Gander Mountain idiots

[lizjimbo]

I am a resident of Virginia and my daughter will be turning 18 at the end of this week. She wants a 380 auto for her birthday. Before anybody takes a nosedive over the cliff, an 18 year old can carry a pistol openly in Virginia (state law). Now she cannot purchase a pistol from an ffl but she can purchase a pistol from a private seller. She cannot buy pistol ammunition from any store but she can from a private seller. I can buy her a pistol and give it to her as she is related to me. I am a parent and she is my daughter...that is called related by those of you that are getting ready to have a fit. Gander Mountain clerk got extremely arrogant when I approached him about the purchase. My daughter wanted to pick out the particular pistol she wanted. Gander clerk said I could not even mention her name or suggest that the gun was for an 18 year old. He could not work with me...period...if I mentioned daughter again.

I left...BTW I have spent several thousand dollars at Gander over the past 18 months...not anymore though...I went to an actual firearms shop right down the road. I asked them if they understood federal and state firearm laws. They said they did. Then you won't have a problem with me buying a pistol for my daughter who is turning 18. Just FYI I could have bought her a pistol when she was 8 years old. They said hell, no problem at all...that is called gifting. The man behind the counter said "I am 19 years old and I open carry everywhere I go". Please folks, so many damned people do not know the laws regarding firearms. Make your ffl learn the laws. If they cannot learn the laws tell them to get out of the business.

A few folks reading this post probably do not even know that an 18 year old in Virginia can be in possession and open carry any pistol of their choosing. I have read numerous posts regarding firearm laws that are so outrageous and ill informed it makes me wonder if those people should even have a cap gun. And Gander lets the morons sell the guns. No wonder people are screaming for gun control...idiots at Gander Mountain.

[widefat]

" Before anybody takes a nosedive over the cliff"

"that is called related by those of you that are getting ready to have a fit"

"A few folks reading this post probably do not even know that an 18 year old in Virginia can be in possession and open carry any pistol of their choosing."


This is a funny post. Let's complain about Gander Mountain, and while we're at it, preemptively insult the forum members.

[AppleaDay]

So, what were you going to buy? What make/model?

[zykur]

Sorry to hear your issue with Gander Mountain but you have to look at it from their side too. They are a chain and while they have a couple of locations in VA they operate in many other states.
I know these big companies like Gander Mountain, Bass Pro etc have to protect themselves.
The law in Virginia us a little contradictory, like you said if you're 18 you cannot purchase but you can carry and the same for ammo.

These companies are scared to death of being on the news as a store that sold to a "Straw Buyer" and when you tell them that the gun is not for you they have to have a blanket policy to deny selling it to you.
If the policy is a flexible they have no way to defend themselves if sometimes they do it and other times they don't. Even if you were well within your legal rights to purchase and give/sell your daughter they have to be very careful in today's political climate.

Try not to take it out on them, Gander Mountain has always been a 2nd Amendment supporter.

[j1mmyd]

A wiser person would *quietly* make their purchase and go do the gifting in private without rubbing the Gander employee's nose in it.

Like zyker said, they have to always be vigilant for do-gooders and bloggers looking for a straw purchase story.

They'd rather have you go away mad and deal with (aka ignore) your rant here, than to be on the news. I'm with them on this one.

[Reverenddel]

Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, Dick's Sporting Goods, Wal-mart, Cabela's, etc, etc...

They're technically "gun dealers", they're what I would call a "Gun Shop". It's why I shop at Dance's, GreenTop, DeGoffs, and when I was younger, and they were less geared towards cops, Southern Gun World.

The top ones have about 2 minutes of gun training, and about 2 hours of "sexual harassment" training... Just get what you need, and get out.

Don't engage them in witty banter, don't try to "friend" them, just do your transactions, and go.

The bottom ones can tell you more about a gun than you'll ever need to know, and if they don't have it? They'll know where to get it.

[gunderwood]

The law in Virginia us a little contradictory, like you said if you're 18 you cannot purchase but you can carry and the same for ammo.

VA law is fine, it's Federal law that prohibits 18 through 21yr minus 1 day olds from purchasing these things. That's why it's legal for an 18yr old to purchase via a private sale. The restriction of purchasing via an FFL is a Federal law.

[chriscw81]

You would have overpaid for it at gander mountain, anyways.




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[Swampman]

Shame on the morons at GM for not knowing the laws in the states they operate in. If you are buying a pistol for your 18 yr old son/daughter you want them to handle the weapon and be able to tell you if it is comfortable in their hands. If you walk into a store with said 18 yr old and let them choose the weapon, you have to expect the clerk will wonder who it is for. If they ask and you tell them, and then they get nervous, best option is to walk out. I don't shop at GM for exactly the reason @chriscw81 stated - you WILL overpay at that place. @lizjimbo is exactly correct, they are idiots. My opinion.

[Mindflayer]

Why mention it at all and risk getting accused of a straw man purchase? Why mention her age? Silence, let her look, buy it, gift it. Seems easy to me, and all within the law.

[FiremanBob]

This points out the reasonableness of the NRA's latest move to have the federal law changed to allow FFL purchases by 18 year olds.

[PhantomPhixer]

We faced exactly the same situation on my daughter's 17th B-day. But I found no reason to advertise her age...after all, she wasn't the one purchasing the gun. We tried out a few at Gander, and were lucky enough to get a salesman who was an ex-MP, and was able to talk about the pros and cons of the various guns without asking unwanted questions. Ended up getting her a .38 from a local gun store, who immediately understood what our intentions were, and were on board with it. Let her handle a couple of guns, dry fire them, gave her some defensive scenarios to consider, etc. In the end, we decided on a double-action revolver with a hammer, which we would not have chosen before considering some of those scenarios (like how quickly can you rack a slide under different conditions, how easily could you retrieve the gun from a purse, etc.).

I think I would be reluctant to buy from an ill-informed store / salesperson as a matter of principal.

[dorminWS]

Places like Gander Mountain make hard and fast rules that are designed to keep large groups of employees (many of whom are pretty much morons) scattered over multiple jurisdictions out of trouble. So if you're not a moron, too, these rules tend to aggravate the bejesus out of you. That's why I don't darken their door. As somebody already observed, chances are they will overcharge you anyway. And almost certainly, a moron will waste your time and p!ss you off into the bargain.

[Rich]

This should be what you expect with a chain store. It isnt that much different than stores that ID everyone for beer. You know that 80 year old guy is over 21. But the corporate office insists that you ID everyone. Just reality in todays world.