Ever had one of those sick to your stomach feelings?

[USPnTX]

Not sure where this one goes so feel free to re-post appropriately!!

I have been hanging around gun shops as long as I can remember and I can honestly say I have never encountered what I saw yesterday. I went in to one of my more favorite gun stores to pick up my wife's after Christmas present (okay maybe I just told myself that my wife needed a Sig 229).

As I was looking over the stock of Sigs there was an elderly woman that was purchasing a S&W snubbie. The sales guy was showing her the pistol and as she is looking at the gun; she points it at the sales guy and pulls the trigger three times before he can get out of the way. He calmly explains to her the error in her ways and her response was "its not loaded why does it matter". The other sales guy comes over and casually asks her why she is buying the gun. She looks at him like he is the devil and doesn't respond. After several more insane exchanges with this woman she decides to buy the gun. I couldn't help myself but after witnessing this woman's total lack of firearms understanding I had to give the name of several firearms instructors. She looks at me without a single word and just rolls her eyes. She finalizes the purchase of the gun and then asks the sales guy if he will load it for her. At this point everyone in the shop is getting just a tad nervous. He explains to her that its is against FFL regulations for him to load the pistol. She asks him again about four times and every time he tells her he can't do it. She is quite annoyed and then tells him to just give her some ammo. Luckily, they were out of ammo for a .38. She gets upset and then takes her new pistol and leaves. After she left the four of us left in the gun store were talking about it and the consensus was that she was either going to off herself or someone else (yeah I know we are such pessimists). The poor guy that sold her the gun who has been in the industry for more years that he can count had a bad feeling about the transaction and started thinking he should have refused to sell her the pistol.

So with all that said. What do you guys think? Should a gun store be able to refuse to sell you a gun based on what transpired? What would you do in that situation if you were the salesperson?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bud White]

i think i would have refused

[QKShooter]

Unreal...I guess we'll be reading about her in the newspaper some day real soon.

[pgrass101]

I would have to refused sell, but that is easier to say looking back than when it is happening.

I think QK is right

[P95Carry]

I sure would have shared the sickfeeling in stomach.

I am not sure what grounds they could use to refuse to sell - oyher than a purveyor of any goods I guess having the right to withold a sale.

This sure makes you wonder WTH she was up to. I am assuming too she passed the NIC's.

[pogo2]

Personally, I would have refused to sell her the gun. The part where she pointed it at me and pulled the trigger three times would have done it for me. If she wants to shoot herself or somebody else I can't stop her, but not in my store with my merchandise. Let the gun store down the street deal with her.

[Chorizo]

Mental incapacity. One of the Fed questions you fill out when you purchase (she may not have been adjudicated as such, but obviously demonstrated it). After that exhibition no one in the world could have faulted him (ok...that wasn't a lawyer anyway)

[SIXTO]

a store can refuse to sell for any reason, I did several times when I worked behind the counter while in school.
I was tactful most of the time, selling some instruction first, then went from there.
I think it was unethical to sell the gun, but who knows, the shop may be more concerned its bottom line. The sales man may be looking out for his job.

[Ti Carry]

Monday morning quarter back's!

If it were me in that situation, I'd have refused the sale also. Find somewhere else to be stupid.

Remember, ya can't fix stupid!


Ti

[retsupt99]

My store? My gun?
I'll refuse to sell to anyone at any time...

"No shirt, No Shoes, No Brains,...NO SERVICE!"

OMO

ret

[Hopyard]

I'll get hit for saying this, but here's an example where a waiting period would be helpful. If she isn't licensed, she might just go away and never come back. If she is licensed, there is a provision in Texas for reporting someone who should not be keeping their license.

No one wants the store keeper to be a policeman, but this purchaser
clearly should have been sent home without the weapon.

The OP didn't say what he meant by elderly, but even folks who aren't that old sometimes suffer from senility and dementia.

Years ago we had a man at my work place who died from Alzheimers at about 52 years of age. A few years before he was diagnosed and hospitalized, he was stopped by local police on our premises (we are Federal) for carrying and discharging a firearm. Fortunately for him, the officer just asked him to put the gun away. At the time we were technically in City limits besides being a Federal facility, but the overall setting was rural. So his excuse that he was putting down a sick animal was believable, notwithstanding his poor judgment.

[packinnova]

My store? My gun?
I'll refuse to sell to anyone at any time...

"No shirt, No Shoes, No Brains,...NO SERVICE!"

OMO

ret

Oh so you had to go and single me out with the no shirt and no shoes huh. In all seriousness though, It would seem a bit unnverving to me as well and not sure I would want to sell someone of that mindset a gun. Although, like the rest of you, I'm just armchair Q'B'ing.

[USPnTX]

I have to agree with everyone that has posted. If it was my decision I think I would have had to refuse to sell her the pistol. The interesting part of the whole incident is that the guys that work in this particular gun store have always had the customer's best interest in mind over "the bottom line". I think it is just one of those instances that the particular sales guy wasn't prepared for.

[TN_Mike]

Yes, I would have refused to sell the gun to her.

I worked at a gun shop and actually did refuse a sale once. The guy got very upset and wanted to see the owner and when I called him over the fellow told him what he had told me, the same thing that had made me refuse to sell the gun to him. The owner just told him he wasn't selling him a firearm either and asked him to leave.

The store reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.

[Gary Brommeland]

Yep! I'd have refused the sale as well. (In fact have done so when a guy wanted to buy a gun with alcohol on his breath)