The 18-year-old gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers in what turned out to be the third deadliest shooting in the United States.
And while those in the community closest to the families who've suffered tragic losses are still in mourning, others have castigated the officers who waited for 78-minutes on-site before breaching the classroom to de-escalate the situation.
Curious to hear from other law enforcers, Reddit stupsssss15 asked:
"To police officers, how are you feeling seeing how the situation was handled in Texas?"
A Desired Place For Them
"My city had a mass shooting where 10 people died 3 years ago, it took six responding officers 32 seconds to kill the active shooter."
"My coworker is a relative of one of the officers who responded that night. She told us that he thinks these cops 'deserve to burn in Hell for abandoning those children.'”
– TheOldOak
It's What We Do
"Not a cop but did do fire for a bit."
"I'm not a brave person at all, and I'm not going to pretend to be some hairy a**ed hero. But what we do is a service."
"We're here for them."
"When it's time to go then it's time to go."
"No sh*t you're scared. So is everyone else going interior. That doesn't mean you don't do it. Because as scared as you are, the person trapped inside is f'king terrified, and has none of the protection that you do."
"I honestly consider their response not just to be incompetence, since that assumes good intent and just being a f'k up. In my eyes this was dereliction of duty. Especially if the bit about cops going in to save their own kids and leaving the rest is true. Or the part about Border Patrol going inside in defiance of orders."
"I don't think it's unfair at all to say people should be going to prison over this."
– Guilty_Assignment_25
Cowards
"Military Police here: I am angry beyond words at the tragedy that has taken place. MP training is direct to threat and even without hearing gunshots we are required to breach the building and begin securing it so if people are shot inside we can create a clear corridor for casualties to be collected and treated."
"These cowardly pieces of sh*t should turn in their badges and be held accountable for their inaction."
– theknights-whosay-Ni
"It's Our Job"
"I literally never comment on anything but felt like I should here. I’ve only been on the job for a year and change in the largest department in America and while we’re definitely not perfect I’ve been to a few shootings personally and even with shots ringing out within visual range I’ve never seen any one of my coworkers run away or just wait for ESU cause they 'could get shot' and I know I’ve never run away."
"While I can understand being afraid I can’t understand not doing your job we’re first responders and as such it’s our job to go in there and get it done backup be damned. I hate Monday night quarterbacking but I’ve risked my life on this job for wayyyyy less so when other officers wait idle while kids get gunned down it makes me mad."
– Different_Handle1254
Demand For An Overhaul
"I work for a Sheriff's Department and have gone in to a few active shooter situations, if it's true that officers were standing outside, there needs to be some jobs on the chopping block. Also, it's obvious what departments do active shooter training and which ones don't. Sounds like that whole department needs an overhaul."
– AtwaterKent
Suggested Charges
"Retired LEO: the words 'disbelief' and 'disgusted' hardly scratch the surface. Charge all of them with negligent homicide/involuntary manslaughter."
"To add to the points the others are making: imagine the effect on the children's parents. They already have the horror of their child being killed - knowing that their last moments were filled with terror and pain - but that's now compounded by the thought that their child could have been saved, if it were not for the cowardice of the people they trusted to protect them. These poor souls are now broken."
– anon
"Something Has To Change"
"Was on one of the parents FB pages- whose children survived- and he has massive survivor’s guilt. Says he regrets standing outside, also said 'I was always one of those people that said if it happened at my kids’ school I’d go in… and I didn’t.'"
"Friends and neighbours kids died. He’s posted clips of him driving near the school at all hours of the night. I know he’s not alone, and I’m not sure they’ll ever get over it. Something has to change."
– DucDeBellune
An Awful Thought
"God awful thought - some parents will ask 'was it quick,' with a shake of the head indicating that perhaps their child could have been saved with an actual police response."
"It's hard to see how a community can pull through that without a lot of accountability for inaction being shown."
