Sign in the front of Gander Mountain

[230RN]

^
Yeah, I had a bow go off when I dropped it once.

(Sure wish folks were a little more diligent about giving some indication of their locale when they post something like "my GanderWarehouseAuthorityDick's ..."

At least define the approximate quadrant of the Galaxy you're in, please. And many don't give even a rough idea in their "other information" section.)

Growl.

 

[Hokkmike]

230RN, Sorry, my area is so small and rural that my county name is a pretty significant locater. PA should be known by all. Anyhow, I assumed what was policy for one GM probably was for all. Merry Christmas.

 

[Rock_Steady]

Doesn't make any sense to me. The Gander Mtn near here has the same sign - CCW weapons are exempt. Now, I don't think I would be dumb enough to go in the back carrying my gun and ask to see a holster that would fit it, then pull my gun and try it on, for example. If you are taking a weapon in there for the gunsmith, accessories, to sell, etc., it should be unloaded and checked. Why would you tell anyone you had it on you for them to demand you unload it?

If they really wanted it to be unloaded, that would be marked on the sign posted. Or, they would simply say NO LOADED GUNS, period. I carry every time I go in that shop. If I do my part and keep it covered, I can keep it loaded.

 

[Sam1911]

Hi!

There are two things to consider: 1) Corporate policy and 2) state law.

For this "corporate policy" to be verified, it has to come from corporate headquarters in some explicit and verifiable manner. The individual store's general manager's interpretation is subject to a lot of mental clutter and carries no weight beyond his ability (and authority) to ask you to leave on a given day if he has cause.

I personally find it difficult to believe that this *IS* G.M.'s corporate policy as my local stores all have signs instructing that guns must be unloaded, but that PA LCTF holders are exempt. Re-stated, "if you are bringing a gun in here, unload it first. Unless you are carrying a legal concealed weapon in which case you do not need to." But we are to believe that the super-double-secret sub text says, "EXCEPT that you really DO have to unload first or we'll call the cops on you?"

To the second point, under PA law I am committing no crime whatsoever if I choose to carry in any location not prohibited by state law. If I am clumsy enough to display it or in some other way be found out, the store manager can ask me to leave if they feel it necessary, and I must do so or face trespassing charges. Even if their signs said "NO GUNS" I violate nothing beyond their policy by doing so.

Knowing that, as many others have said, how are the employees or manager finding out? Even if they ask you point blank, SAY NO! They can't harass you further. And what gun shop in their right mind would harass a customer for carrying anyway? That's just vastly stupid.

-Sam

 

[mekender]

GM here in greensboro NC does not have the exemption... the sign says that ALL firearms and bows must be checked at the front counter...

 

[Mac45]

I don't see how they could construe that sign to mean "unloaded"

The GM near me has the same sign. I know a couple of the guys in the gun dept. and I'll ask them about it next time I'm in.

I don't doubt what happened to Dorryn, but it sounds like a "Store policy" to me.

 

[steveno]

Cabela's in Kearney has the same sign. it just means that if you are getting a bow restringed to put a sticker on meaning it was brought in the door or bringing a gun in to trade they want to put a lock on it. it doesn't mean that if you are carrying concealed that you have to stop and tell them you carrying concealed. I don't see that it is that big of a deal

 

[Lashlarue]

All the store can do is ask you to leave. Their rules are not legally binding. Texas has very specific rules about the signs, one being they have to be a certain size, quite large as I recall and worded in accordance with Texas law.

 

[Travis McGee]

Good policy. Good on Gander.

 

[Lashlarue]

What's good? If you have a CHL, you can carry it unloaded!From now on I'll empty my gun and carry a baseball bat, if questioned I'll tell them it's for self defense!

 

[doc2rn]

I was worried that maybe they where misconstruing brandishing with CCW. If you had not pulled it out at the gun counter they would have never known, but you did so they made sure it was safe to be handled. I am not sure where the line is here, but I would get the final word from corporate.

 

[BB93YJ]

When and where did "Common Sense" die? If you are legally ccw'ing, nobody should know, and, you shouldn't be telling anybody. Period. I work at a Gander Mt. in Texas. We want people bringing firearms into the store, (to sell, trade, or get the gunsmith to take a look at), to be unloaded. No brainer there, or at least, it shouldn't be. Are you CCW'ing? Good on you. Now shut up about it and go about your business, o.k.? I don't care if you are. I do care, however, if you come traipsing in with your 'ought six' with a round in the chamber, or your glockenspiel with a loaded mag in place. That's just plain stupid, stupid. Store full of people, and some dip walking around with a loaded weapon waving around, that's what is to be avoided, hence the sign. Again, for you slow ones, if you're legally CCW'ing, great. Now shut up about it. What's hard to understand about that?

