Gun Shop Gripes

Here's a situation I get into, occasionally, while shopping for a new gun.

I ask to see a gun on display. The person behind the counter proceeds to bring out the firearm, then go through the perfunctory safety check to make sure the gun is unloaded, then put it on the counter for me to pick up and inspect. I pick up the gun in question, grip it like I own it, and point it downward and of to the side (in order not to “flag” anyone at the shop).

It's at this point I sometimes commit one of two “crimes”. The first of which is – God forbid – put my finger on the trigger. Keep in mind that the gun that was just handed to me is unloaded and has been safety-checked by the person who handed it to me. It's unloaded and has no chance of maiming or killing, short of pistol-whipping someone, or by loading rounds into the gun – in front of the person behind the counter – then cocking and firing the gun at someone. Yet, the act of putting your finger on the trigger of an already acknowledged unloaded gun, in a gun shop? Looks of consternation from the person trying to sell you that firearm. “I want to sell you that gun, but don't get a feel for what it would be like to grip it like are going to fire it first.” What I want to do is get a feel for the gun I'm looking to spend hundreds of dollars purchasing, and that includes the grip of the thing in my hand, with my finger on the trigger.

The second crime I seem to commit is to “flag” myself while either re-positioning the gun away from the person behind the counter, or by bringing it back onto the counter for the gun store person to put back into the case. OK, already established that the gun in question is unloaded, and is – therefore – not going to go off. If anyone(!) behind the counter is going to finch when I move with the gun they just handed me, I think they either don't have confidence in the safety check they just did, or they are knee-jerking to all the crap they read on social media. I cannot tell you how many times I've shopped for a semi-auto pistol, and was handed one with no magazine, only to get the stern looks from folks when I try to grip the sucker like I own it. I'm not wildly waving the thing around. I'm not pointing it right at the person who is helping my with my purchase. It's just nuts.

The old adage goes, “if you don't know a firearm is loaded, treat it like it is”. If you KNOW it's unloaded, though, you don't need to treat it – or those inspecting it for purchase – like it's loaded and ready for bare.