TRNinTX Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 We decided to take a little road trip yesterday and drove to Hamburg, PA to the new Cabela's store. WOW, what a place. We wandered around for a while and of course found ourselves back in the hunting/firearms dept. Posted was a sign that said "You must be 18 or older to handle firearms" WHAT! The sign was also posted the Knife Dept. I asked an employee if this was store policy and he said it was PA state law. I hve done some preliminary research and can't find any reference to this, maybe someone (cgrube) can help me out. Kyle was highly indignant in that his little bro', Jr. National Champ, VAMD Section Champ, and 3rd in the Ohio State Championships, could not handle a firearm, especially after watching the gun handling skills of the staff. To make it worse, they were selling these "pop guns" to all the kids who were pointing them at each other and shooting the cork out. Kids could handle bows, (I guess they aren't lethal to anything but deer). How can a store that has more camo and hunting clothes for kids and adolescents not let the same kid be properly fitted for a firearm? The store was too crowded to get a sales rep into a long conversation yesterday, but I plan on going back in the middle of the week when they are not so crowded and having a conversation with someone. I think we are going to let BJ take his Glock tool with him and he will have one of the guns disassembled in about 30 seconds and then tell one of the "gun guys" behind the counter to put it back together if he knows more than the kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 TRNinVA Don't shoot the messenger. It isn't the counter guys who made the rule, forget them and get to the store manager to find out the real deal. Tell the store manager how you feel and that you will take your potential business elsewhere if he can't or won't do something to change it. My thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 No State law in PA to stop anyone under 18 from handling guns. It has to be a store policy. The only law is that they must be 18 to purchase the gun. How would you know if the gun you are buying for your child fits if he can't handle it? I've been in a ton of gunshops and never seen anything like that posted. Before hunting season the stores are loaded with kids getting set up with rifles and shotguns. I guess they are trying to save us from ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Chriss has it. In many PA public school districts, the 1st day of deer season is a school holiday on account of the number of MINORS who are out hunting (with firearms including handguns). Cabelas is way out on line on this; where is their corporate HQ?? (I know the tax address is in Delaware, but where is the real HQ??). I bet its not in PA. Go get em' Tim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Actually (in Michigan at least) if you bring someone under 18 in, have them handle the gun, and then you buy it, the store is required by law to not sell it to you. Ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I guess you have to bring a dwarf, of legal age of course, with you to fit the gun to your under age user. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 What is the age to buy a pistol in PA? 21? 18? I'm not trying to be the devils advocate here, this is just MY opinion, but I kinda agree with the store in this particular case. If someone is not of legal age to buy a pistol, then the store has every right to refuse access. His skills handling a firearms are probably better than most clerks, I agree with you 100 percent on that, but if someone came up to me who was 14 and wanted to handle a pistol in MY store, I'd refuse. The fact that someone knows everything about a pistol and the clerk doesn't makes no difference. If you are underage, you are underage. Minors are allows to participate in USPSA under the DIRECT supervision of an adult. I'm not saying that being of legal age makes it right for everyone to handle a firearms because there are alot of people out there who have no business handling one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhgtyre Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 If a minor is accompanied by their parent or legal gaurdian they should be allowed to handle a firearm. Any store that has a policy to the contrary would have to do without my business. -ld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 In PA you have to be 21 to buy a handgun 18 for a long gun. You can hunt solo at 16. Before that you have to have a parent or guardian. If they tried that law from MI in PA there would be hell to pay. Hunting season ranks right up there with Christmas on the holiday lists. Rufus, I disagree with your logic or lack there of. The kid can legally shoot and hunt with the gun it is total BS that he can't handle it before the parent buys it for him to use. I think I had my first .22 at 5 or 6. My daughter got her first one at 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 FWIW, I've taken my 10 year old daughter into Turners here in SoCal and they let her pick up any pistol she wanted to see. I guess California isn't so bad afterall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Well thank the lawyers for not allowing your child to hold a firearm in a store. It's probably store policy in order to save their butts from some stupid lawsuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRNinTX Posted November 4, 2003 Author Share Posted November 4, 2003 Rufus, I'm not talking about a 14 yr old just walking in the store and asking to pick up a gun. I was with him and I sure as hell look older than 18! If the clerk wants to hand me the gun and then let me hand it to BJ, I have no problem with that. But to make a blanket statement that anyone under the age of 18 can't handle a gun is BS! How in the world do the Stupid SOB's think they are going to keep selling guns in the next 10 or 15 years if we don't have our kids shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 It's ridiculous BS. I'm guessing the reason behind is that they've probably been slandered by some TV news crew on the sly for attempting to "sell guns to minors." It's a crying shame that even gun dealers are caving to the "any kid with a gun is a future homicidal manic" baloney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I work in a gun store and we encourage kids to handle the firearms. They are fully supervised and we check everything twice. If I think they are safe then they are. If I don't, then they can just look at them, which many are more than happy to do. Mostly the parents are concerned that the kids will damage the gun, not be stupid with it, and they are pleased when we say go for it. But many times kids have come into the store on their own because they are curious (and ma or pa is not so gun savvy) and they deserve to be treated like any other customer. If they come in on their own they will be supervised by an adult I trust, ME! The kids love it and hopefully we get a customer (read that as firearms user) out of it, at some stage, however far down the track. The more of them I get the better my store goes, the better off the shooting sports are. Never turn a youngster away from a firearm you may never get them back onto our side. We have videos of shooting sports and we give them out to kids all the time, no charge, we sometimes get them back, mostly we never see the tapes again, but we usually see the kids back. Never ever discourage an enquiring mind, not for any reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRNinTX Posted November 19, 2003 Author Share Posted November 19, 2003 UPDATE I just received a call from the Hamburg store manager. He told me he had been forwarded my email complaint to the corporate office. He apologized for the misinformation I received from the staff and also said that they were in the process of changing the wording on the signs in the hunting dept. to read something to the effect that "Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to handle firearms". The manager thanked me for my email and bringing the problem to his attention. Cabela's gets a "thumbs up" for responding to a customer complaint and solving the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhgtyre Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 That is good to hear. Now I can once again wear my Cabela's hat! -ld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Ahhh....sanity wins again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now