Recently returned (to store) handguns: new gun owners.

Are these returns, or is the store taking them in trade so the original buyer can get something with a safety? I don't know of any gun store that takes returns, even of unfired guns.

 

If you bought your first gun within the last 18 months, how easy would it be to find ammo to run through that gun, even if you wanted to.

 

The shortage of ammo is a big factor.

At Academy, I seen a man, rush through people, grab the ONLY box of ammo on the shelf.

Took it to the gun counter, "what pistol do you have that shoots this?" (.32 S&W)

Counter person, "the ONLY handgun in stock is an Uberti in .44-40."

Desperado, "ok, I will take it and these." (never seen the gun, never took out of box)

I just stood there, smh

 

As a sidenote: how about the future, when somebody else ...will someday…own one of our handguns which has a mag safety?

My S&W 908 with such a 'safety' was acquired simply for variety at the club. Also have a Walther P99, CZ PCR etc.

For various reasons, we might not meet everyone who will own a gun we now have; a future owner (not very disciplined) might expect the mag safety to work, therefore I was reluctant to remove it.

Would you leave it alone?

 

Exactly. That’s where I’m coming from. Do your research, handle them in person, and shoot them if possible. Ingredients to making a sound firearms purchase.

 

Keep in mind it’s easy to decide you want a gun and do a little research and go peruse the wares when you are not in full on HOLY HELL I NEED A GUN AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS GETTING GUNS AND RIOTS AND LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS OHHH MY. A lot of folks were literally buying because of a perceived immediate need and therefore went as fast as possible. Could be as things died down they did a little more critical research.

The upside is, even though lots of completely ignorant folks bought guns (meant as not knowledgeable not as a slight). The internet / YouTube etc. was and is a fairly easy and accessible resource most probably used to learn the basics after purchase so I would argue they probably have a bit more knowledge and safety then a lot of folks from decades past who went into it with no initial knowledge.

 

That just aggravates the whole point.

I think many if not most of those panic buying guns, especially handguns, really didnt give it much thought other than they needed to buy "something". They probably figured shooting would be easy, and after all, theyve seen all the movies and they do have the FIFTY rounds that came with the gun, and thats a LOT! How hard can it be to shoot?

Then you have those who might actually shoot the gun, and thats where you start to see basically new guns, and boxes of ammo with a mag or two out of it, back in the shops.

And that usually works out great, for those of us who wait.

 

I get that times of panic/shortages force people to buy whatever is available. And I understand there will always be people in that situation. It’s just a reality.

But I have little sympathy for people that were able to have purchased what they needed (need not want) prior to a panic situation and failed to do so. That’s on them and beggars can’t be choosers. You get what you can at that point.

Even then, there’s no reason not to have done a little research first, and handle the pistol in person at a minimum prior to a purchase. Shooting prior to purchase is even better, if possible. You may not know everything, but you’ll know more than nothing. And that’s something.

 

A newbie can known a lot about a gun and still discover it doesn't have a manual safety.

A former co-worker asked me to take his son, who had just turned 21, to the range and help him learn to shoot his new pistol. The guy had purchased a Glock 23 (yes, used by the local PD) and he regaled me with non-stop info about the virtues of the gun during our drive to the range. At the range, I suggested he start by firing a few rounds and checking how the gun (and shooter) grouped. He fired five rounds, put the pistol on the shooting table and started to walk downrange. After only a couple of steps, he stopped, turned to me and asked "But what about my gun ... it's still loaded?!?"

 

Sad that the store owner didn’t take the time to qualify those purchasers and let them down a second time by failing to educate them at trade-in time. Maybe they upgraded to DA revolvers.

Who wouldn’t want a Glock? There may be better pistols for specific tasks but like the issued M9, I feel everyone ought to be capable in short order to learn how to shoot one. Nothing about a Glock to truly dislike IMO even as a non-owner.

I’ve always wished some of THR’s Mods would produce a few videos to clarify some concepts for new shooters and demonstrate fundamentals of each discipline. I think the combined knowledge base here would easily take over YTube.

 

Glocks were the only pistols arriving by the pallet during the plandemic lockdown. Curbside carry out.

Glock can manufacture 10,000 pistols in the time it takes to make one decent 1911. Polymer striker pistols, and absolute garbage, were the only two options in stock at that time.

