"Glock" Moral Dilemma

[MrCleanOK]

Take him to the range to shoot his new pistol, and bring your own "real" Glock to compare (or rent a range gun if you don't have one). When he sees the difference in his "glock" and a Glock, he will either realize his mistake, or be happy that he only had to pay $350 for his and it's close enough for him. I think Texan Scott is absolutely right, you tell him as a friend and try to educate him, or someone he doesn't know at the range can tell him "hey dummy, that's a piece of crap Hi-Point, not a Glock".

When I was younger and much dumber, I paid too much for my used, chopped Remington 870 at a gun show. I wish a friend had told me.

 

[DeepSouth]

I think you should tell him all the bad news then give him the Glock you just bought him. Then take him to range where he can shoot a few boxes of your ammo, and you give him a little instruction and knowlage. That way everybody is happy.

You have been completely honest with him while making him the happiest new gun owner in the state and he gets the education that our THR members want him to have.


Everybody's happy (minus your wallet)
Yes, I'm very generous with other people's money.





Please excuse typos, posted via iPhone.

 

[justice06rr]

Ouch to your friend... $349 for a Hipoint is robbery.

If you know the kid well enough (and it seems you do) you owe it to him to educate him properly about his purchase, and also any future gun buying endeavors.

A Hipoint is not a Glock; plain and simple. To be in bliss about his situation can lead to trouble later on. Tell him now yourself and it will be easier for him to bear vs someone else who bursts his bubble and tell him the wrong way that he bought a Hipoint.

Knowledge is power-- as they say.

 

[Kiln]

I'd explain to him what he got but let him down easy. Hi Point really does make some decent, entry level pistols that I wouldn't shy away from. He really got hosed on the price though.

I have also seen a guy tell me he bought a Glock and then bring out a completely different model of handgun so maybe this is more common than I thought.

 

[jmr40]

To many people Glock has become a generic term for any black, striker fired pistol. I'm betting he knows it is a Highpoint pistol and not a real Glock. But to him, being "Glock like" is close enough.

Think about it, to may people any adjustable wrench is a "Cresent" wrench. Any Refrigerator is a "Frigidare", although that might just be a southern thing. Any soft drink is a "Coke". All copy machines are "Xerox" machines.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to try to explain to seveal kids that the fabric military jungle boots they were wearing were not "Gore-Tex" boots. They were convinced that any boots made with fabric panels in them were Gore-Tex. The fact that their boots were not waterproof was not a concern to them.

 

[ku4hx]

As a former teacher, I can tell you breaking "bad" news is never easy. However, people need to understand the consequences of their actions both good and bad.

We've all been in this young man's situation at one time or another to one degree or another. If you don't tell him, someone else will and at least you have the opportunity to make it a learning situation for the guy.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

I would ask if he would like to join me at the range and try to teach him about different styles of pistols and brand names. Another reason to have him join you is to teach him gun safety. I remember when I started out I knew very little of gun safety until a couple of guys at the range helped me out. I am now at the point where I am teaching new shooters which can be a lot of fun.

 

[KAS1981]

What's this "be gentle" crap? You're not informing him that a family member died.

Just tell the dude he didn't buy a Glock and he paid too much. End of story.

 

[scaatylobo]

Sad,very sad

I might not be as nice as I could be.

I would print out the word GLOCK,then another piece of paper with HI-POINT on it.

hand them to him and ask him which one he bought.

I am sorry but I do have a sick sense of humor and I am a REAL ballbr#aker as many who know me can attest.

I do expect he can read ?.

 

[jeepnik]

Should someone that naïve own a handgun?

Everyone has to start somewhere. Is there anyone on this forum who hasn't made an error in judgment on at least one firearms purchase?

 

[45_auto]

You mean you also bought a different brand gun than you thought you were getting???

Can't say I've even come close to that.

I'm with Jimbo555. I'm leery of someone's mental abilities when they don't even know what brand of gun they're buying.