– TheMania
Like Accomplices
"What's really an extra level of sick on top of it all is that they went in there and got their own kids and they left the other kids. And then they stopped the parents from going to save their own kids. That makes no sense at all. It's almost as if they were on the same side as the killer. It's almost as if they're accomplices."
– Mypantsohno
Objectionable SCOTUS Ruling
"Ashamed of this agency and their so-called chief. If the shooter is isolated, you wait because time is on your side to negotiate. If they are actively shooting people, action must be taken. Just because the SCOTUS says there’s no duty to intervene, I think most LE agencies’ policy and (obviously) public opinion beg to differ."
– AffectionateWalk6101
Over In The UK
"In Britain, there was an attacker with a machete on London Bridge and our unarmed police officers ran towards him with only pepper spray and batons, literally ‘hitty sticks’. In fact, one was an off duty transport police officer with no gear at all."
"I can’t fathom the slowness of the response in Texas."
– lunarpx
Blood On Their Hands
"A doctor, Dr Cheng, literally tackled a gunman in a church recently sacrificing himself for everyone in that church when he died taking him down. I hope these cops look at his story and acknowledge their cowardness every day. The lives of those children are on their hands and it would've been better to have let the parents go in and do their job for them."
– IroningSandwiches
"No Excuse For Police Leadership In Uvalde"
"Federal law enforcement here."
"I took a 1-day active shooter training last year. The the theme they kept hammering into us was 'Stop the killing, so you can stop the dying.' Meaning, you need to find the shooter as fast as possible to kill or incapacitate him. Nothing else matters before then. They had role players with like fake blood/injury kits on screaming for help and we just stepped around/over them in our way towards the sound of gun fire. Once the shooter is dead, then you sprint back and start evacuating and treating people. Also, you go in alone or grab a couple other responders on your way in. You don’t methodically clear rooms, you don’t “secure” stuff, and you certainly don’t try to do crowd control."
"I see a lot of people on reddit say 'standard police procedure is (fill in the blank)' and they are usually wrong. However, almost everyone is exactly right on what I’ve seen about active shooter training. And it’s been that way since f'king columbine! There is no excuse for police leadership in Uvalde to not know this."
"Typically I try to not judge people in these scenarios because there so many different factors and challenges that affect your decision making. However in this case (and in Parkland), f''k these guys. They should be fired and never work in law enforcement again. A lot of people, some police included, sometimes think that valor is like an everyday thing. It’s definitely not (that’s why we hand out medals for it) but to see officers just stand outside that classroom as children were shot and bleeding to death is awful and unforgivable."
– fedman1776
Questioning Law Enforcement Funding
"My dad taught active shooter classes for years before he was retired and I helped out with the exact training scenarios you are talking about. In one, I even roleplayed the shooter when I was about 14 years old. We had kids crying out for help in the hallways as I was shooting blanks down the hallway of my high school."
"It was an insane experience to go through, but we knew what we were doing could potentially save lives if the unthinkable were to happen."
"Looking at this response by police who in theory had this training just a few months ago, I'm not so sure. It's one thing to play out a scenario and say all the right answers in the training and another thing entirely to put your life on the line to save children."
"The argument that the Blue Lives Matter folks have had the whole time in regards to defending the police is that the cops are heros who need resources to save us in the face of tragedy. When I see a video of nearly 20 cops standing outside a slaughter house detaining screaming parents armed with rifles, what exactly is it that we are paying for? This incident has me rethinking a lot of things in regards to how we as a country should be viewing and funding our law enforcement."
–nrain91
Mental Health As An Arguement
"The 40% part is what puts me over the top on this. If one side wants to argue it's all mental health and not a gun issue, then in this situation, half that budget should now be allocated to making mental health available and affordable for the county. Let's see them put their money where their mouth is."
– moriarty70
In addition to the condemnation of the police officers who failed to effectively take action, politicians–particularly Republicans–remain denounced for enabling mass shootings to continue in the U.S.
When will it ever be enough?
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Reddit user, Viapiane, wanted to know what common pitfalls you can avoid when they asked:
"What is a common death that could easily be avoided?"
