No idea. I think a lot if it is that some people don't know what they don't know and don't know where to look for research (or what to look for). They go to an LGS thinking that's the only place you can buy a gun and they assume that the person behind the counter knows what they are talking about and has the buyer's best interests at heart--which isn't always the case. Until I got much more into firearms and hooked up with a few gun-related forums/threads on various sites, I didn't know much. Gradually learned about what to look for, discovered online firearms/ammo/accessory purchasing, etc.

But you would think that if someone knew that you knew about the subject . . . that they might seek out advice.