Met a moron at Cabela's today

[PennsyPlinker]

Today has been errand day for Mrs. Plinker and myself, so we decided to go to Cabela's along with all our other trips. I had been wanting to look for a holster for a gun of mine, so we took it along. Knowing that I needed to check it at the door, I made sure it was unloaded, and then locked the slide back before placing it in its case.

When we arrived at Cabela's, I discovered things have changed recently. The usual greeters were there, and I told the lady I had a gun with me that needed to be checked. Now they have a table at the front door with two employees sitting at it. She took me to the table, and explained to the two men that I needed to check my gun. I laid the case on the table, unzipped it, and lifted the cover. It was clear to all that the gun was unloaded, or at least that the slide was locked back.

The older of the two men (still younger than I am) took my gun, and pointed it directly at my head! I said, "Would you please not point that at me! Here is where the whole thing went real bad as far as I was concerned. He looked up at me and then said, Who cares, it's unloaded, right?" I could feel the anger welling up inside. All the while he was saying this, he was squinting into the chamber to see if there was anything in it. So clearly, he was not yet sure that the gun was indeed unloaded. After all, if they took the word of their customers, they wouldn't have to go through all this process, right?

So, he looked the gun over, and then handed it to the other man, who stuck it into what looked to be a box with a slot for barrels. I assume it was some sort of clearing barrel. Of course, my brain pan would have been the clearing barrel if it had been loaded. He then proceeded to put a trigger lock on it, as well as a length of weed whacker string as the "empty chamber indicator". He then issued me a tag, with the other half zip tied to the gun. I asked him why they needed all the extra stuff beyond the trigger lock.

"It's policy" was all he would say. He then gave my gun to the other man again, who turned and walked away with it! Up to this point not one word of explanation had been uttered. I had asked how I was supposed to try on holsters, and was simply told not to worry. When I asked where the other guy was going with my gun, I was told it was going back to the gun counter to be stored back there.

"How am I supposed to try it for holsters?" (this was the second time)

"Don't worry." (second time)

So off I went to catch up with the second guy. By now I was steaming. He took my gun behind the gun counter, and then came up and pulled a number out of the machine for me. He then explained that they would call my number, and then another employee would help me fit a holster to the gun. I told him I would be speaking to the manager about his co-worker's attitude. More on that in a minute.

I don't have any problem with safety measures like these, especially when it is my safety that is being protected. There are too many idiots in the world who bring loaded guns into the store thinking they are unloaded. I do have a big problem, not just with the actions of the first guy, but even more so with his attitude. By his own report, he was there to check to make sure I knew what I was doing with regard to presenting a safe gun to him. But in the process of ascertaining that it was indeed unloaded, the idiot pointed it right at my head - point blank - and then copped an attitude when I asked him politely not to point my own gun at my head.

Anyway, when my number was called, a very competent young man attended me in fitting a holster to the gun, and I was successful in finding one. I had explained to him that I was extremely unhappy, as well as why, and told him I would like to speak with a manager. He had no problem with getting a manager at all, and even seemed to be somewhat sympathetic to my cause. The manager (whose name escapes me) came forthwith, and I explained the whole thing to him. I told him that while I was pretty unhappy about being swept with my own gun, the attitude of the guy doing it was even more problematic. I said, "I don't care if you want to go by Jeff Cooper or the NRA, Rule Number One is..." and he interrupted me to say, "Yeah, I agree with you completely!" I also told him that I chose not to confront the idiot right then and there, because they did not need an angry man with a real honest to goodness loaded gun strapped to his hip yelling at an idiot at the front door, making people nervous. He agreed and was grateful for that attitude.

I will not detail any more of our conversation, but I suspect that someone is going to get a serious talking to, and maybe even more. Certain cues from the manager lead me to suspect that he is going to deal with this guy in an enthusiastic manner. So, if you are going to Cabela's to look for a holster, and you take your gun, be prepared for some extra rigamarole when you check in. And, be prepared to duck.

[Andrew17019]

I would have called a manager the second he pointed a gun at me, loaded or not. That does fly. It doesn't fly in gun shops around the world, and it certainly doesn't fly when someone is pointing MY OWN GUN at me. If nothing else, why put someone who isn't going to be responsible at the front door?

That makes me mad just envisioning this.... Are we talking about the one near the border in WV...past the Wheeling exit on the Turnpike? I stop there whenever I travel back and forth to/from PA and it's usually pretty busy.

[normanvin]

I have never been to Cabelas. And reading stories like this makes me glad of that fact.

[Connal]

When I first read the thread title, I thought "Who? An employee?" It is sad when my comical first thoughts are true.

Some people are just outright dangerous. He doesn't even know proper safety, and yet he is in charge of making sure it is safe. Like a blind art critic.

[CJR]

Dang Pennsy, wife and I were there today also, coulda met up and BSd some.

[CJR]

Dang Pennsy, my wife and I were there today also, coulda met up and BSd some.
Sorry to hear about your moron encounter.

[gnbrotz]

The manager (whose name escapes me)

Does the name Bruce Biedenharn sound familiar? He's the store manager there (last I knew).

[ksig1869]

Thats sucks about the employee, atleast the manager seemed to be understand. Hope the guy learns.

[mickey01023]

You should call the 1800 number and bitch, tell them how you told us that the so and so is on it but the other guy should get smacked around or IMO he should be fucking fired.

[PennsyPlinker]

Does the name Bruce Biedenharn sound familiar? He's the store manager there (last I knew).

It wasn't Bruce. I've met him before and talked with him on the OC thing. The man I met was a department manager. But he was all fired up about this.