Classes and preparation are important for a reason, to make sure you know what to do when a dangerous situation arises.
Last thing you want is to be out at sea and not know what to do if the boat capsizes.
Take a class.
And stay away from that raccoon.
Swim Classes As Soon As Possible
"Drowning. Practice water safety and teach your kids. It's so sad to hear of a child that drowned from falling in a pool when supervision and education could have prevented that."
Imrealbutter
Take A Class And Go To A Range Before Even Thinking About Buying One
"Gun accidents. There are rules around guns for reasons."
TheBitwolf
"Yup. I grew up in a SUPER hillbilly home. Dad was an avid gun collector. He never even had to lock them up because the rules were NON NEGOTIABLE. For as long as I can literally remember, we knew the rules. And you did NOT f-ck around. The consequences were very real and we knew it. That's just the way it was. Period."
JustGenericName
"No matter how they're phrased, it always comes down to the four universal rules of firearms. If someone is disobeying even ONE of these rules, they're not safe to be around when handling guns."
- "Treat every gun as if it is loaded. Always. It doesn't matter if you "know" you just saw them empty the chamber and remove the magazine. It doesn't matter if the slide/chamber is locked open. Always. Loaded. Trust but verify."
- "Never point the barrel of a gun at something or someone you are not willing to destroy/harm/kill. Is it ok to point a gun at someone if the gun isn't loaded? See Rule 1."
- "Keep your booger hook off the bang switch. The finger does not touch the trigger until such time as the target has been acquired and you are immediately ready to apply deadly force."
- "Know your target and what is behind it. This goes back to Rule 2. Bullets do not always stop on/in whatever you are actually firing the gun at. Overpenetration is a thing. Missing is a thing. You are responsible for whatever that round hits after it leaves your gun."
Seriously. Don't Go Near The Raccoon.
"Death from wild animals. Most people are going up to animals and provoking them. What are they expecting to happen?"
FoxKid720
"People are trained to think cute fluffy animal is adorable because wild domestic animals like cats and dogs are deceptively friendly, as they've learned being nice to the humans can mean pets and food handed to them. Wild animals not so much. They're also self trained to think that dogs growling and upset till they run away means the bear will do the same. No, it's just going to take your face off."
Sasparillafizz
You would think being in control of a 2,000 pound metal object would make people a little more careful.
And you would be surprised how often you are wrong.
Let The Gas Go
"The carbon monoxide deaths in Texas last year come to mind as especially tragic because a lot of people just didn’t know how to avoid them, like by not turning on the car in a closed garage"
jq12ton
"One cause of CO poisoning that's much less well known is starting a car when it's exhaust and up to their tires are buried in snow. The exhaust collects under the car, having no where to go thanks to the snow, then re-enters the car through the wheel wells and other areas, filling it with CO and killing anyone who's inside trying to stay warm."
"Happens to dozens of people every year when a sufficiently large snowstorm hits an area."
jackp0t789
Eyes Up. Don't Drink. Buckle Up.
"Vehicle accident fatalities. So many are due to DUI, texting, drowsiness, carelessness. If people just took driving more seriously and realized it was a privilege rather than a right and that their road rage/road policing/rushing can result in killing someone, maybe people would slow down and take more care."
"I live in a pretty bad area for driving. People can't stay in their lanes when the road curves, they merge over without checking blindspots, they merge over going 20mph less than the posted speed limit when you're right on top of them, etc etc. It is one of my biggest fears that my SO will die in some utterly stupid and fully preventable auto accident because some jackass was being a careless, and therefore enormously dangerous, driver."
ohmynymph
Whatever the cause of death may be, there could have been long term warning signs, things to look out for, before it happens.
Talk to someone to get your anger issues under control, go for a walk and for the sake of the world, get your COVID vaccine.
Don't Let Things Escalate
"In conflict that is looking to turn violent?"
"Walk away. Swallow the ego and walk away."
