I work for an FFL and this story is one most of you will recognize:
Saturday, a familiar couple entered my store. I remember when they were worried about Y2K and they came to me for advice. The man had his father's old Marlin 336 and a 12 gauge fixed choke. They wanted to learn to shoot handguns and have the long guns cleaned and inspected. The shotgun was a cheapie with a Mod. choke and both were in good order. I informed them of the capabilites and limitations of these weapons, and they said they really wanted handguns. I sold them a Buckmark, a Sig 229, and a Ruger .357, as well as some buckshot and rifle ammo. I also referred them to a club where they could learn gun safety and practice shooting.
In the last year, they developed a taste for our hobby (we need more like this, they're chemical engineers.) After a long talk, they wanted a target rifle and they were worried about black bear intrusions in our area (this is a real problem). I spent an hour explaining ballistics, recoil, ammo cost and availability, and capability and use against deer and bear. They wanted to shoot for fun, be able to hunt deer, and kill a bear if it entered their house.
The man had done his homework and the woman had not. Neither of them are big people. Finally, she was ready to write the check for a VLS .243 with a 6.5 - 20 Nikon, and a Guide Gun for the bear. He was ready when they came in the store. They told me what they can afford, and they can easily afford the purchases.
Then the idiot struck. He ran his mouth about his .30-30, his 6.5 Swede, and how he can load the .264 Win hotter than a .30-06. These people know nothing about reloading and less about rifle calibers. After 15 minutes of this moron running his mouth, they were so confused they left with my employer less $1500 in the till.
So how do you deal with people like this? After he did this, the idiot actually asked me, "I handled that rather deftly, didn't I?"
He is still alive.
Saturday, a familiar couple entered my store. I remember when they were worried about Y2K and they came to me for advice. The man had his father's old Marlin 336 and a 12 gauge fixed choke. They wanted to learn to shoot handguns and have the long guns cleaned and inspected. The shotgun was a cheapie with a Mod. choke and both were in good order. I informed them of the capabilites and limitations of these weapons, and they said they really wanted handguns. I sold them a Buckmark, a Sig 229, and a Ruger .357, as well as some buckshot and rifle ammo. I also referred them to a club where they could learn gun safety and practice shooting.
In the last year, they developed a taste for our hobby (we need more like this, they're chemical engineers.) After a long talk, they wanted a target rifle and they were worried about black bear intrusions in our area (this is a real problem). I spent an hour explaining ballistics, recoil, ammo cost and availability, and capability and use against deer and bear. They wanted to shoot for fun, be able to hunt deer, and kill a bear if it entered their house.
The man had done his homework and the woman had not. Neither of them are big people. Finally, she was ready to write the check for a VLS .243 with a 6.5 - 20 Nikon, and a Guide Gun for the bear. He was ready when they came in the store. They told me what they can afford, and they can easily afford the purchases.
Then the idiot struck. He ran his mouth about his .30-30, his 6.5 Swede, and how he can load the .264 Win hotter than a .30-06. These people know nothing about reloading and less about rifle calibers. After 15 minutes of this moron running his mouth, they were so confused they left with my employer less $1500 in the till.
So how do you deal with people like this? After he did this, the idiot actually asked me, "I handled that rather deftly, didn't I?"
He is still alive.