Being 18 and liking guns just dont mix...

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slh02

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Being only 18 and having a passion for firearms is not really common. There are a few others on this board my age and younger who will probably agree. That said, I wonder if the younger members of this board have had similar bad experiences at gun stores because of their age.

Everytime I go into a gun store I am treated like a gang-banger or criminal. I get quick, snappy replies to simple questions and feel that I am not wanted. Just because I can't buy a pistol does not mean that I can't look at them and ask about them.

I am also frequently lied to. I guess people don't expect me to know so much about firearms at my age (god bless THR :D ). I remember when my step-dad (who doesnt know much about guns beyond "they go bang", but I'm teaching him) and I were looking to buy a P99 last Christmas. I asked the guy if they had a P99 in and he hands me a SW99. I told him that we would prefer the Walther. He told us that there will be no more Walther P99's and S&W will be making them from now on. Ok buddy, whatever...

Anyway, after getting a real Walther P99 somewhere else, me and my buddy (also 18) went around looking at shotguns. My buddy, against my advice, is dead set on a pistol grip. Half the shops around here were ready to accept his money and half of them gave us the stink eye just for asking about one saying that we have to be 21 because of the pistol grip. Funny, the local Sports Authority has a couple in stock that they had no problems selling to him so I guess shops are either not up on their laws or just didnt want our business because of our age.

Well I guess I should stop here before I sound like a whiner (sorry if I already do). I'm just really sick of gun-shops not giving persons under 21 a second look. It's not only annoying but condescending to be constantly watched like a criminal and to be told "I'm sorry but you must be 21" after repeatedly asking me if I need assistance with anything so I get out of your store! Remember that we are your future business and if you treat us like trash we will be spending our money else-where!
 
It isn't your age, it is your location. Someday if you are lucky, you will get to spend some time in the United States. Spend a few months living in the south, or out west. Once you leave the leftist extremist sheeple behind, you will never want to go back.

Right now you live in a place that finds a person your age possessing a gun to be scary. Wait until you have tasted free air, in a place where if a kid doesn't own a gun, he's considered to be a little odd.

Freedom. Accept no substitutes.
 
My best suggestion to you FWIW is try and determine which local gun store near you is the best (I know this may be very hard) and spend some time there. Go in every other week (or whenever you can) and just hang out for a couple of hours so the workers know your face and hopefully soon your name. Buy some ammo every now and then. A box of .22 or shotgun shells will be fine. It will probably be a little more expensive than wally world, but it will pay off in the long run (i.e. better gun deals).

I would venture to guess that they consider your age and equate that to having no money and therefore you aren’t receiving the service you should. I know it’s not right, but wait till you try and buy a car.

It’s sort of a “paying your dues†thing. Once they realize your willing to spend some money your service will probably improve. It’s also been my experience that the more money you spend the better deals you’ll receive.

My situation was a little different when I was your age. I have a great local store and one of the owners went to high school with my dad. It also helped that myself and a couple of friends spent several thousand dollars in the store (they’re still bummed I’m the only one that is still single).

Try not to get to upset that gun stores aren’t thrilled about letting you handle handguns (21 will come quicker than you think). It may be more of a legal thing that disrespect. Keep hanging out here and soak up as much knowledge as you can and you’ll be just fine. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

six
 
I get quick, snappy replies to simple questions and feel that I am not wanted.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad. I get that treatment alot and I'm 34.

Just stay interested and understand that people are basically jerkwipes at heart, quick to assume and slow to change their minds or opinions. (cynical, ain't I?).

Get involved in the shooting sports or join a club and make some friends. You'll be surprised how people warm to you if you show some courage and ask alot of questions and show enthusiasm.

Don't let the retail end of guns determine your outlook on it. Spend some time with shooters, they're not so jaded.
 
slh02:
As my profile states, I live in MD, I also just turned 21 in October. Before I was 21, I couldnt even get the time of day out of the local dealers and now that I've I turned 21, they'll basically just tell me if its morning or afternoon and nothing more.

