I was driving through the country the other day, over the MO/AR state line, and came across a big, bright, shiny shooting range. I have no immediate need to visit a range, having a big back yard and no neighbors close enough to bother, but i thought what the heck, i could go in and see what they had to offer.
The guy behind the counter seemed nice: an older guy, Vietnam vet, and he did obviously know his stuff. I asked about his CCW, tactical, and self defense classes. We engaged in some friendly conversation, he asked what i did for a living (i'm a housewife) and what i was interested in firearms-wise.
However, a few things he said were a bit...well, contradictory. But not blatantly so. Example: I live just over the state line, and i mentioned that i had tried to buy a handgun in his state before, but was surprised to learn that it wasn't legal for a non-resident (shipping it to another dealer in my state was not offered as an option, so i didn't know that's how it's generally done). He said, "That's not true at all! You can absolutely buy a firearm in this state if you're a resident somewhere else. I ship all over the country!" But he didn't specify that he couldn't sell me anything but a hunting rifle and hand it to me over the counter that very day. And he didn't specify that he wouldn't be mailing it to another dealer. I think he should have mentioned that specifically, because let's be honest: not everyone knows how it works.
He's running a business and he's also a dealer. I totally get that. He has classes and merchandise to sell, and that's really tough in rural America. But the whole thing kind of reeked of salesman-ness and that made me a little uncomfortable.
Then he asked what i shoot at home (i obviously wasn't carrying), and i told him i have a Sig Sauer SP 2022. He actually winced and said that was way too big for me. I was shocked, because i have absolutely no trouble at all (open) carrying, chambering, shooting, or cleaning the thing. And i'm only vaguely interested in concealed carrying (i asked about the classes mostly to gauge his rates). Also, i'm not exactly a small lady at 5'6" and about 150 lbs.
Having never prepared a retort for such a statement (because no one that knows me has ever even joked that my gun was too big), I told him, "Well it seems to shoot just fine," but he proceeded to bring out several .380s for me to look at. I did politely look them over and handle them, and ask a few questions because i was trying to figure out why i "needed" one of these tiny things (which do not fit comfortably in my big-for-a-chick hands, btw), and the best i can figure is that he is one of those guys that really pushes concealed carry (which i
admittedly couldn't do with my SP 2022), and/or wanted to sell me something.
So what do you think? Honest guy making an honest living? Should i be offended? Was he right?
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