(mods if this is in the wrong forum my apologies, please move at will)
So I've been trying to expand my horizons and test out different weapon platforms to see if there is one in particular that I gravitate to for reasons of standardizing.
They didn't have any of the latest/greatest from HK, but they had a USPc, and it felt very nice.
They also had a Glock 19 (3rd Gen) and when I asked to see it, the owner of the store made an interesting comment. He said that he was surprised they had one (they actually has a used one as well - I rarely see those) because ever since the AZ shooting, Glock 19s have been flying off shelves and they have not been able to keep them in stock.
I thought that was super strange. Personally I just wouldn't find myself specifically going out and buying a pistol because some guy used it in a mass shooting. However, logic or un-logic aside, it got me thinking about something.
Perhaps this is the wrong forum, or maybe even the wrong question, but if I go out and buy G19 and have to use it to defend myself, does that put me (or any one of the I'm sure thousands who have bought one since the shooting incident) at an immediate disadvantage since now the situation involves a high profile pistol that has been at the center of attention (in a bad way). Kinda like the jury saying "Hey, so this guy used the same pistol that that Jared L guy used to kill a bunch of people and bought it a few months after that shooting happened?"
I don't know if that is a dumb question and is certainly no reflection on the performance or quality of the firearm, but knowing that human nature can be ignorant, dangerous, or unpredictable, would it be prudent to throw ourselves in such close proximity to the same choices of a madman when we have other options? Would such a decision raise unneeded questions? It raises the issue of indirect 'guilt by association' and that saying doesn't exist without reason. I suppose that if we train for these encounters we hope never happen, the training doesn't stop as soon as the bad guy has been stopped.
Anyway, I'm not looking for lawyer advice. I'm just interested to hear what you guys think about this from your own personal perspective. When I heard that comment it kind of caught me off guard.