Customer handed LOADED shotgun at local store

[joeyshoe]

I'm pretty sure the employee involved was actually the owner. ray, pm sent. good habits are good.

[SA Friday]

Yep. Clear it when it comes off the rack. Clear it before it goes on to the rack. Keep your eyes on the customer as much as possible, and protect yourself at all times while in the ring.

[Mazin]

#1 A gun is always loaded

A PSA meant for gun store customers.

[cysoto]

Do me a favor and tell me which shop this was so I can stay away. I value my life. Thanks.

The example I gave just happened to be one that occurred at a "big box" sporting goods store but the truth is that this can happen anywhere. The morale of this story is that there are anti-gun a-holes that could have done this at any store. We are ultimately responsible for inspecting the firearm and making certain that it is unloaded.

This employees' actions (checking the gun's chamber when he took the gun out of the case and again before he put it back) probably saved someone a lot of anguish.

The other big lesson that any sales clerk should learn from this is, never allow ourselves to get distracted while someone is handling a firearm. Like SA said: " protect yourself at all times while in the ring."

[cofi]

thats why if someone tells me a firearm is clear ill always check myself.....hell if i watch someone clear it ill still clear it myself just to make sure

[dwalker460]

Weird, back in Tennessee we were learned that all guns are loaded until proven otherwise. So when your handed a gun you check to see if its loaded. If its not loaded well then you better go load it or what good is it?
We were also learned to always keep the muzzle (thats the end the projectiles escape) pointed away from anything we didnt want to shoot. In other words, a safe direction. Even in gun stores, or our living rooms.

Now, if no one else is going to say it, let me be the voice of reason-
Op Shit Happens every day and to leave a gunstoreand/or not do business with them because of such an incident is a bit childish IMHO. For all you know it was a snap cap or dummy round left in the gun by a previous sales person demonstrating the action, the trigger feel, or even a snap cap to another customer, you yourself said you didnt bother to check. MOST if not ALL gun stores will not allow a customer to dry fire a weapon, thats why there are snap caps.
However, even if it were a live round, the person who was handed the gun cleared the weapon and it was then safe. For all we know the salesperson directed the customer to clear the chamber, just like I direct people to do when I hand them a weapon. I dont usually bother to clear it because I KNOW whether the gun in my hand is loaded or not, but they should NOT trust me about this and clear it themselves. Thats how it works. If they do not clear the weapon while handling it, I gently suggest they do so.

[Dave]

A friend of mine works at a sprting goods store as a 2nd job, mostly for the employee discount and from time to time works the gun area needed. When he hands over a weapon he opens whater action it has whether it's pump, bolt, slide, cylinder, etc., checks the chamber and then hands it over still open. And, as mentioned by others he rechecks before putting it back into the case or rack. He cought someone chambering a round into a bolt action rifle on the rack away from the counter before, so he makes sure with everything.

[baglock1]

Years ago, I was at the LGS in my home town checking out a brand new Gen2 G17. This was one of maybe 3-4 dedicated gun shops in town and by far the biggest and cleanest. It was a family outfit and had been around for years. I was in there a lot and knew just about all of the guys behind the counter on a first name basis, but the guy helping me was new and I didn't know him.

He clears the pistol and hands it to me and I immediately repeat the procedure. He gives me a little smirk and says, "What, you don't trust me to clear a firearm? I work in a gunshop man." Richard, the owner's son (and who drank lots of my grandparent's pilfered beer with my Dad in high school) walks by at the exact right time and says, "Not anymore you don't."

I guess he'd been there just a few days and had already rubbed everyone the wrong way by being an arrogant bastard. Apparently, he had also tried to tell some of the Vietnam vets who worked there how little they knew about shooting. His little demonstration with me was the proverbial straw I guess.

Anyways, to this day, I still think about that whenever I clear a weapon that's just been handed to me by the counter guy.

[waxthis]

Guns scare the shit out of me.

[Byte Stryke]

this one time, at band camp...