"There's a number of people who would still be alive if they followed this."
thatswhatshesaidxx
"I think this also applies to a lot of conflicts with strangers generally. It's really senseless to argue with a stranger and especially to let that escalate into a fight. I mean what is a good outcome there? You take a risk of getting at least punched, sued, injured or killed just to win and not see that person ever again if you're lucky?"
"That wouldn't even be worth a bruise for me. It's not 'manly' or strong to carry out those conflicts. Strong real men choose their conflicts wisely and don't resort to violence but solve their problems with words where necessary. You either talk things out with people you are close too or you walk away."
quackiemcduck
Taboo To Talk About, But Nonetheless Important
"Unfortunately, it's incredibly hard to stop once your drinking crosses that invisible line. Alcohol eventually changes your body chemistry, creating a dependance on it."
Complete_Business_31
Get It Checked When You Can
"Colon cancer. Super curable when caught early. Death sentence when caught late."
Scrappy_Larue
"A colonoscopy is terrible, but the relief when doc says, I found 3 precancerous polyps and removed them, it’s a giant relief."
CommercialExotic2038
2020. 2021. 2022?
"Covid. Get vaccinated."
sneeeki
"And now, also get boosted. Unless you have other major health issues, that pretty much guarantees you won't die from Covid."
AgoraiosBum
Starting Crap
"Starting crap in bars, you'd be surprised how quickly a bar fight can escalate to someone getting their head cracked open or paralyzed. All you have to do is just not take it personally move on with your business and don't engage in petty squabbles."
Urbanfalcon756
"Worked in the ER, one of the trauma cases of the week was a 25 year old who was in a drunk bar fight and got decked. He sustained a fall from standing and he died."
salty-MA-student
bad road planing...
"Car accidents. All can be easily avoided if some idiots juts follow the transit rules. The only reason we have many people dying in accidents is just because of us (people). I know there are excluded cases where the problem was the infrastructure or a bad road planing, but most of the times is a human error."
STJ41
Get a Vaccine
"I’m not sure if it’s common, but cervical cancer caused by HPV. There’s a vaccine for strains of HPV that cause cancer that’s done wonders at reducing it. And regular Pap smears are great at detecting it and any cell abnormalities. Prevention and early detection is key. Everyone should get their HPV vaccines."
whorgans
Fallen
Dog Oops GIF by AFV PetsGiphy"All those people falling just for sake of a selfie."
Arrowhead1600
"We went to the Grand Canyon a couple of months ago (our first visit), and there were so many people climbing over the guardrails and walking out to sit on the edge of the precipice to take photos. People die doing that every year."
BSB8728
"dive shallow"
"Drowning in lakes. Many times when people drown its because they dove into the water and once they got past the warm water on the top, they hit the much colder water under the thermocline and their muscles seized up. Teaching people to 'dive shallow' or go into the water slowly isn't a big change, but would save a lot of lives."
PinocchioWasFramed
Don't Start
"Diseases caused by smoking."
Ditlev1323
"My grandfather dropped dead of a heart attack 12 years after he quit smoking, and smoking was still listed as a contributory factor. I guess after 40 years of John Wayne levels of cigarettes consumption the damage was done. It's best never to start."
Johhnymaddog316
Buckle Up
"Children dying in vehicle accidents as a result of them not being in the proper safety seat, the seat not being properly installed, or them.not being properly buckled in or a combination of all of them. So easily avoided if parents and care givers just put the seat in correctly, made sure it was the correct seat for their child's size, and always make sure their child stays buckled."
Lemurtoes666
Body isn’t ready yet...
"I heard this from a death janitor. Heart attacks on the toilet first thing in the morning. If you wake up and need to poop, do a couple laps around your place first, maybe put the kettle on. Never go straight from bed to the toilet. He said it had something to do with going right from a sleeping state to sitting and bearing down. Body isn’t ready yet. He’s not a doctor but he sees the dead people so I believe it."
ivytiger99
Tragedy
"Fentanyl overdoses. They're the leading cause of death for people 18-45 years old in the US, more than all other drug overdoses combined. Tons of those deaths could have been easily avoided by testing drugs before doing them."
