seems an odd rule for a place where shooting is the point. but discussion at tam's centered around exactly that rule at the range she frequents. there they require bringing in unloaded/cleared firearms only...necessitating what she and shootin' buddy point out is the distinctly dangerous practice of unloading range guns as well as carry-ons in the car or parking lot, etc.
but as i said in comments there, that same logic holds for any place with such a rule. and there are many, sadly including even most gun shops, which often feature a big sign on the door; "no loaded firearms". that made a bit more sense in the days before carry permits and most guns coming in the door were for sale, trade, repair, etc...but now, with perhaps a majority of those who frequent ffl's carrying concealed, it has become an absurdity...and a decidedly dangerous rule. combined with the many places -public and private- that ban loaded firearms on the premises, it brings into focus just how often the need for permit holders to unload -or offload- their weapon in the car before they can enter these premises unnecessarily endangers everyone in the vicinity, as manipulating mags, slides, and cylinders requires much touching. and though some anti's would have you believe the very presence of guns can cause random carnage even when they're safely in their holsters, it's all that touching that can result in an n.d.
it's a big problem that many don't really think about, and there's not an easy solution...maybe the best one is to just avoid such places whenever possible.
jtc
fla was early to the concealed-carry dance, but even predating that, and much more so since, on the front door of pretty much every licensed premises (ffl) you'll see a bold-lettered sign "no loaded firearms".
ReplyDeletenow in the pre-permit days it was fairly easy to defend such as a simple reminder to unload weapons being brought in to sell, pawn, trade, etc. i'm still a bit haunted by the memory of the frazzled young wife toting a baby under one arm and a closed-bolt '06 under the other coming in to pawn same for hubby. muzzle sweeping everywhere, she struggled toward the counter and i moved to relieve her of her burden. routinely dropping the business end to the floor and opening the bolt to check clear, i was only mildly surprised to see a three-inch deer round go flying and two more waiting to take their turn in the chamber...nothing but a flimsy thumb safety between that old remmie and me, or the guy in the store next door, or the guy going about his business half a mile down the street. chilling.
so i can see where that store policy had a basis in good intent. but do we really want that young mom clearing that thing in her car out front? or for that matter, even the experienced handgun owner clearing his .45 before bringing it in to pawn? so i never had such a sign; just tried to keep my eyes peeled for potential threats, innocent or otherwise.
and since the advent of concealed carry (of which there is a very high percentage of folks who enter a gun sellers store in fla), there is just no sense or justification in such a policy, if there ever was. and even though the setting is different than tam's gun range, for the exact same reasons as those given by her and s.b. regarding either unloading going on in vehicles right in front, or guns coming out of carry places to leave in the vehicle; you just don't want all those paws all over those shootin' irons right where they could do the most harm to innocent bystanders.
keep that in mind the next time you enter a gun shop with the "no loaded guns" sign, or worse yet, anywhere with the big red "no" circle over a handgun on the door or wall of the places you frequent. how many folks are unloading or offloading their iron right in your vicinity?
jtc