I visited one shop two weeks before my 21st birthday (I was home on my monthly visit from college) with the purpose of comparision shopping and putting down a security deposit on a pistol. Well, I had to do all my comparision shopping looking through the glass case, the dealer wouldnt even flip the pistol over within the case so I could see the condition of the other side. Suffice to say, I dont shop at his store anymore (his selection also totally stinks, he had like 10 real handguns and 8 black powder pistols, with about 40 long guns, if you ask about any other guns he says you cant get them in MD, while another shop 20 miles down the road has probably 50 handguns, including ones the first guy says you cant get in MD anymore, 100+ long guns and slightly better prices & service).

Dealer ignorance is at an all-time high in this state, I shop only at The Tackle Box in Lexington Park (its near my house, but they have kinda high prices) and Calvert Firearms up in North East (near U of Delaware), because they dont feed me nearly as much crap like the other dealers do.

Suprisingly enough, the one store I know of that is well versed on MD law is X-Ring Supply, just outside of Newark, Delaware. Its a little odd that they're in another state and know our laws very well, but they do.

Kharn
 
As a former teen myself (20 on 7/17/03 {YAY}), I too feel your pain. Every time I handled a rifle in my shop, it was with a scornful look. Even as I marveled at what a nice gun it was, it was if I wasnt making my decision fast enough for a particular clerk. When I went in asking to see a Llama, they sort of looked at me funny. (Please no flames about it, a friend told me it was a good gun for the price. I know about the alternatives, which can be saved for another thread.) I bought a Mauser and assured them of my ardent 2nd Amendment support (read sig as well) and started getting much happier looks from them.

When the vaccum suddenly soars to astronomical levels [read: starts to suc*] is when they start looking at me because of my "baby face" and suspecting my age. I hate that.:cuss: The only pawn store I went to in my quest for a good inexpensive long gun looked at me like I wanted a firearm for something highly illegal or was going to steal something. OR BOTH.:fire:

Like swingset said, you dont have to have "teen" in your age to get bad treatment.
 
As stated.......location is a big thing. If your 18 and in the big city.......checking out guns at the local shop will get you the cold shoulder.....for the most part.

Live in an area outside the city...say where hunting is a big thing......like here in NEPA......and you'll more than likely get treated a little different. Probably holds true for adults as well as 18yoa.
 
Moparmike I feel your pain. I'm 21 and look 18 (if that), and if you think gun shops are bad, try liquor stores!

When I was 18 I was a frequent customer at the local shops. Couldn't buy pistol ammo so I made it. That lasted for about a year and then the BATF told all the dealers that pistol primers could only be sold to 21+.... :fire:

Oh and this was all shortly (a year or two) after the columbine "incident".
 
I was treated pretty well when I was 18. It really depends on the shop. There are shops in town that treat everybody the same way - like crap. Then there are places where the folks are nice and friendly and helpful.

When I was 18, I paid for and picked up a FN-FNC for a friend. They treated me very well that day.
 
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Well said Swingset

I'm 32. Didn't get my first gun untill 4 years ago. I have spent alot of time in gun stores since and received the same type of treatment at all of them untill recently. The more they know you the better the treatment gets. The staff where I bought my ex-Glock were a**h***s, but this is the gun store/range where I now spend every thursday night. I rarely even pay a range fee any more.

Don't give up, and as someone already said, keep going back. Before you know it you'll be another one of the old regulars and that feels good. Its nice to go in and ask to look at a gun and be told to go behind the counter and get it yourself.:D
 
It isn't only location or age, although I am sure that has alot to do with it.

It is society. Kids nowadays are into MTV and all the liberal sports and movie stars. 99% of the time MTV, Sports, and Hollywood do nothing good for decent gun owners/collectors. Kids nowadays are simply growing up as liberal robots. Believing everything they see and hear on TV....

