Want to get this off my chest/Your opinions

I work behind the counter... I can tell you I get guns pointed at me all the time... but personally I would have not said anything to you AND I think you were in the right he was in the wrong.

I hand the firearm to all my customers, and I make sure the action is locked open as it should be, I also drop the mag, but hand it to the customer so they can reinsert it upon their inspection of clear to get a feel for it.

HE should have locked the gun open and cleared it and handed it to you, no exceptions there, EVER.

HE should have held the gun sideways to you... or in the case of a crowded store.. straight down or straight up with the chamber facing you.

Don't let over zealous (or board members here) beat you up over what the clerk failed to do.

The only time I really yelled or got rude at anyone is when someone pointed a pistol grip shotgun at my chest and pumped it and pulled the trigger.... thankfully I clear all the guns before the customers handle them... but he was asked to leave... and not nicely.
 
A firearm is always loaded
Never point a firearm at anyone you do not intend to destroy

I think the clerk was right. He might have been more diplomatic, but he was correct in my thinking. You also were correct in that if you do not like the behaior of staff, go elsewhere.

Don't sweat the small stuff.
 
Agreed 100% that the clerk should have locked back the slide, or in the case of a revolver, flipped the cylinder open before laying it on the counter. If he did not do this, I would ask him to do it before picking it up. Then pick it up and not lock it back up until the muzzle was in a safe direction.
 
well first off he should of checked the gun to see if it was loaded before laying it down for you. its a two way street. he checks it first then you. and you check it before giving it back.

if he was real anal about it you should of put a latex glove on and picked it up by the trigger guard with a pen to examine it like a CSI agent:p
 
The world is full of people whose sole purpose in life is to be fed to the zombies when we finally get to live out our greatest fantasy. You seem to have met another of them.
 
I've had experiences similar to the OPs. A LGS employee lays a gun down (unchecked by him) on the counter facing himself, telling me to pick it up, then gets upset when I touch it to pick it up (ungripped) and I've been yelled at while I was clearing the gun (which he did not clear before pointing it at himself). I don't go to those stores anymore (in all cases these were old dungy LGSs and a couple of Big Name Big Box stores.

At my favorite stores (Shooters Station and CCC in Conroe, TX), the employees are gracious, professional and exceedingly polite. They always clear guns and hand them to the customer opened for inspection. Though I can save $$$ buying online, I would much rather put the money into my community and into the hands of these fine gun stores.
 
Did you actually point the gun at him? Sounds to me like the store was too crowded to be allowing customers to be handling firearms or the clerk should have made room for you to check out the gun, not just look at it sitting on the counter. Maybe the clerk shouldn't have been behind the counter that day or maybe not at all. Any sensible clerk should have handled the situation better. Rude was once the exception. Unfortunately it is becoming more prevalent. I would have asked him if he would mind not being a a@#$## and still walked away. Maybe the store manager would be notified that I would no longer do business there if that was the treatment I could expect. I don't buy from ill mannered salespeople if I have any other viable options. It's my money.Or you can play along and try to be as rude to the clerk. That can be fun sometimes if you can keep it under control. However, I was raised to be polite to everyone, so I rarely play the rude game. I do agree that guns should not be pointed at people unless you acutally intend to shoot, whether or not the gun is empty. Some people are more nervous than other so you have to watch out for their reactions.
 
The clerk in the store was rude so he's a jerk. The OP couldn't figure out how to pick up a gun without pointing at someone so he's a jerk.

Most of the people posting in this thread are jerks. I'm a jerk. :rolleyes:
 
Pivot it up, grip end first, so that the muzzle is pointing into the counter. Finger out of the trigger guard, of course. Pull it to you, keeping the muzzle pointed to the floor. Once you have it, rack and latch the slide open, and re-check that the chamber is empty. Then do whatever handling and examination is appropriate.
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I would like to add one step to this if I may:

Before you open the action to verify that the chamber is empty on any magazine-fed firearm, remove the magazine first. In this order:

1) remove the magazine first
2) check the chamber second

Reversing these steps does not 'clear' the gun. And no, it is not common sense - it is learned behavior that could save a life or prevent a negligent discharge.
 
OK I'll bite

One of my first jobs in college was working the gun counter at a discount store. It amounted to the LGS where I lived and I still go back there for reloading supplies if the big box next to me is out of what I want.

If a customer asked to see a gun, we verified clear gave what insight we could and in general tried to help. I've been swept or had guns pointed at me more times than I can count as new people would come into handle and/or purchase a gun. Unless someone was in a stance checking sight picture, I didn't worry about it. It was part of the job.
 
A firearm is always loaded
Never point a firearm at anyone you do not intend to destroy
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Thats usually good advice, but it can be carried to an extreme. A little common sense is in order.

When I'm at a gun shop and the salesman opens the cylinder so I can see it's empty I don't care where it is pointing. Its a harmless chunk of metal. That being said I'd rather it wasn't blatently pointed at my chest and I always avoid covering people with it for politeness sake. In a crowded gunshop it can be hard to find a direction that isn't offensive. Even if you point at the wall you still can't be sure what is on the other side.

As long as the gun is verified unloaded by the clerk and myself I'm not too worried about it.
 
As long as the gun is verified unloaded by the clerk and myself I'm not too worried about it.
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A gun is ALWAYS treated as if it's loaded. Always. It's one of the rules of gun safety that should never be broken.

As I mentioned on page 2, in a gunshop I point the muzzle down. That's generally the safest direction. I don't do it because I think the gun might be loaded; I do it because that's the habit I've developed over many years of gun handling.

