 4th of July when some yahoos started driving up and down with huge (like 8' by 12') Confederate battle flags flying from their pickups. When you're with a mixed race family, esp. in an area with a reputation for racist idiots, you start thinking about how handy the 9mm is when you see stuff like that...

Your average racist, in my experience, has about one brain cell over the minimum needed to walk upright. My favorite example happened in Portland, OR around 10-12 years ago. Lots of Skinhead problems at the time. One Saturday night a few of them decided to go downtown and bash gays. They set up outside a gay bar and, when they saw 2-3 guys coming out, started hassling them. One of the gay guys stepped right back inside and yelled "HELP! GAY BASHERS OUTSIDE!" About 100 highly POd gay guys pour out of the front doors. The cops arrived in time to haul the Skinheads away, but not in time to save them from a thorough a** whupping. Made them laughing stocks for quite a while...

 

[Byron Quick]

There are individuals of various races whom I do not like. Since my reasons for not liking them have to do with traits not related to their race...my dislike is not racist.

One of these people once accused me of racism. My reply was to this effect: No, sir. I would not like you whatever your race.

Good points have been made here. Some I find agreeable. Some I do not.

I'm white. Whoopty do...yawn. You're some other color. Whoopty do...yawn. I'm much more interested in what kinds of guns you shoot. Or if your word is good. Or even if you tell amusing stories and grill a heavenly steak.

I can remember when my town courthouse had "colored only" restrooms and water fountains...and the same signs for "white only." Blacks in the back of the bus and all that other Jim Crow malarkey.

I don't long for those days, at all, in any way.

 

[Sisco]

Know a place like those you describe, I only go there as a last resort. Unfortunately they have the biggest selection of reloading supplies in the area.

 

[hksw]

An excellent post Jammer,

However, I do have to agree with Balog on the sports analogy.

So, a man who is 4'-6" would be a better center in the NBA than a woman of equal ability who is 7'-2"?

There aren't too many male 4'-6" centers in the NBA. The best 7'-2" WNBA center, is not (IMO) any competition for a top notch 7'-2" NBA center. I think Michelle Wie might have a good go at the PGA in the future. From what I hear, she can really launch them out there.

Not to downgrade women. Just an (IMO unbiased) opinion on physical abilities between top notch athletes.