Walking into a sporting goods store, particularly to a gun counter, isn’t quite the same as walking into a department store or other retail outlet. If there are guns involved, there are some additional considerations to keep in mind that will help your trip—whether you’re shopping, browsing or seeking help—be successful.
1. Research Before Buying
This isn’t necessarily an etiquette tip, but more of a buying tip. If you’re shopping for a new firearm—or any other large purchase, for that matter—you’ll almost certainly make a better decision if you walk up to the gun counter with some idea of what you want as far as make and model or even just gun type (like bolt-action rifle vs. lever-action). While it’s OK to walk up totally uninformed and ask the sales associate what they recommend, don’t make a buying decision solely on their recommendation. This is more and more rare with each passing year, but there are still some gun counter jockeys out there with outdated, old-school “gun for the little lady” ideas who will steer you in the wrong direction. Ask for their advice, but then go home and do some research before you buy.
2. Don’t Hog the Counter
I can’t count the number of times I’ve wandered up to a gun counter strictly to window shop, with no intention of buying. This is totally fine, and sales associates expect a certain amount of it. Many of them enjoy shooting the breeze and are willing to let you handle and admire guns you’re not going to buy—if they’re not holding up other customers. If the store is full and other people who actually are buying are trying to get a sales person’s attention, get out of the way. Don’t be a counter hog who wastes everyone’s time and holds up a sale.
3. Handle Guns Safely
Of course, you must respect the four rules of gun safety at all times, including when the associate hands you a gun from behind the counter. Always keep it pointed in a safe direction, which generally means at the floor. The sales person should have handed it to you unloaded with the action open, but regardless, you should confirm its unloaded status yourself. If you don’t know how, ask. It’s OK to aim in a safe direction (ask if you don’t know what direction is safe) to get a sight picture or feel how the gun mounts to your shoulder. It’s usually OK to try out the trigger pull once you’ve confirmed the gun is unloaded and you’re pointed in a safe direction, but before you do that, ask the associate if they mind if you dry-fire it. Be careful handing a gun back to the associate or setting it back down on the counter—you don’t want to scratch it or the glass, so set it on the mat if there is one, and don’t muzzle anyone in this process.
And it should go without saying, but don’t do dumb crap you see on TV. Don’t repeatedly rapid-rack the slide John-Wick style, don’t spin a revolver on your finger or cowboy-flick it to close the cylinder, and don’t make awkward jokes.
4. Case It
If you’re shopping for a new holster for your concealed-carry firearm, you’re bringing in a gun for the gunsmith to look at, or you have any other reason to expect you’ll need to handle the gun while you’re in the store, make sure it’s unloaded before you walk in the door. Yes, this includes your concealed-carry handgun. You don’t want to whip out a loaded gun in the middle of the store and go through the unload/show clear process at the counter—there’s just too many ways that can take a left turn on you. If you expect you’ll be handling the gun in-store, bring it in (unloaded) in a case.
5. If It’s Concealed, Keep It Concealed
In a broader sense—and this applies everywhere, not just the gun store—for goodness sake, keep your concealed carry firearm concealed. Lots of good-natured conversation takes place at gun shops, at the counter and away from it, among like-minded people. Just don’t let that turn into “Yeah man, I’ve got a cool such-and-such, check it out.”
6. Ask Questions and Be Patient
If you don’t know how a particular gun works, or you have any other sort of questions, don’t hesitate to ask. If you are brand new to guns, don’t be afraid to tell the sales associate that to get some of the awkwardness out of the way. That said, be aware that just because someone works at a gun counter doesn’t mean they’re an expert on guns or a particular model, and their advice might be nonsense (see point #1 about doing your research). Even so, they should at least be able to teach you to manipulate the gun properly and safely. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If you are ready to make a purchase, bring some patience. Sometimes the paperwork/background check/approval process goes very quickly, and other times you run into slight hang-ups or delays. Sometimes the NICS check takes longer than other times. This isn’t the gun store trying to be difficult; it’s just a part of the process.
