Gun store handling

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SnoPac

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I just came back from Wholesale Sports and being new to firearms I was wondering what acceptable store handling behavior is? I saw a guy and his 30 something year old son buying a Tavor and the 'Dad' had the rifle in hand and he was telling some bystander about how you could shoot deer with the rifle and that 500 yard shots would be no problem (I think he was just talking about target shooting at that point however). Okay...then he swings the muzzle right by the sales guy, right by his son, and then aims it upwards (but at a very shallow angle) towards the front doors of the store. Like I said, I'm a complete noob but between the over confident attitude and what I thought was fairly cavalier handling, I was kinda wigged out. The salesman didn't seem to care.

Is that a fairly typical happening at the gun counter?
 
I always handle any firearm as if it is loaded. So no pointing it towards someone.
When I want to shoulder a rifle to "try it out" I ask the employee where I can point it.
And if it is not safe, IMHO, I don't do it.

For your particular situation, I would have let out a loud yell, lifted the barrel of the rifle and told the salesman he was an idiot, and take my $$$ somewhere. Accidents do happen, rounds do get fed accidentally in rifles. Remember accidents at some gun stores in recent years?

You say "Is that a fairly typical happening at the gun counter?", sadly yes...

My 2 cents. Nic.
 
wholesale sports- nuff said- and alberta does NOT allow the 223 for deer afaik- as far as 500 yard shots with a tavor- lets say that's optimistic
 
SnoPac said:
I just came back from Wholesale Sports and being new to firearms I was wondering what acceptable store handling behavior is? I saw a guy and his 30 something year old son buying a Tavor and the 'Dad' had the rifle in hand and he was telling some bystander about how you could shoot deer with the rifle and that 500 yard shots would be no problem (I think he was just talking about target shooting at that point however). Okay...then he swings the muzzle right by the sales guy, right by his son, and then aims it upwards (but at a very shallow angle) towards the front doors of the store. Like I said, I'm a complete noob but between the over confident attitude and what I thought was fairly cavalier handling, I was kinda wigged out. The salesman didn't seem to care.
Is that a fairly typical happening at the gun counter?
Click to expand...

They are trigger locked , Although I don't wave guns in peoples faces with or without trigger locks, maybe its acceptable to the staff???...
 
Nic3500 said:
I always handle any firearm as if it is loaded. So no pointing it towards someone.
When I want to shoulder a rifle to "try it out" I ask the employee where I can point it.
And if it is not safe, IMHO, I don't do it.

For your particular situation, I would have let out a loud yell, lifted the barrel of the rifle and told the salesman he was an idiot, and take my $$$ somewhere. Accidents do happen, rounds do get fed accidentally in rifles. Remember accidents at some gun stores in recent years?

You say "Is that a fairly typical happening at the gun counter?", sadly yes...

My 2 cents. Nic.
Click to expand...

Ya it was really my first time going into a store to look at guns so I wasn't sure if maybe I was just being over-sensitive having just taken the course a month or so ago. I don't have a PAL in hand yet so I didn't handle any firearms. I was like that nerd lurker, eye-fondling from afar ;)
 
I just handle a firearm with respect of those around me in general.

Alone at home, once I clear it, I'll wave that muzzle everywhere, scratch my back, pick my nose, but in public I'm always conscience of those around me and of those that may show up later with no prior knowledge that a clear gun is being handled.
 
Armed_N_Friendly said:
They are trigger locked , Although I don't wave guns in peoples faces with or without trigger locks, maybe its acceptable to the staff???...
Click to expand...

you don't know wholesale very well- at least the last time I visited the Calgary store- trigger lock- what's that?
 
SnoPac said:
I just came back from Wholesale Sports and being new to firearms I was wondering what acceptable store handling behavior is? I saw a guy and his 30 something year old son buying a Tavor and the 'Dad' had the rifle in hand and he was telling some bystander about how you could shoot deer with the rifle and that 500 yard shots would be no problem (I think he was just talking about target shooting at that point however). Okay...then he swings the muzzle right by the sales guy, right by his son, and then aims it upwards (but at a very shallow angle) towards the front doors of the store. Like I said, I'm a complete noob but between the over confident attitude and what I thought was fairly cavalier handling, I was kinda wigged out. The salesman didn't seem to care.