 

[Robert Hairless]

Dorryn:

And dont even bother trying to stop a crime in progress, unless you seriously want to find out that what im saying is true.

That's good information.

Please share with us your own experience "trying to stop a crime in progress" at that Gander Mountain store, and elsewhere too if you don't mind.

Did Gander Mountain employees call the cops to have you arrested while you held a criminal at gunpoint in the store? That would have been ungrateful of them.

What did you do after the cops came?

 

[Daemon688]

I know you've brought that up before, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that you live in New York. I've openly carried in GM, Walmart, and Cabelas without ever being stopped/questioned/told to leave.

 

[Hikingman]

The location here is one place that quite a few CCW men and women walking in with them IWB or other holsters, and not visible...

 

[Ringer]

BB93YJ
Did you make your post after staying up half the night wrapping presents, you sound a little grumpy.

D <---- means I'm joking)

I couldn't agree more with your post though, but it gave me a chuckle. I see the sign every time I go in GM. While I don't remember the exact wording I always read it as legal concealed weapons carriers are welcome.

 

[Mainsail]

It would be impossible for GM to have a blanket corporate policy regarding customer firearms carry because every state has widely different laws. We ran into this with open carry at Wal-Marts, some managers thought it was illegal (in WA) and others did not. The best we were ever able to get from the regional managers is that their policy was to mirror state laws where the store is located, thus open carry is allowed in their stores. We ran into the same problem at Sportsman’s Warehouse and Cabela’s; managers that don’t know their own store’s policies.

 

[BB93YJ]

Merry Christmas Ringer, and everyone else...

I'm at the age that grumpiness comes naturally I guess. With advancing age comes a lower tolerance for some things, like this 'ticular subject.

 

[inkhead]

Mainsail,

Corporates do have large blanket policies, and usually a disclaimer, about where other laws apply and such...

If I store policy is NO GUNS, they have every right to enforce it, especially if they can claim it's posted. Just like "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." If they tell you to leave and you don't you will most likely get arrested...

There is some part of stores that judges will rule "Public" in certain cases, but if I came to your front door, and you told me to leave my guns in my car, I can't force you to let me in with them, because I have a permit to carry them from the government. It's still your private property, you can freaking deny me entrance based on the fact that I'm wearing pants ;-)

I'm just saying... but in my humble opinion "What posted sign?" ;-)

 

[logical]

How can some of you possibly read into this that they want you to CCW with an unloaded gun. It doesn't say that.

It says if you CCW, fine...carry on. But if you are bringing a gun in for service or intend to whip it out at the counter to trade or try holsters for size, then it should be unloaded.

 

[BigBlock]

You mention it in passing while browsing in the gun section, only to be yelled at by multiple minimum wage employees who tell you HAVE TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW IF YOU DONT UNLOAD ANY CCW GUN YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF US like they did to me.

There's your problem. #1, don't talk to minimum wage employees, and #2 they are almost always wrong.

I don't know about other states, and there are no Gander Mountain's around me, but I can legally open carry a loaded gun ANYWHERE not prohibited by law, (post office, court room, etc, and a few communist cities) regardless of what any sign says. Same goes for CCW.

 

[Hokkmike]

BigBlock...did Albert actually say that?

 

[Mainsail]

If I store policy is NO GUNS, they have every right to enforce it, especially if they can claim it's posted. Just like "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." If they tell you to leave and you don't you will most likely get arrested...

Of the stores I mentioned, Gander Mountain, Wal-Mart, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Cabela’s, none of them are posted. What I was pointing out was that the employees often don’t know their own policies. Wal-Mart was one example where I contacted the Regional Manager and the sort-of-assistant-manager at the local store was re-educated on their policy for firearms carry in WA. This sorta-manager was cocksure that firearms carry was not allowed in the store, and that open carry was illegal. He claimed that if my carry were to alarm anyone I would be breaking WA laws, but this is nonsense. I haven’t had any more grief from him since.

 

[BigBlock]

BigBlock...did Albert actually say that?

Yep.

 

[CraigJS]

Sounds like some of the Eastern states could use permitting classes. If stopping a crime in progress, hopefully it's the BG that gets shot.. What if the GG now has the drop on the BG when you show up, what if the gun holder is an undercover cop? Learn all you can about NY use of deadly force, or lawyer up.