The amount of derp seen in gun shops could fill volumes.
The amount of derp seen in gun shops could fill volumes.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
I know that I no longer need any new firearms; I have enough for any conceivable practical (and some impractical) use with very few exceptions, say long-distance anti-materiel rifles. That does not mean I do not want more, because I do. New stuff is interesting.
I buy a fair amount from a LGS for a couple of reasons. First, my family is friends with the owner's family and we have been known to get behind the counter when help is required. Second, it is good to support a LGS so that we continue to have a LGS. Third, one can meet interesting people in the store. Our rural area tends to have some rather serious deer and small-game hunters, and the precision rifle discipline is popular. I have learned a ton from the locals in that discipline, some of which has translated to my rimfire shooting. In certain areas, e.g., the Gadget SCD, I may be more well-informed that the locals. Fourth, no one escorts me out of the store after I buy a firearm, unlike Wal-Mart and Academy. I leave feeling good, not feeling like I need to hide my purchase in a plain brown paper bag.
When I want advice on how to drive my sports car, I don’t call the local dealer.
The Minority Marksman.
"When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet."
-a Ch'an Buddhist axiom.
The need to be able to understand and effectively argue about the training as it applies to a given case is a valid point.
Your link provides a perfect example of a prosecutor attempting to make someone look bad for having attended training, and how it backfired. As the excerpt points out, one would not want their doctor to have less training. The law recognizes the value of training, for example, good Samaritan laws that often protect someone up to their level of certification, but not when they do something outside their level of certification.
This will play out differently in different cases. In George Zimmerman's case, for example, I understand that having poor training actually helped. If i understand correctly, his defense attorney pointed out the deficiencies in Zimmerman's MMA training as part of the argument that the larger Treyvon Martin presented a threat to Zimmerman that could not be addressed except by deadly force. I would never advocate choosing poor training over good training, but his attorney tailored the arguments to the situation he had to defend, and did it well.
One never knows what a third party fact finder will do, but my money is always on them being most likely to be persuaded by the most reasonable position. ANY decision we make can be twisted to make us look bad. The keys are acting reasonably, being prepared to explain and demonstrate why we acted reasonably, and be prepared to debunk the likely false accusations.
Last edited by BillSWPA; 06-12-2019 at 08:17 PM.
I had the same experience in New England. People gave unsolicited legal advice all of the time, boggled my mind. It was a very informative experience trying to explain to an out of state customer that he couldn't buy a handgun and he couldn't hand it to his buddy standing next to him to buy it for him. Customer then produced a badge from the state police of a nearby state and threatened to call his "good friend ATF Special Agent so-and-so" to confirm the sale was legal... thankfully everyone behind the counter that day was former military/retired LEO and wasn't about to put up with him, though I do wish my manager had called the dude's bluff and actually called the local ATF field office because that would have been hilarious.
Last edited by Radar Love; 06-13-2019 at 08:54 AM.
Call ATF and then call his agency’s internal affairs and let them know he is attempting to commit a felony.
My LGS had a military member from out of state get very nasty / threatening when they would not sell him a handgun because he was on TDY order not PCS orders. ATF and OSI both found it quite interesting.
Last edited by HCM; 06-13-2019 at 11:27 AM.