Gun Store Guys

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The many personalities you will run into hanging out in a gun shop:

If you’ve been gun shopping in a legitimate gun store and spent any time there then you have surely run into some interesting characters. I was out earlier today and ran into a few myself. So I figured I’d talk about a some of the personalities that I have run into more than once over the years. One is your run of the mill “Gun Shop Rambo” type. All he wants to look at or discuss is the biggest and baddest weapons he can find.  He then proceeds to repeat verbatim what he has read in a magazine or seen on TV. Basically he makes himself look even more ignorant and self conscience than he may be. Guys, your gun isn’t a way to make up for what you lack in other areas that don’t require a holster. Sure, you can carry a 454 Casull as an everyday carry piece, but it isn’t practical nor is it tactical. Please don’t be this guy! He is annoying and no one wants to be around him because ruins your shopping trip.

big-gunThere is also the guy that knows everything about everything that is related to guns in any way shape form or fashion (yep, I ran into “that guy” today). I really enjoyed how he proceeded to explain to me how my gun was exactly like two other guns. Spoiler alert, IT ISN’T! He considers himself an intellectual authority on all things firearm related, everyone else considers him an asshole! Only his favored manufacture is acceptable and worth buying. Ok, so he has a favorite gun company, so do I. What I don’t do is completely discredit all other companies or consider them garbage. I have a top 5 favorites list that most of my semi automatic handguns have come from. If you’re interested, they are Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Glock,  and Beretta. Why these manufacturers you may ask, well I have carried guns from each of them on duty as a police officer and found all of them to be of extremely high quality. Are there other companies that are just as good? I’m sure there are, but those are my favorites. My personal opinion is the best gun on God’s earth is the one that you have on your person that is working without malfunction!  Guns have been a daily part of my life for nearly two decades, but I am in no way an encyclopedia of gun knowledge. I learn new things everyday and enjoy doing so. No one is the final word when it comes to what gun is best or will work best for you. You are the final word on that, because you are the one carrying it.

gun-storeThe final personality is probably the most annoying to me. It’s the guy who is completely lost but wanting to be cool. Most of the time this guy is actually very successful in other areas, but knows next to nothing about guns. He usually is decked out in the most expensive gear, wearing high speed equipment, and can’t hit the broad side of a barn. In many cases he is a person that wanted to be police or  in the military but took a more financially rewarding and less dangerous path in life. Hey, if I’d had any sense I would have done the same thing and avoided broken bones, etc. Just be you, there is no need to put on a fashion show or recount the time that this or that happened. So what you don’t have real war stories, no one is judging you for that. If this guy gets the training he really needs then he will be respected. Bullcrap stories, a $4,000 1911, and no skill just pisses people off.

3pd424You are going to run into all walks of life at all income levels when gun shopping. Some of my best friendships have been made standing around talking about guns in local shops. Gun shops are just a microcosm of society. I’m extremely passionate about guns and the culture that surrounds them. The best advice I can give anyone is feed your hunger for knowledge about guns. Seek out the guys that really know their stuff and pick their brains. Don’t get caught up in the trap of being any of the personalities above, because you are not going to get the knowledge you need to be proficient with the one tool that can save your life and the lives of your family. Train smart, train hard, and train with the best (us!).


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