Bruhtonium_2
The world is a dangerous place, so make sure you're keeping an eye out for yourself and those around you.
That cute raccoon is coming for your face.
Reddit user Claim_to_lame asked:
People who work in gun shops, what are some red flags you've seen that made you deny a sale?
Legally buying a weapon in the United States is shamefully easy - but that doesn't mean there aren't times when a salesperson declines to sell a weapon to someone.
These are some of their stories.
The Consultation
As they were talking with me about various aspects of the purchase they would occasionally consult with the person that was with them. There was no person with them.
Skateboarders
GiphyWhen I was younger, I landed a seasonal position as a gun counter person at a local gun store. I never actually received a training or anything on when and why to deny a sale. We were told to only deny a sale if it was a obvious "Straw-Buy," or a the background check came back as a no-go.
One morning, about 15 minutes after we opened, 2 females enter the shop. They stood at the door for a moment and I greeted them and asked if they needed help. One of them responded that they were looking for a gun for home defense. I said sure we had plenty for that purpose.
I began to show her some handguns and some 20 gauge pump shotguns. We chatted for a minute, but the other woman had not said a word the entire time. The other woman had not even glanced at her the entire time.
I asked if she's ever owned or fired a gun before, and she said no. So I suggested maybe attending some courses we offered right there in the shop. She declined and wanted to pick up a gun that day. She eventually settled on a .22 semi automatic pistol. I tried to explain to her that the .22 LR is a poor choice for self defense. It's actually better for a small game use and not effective for assailants.
I elaborated that while deadly, as any firearm bullet is, it was less likely to be a stopping round unless she was able to land precise shots, perfectly, every time. She argued that the .22 was perfect for what she wanted it for. Whatever, I can't change her mind and it was a fairly pricey 22 pistol, so I was happy to take the commission. As I had her take a seat in our back room and complete a background check, I had begun to box up the weapon.
The quiet woman approached me.
Turned out the woman was her sister and was very against the woman purchasing a gun. She had actually tagged along to try and convince her otherwise. She very quietly told me to not sell the woman a gun because she really wanted the firearm to shoot at some local kids on her street that skateboard near her property.
So THAT'S why she choose the .22. She saw it as a benefit that it was less likely to kill, and I had essentially argued for more reasons for her to settle on the .22. So I made the call, and decided to veto the sale. Luckily for me, she actually checked YES on the line that asks if you have ever been declared mentally defunct. Go figure.
I told the woman that I can't sell her the gun because she filled it out that way and that her owning a firearm would be illegal. So she just left the store, without a further word. Super weird.
Test It On Some People
I can tell you one time when I almost got denied for purchasing a rifle.
It was a bolt action .308 made by savage. The rifle came with a scope, not great but just a little extra over their standard rifle in that package.
The store was over an hour away and so I invited my younger brother to keep me company during the ride. He was 17 or 18 at the time. As I was wrapping up the sale we had friendly banter back and forth with the salesman and I was talking about videos of several men pegging pop cans at 1000m with this gun.
My brother, for whatever stupid reasons I can only attribute to being young and dumb says "yea we need to test it on some people."
Dumbfounded, I just looked at him and I was just thinking, what the hell why would you say that? The salesman was understanding and very kindly replied "you need to be careful with that language I can refuse this sale to you."
I politely apologized and reprimanded my brother for saying something that ridiculous.
- -a---q-p
Problems
I had one guy who was a resident from another state come in and say that he wanted to buy a CZ P-07. I told him I legally can't sell pistols to out of state residents and he got pissed and stormed off. Maybe 20 minutes later he comes back with his brother (who was an in-state resident) and as soon as his brother walks up to the counter he points to the EXACT same gun and says "I want to buy that one!"
He didn't even ask to hold it or look at it first. That's a clear straw purchase. I told them to kick rocks, I'm not going to break the law for you.
