Glad you got an AR. And **** anyone's negative opinion when it comes to them.

 

SO, which one'd you buy?
When asked what I'd shoot with a rifle like that, I'd have answered "commies who think the People shouldn't be armed..."

Actually, I wouldn't have said that, I'm usually not that nice. I would have asked him how he knew my name, and told him I do mind him asking.

 

SO, which one'd you buy?

DPMS .223/5.56 Oracle. Very basic.

Sorry, but I don't see what's extraordinary. You bought a rifle at WalMart and someone read your name tag and asked you an innocent question. Maybe I should read it again to see what I missed.

Nothing extraordinary, so you don't have to bother with reading again. It was merely out of the ordinary for me.

 

Sorry, but I don't see what's extraordinary. You bought a rifle at WalMart and someone read your name tag and asked you an innocent question. Maybe I should read it again to see what I missed.

 

I don't like strangers being that familiar with me.

I wear a name tag at work, and after a similar experience, I make sure to remove it when I am not at work.

My response to a complete stranger calling me by name was to ask him who the hell he was. He took offense to my question, and told me that I shouldn't wear a name tag if I didn't want people to call me by my name. I then just stared at him until he walked away.

......I want to add that the above did not happen at my place of employment, it happened at a gas station on the way home from work. The stranger was getting gas next to me and was kind of being a smart-ass making a point of addressing me with my name since I was wearing a name tag. I have no hang-ups with being addressed by name while I am actually working.

 

"Nosy shoppers"

Would have been a contrite comeback.

 

I think I'll commit that one to memory.

What you experienced was a traditional gun nut. You will find them hanging out at gun counters and sometimes the gun section of the magazines.

The proper response in general is what you said but I like to add "what would you use it for" or "have you shot one like it" or "what load do you like".

Guys who like guns have a problem with approaching others with guns and try to talk to them. For those that are way to educated and good for most people it is a surprise but to others its a reason to make a new friend.

At my local Wal-Mart in Bentonville (home to Wal-Mart) when I go shopping I make a run thru the gun section and check out what ever is on the rack and I check out ammo. Just about every time I am looking at ammo there is somebody who wants to chat about not being able to find it. I usually share my experience and stories and listen to his and our days are made.

On second thought your probably from the Jay area, I wouldn't want to talk to anybody from that area either.

Looking back, I think you're probably right. The guy was friendly enough, and when he walked away a few minutes later he addressed me by name again. I'm glad I didn't say anything unfriendly, but it still creeped me out a bit. I was already on edge, buying a rifle that I was sure was putting me on another 'list', and some guy being friendly was just out of my comfort zone.

Pryor. I agree on Jay though, too close to Grand Lake. Now, Bentonville, that's like the Holy Land for a certain demographic isn't it? Been through there a few times.

"I'm sorry, you seem to know me but I don't remember your name. What was it again" (extends hand to shake) "So, tell me, are you interested in learning to shoot? Maybe I can point you in the right direction. Oh wait, where are you going?"

That's another I should commit to memory.

 

"I'm sorry, you seem to know me but I don't remember your name. What was it again" (extends hand to shake) "So, tell me, are you interested in learning to shoot? Maybe I can point you in the right direction. Oh wait, where are you going?"

 

Bob's right.
I was lookin at ammo back around Christmas when our power had been out for days and looked like it'd be a few more days before we got it back. I picked up a box of 20 gauge which from checking our stock, I knew was low. It was only a 25 rnd box, and some kid [20 yr old] walked up and asked what I was going to shot. I said "right now I wanna shoot down them pesky tree branches that are falling on our power lines" He then pick up a 100 rnd box, and said "why don't you get one of these?" I said "why, is is cheaper?" and he said "No, but you can have yerself a whole shootin extravaganza!"
I said "yer right, that does sound like fun!" and grabbed the 100 rnd box.
and that was Hubbys' Christmas presant: 100 rnds of 20 gauage, and 2 lbs of cashews.

 

100 rnds of 20 gauage, and 2 lbs of cashews.

Dang, what a woman, you got a sister?

Rancher

 

So, has anyone else ever had a moment similar to this? I'd like to think I'm not the only one.

Yes, I to have gone shopping for a rifle talked to other customers and walked out with one,

 

I have conversations with people at the gun counter all the time, I nod hello to random strangers in every isle if we make eye contact . It must be regional differences in culture or something.

I would have used the opportunity to give the guy a good education on ar15s

 

I would have used the opportunity to give the guy a good education on ar15s

I suppose that would have been an option, if I knew what I was talking about. Hahaha. This is my first AR, so besides basic things like ballistics and such I'm not the one to start educating anyone. Yet.

 

A lot of the answer would depend on the Tone of Voice the questioner used when he ask the question. An innocent questing ask in a truly wanting to know would have got one answer, the question as in a sarcastic tone of voice would have received a different answer.

I once had a REMF type of individual ask me in a sarcastic tone of voice, if I earned the baseball cap with one of the Unit's Patches I Served with in Vietnam or was it a gimme cap. I got up in his face and ask him "what the **** Business was it of his" in a tone that inferred that I would be glad to take it outside if that was what he wanted. He hurried across the room and stood looking down at the floor. And me, I generally don't respond that way, but his attitude and tone of voice was that of a person wanting to create a problem. I do not suffer fools lightly, especially little weasely REMF Scumbags.

Jungle Work

 

It was actually an innocent tone that he used. It just caught me completely off guard.

I have a tendency to be overly friendly of familiar in public places with strangers. It can be a bad thing or a good thing, depending.

I can see the guy who asked being me just being me. "Hey Dude, Cool! what are you gonna use it for? Nothing suspicious or mean, just curious and interested.

