Cobraman and Mark King,
I work Saturdays in that gun shop you are referring to. By law I cannot sell handgun ammo to anyone under 21. If I am in doubt as to your age, I have to ask. If you look sixteen I will probably ask to see your ID but I will not chase you out based solely on apparent age.
As to the ladies and guns. Most of the sales I have made have been to women. Some know guns, some don't. The women who don't know are usually smart enough to ask good questions. They get their questions answered thoroughly and politely. They will be shown a wide range of guns in various calibers with the pros and cons of each explained. They will not be steered toward "ladies guns." In fact, the opposite is true. If they are interested in a small caliber gun they will be told about the importance of practice as the smaller bullets are less effective. Many don't buy a gun that day. But they usually return in a few days to make the purchase. I'm not paid on commission so that's fine with me. I do this for a little extra money and for love of the sport.
As to used sales sight unseen, would you make an offer on a used car you haven't seen? Then why do you expect a merchant to give you a price? I hear it all the time. "The guy at the gun show offered me $xxx." Fine. He doesn't have overhead like a store, insurance, wages, inventory, and all the other expenses that go into running a business. The little gun shop must make a higher per unit profit than Wal-Mart. That's just economic reality. If you want a place to buy handguns and black rifles then patronize the gun store and don't scream when he wants $20 more than the superstore or the gun show. At least you have a local store.
I work Saturdays in that gun shop you are referring to. By law I cannot sell handgun ammo to anyone under 21. If I am in doubt as to your age, I have to ask. If you look sixteen I will probably ask to see your ID but I will not chase you out based solely on apparent age.
As to the ladies and guns. Most of the sales I have made have been to women. Some know guns, some don't. The women who don't know are usually smart enough to ask good questions. They get their questions answered thoroughly and politely. They will be shown a wide range of guns in various calibers with the pros and cons of each explained. They will not be steered toward "ladies guns." In fact, the opposite is true. If they are interested in a small caliber gun they will be told about the importance of practice as the smaller bullets are less effective. Many don't buy a gun that day. But they usually return in a few days to make the purchase. I'm not paid on commission so that's fine with me. I do this for a little extra money and for love of the sport.
As to used sales sight unseen, would you make an offer on a used car you haven't seen? Then why do you expect a merchant to give you a price? I hear it all the time. "The guy at the gun show offered me $xxx." Fine. He doesn't have overhead like a store, insurance, wages, inventory, and all the other expenses that go into running a business. The little gun shop must make a higher per unit profit than Wal-Mart. That's just economic reality. If you want a place to buy handguns and black rifles then patronize the gun store and don't scream when he wants $20 more than the superstore or the gun show. At least you have a local store.