Yet Another Safety Violation at a Gun Store (Rant)

[jakemccoy]

Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff in Vacaville, CA (“Gun Store”) has a "No Ammo" policy upstairs where the guns are. Because of this policy, everybody is constantly breaking most or all the Safety Rules. Also, the policy necessarily means they don't want CCW holders up there.

I was at Gun Store picking up a gun and handling paperwork. Salesman is helping Customer to my right. I’m 34. Salesman is about 60 and appears to be experienced with firearms. Customer is about 45.

Salesman pulls gun out of gun case and immediately sweeps the whole store. I let it slide, but come up to attention. Customer is now examining the gun. The gun is a Ruger revolver, large caliber.

Customer has finger firmly on trigger and is careless with muzzle. Muzzle is eventually pointing straight between my eyes, but not intentionally. I reach out my hand and physically move the muzzle to the ground behind the counter. I say, “Please don’t point the muzzle at me.”

Salesman’s casual response is, “It’s not loaded.”

Customer chimes in with, “Yeah, and the safety’s on; you have to go through 2 movements to take off safety.” Customer then starts messing with what he's calling the safety.

I respond with, “That’s great, and still don’t point the muzzle at me.” I was about to go into a short lecture about the Safety Rules, but I know that it would not have helped the situation and that they would not have learned anything from me. My intention was for them to think about their actions on their own.

I’m not sure if I would have handled the situation differently. I drove home wondering honestly about what percentage of good guys I'd rather not see with a firearm.

 

[HungSquirrel]

This is unfortunately fairly typical.

 

[Vitamin G]

At least the salesman didn't encourage the potential customer to "line someone up" to see what a self defense shooting should look like.

I shop elsewhere.

 

[silverlance]

hold the anger back a little bit.. that was what we call a "teachable moment". give the customer and education, and the salesman too. whether they let it sink in is up to them. but as gun owners we ought to try to enlighten folks so tehy dont embarass us later on.

 

[sacp81170a]

The gun is a Ruger revolver, large caliber.

“Yeah, and the safety’s on; you have to go through 2 movements to take off safety.”

????????

I wasn't aware that any of Ruger's revolvers had a safety? Still, being swept with the muzzle of a weapon that you have had no opportunity to check is a serious breach of etiquette. You were right, they were wrong. Dead wrong.

 

[jakemccoy]

I wouldn't mind teaching in that situation, but I couldn't figure out how to pull it off.

 

[ColinthePilot]

I've pretty much stopped noticing at gun stores/shows. Its become commonplace for me to get swept at these places. I'm still very conscious of doing it myself, but i don't expect good muzzle/trigger discipline at stores and shows. I get really anal about it at the range though.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

One gun store I used to frequent (Turner's Outdoorsman, San Bernardino, CA) had a large paper target, high up on the wall. When, for example, shouldering a rifle or pointing a handgun, you were to only point it at this target.

 

[1911Tuner]

Been there, done that a few times myself.

He was probably fiddling with the cylinder release, thinking it was a safety.
Seen that one a lot.

The store is flirting with disaster by not enforcing basic safe handling rules.
Just because it's store policy to keep guns and ammo separated is no guarantee that the customer who walks in off the street won't load a gun from his pocket...usually checking to see if the ammunition that he has will "fit" the chamber.

That one's happened a lot more than many shop owners are even aware of, and sometimes the customer forgets that he loaded the gun and walks out. If the counterman also forgets to check the chamber...and the next man to pick up that gun is lacking in basic safe skills, the stage is set.

IMO, safe practices should be at least as strictly observed and enforced in a gun shop as on a range, if not moreso. On a range, everybody assumes that the guy next to them has a loaded gun, and keeps an eye on him...or at least they do if they're smart. Browsing in a gun shop, I tend to keep a close watch on anybody who is handling a gun until I'm satisfied that he's not an idiot...which can very often take a while.

 

[mattsb2000]

One gun store I used to frequent (Turner's Outdoorsman, San Bernardino, CA) had a large paper target, high up on the wall. When, for example, shouldering a rifle or pointing a handgun, you were to only point it at this target.

Funny that you mention Turners in San Bernardino.

I'm from there. And yeah the target, and the deer are good things to aim at. I wish they did that at more gun stores.

 

[BruceRDucer]

"Salesman’s casual response is, “It’s not loaded.”--"

Now see, that is wrong. Treat all guns as loaded.

Gun stores and ranges seem to have a lot of those SWEEPING movements. That's always wrong.

If I point a gun INSIDE a store, I always point it UP, where the hired help are. (KIDDING! KIDDING!)

 

[98C5]

The store I frequent always uses caution. Whenever someone asks to see a pistol, they open the slide and lock an auto, or open the cylinder on a revolver BEFORE ever handing it to the customer. They know me well, but still do that every time I ask to see a pistol. I appreciate that they care for their safety and the customers.

 

[airman]

Hey JakeMccoy I know the store well. The place is very expensive. I only go there to get reloading supplies. You even have to fill out a paper with your info to buy powder. The old guy upstairs is a know it all butt hole. The guy is cocky is all get out. Good to see someone else not happy with their antics

 

[bloodedsky]

You should have asked the dude, "Yeah, and how many times have we heard on the news a child's tearful statement that the gun 'wasn't loaded' when s/he accidentally shot and killed a friend of hers/his?" Followed by 1911's excellent example.

Darn it. I got all irritated about the dudes' stupidity, and now my rheumatism is flaring up. Some people.

 

[OAKTOWN]

Too bad. I used to stop in there for ammo when I go visit my folks. I say, "used to" because I like to keep some distance between myself and morons with firearms. Casual attitudes get people shot.

 

[crebralfix]

"Well, MY gun here IS loaded and I WILL point it at YOU if you insist upon continuing to point your gun at me."


I just get tired of that BS...there is NO excuse for it in a non-violent situation. I can see something like that in a combat situation where guns are getting waved around, but *intentional* bad handling....noooo.

 

[tmajors]

I'm trying to think of any of my guns that I have to "go through 2 movements" to put into fire mode...I guess if you want to get really technical but any of my guns I can go from safe to fire without much more then a finger twitch. That is even if they have a safety.

I would have shopped somewhere else.

 

[CatsEye]

I have a good one for you. I was at a gun store recently looking at the M&P. After handling the gun in the case I asked if the grips installed where the small, medium or large. Another salesman piped in that he carried an M&P with medium grips and proceded to unholster and hand me the firearm. Now keep in mind that I had never been to this place before and they didn't know me at all. I dropped the mag and racked the slide to eject the live round. After getting the feel of the grips I handed everything back to the guy. I was so stunned by the whole situation I didn't know what to say. I just said thanks and left not believing what just happened.

 

[snow92686]

my ccw instructor said whenever someone handed him a gun and he started to check to see if it was loaded, they of course would say "its not loaded" he would then proceed to say " then you dont mind if I point it at your chest and pull to the trigger to make sure" that always seemed to change their minds...

 

[CatsEye]

" then you dont mind if I point it at your chest and pull to the trigger to make sure" that always seemed to change their minds...

That would make you think twice.

 

[armedandsafe]

I have been known to say, "I was trained to shoot people who point guns at me."

Pops