If $450 used Glocks, in like new condition, flood the stores......I'm not going to complain. I've got room for a low priced 22.4, 45, 35.4, 35.5, and 48.

If the fat counter girl wants to judge Glocks by their inept noob customers, that's her problem. I didn't see Wilson, Colt, Staccato, or Berretta, delivering freedom by the pallet.

 

Ok Boomer.
/jk

 

You realize - that's on you. Him doing something unsafe at the range is directly the result of you not
going over gun safety and range rules with him before you stepped on the range.

 

In 1983 a man named Hale DeMar purchased two handguns. He kept them for 20 years in a safe still in their original boxes without firing them once.

On December 28th 2003, his home in Wilmette Illinois was burglarized. On the night of December 29th, he took one of the guns out of the safe, a Smith & Wesson 38 Special revolver, loaded the gun with 6 hollow points and placed the gun under his bed. That night, the man who had burglarized the home the night before came back to burglarize the home again. Around 10:30 p.m. DeMar was awakened by the security system, which indicated a kitchen-door entry. Grabbing the loaded revolver that he had never once shot, he confronted the burglar, firing 4 shots, hitting the burglar twice. The burglar exited through a window and later collapsed in front of a hospital that he drove himself to. Hale DeMar was indicted by the Cook County State's Attorney's office for violating the Illinois Firearms Owner's Identification (FOID) law and the Village of Wilmette fined DeMar $750 for disobeying its handgun ban.

The charges against Hale DeMar created a backlash of public outrage. Riding the wave of public support for Hale DeMar, pro-2A legislators in Illinois were able to pass the Hale DeMar Act, a law which protects homeowners who shoot in self-defense even if there are local ordinances against handgun possession.

That was not bad for a first-time gun owner...

 

Most of you will remember what you did to pick out your first new, or nearly-new car.

Some of the people being referenced here will buy one from a vending machine. The concept of buying a car whose tires I can't even kick beforehand still hasn't settled in with me.

 

The best part of the video was that terribly ugly hat she was wearing. The rest was just fluff and nonsense but I can understand perfectly about the first time gun buyers. Most of us on this forum are well seasoned on the various features and non-features of various handguns. Brand new, never paid the least bit of attention to guns, buyers are not and probably know or care nothing about online reviews. It was simply panic about what was going on around them and feeling the need for some protection from said danger, real or imagined.

 

I've been making the rounds of the local stores (On medical leave so I'm bored) just to see what they have and don't have. I've run into several new buyers/never shot before looking at pistols - who literally had no idea what to buy. In some cases as I overheard the conversations, the salespeople were damn near as clueless. I think some of it has to do with the overall problem we have now - people aren't working, and stores are hiring anybody who breathes and can walk. I've taken a few of these people off to the side and explained to them that the first thing they need to do is to go to a local range who does "first shots" classes. There they can be properly educated on gun safety and shooting, and be able to shoot a few different guns to see what they like/can handle. I'm seriously thinking about going to work part time behind a gun counter - because I think many people are being mislead by sales staff who "just work there"...

 

You are wrong; I did go over gun safety and range rules with the young man. Oddly enough, some newbies get excited at the range and promptly forget what they have been told. While you may think I should have screamed at him and scrambled over the range table to knock him to the ground before he could go two steps, the gun was pointed in a safe direction and his realization of his error was a huge learning experience.

 

If you are in a leadership position in the military, the last thing you want to have happen on your watch is a negligent discharge. Especially if someone is shot or property is damaged. A lot of the people entering the military have never fired a firearm in their life so the "norm" of pistols not having a safety is unknown to them. Not everyone that is authorized a handgun in the military does that much shooting with one so their experience level with one is low. One thing the military is quite adamant on is safety and the safety on a firearm is one of those safe guards that helps reduce negligent discharges.

 

Jeez..it's freakin' retail. Almost everyone who works in retail "just works there" for the perks and will sell anything to anyone. In my 6 years of working in the LGS I'm the only one who ever refused to sell a gun to someone who was legal to buy. I was also the only one who could give a s&#t if I got fired.

 

She is downright annoying. I could talk to her for about 15 seconds.

 

If you are in a leadership position in the military, you also have options for administering discipline that are not open to you as a civilian.