Even more That’s Racist
Gun shop owner says he’s accused of racism if he refuses certain sales:
“People asking for Glocks, because they hear about them in rapper songs,” said O’Brien, who has worked in the gun industry for 12 years. “I try to steer them back to models more suited for first-time buyers, but they say: ‘No, I want a Glock.’ And they don’t know anything about Glocks or guns at all.”
But red flags trump profit.
“If I don’t feel right about a sale, I won’t sell it,” O’Brien said. “Because I’m white, bald and tattooed, they think I’m racist when I refuse a sale.”
November 4th, 2009 at 10:29 am
How would you respond if a sheriff announced he was going to stop issuing permits to various people if he “didn’t feel right about it”?
November 4th, 2009 at 10:32 am
A sheriff is an elected official with delegated powers and responsibilities. A gun shop owner can do whatever he wants on his property and the consequence will be whether I shop there or not.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I’d be interested to know what he suggests for newbies.
Wheel Guns? Smith & Wesson auto pistols? Soemthing with a safety, or a 1911 cause it has two safeties?
The “hear about hem in rapper songs” bit is sort of funky to me.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Looks like you got a bad link there, Unc.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:48 am
d’oh. fixed.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I call bullshit. What idiot thinks that a Glock isn’t for a first-time buyer?
Effective calibers to choose from; easy to take down & put back together; consistent trigger from shot to shot; reliable; in other words: exactly the traits you want in a first gun.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Oh, he should certainly have the legal right to refuse the sail. My question is whether he deserves your approval for exercising that right in the manner he does?
November 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am
He can refuse whoever he wants. For any reason.
But I find it odd that Glocks are a problem. They’re easy.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:05 am
So if he were, in fact, just using the straw purchase issue as an excuse to refuse to serve minorities, you’d be perfectly okay with that?
November 4th, 2009 at 11:07 am
And again, there’s a difference between what he can do (e.g. what the law allows) and what he should do (e.g. what he deserves praise for doing).
November 4th, 2009 at 11:08 am
First-time handgun owner with a Glock (got to try out several different types before I chose, inlcuding a Mk.I, a Kimber 1911, and a couple of 9mm including the G17L I ended up with).
The Glock appealed to me because it has one operating control; the trigger.
With the wife’s p22, I find myself having to think about the safety. (And don’t get me started on the magazine disconnect).
Now, I’m not carrying the piece, and local law requires me to transport it unloaded to the range – so it’s no big deal to leave the chamber empty as a safety measure.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I would not approve. But he can do that.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
[…] How to refuse a gun buyer […]
November 4th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Begin joking:
“Obviously this is just a put on.
We know people only buy guns to compensate for their small penises.
Thus, obviously, black men never buy guns.”
End joking.
(See, stereotypes are funny when combined!)
November 4th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
I have read recently several posts here and elsewhere about the difficulties of dealing with gun store clerks who bad-mouth the gun the customer wants to inspect. as in, “A 9mm Glock? Why not just throw a rock at the bad guys – it would hurt them more than a 9mm. Everybody knows you need a 45 for self defense, and Glocks are for gang bangers, not respectable folk.”
I have read posts about gun store clerks who steer customers away from what they want, or even what they ask for, towards the clerk’s preferred firearm. As in, “Little lady, you don’t want that 1911, you want a nice snubby 38.”
I have read about clerks who have a hard-on for one brand or caliber, and won’t hear of anyone buying anything else.
I have heard about clerks who really don’t want you in their store at all, as your presence interrupts their telling war stories with the other clerks.
Now we have clerks who don’t want to sell Glocks because the customers might be straw purchasers, or bangers themselves. And they fear refusal to sell Glocks will get them branded racist! A pretty conundrum for the clerk, who previously only had all the other possible “bad clerk” issues to avoid….
God forbid a clerk should actually assist a customer with a purchase, including helping the customer understand how their desired firearm works, or comparing one gun’s features with another one to educate the customer. Gun blogs would have nothing to complain about after a visit to their local firearm vendors.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
One issue I do see with Glocks is their procedure for breaking them down for cleaning. “First, pull the trigger…” Yes, one needs to be cautious around firearms to avoid a ND, but the trigger-pulling procedure seems to invite a real accidental ND (and yes, I know I’m mixing “accidental” with “negligent”).
November 4th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
To some people, anything and everything around them centeres on race, and the more you try to convince them otherwise, the more they “know” you’re a racist. Such people are racist.
“First, pull the trigger…” No, Grasshopper. It’s “First, remove the magazine, then clear the chamber…”
November 4th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I have several older .22lr bolt action rifles that require the trigger to be pulled in order to remove the bolt. Never really had a problem with that.
Then again, the bolt is open and in a fully rearward position before the trigger is pulled in order to remove it, and it’s pretty much impossible to ND in that situation – even if you did leave ammunition in the gun – because the firing pin is almost an inch away from the ammunition.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Regolith
That’s one of the reasons I prefer XD’s to GLOCKs. With the XD you also pull the trigger as part of the takedown but you must first lock the slide all the way back.
With the GLOCK you must move the slide back about 1/16th – no more, no less. As long as you’ve properly cleared the weapon it’s no problem. But if you messed up it gets noisy.
But mostly I just don’t like the feel of GLOCKs in my hands – the ever-indulgent wife loves her G26.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Sort of agree that pulling the trigger to decock is overloading the control. However, as mentioned, remove magazine, clear/check chamber as necessary, (in my case, carry weapon to another room where neither magazine nor ammunition enter), check chamber AGAIN (damn ammo elves), point at clearing bucket, pull trigger.
Proceed to fiddling with slide to get that exact 1/16 in to release. If missed, check chamber, point at clearing bucket, lather, rinse, repeat.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Funny… I’m trying hard to think of a single rap song where I’ve actually heard the word “Glock” and I’m drawing blanks.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:48 am
WU-TANG “The GLOCK”
November 5th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Nice catch. Can’t believe I blanked on the Wu.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:33 am
WuTang Clan: shame on a nigga.
Bone Thugs and plenty more. Got to any lyrics site and search glock.