Idiot in Gun Store

[AllAmerican]

First of all Brady, try some spaces after a few sentences LOL That was hard to read.

People whip guns out all the time in the pawn/gun shop where I do all my business. The owner carries a S&W Sigma .40 shoved in his front pocket. People pull em out when there are LEO's in there. We all do it.

The guns are all loaded. You wanna hand it to another guy to check out? You unload it and hand it to him. He does the same. Its all quite safe really and Ive never felt that any stranger in there was unsafe of looking to do harm.

Of course I wasnt there so maybe Im missing some details but on the surface Id say, lighten up.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JoeyD]

A bit of an overreaction on your part because, I suspect, his move was unexpected and unannounced and you were surprised, not to mention unarmed. I'm glad you can see in retrospect that your reaction may have been over the top. Sounds to me like the guy really did nothing wrong or illegal but his actions didn't sit well with you. There are a lot of folks out there who would think we're all a bunch of idiot gun nuts because we exercise our 2A rights and talk about it on this forum.

[bandit383]

Actually, you assumed it was loaded because he pointed it at the ground...I say kudos for proper gun control whether loaded or not.

You did jump to a conclusion... To be honest (and not brutal)...your reaction is more along the lines of someone not used to firearms.

Rick

[Tom G]

Like some of the other guys stated ,you didn't know if the gun was loaded. If you pull out a loaded gun in most gun shops the people running it will jump all over you. You most likely didn't hear the whole conversation. He may have pulled out an unloaded gun to try and sell it or find a holster to fit it. The customer did not have his finger on the trigger and was pointing it at the floor.

[Thumper]

That guy really gets around because I'm sure I saw him here in Reno!

[SonofASniper]

In my humblest of opinion....

None of your business. It was only your concern if he started to pose a threat to you.

If it made you uncomfortable, then LEAVE! Don't interject yourself into the conversation if you are uninvited, UNLESS he does something that directly posed a danger to you like point the gun at you.

Remember, its NOT YOUR ESTABLISHMENT! YOU ARE WELCOME TO LEAVE AND NO LONGER DO BUSINESS THERE!

I have seen people do stuff I don't agree with, but I have only interjected when someone does something overtly dangerous that everyone present can agree on. Usually that is when someone has muzzle flashed me, and then I point it out usually with a "Hey watch where you are pointing that!" Only one time did an offender smart off back, and that person was shown the door by the owner.

You have to remember, it is a gun store. It is a place where business is conducted in relationship to guns. If that makes you uncomfortable, then you are going to have a hard time when you are shopping for guns.

Also, you have to remember that everyone's level of percieved safety is different. Some people plain suck at safety. Most people are actually very similar in levels but don't realize it. Some are exceptionally strict about safety. EVERYONE thinks they are an expert at it.

When you encounter someone who you feel is not up to your safety standards, it your judgement call, but I would reccomend that you are kinder in the future. A little bit of diplomacy and kindness will win people over to your view much faster, rather than immediately calling them an idiot. And you might just find out they are wiser than you and can teach you a few things. I would have just recommended to him a pocket holster. The guy may not have known that they exist, or understood the importance of them.

[AllAmerican]

Actually, you assumed it was loaded because he pointed it at the ground...I say kudos for proper gun control whether loaded or not.

You did jump to a conclusion... To be honest (and not brutal)...your reaction is more along the lines of someone not used to firearms.

Rick

I agree with this for sure. I thought it too, just didnt type it.
Good call.

[DaveT]

Personally, I think way too many posts have been toned down to avoid hurting Brady's feelings.

Call it like it is...... reality.

Brady was in a pawn shop. Lots of shady type folks in pawn shops, also a lot of really stressed out folks who are down on their luck because of today's economic conditions... some possibly on the edge of having a mental breakdown.

Brady was unarmed.

Brady calls an armed subject that he knows NOTHING about an idiot.

Brady was lucky.

Just from reading Brady's account, I can see nothing the old guy did wrong. He was having a conversation with a store clerk. Who knows what it was about. Maybe they knew each other from previous transactions, maybe the old guy bought the gun there and went back to show the clerk his new addition of a laser to the weapon. Brady says he kept it pointed at the floor and did not have his finger on the trigger. That is safe gun handling. There was no need to clear the weapon if he was not going to hand it to anyone else.

I wouldn't carry a loaded weapon unholstered in the pocket of a hoodie sweatshirt, but we are all different with our preferred methods of carry.

Brady is lucky.

[preachertim]

Not sure he did anything wrong other than offend your safety standards, which have been known to vary. Next time just leave. Having a gun does nt make you any more responsible than owning a piano makes you a Musician!

[muddy]

I have said it before and I will say it again (well maybe not on this forum but) guns scare people they even scare guys with guns. Brady freaked out even after admitting that the guy kept the gun pointed in a safe direction, Why? Probably lack of knowledge, maybe paranoia or just plan and simple fear that the gun is just going to go off. I wonder how long Brady has handled or owned a weapon, my bet is not that long as most guys with little experience flip out over this kinda stuff.

[HKR]

Sounds kinda like the state trooper last weekend who called me a dumb"donkey" and told me he should arrest me for being stupid for not carrying my NAA .22 Magnum in a holster.
I had pulled it from my pocket because the guy working the counter at the gunshop wanted to compare it to the NAA Pug they had. I pulled it, pulled the pin and took the cylinder out (all the while keeping it pointed at the bucket of sand in front of me) and handed it to him.
Then the officer tore into me. Then I produced my pocket holster and laid it down on the counter in front of him.
He apologized and we had a nice conservation, along with the GS employee, about the NAAs.

Its a called a knee jerk reaction, we all do it from time to time. Sometimes it's warranted, sometimes not.
In the OP's case I don't understand how a customer in a Gunshop/Pawnshop producing his weapon to apparently show the clerk something, keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction with finger off the trigger, warranted any reaction. As for not using a holster, did you ask if he had one, or just assume he didn't because you didn't see it?

Sometimes in a business that sells firearms you will see people handle firearms.

[nn]

How did you know it was loaded?

[rottkeeper]

Sometime one should mind their own business when they are not directly involved. Doesn't sound like you were swept or in any danger from your own account of the situation. At the most you should have just left the store until you thought it was ''safe'' to return. Even had you been right using the word ''idiot'' was a rather great way to get a negative response and escalate the situation. Poor judgment IMHO

[possessed]

I have removed my concealed weapon in the gun store. I asked the owner first and he said okay.

[BradyM77]

Thanks for all the posts and after much thought I have to agree that my reaction was over the top and I very well could have escalated the situation.
In answer to some of the questions I was less than a foot away stooped over ogling the XDM in the display. When I looked over he unzipped his pocket (hoodie pocket going across stomach with entrance on either side), and pulled out his pistol less than two feet from my head. So I got a good look at it and fully believe it was loaded and know for a fact that he had no holster.
I should have just walked out at that point but my adrenaline got the best of me.