I think the gunshop clerk mentioned by the OP was wrong in his attitude, but perhaps right in concept. But right or wrong, a gun shouldn't be pointed at anyone who isn't intended as a target. IT IS a common thing in a gunshop. I know because I once worked in one. I never appreciated it, however, and keep that in mind now that I'm on the other side of the counter.

I don't tend to make a big deal out of it, but old habits die hard. If a person develops proper gun handling skills, those skills will carry over into times when it's known that the gun is unloaded, too.

'Cause it's the unloaded one's that unintentionally kill folks, not the one's folks know are loaded.

Daryl
 
Kind of been there

I was picking up a pistol at my FFL and found it arrived without a cable lock or case. I was halfway out the door when it occurred to me I needed to take the slide off or at least clear it. I don't have a permit, and while I didn't have any ammo, I still wanted it abundantly clear that what I was doing was "transporting" not "carrying." That blocked out all other thoughts, and I went into tunnel vision mode. I've only been a gun owner a few months and I still consider myself a newb. So I was more stressed than the situation warranted. (I've taken the NRA intro pistol and the home firearm safety course, plus some good shooting courses. I like to think I'm a responsible newb.) I took it back to the counter and started to take the slide off. The guy behind the counter got mad. Only then did I explain what was on my mind. I don't think I swept him with the muzzle, but I was spooky and made him nervous in his place of business, which is uncool. I think it was reasonable for me to secure the weapon, but I should have explained my concern and asked how he wanted me to handle things before proceeding.

I felt bad about it, went back and apologized the next day. He was gracious about it.

It's a big responsibility. Bullets don't care where they go. While it may be almost superstitious to treat a gun you have just cleared as if it were loaded, I'm happy to make the gesture. I know I've had brain cramps before, I know I've seen what I expected to see instead of what was there, and so on. So the more layers between me and an ND, the better. Maybe the Powers that Be will cut me some slack because I do so.

Man, talk about long story boring. Sorry about that. OP, you were in an awkward situation, probably not a lot of good options.
 
For what it is worth, I sympathize with the OP. If the clerk did not have the sense to check the pistol or place it in a safe position, then he should accept the consequence. At the least he should have simply stepped out of the customer's way. I for one have lost all patience with people who refuse to be responsible but insist on calling out every one else publicly for whatever self-gratifying purpose. The man selling the gun initiated the event and bears whatever responsibility for his own safety.

No one needs to publicly shame a customer for something he is responsible for. I know many disagreed with this already, but it is high time that gun owners let go of making victims out of responsible parties just as we want prosecutors and juries and journalists to do.

On the other hand, I have had enough people try to humiliate me publicly concerning matters of which they are clearly ignorant that I have learned to bite my tongue and not engage in a pointless conversation. Most of the time such people, if given the opportunity, will shortly exhaust their "knowledge" and begin to show themselves.

Apparently I still have some steam built up.
 
The owner of a LGS was at a gun show years ago. A customer handed him a .22 rifle which he was told was empty. He checked it himself. It wasn't empty. The bullet went through his hand and wrist. It's messed him up now for over 10 years.

Can't be too careful when handling firearms.

Always point muzzle in a safe direction and assume every firearm is loaded.
 
Cant blame the guy for getting upset. When the gun was on the counter with the muzzle pointing at him it was not in anyones hand and did not have a finger close to the trigger, guns dont magically go off so I can see how that didn't; bother him too much. The minute you picked it up to rack the slide you should have had it pointed down to the ground in the only safe direction in any gun store. Only time I will bring the gun up past waist or chest level is with the cylinder or breach open to inspect the rifling or cylinder holes in the lights in the ceiling. With the breach or cylinder open there is no real threat of the gun going off, even if it was loaded.
 
At my first choice LGS, they take the gun out of the case, check it, show YOU the chamber again, and hand it to you handle first, then take a step away.
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Pretty much every place I go to does this as well. I always be extra careful not to point towards anyone but at the same time, if you don't want a gun pointed at you, then you probably shouldn't lay it down pointing at you. Only thing I could suggest as pick it up and before actually handling (ie finger near trigger), racking the slide, ect, make sure it is pointed at no one.
 
pick it up with the handle coming up and the muzzle facing down. Always have on your mind not to point it at someone until it is second nature. using extreme caution and/or care with a weapon is something that I respect, though some people feel it makes them look clueless. I always take it slower when it isn't my weapon; there are more distractions at these shops too and you haven't cleared it yourself(so you are relying on the fact - @ least in this situation - that somebody else has made the firearm safe). He rubbed you the wrong way. I get that and appreciate your honesty. Chalk it up to just a bad encounter between you and this guy.
 
Like a few others have already mentioned I always treat a firearm as loaded. If I'm checking one out at the LGS I always aim towards the ground in the safest direction possible. It does make me uncomfortable when an employee, customer, etc sweeps me but it's going to happen some time if you're in crowded stores a lot. Employees clear every gun before handing it to a customer (grip first, muzzle down) at every shop I've been in...couldn't imagine them doing anything else.:confused:

Regardless, there's no excuse for an employee to treat a patron disrespectfully or make sarcastic remarks. You should have informed a manager of his/her employee's attitude if you felt it was bad enough.
 
Perhaps the clerk was having a bad day, and a previous customer had been behaving like a fool. However, it seems to me that the courteous thing to do, would be to place the gun down on the counter, muzzle away from the customer, and then take a step to one side so that no one is in front of the muzzle when the customer picks it up. Polite, considerate and above all safer for the clerk...

Neither in support, nor against the clerk's behaviour, would it not seem like a wise idea to have a designated area, perhaps a yard square up on the wall, complete with target (for the target picture) and bullet-catcher (in case of the unexpected) for patrons to point the gun, aim the sights, without making others feel uncomfortable etc?

Seems like that would add to the customer service and they would come across as more professional as a result...
 
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