I think alot of gun dealers are kind of snotty because they are in a really tough business. Hard to make a living because, the business is constantly threatened by the liberals that TV continually produces.
 
Just my .02. You are talking about handguns right? Remember, when a dealer lets you handle a firearm, they're taking a risk. You might drop it, spin the cylinder, dry fire accidentally, etc. They don't know how much experience you've had so they're going to play it safe. Also, you can't own a handgun until you're 21, so what's the point?

No disrespect meant, but I can see their side. Why not look at long guns in the mean time? A lot of fun can be had with a short barreled shotgun or quality rifle. Start with what you can leagally own. I still have the shotgun and rifle I bought the summer I turned 18. 21 comes fast enough.

Ryan
 
my mom an i used to got window shopping at pawn shops. she would look at the pistol i liked an ask the clerk if it was okay if i could look at it. they usually never had a problem.didnt buy the guns from em but always came back to get CDs or a pocket knife or other stuff. then one day i came in when i was over 18 an picked up a nice mossberg 500. same guy i used to go in with my mom to look at high priced pistols.
 
Wow...

Seems as though some of you guys can feel my pain.

Big_R: I totally understand the dealers side when it comes to handguns. I fully understand that they are in a hard business when it comes to laws and that they are constantly catching flack from the ATF and such. I would never ask to actually handle a handgun or any other prohibited firearm unless my parents are with me. I do however ask questions about different models (that safety works as a decocker, right?) and get looks like "why do you need to know that kid; pi$$ off". It is just really frustrating considering that I am the one that usually scouts the next firearm purchase whether I can make the purchase (shotguns, long-guns) or my step-father makes the purchase (handguns, etc.).

Luckily I have really cool parents who while are not into guns (I'm working on them!), do not mind me being into them and will take me to the range
just about anytime they are free. It's funny how most dealers' attitude change when my step-father is with me. They suddenly become full of answers and will follow us around while we are looking willing to show every model in the case.

I have recently been visiting On Target up near Ft. Meade. I must say that they are pretty good. They have a large, helpful staff, good prices and a good gun setup. They dont seem to mind me browsing at all so I guess I will make it a weekly thing and try to get to know the guys (and gals ;)).

Oh yeah... maybe one day I will get out of Md, but right now I am too young and have too much family and friends here to just pack up and leave. I am also a full time college student and really like my school, so I don't see a move in the near future (for better or worse- most likely worse).
 
I worked part-time in a gun shop for several years. There were two types of youngsters that would come in. The first type were "normal" kids with a healthy interest in guns and I didn't mind chatting with them or showing them (long) guns even though I knew they generally couldn't afford to buy.
Then there was the other type with the baggy pants and the backwards ball caps (yeah, we even have them in Alaska) and I didn't want to waste my time with them and I didn't like them hanging around.

Appearances really do count. A lot of kids today are aping this whole gangbanga, hip-hop thing... and frankly, if you dress like a criminal people will treat you like a criminal. I think that's fair since a stranger has nothing else to go on except how you present yourself to the world.

I don't know if that is the case here, but if you're wearing pants that are ten sizes too big and your hat is on backwards... you might find that people treat you differently once you change your wardrobe.

Keith
 
I got some of that type of treatment when I was a youngster too. Until they know you, it'll happen. I went to a neighborhood store with my father and so the gunsmith got to know me. Patronized that little place until he passed away. :(
 
. A lot of kids today are aping this whole gangbanga, hip-hop thing... and frankly, if you dress like a criminal people will treat you like a criminal. I think that's fair since a stranger has nothing else to go on except how you present yourself to the world.
Click to expand...

I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I shudder every time I see someone like this at the shop or the range.

Only up side is that if the trend continues, the sheeple will see the wanna be gangbanger as the typical gun nut, instead of the current "angry white male". :D
 
keith hit the nail on the head there, when I was 18 I had long hair and wore all black, even a black trenchcoat and most gun shops wouldn't give me the time of day. a couple years later I was going back to the same shops clean cut in suit and tie and boy did that make a difference, I was only 21 and didn't look much different aside from the wardrobe change but they were more than willing to let me play with all their high end pistols and answered any questions I had.
 