Is that a fairly typical happening at the gun counter?
Click to expand...

Ease up son. Life is too short to worry about everything.
 
Some people see nothing wrong with pointing a firearm someone or having one pointed at them. I've seen people at stores actually draw a sight picture on others and have had sales people walk back and forth in front me while I was pointing a hand gun at a back wall (not doing anything work related mind you, just playing with their phone while waiting for me). I don't understand why anyone would think either of those things would be appropriate lol.
 
.223Rem said:
I don't understand why anyone would think either of those things would be appropriate lol.
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Because an unloaded gun won't fire on it's own.
All-inclusive "lieberal safety rules" don't apply in the real world.
I've served in the military and believe me, being muzzled by a loaded full-auto gun is nothing out of the ordinary.
 
legi0n said:
Because an unloaded gun won't fire on it's own.
All-inclusive "lieberal safety rules" don't apply in the real world.
I've served in the military and believe me, being muzzled by a loaded full-auto gun is nothing out of the ordinary.
Click to expand...

Makes sense but as a beginner my opinion is, if there is no need and it's avoidable, please don't point the muzzle in my direction or anyone else's for that matter. Haha...like it's kinda rude to fart in an elevator.
 
legi0n said:
avoid military tents then :D
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Haha...I'm a skiing addict...many a winter night spent in gas infested vans and motel rooms. The muzzle direction thing just kinda wigs me out. Just seems that if the muzzle control skills are haphazard, how good could the 'make sure the gun is unloaded' skills be? That's off topic from the original post concerning in-store behavior though.
 
legi0n said:
Because an unloaded gun won't fire on it's own.
All-inclusive "lieberal safety rules" don't apply in the real world.
I've served in the military and believe me, being muzzled by a loaded full-auto gun is nothing out of the ordinary.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me?
There is no excuse for lazing somebody. Ever.

I agree an unloaded firearm is safe, but people have Been shot accidentally by poor firearm handling.
Anyone that doesn't treat their firearm as loaded at all times will eventually have a ND.

I am also active military, and pointing a firearm at someone is a big issue. Any firearms class is very clear about safe direction, and while doing force on force you are told to take a sight picture on your enemy, you would never do it with lie ammunition.
 
Daver_II said:
Are you kidding me?
There is no excuse for lazing somebody. Ever.

I agree an unloaded firearm is safe, but people have Been shot accidentally by poor firearm handling.

I am also active military, and pointing a firearm at someone is a big issue. Any firearms class is very clear about safe direction, and while doing force on force you are told to take a sight picture on your enemy, you would never do it with lie ammunition.
Click to expand...

In theory that's how it should be.
But once you're deployed into action, things change.
You can't have your gun unloaded when engaging the enemy. Unless you are immortal. Then rules change yet again.
But for us mortals, being muzzled by a back slung rifle means nothing. NOTHING!
 
I think a bigger concern is what the h*ll were you doing in Wholesale Sports?

I have tried to buy a rifle, a few different types of powder, and shotgun shells over 4 or 5 times in WS. Each and every time I came out fed up and empty handed. Four years ago I tried to order a rifle they had in stock in Calgary and have it shipped to Langley. Still waiting. Stopped calling when snotty-kid-on-the-phone told me "he had my contact info, so quit calling."

And yes, this is just my opinion.
 
legi0n said:
In theory that's how it should be.
But once you're deployed into action, things change.
You can't have your gun unloaded when engaging the enemy. Unless you are immortal. Then rules change yet again.
But for us mortals, being muzzled by a back slung rifle means nothing. NOTHING!
Click to expand...

I have been lazed. Yeah plenty... That does not make it ok.

But a professional will keep muzzle control as a top priority. I have known many soldiers that do not respect their weapons. And I have known a number that have ND'd, including some that have fired rounds within inches of their buddies.

One of my co-workers had a fellow soldier shoot a round into their vehicle because he was so used to handling his pistol that he wasn't respectful of it anymore.
 
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