Careless Firearms Shoppers

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Is it me, or do people lose their minds when they are shopping for guns, either at stores like Cabela's looking at used firearms or at gun shows? Wish I had a dollar for every time I have turned around and had a rifle or shotgun being pointed at my head or torso by some idiot handling a weapon. Muzzle awareness folks!
Also tired of seeing children handling weapons when the sign (and common sense) clearly state must be over 18. Usually, the parents are standing right there and the kids are flagging everyone with whatever weapon they are holding. Way to teach safety to your offspring.

[Whiskey Delta]

There is always a time and a place with a calmly stated "Please watch the muzzle of that firearm, you just pointed it at me, thanks".


It's all about education.

[jsb889]

Is it me, or do people lose their minds when they are shopping for guns, either at stores like Cabela's looking at used firearms or at gun shows? Wish I had a dollar for every time I have turned around and had a rifle or shotgun being pointed at my head or torso by some idiot handling a weapon. Muzzle awareness folks!
Also tired of seeing children handling weapons when the sign (and common sense) clearly state must be over 18. Usually, the parents are standing right there and the kids are flagging everyone with whatever weapon they are holding. Way to teach safety to your offspring.

Some people think the gun is unloaded, so in their mind its okay to point it at people I suppose. The clerk should point out their mistakes. Responsible people will heed the clerk's advise and apologize for making the error. Assholes will get angry, at which point the clerk should refuse to let the person handle any gun in their inventory and tell them to shop elsewhere. In a perfect world, that is

There is nothing wrong with children handling guns as long as they are responsible about it. Age has little to do with maturity. At out group shoots, the one person I see that has never broken a single safety rule is a 10 year old child. The reason he is so good with his safety handling was he was raised and taught properly. Myself, I had to learn on my own, and if I messed up once my guns would be taken away and I would not be able to even handle a gun until I moved out. I beat the safety rules into my head, and always practiced them. Mainly, finger off the trigger until your ready to shoot.

Irresponsible people raise irresponsible children. They teach the child its okay to make those mistakes. Those adults behind that child probably would make the same exact mistake that the child did.

[camper]

I'm a bit more lenient at 'muzzle awareness' at the stores because the possibility of a round getting in the gun is lower than it is at home or on the range.

What irked the crap out of me though, was I was at Cabelas and I was doing my typical familiarization of looking at the gun, holding it, turning it in my hands, and then looking at the sights while pointing it at the floor. The clerk kept telling me to point it up high at the wall, and that was bothering the crap out of me. First it's uncomfortable since I will NEVER aim 'up' like that, and second because IMHO it's a bad habbit to raise a gun up to the sky...what with that whole 'what goes up must come down' natural order thing...

But I've seen kids 'playing' with guns, they're usually teenagers who are clueless or college kids thinking they're cool. They're not. They're so not.

camper

[bdevil73]

I'm a bit more lenient at 'muzzle awareness' at the stores because the possibility of a round getting in the gun is lower than it is at home or on the range.

What irked the crap out of me though, was I was at Cabelas and I was doing my typical familiarization of looking at the gun, holding it, turning it in my hands, and then looking at the sights while pointing it at the floor. The clerk kept telling me to point it up high at the wall, and that was bothering the crap out of me. First it's uncomfortable since I will NEVER aim 'up' like that, and second because IMHO it's a bad habbit to raise a gun up to the sky...what with that whole 'what goes up must come down' natural order thing...

But I've seen kids 'playing' with guns, they're usually teenagers who are clueless or college kids thinking they're cool. They're not. They're so not.

camper

I've read too many stories of firearms being brought in for repair with one still in the chamber to be comfortable with being swept by an "unloaded" gun in a store. I don't even step up tp the line at the range until I've been there for a few minutes and observed what was going on.

[jackinblack]

I'm a bit more lenient at 'muzzle awareness' at the stores because the possibility of a round getting in the gun is lower than it is at home or on the range.

I thought the rule was absolute at all time. Don't point it at something if your not going to shoot it. Safe directions at all times.

There was a post a few weeks about about a guy at cabelas who was using his own loaded handgun to see what holster would fit it. Would it not have been just as easy to take the holsters to the counter and ask to used the same model for fitting?

[ReconLdr]

The way we handle "poor muzzle awareness" is with a range paddle. Those who have been in the military will know what I mean. It is a large wooden (we made ours out of oak) paddle similar to a ping-pong paddle with a longer handle. It's painted red on one side and white on the other. Its primary used for comunicating with the RSO the status of the weapon. But, when a shooter does anything stupid they get smacked across the head with it. They are usually wearing a helmet at the time but they still get the point. Once they get whacked they get pulled aside and re-educated on the proper procedures, do some "monkey humpers", drink some water and then get to try again.

I propose that the guys at the counter should have these paddles and proceed to whack people who do not follow common sense safety rules. There would really only be a need to whack one or two people before word got out that proper handling of weapons is required at the store...

[camper]

I've read too many stories of firearms being brought in for repair with one still in the chamber to be comfortable with being swept by an "unloaded" gun in a store. I don't even step up tp the line at the range until I've been there for a few minutes and observed what was going on.

I thought the rule was absolute at all time. Don't point it at something if your not going to shoot it. Safe directions at all times.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying I'm complacent or don't pay attention...but I also know that the guy behind the counter ensures the gun is cleared before letting a browser handle it.

Then again, I've only been in stores where the firearms are handed to the customer by the clerk, or are trigger locked and the rifles are corded to an island.

And I do the same at the range too, if I go on a busy day (busy meaning someone else there besides me).

I just meant that the odds of the gun magically loading itself between clerk to customer is much slimmer. Still possible, I agree so I'll never go licking the end of the barrel or anything, but much less likely.

camper

[wa3ra]

It has to be the store thing. My wife was at a store with me recently, she was looking at/handling a .45 Taurus...and PUT HER RIGHT HAND IN FRONT OF THE MUZZLE.

Jeeeeeezzzzusss!

[ChrisF4i]

...Also tired of seeing children handling weapons when the sign (and common sense) clearly state must be over 18...

The sign says that you must be 18 to handle the firearms or be with a parent/legal gaurdian...something like that. But I agree with you that the parents should pay closer attention to what their children are doing.