I am 31 and feel a lot the same way as many here who have had less than desirable experiences in gun shops or with dealers at gun shows.
A few years ago when I was broadening my caliber experience I was asking to look at some different ammo and hollowpoint designs. I asked a few questions and maybe asked to see 5 boxes of ammo. The shop was not busy at all but you would have thought it was killing the guy to help me out. Each time he bent over to retrieve a box it was all this huffing and puffing going on.
Another time I asked if a shop had an ithaca shotgun. Older guy looks at me, (I had longer hair at the time and had just been at the beach- so I had swim trunks and sandals on) He sneers figuring I could not know what I am asking for or do not have any money and says, "no don't have any ithaca's - don't want them in this shop cause nobody buys them" I peer over the counter and instantly recognize a model 37 on the rack. I ask the younger guy working there in a VERY loud and clear voice " let me see that ithaca shotgun RIGHT THERE" the older guy looked like he wanted to throw me out !!! and I had cash burning a hole in my pocket that day. Think I EVER bought from that shop?
I know a lot of gun shop owners/workers on these boards always have some excuse or reason or justification for their actions, lack of inventory, gross lack of common firearm knowledge. But it basically comes back to GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE and -- gee- knowing the product you are supposed to be selling (REAL novel idea that is), and I and A LOT of other people I know will wait for what they want or travel far and wide to get it before dealing with the jerks at those shops.
 
Rude gun shops and snappy replies .... I'm 42 and often get the same. It's just the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. If you like guns, you sometimes have to put up with the gun show / shop pin heads.

I have learned which shops to deal with, over the years, and they're they ones who get my greenbacks.

Guns attract all sorts of people at all sorts of levels.

It's sad, but true ...

Rusty
 
I agree with Keith about appearances. I used to be into punk rock in high school, but when I turned 18 I started to really get interested in my government class and about the 2nd amendmant and how important protecting our rights are. Long story short I had long hair, wore a black hoody, and a minority. I kind of looked like one of those targets at the shooting range:D and none of the clerks wanted anything to do with me. But something happened, I got a real job where I had to cut my hair and where nice polo shirts and shoes are a must, and now every time I go into a store people say hi and ask if I need any help. In closing I think if you look like you have money people will service you. ;)
 
Guns, cattle, knives, big trucks - anything with testosterone attached is going to have some men with strong personalities and strong opinions involved. If you're used to the robotic cheerfulness of McDonald's, people who run their own shops and can do what they want are often a shock. Not all gun shop owners are "people" people. If that's important to you, keep looking around. You'll find one.

The most practical advice I can give you has nothing to do with gun shops, though. Join a gun club and go there regularly. At the gun club there will be some older guys around who love to talk and share their knowledge, and probably will let you try some of their firearms, though they may also have some they don't want you to try. Good luck.

Gun shows are another good way to fondle lots of different types of guns, though you should ask permission before looking at anything there. And always clear the firearm before waving it around.
 
Don't take it personally, gun shops on whole are the worst places to get service, good information, or much of anything but snippy rude responses no matter your age. You have to get in good with the particular people there for them to even be remotely cordial. You can forget about going into 99% of the gunshops around and getting good truthful info and good service, which is only compounded by your age, but unfortunately it won't get much better.
 
crappy service in gunshops

Guys -

I agree with all of this and my thought is the reason most places have crappy service is they hire help that doesn't know as much as we do. I'm 52 and I still get crappy answers and I'm sure it's based on ignorance.

My favorite is going into a large chain (Gander M------) and asking if they had either Buismuth or Hevi-shot shells, being handed a box of steel and being told "here-it's the same thing" (Ask my old Parker if it's the same thing...)
 
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