Not quite a dumb policy, but I was visiting family in Fresno, CA and walked in to the gun store that also has a range where I have shot at many times, looking for a holster. I had a semi-auto pistol, unloaded, slide locked back and no magazine, holding it in the trigger guard by my little finger and turned sideways so anyone could see it was safed.
One of the guys behind the counter almost s**t a brick. WHOA WHOA WHOA!!! SIR, YOU CAN’T WALK IN HERE WITH AN UNCASED WEAPON!!! Literally YELLING at me from maybe 10 feet away. I just stopped and looked at him while I slowly rotated the pistol, again, hanging upside down, slide locked open, from my little finger. Now, not quite yelling but not speaking in a conversational tone either, he says “Well, I’ll give you credit for that but you shouldn’t walk in with an exposed weapon.” Tells me “Next time, put it in a paper bag or a rag, or even wrap it in a pair of underpants (he seriously said that), anything but carrying it in exposed.” I just replied something like, “Well, I’m from Idaho and I guess we just don’t panic when we see a gun.”
I walked in to 2 other stores, in the same manner; both simply asked me quite reasonably, if they could double-check the pistol first.
Sam