 

[danez71]

Appreciate the replies so far. He's been working for me since he was in high school through a CO-OP program. (He's full time now) Believe it or not he's actually a pretty bright kid but I think very naive is probably the best description.


By the way, I did give him the safety lecture (4 rules of gun safety) before he went out and bought it. Did the same thing when he turned 18 and bought his first motorcycle.

(Quote shortened by me)

Im focusing on what you said here; particularly the 2nd part.


If youre comfortable enough to have those conversations with him, I think you should be comfortable enough to have a little deeper conversation about his purchase.

If he actually listened to you about the motorcycle advice when he was 18, he probably looks up to you at least to some degree... maybe an unofficial mentor.

If he is including you on 1st gun and 1st motorcyle issues, (besides bragging) his look for input from you.


Does he have a dad or older brother that share these interests of his? Maybe your that person.

 

[marksg]

The only reason I might disagree is that I was once younger and ignorant of many things. Ignorance is fixable.

Some lessons are learned the hard way, but if you never find out about your mistake you never learn from it.

Personally I would tell him as gently as i could. But that's just me.

 

[osteodoc08]

So OP, what did you end up doing. I don't wanna speak for all, but I know I'm sure curious.

 

[Takem406]

Should someone that naïve own a handgun?

Yes after training.

In God and Glock we Trust

 

[gpb]

Ask to see the bill of sale. What did the dealer put on that? Glock or Hi-Point?

 

[Dave P.]

Marb4

Somewhere right now your worker/friend is talking to his buddies
about how dumb his boss/friend it. " the dude didn't even recognize
it was a Hi-point, told him it was a Glock just to mess with him"
They're sitting around going "what an idiot!"
Dave

 

[ID-shooting]

Ignorance is indeed bliss, but just because a guy is ignorant about a certain subject doesn't mean they should be written off as some have suggested.

I am a medic, I know human anatomy/physiology, disease processes, and a good bit of pharmacology.

My best friend is a tax accountant, he knows the tax laws and financial markets.

We are both ignorant to each other's scpecialty. Doesn't mean we are dumb, we just chose different educational paths.

I say mentor him, help him grow his interest and guide him. Let him learn but don't let him feel bad for encountering what may be a shady dealer. Help him to know better next time.

 

[TimboKhan]

Yikes. You know, I would gently tell him. No need to make him feel dumb, as he is gonna feel dumb all on his own. The reason I would say something is just so he doesn't perpetuate the idea to others who very well might make fun of him.

The real issue here is the scumbag dealer who did this to him. Even if he didn't lie to this kid, thats a ridiculous price for a Hi-Point.

 

[Walkalong]

Sounds like your friend was taken advantage of. Educate him and give him the knowledge to keep it from happening again. Be kind and understanding, we were all ignorant at some point.

 

[coolluke01]

A guy who works for me turned 21 recently and was excited to purchase his first handgun. The day after he bought it he was so excited to tell me he had gotten a Glock 9mm brand new for only $349.

Take a note from how he approached you. He knows you to be a gun guy and was excited to gain your approval. This means he trusts you and looks up to you.
I would say that you have a responsibility to look out for him and help him deal with the person that took advantage of him.

As Gun guys we need to hang together, or most assuredly we will hang separately!

 

[hentown]

I travel around a bit and have friends of all ages. Maybe I'm just not running the same "crowd" as some of you guys. It never occurred to me that any segment of the population, except, perhaps, those demographics that vote 99% DemocRATic, might refer to any brand name pistol generically as a Glock. That's just plain stupid.

 

[ZeSpectre]

All I can think of is this...

 

[olderguns]

It may be stupid but a lot of guys do refer to any semi-auto as a Glock, case in point a guy I used give a lift to work, one day he told me he was going to be "Strapped" from now on and wanted me to come in his house to see his glock, it was a S&W sigma,, sometimes you just have to shake your head and move on.

 

[rskent]

Sounds like he needs a little mentoring. Maybe you can take the time to go shooting with him.