People that own or like guns have become demonized to the point that we are suspicious of anyone asking us about gun. We think they are anti gun Nazis.

I'm starting to think that the guy was simply curious. Still, as you noted, it's easy to get suspicious of anyone asking about gun purchases. I was actually glad that the clerk spoke up like she did, as well as the other guy.

Hanging out on SB must be making me paranoid.

 

I have a tendency to be overly friendly of familiar in public places with strangers. It can be a bad thing or a good thing, depending.

I can see the guy who asked being me just being me. "Hey Dude, Cool! what are you gonna use it for? Nothing suspicious or mean, just curious and interested.

People that own or like guns have become demonized to the point that we are suspicious of anyone asking us about gun. We think they are anti gun Nazis.

 

A couple years ago Wally World had a great deal on 9mm Federal. A friend of mine and I went to 7 Wally Worlds and cleaned them out (about 15K rounds). We were at the sporting goods counter at the most "ghetto" location loading up on boxes of 9mm. The guy behind the counter says "we have a good deal on hollow points too in 9mm" and my buddy speaks up (he was just kidding) "We don't need hollow points, we shoot paper with 9mm. We shoot people with .45".

The "urban" shoppers that were standing in earshot looked rather uncomfortable.:

 

I'll take one of those guys at the gun counter, over some jerk who immediately approaches you to give you 100,000 reasons why he thinks you're making a mistake. We have one here at the Wal-Mart near where I live who just hangs around the gun counter and talks to everybody. The first thing he makes sure that you know is that he's a former Marine, followed by at least three statements trying to emphasize that he knows more than you do.

 

I get nervous at the gun counter. I have worked in sporting good many years ago so know a lot about the stuff that was good 30 years ago but am a little rusty on current stuff. I like to chat. When asked the question about how many guns do I own, I always give the same answer "more than one". I'm not comfortable giving anyone that information. I like to chat, but I don't want any questions about what I own or my name. Now, I'm in the process of sighting in the scope on my .36 black powder rifle. As we age scopes are so nice and black powder rifles can be lots of fun. I'm thinking we are very lucky to be able to ask questions here rather than hanging around Walmart.

 

Glad your sale worked out! I have purchased 2 firearms that were overpriced at the LGS, from WallyMart. They walked me out, handed me the paid for guns at the door.
The LGS was as much as $100.00 higher for a Moss 500 12 ga shotgun. Please do get yourself an honest second price, those guys are exactly the ones selling 22lr 550 packs for $69.95.
Supply and demand? Just business? Malarkey is the term.
Do what you think is best.

 

I can't get too excited about a gun nut asking questions. I would not take offense.

 

My responce to people that ask personal questions is( excuse me do I know you, when they answer no I tell them good lets keep it that way.) works every time. JT

 

I was retrieving an ammo order from my previous gun guy. He let me have ammo at his cost, and I was able to get case lots for cheap so I bought in quantity. Anyway........I'm trucking out 5 full cases of ammo out of the store on a dolly. There are a couple of good old boy, hunter types leaning up against the pistol case and one of them asks me: "What're ya gonna do with that much ammo?" Without pausing I said "Those damned zombies won't kill themselves."

The looks I got were priceless. :

 

Maybe I am just anti social, or perhaps more accurately, I don't feel like engaging in small talk with idiots, but I would take the name tag off before I even left work and I personally tend to have headphones on in certain public places like grocery stores and airports so the people will leave me the hell alone. Works like a charm, half the time they aren't even on, but it gets the job done. (I will put some music on if there is horrible music playing over the PA system in a store. My local grocery store always has awful music...)

I probably wouldn't do this during a firearms purchase, but it comes in handy on plenty of occasions.

 

And HOW THE HECK DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?

......

DW asked me later how the guy knew my name, and by that time I realized that I was wearing my uniform shirt, with my name plastered on it for the world to see.

Gotta hate uniforms and name tags!

A few years back, I was having my annual furnace service. I opened the basement hatch to the outside so the guy wouldn't have to go through the house. I also covered some stored items I didn't want the guy to see.

As he's working, he asks, "How long have you been a cop at "Infscout PD"?"

I was stunned. I asked, "What makes you think I'm a cop?"

He pointed to the two winter uniform coats hanging on the clothes rack next to the dryer.

D'oh!

 

Its defiantly more unnerving when asked something like that in the gun aisle
as opposed to the meat section. sounds like you handled it well.
buy an extra 20 rounds and do a bit or vermin removal. I would hate to see ya tell a white lie to the gentleman...
Besides, the rifle wont go shoot itself, it needs someone to work the boom switch.

 

Lets take it a step further and wear a disguise or maybe a shirt with someone elses name on it when you buy a gun. Then be sure and take a round about route home being sure you are not followed. We can't be paranoid enough.

 

Right and appear to be just what Obama said about clinging to bibles and guns. Paranoid so thus having no business owning guns.

 

I have no reservations or nervousness at all when purchasing guns or ammo anywhere because I'm usually elated at getting another gun. I've been asked tons of questions by all kinds of people about my purchases and just try to answer their questions and occasionally throw a barb in the direction of one asking foolish questions.
To be a complete arsehole to anyone asking questions is just re-inforcing what anti-gunners already think of us and we don't need any more negative crap from them.

 

Somebody strikes up an awkward conversation every time I hit the guns and ammo section of Wal Mart. It's almost expected anymore.

 

it's unavoidable now I get the same thing. The only reason I still enter that section is to monitor the flow.

soon enough you will have to show id and purchase a license to even enter the "sporting" isle...

 

Before I tell my story,...So, has anyone else ever had a moment similar to this? I'd like to think I'm not the only one.

Can you put that in a single sentence, please? Btw, be honest, always, what do you intend to shoot with any gun? what you intend to destroy.