I had another guy try to buy a shotgun and answered yes to having been convicted of a felony. I asked him if he was actually a felon (you'd be surprised how many guys accidentally check the wrong box). This fool looked at me and said "yeah, is that a problem?" Dude. Yes its a problem.
Bullet Proof
A friend of mine sold guns at a sporting goods store a while ago. He had to deny a guy a gun sale of an AR-15 because the customer was wearing a bullet proof vest. People don't just walk around with bullet proof vests unless they're looking for trouble.
Evidence
GiphyGun store I worked at had a varied and diverse clientele. Usually that meant that more law abiding citizens were looking to purchase firearms, but the usual wacko or two would come by. The one I remember clearest was the guy who came in and wanted to see only two types of firearms, a pistol grip shotgun and a large frame revolver.
As I was asking him what he wanted those specific types of firearms for, since they aren't really the greatest for home defense or personal protection, he tells me that he wants a revolver because it won't leave evidence at the scene of a shooting. I noped out of that one and told him we didn't have the type of equipment he was in search of. I passed along his name to the local police but nothing ever came of it.
Not Shooting The Wife
I used to work as management in Walmart and as such had to be licensed to do any job in the store, including firearm sales.
There had been many cases of background checks not clearing, which is normal. One that I made a judgment call to refuse, however, was the guy who kept joking that he most certainly was not under any circumstances going to use this .22 rifle to shoot his wife.
You'd get all sorts of rednecks who think they're hilarious while they're gearing up for the next hunting season, but by the third time he brought up not shooting his wife, I just shut down the entire process. Had to have him removed from the building after his breakdown turned verbally aggressive.
- JBP47
The Coming Race War
I almost got through the sale with one guy who wanted to buy a handgun. He was a little jittery and weird, but not quite enough to refuse a sale. But then he started talking about the possibility of the coming apocalypse, and the inevitable race war.
He mentioned how every race has committed genocide at some point. He didn't hate any particular race, but obviously we all have to stick together if it comes down to it. I explained that, despite our matching skin tones, he and I were not on the same page. Our store was not going to provide him with a firearm. He actually left without any argument.
A Manager's Approval
So this man comes in at 9:30, 30 minutes before closing. He has his two kids with him, and both of them look uncomfortable and won't make eye contact. The man is acting a little strange, too, and I feel pretty uneasy about it already, but I chalk all that up to maybe they're just a socially awkward family.
So, as we're doing the paperwork, the man is telling me about his life and what all is going on in it currently. Then he says he's divorcing his wife, and starts complaining about all the things he doesn't like about her.
His kids still haven't spoken a word or looked up, but they're so uncomfortable at this point that they're constantly shifting their arms and legs. I pretend to keep filling out the form while listening closely to what the man is saying. He mumbles under his breath, alllllmost where I couldn't hear him,"sometimes I could just kill her."
I was an 18 year old girl, completely alone on that entire half of the store, and I was flipping out big time inside. I pretended not to hear him, and kept "filling out the form" while actually cancelling it. Then I said "ok I'm at the point where I need a manager's approval for the form to go through. One second and let me get him and get the gun out of the back room."
So I go to the managers' office, and I tell my manager, "There's a man wanting to buy a gun, and I think he's going to kill his wife with it."
He says, "Ok, let me handle it and you stay in here until I come back."
By the time he comes back, it's already half an hour past when my shift ended. He said he had to get the police to escort the man out of the store. I believe that he was arrested but I can't entirely remember since it was a good many years ago.
That memory still scares me, because what if I hadn't have heard him? I was the only thing standing between him buying a gun that night to shoot his wife. I still wonder about what ever happened to them.
Blowback
I used to sell firearms when I was in college. Only a few years ago though. 2016-2018.
There were a few times where I denied people that weren't already denied by the background check. Probably the most absurd was a guy that asked me: "What gun will have the most blowback if somebody comes in my house? I want to see him fly in another room like the movies."
That was an auto-deny from me and contacted my manager. Not sure what happened after that. Usually we would call all the other gun stores in the area (within an hr half drive) and share information.
The ATF Call
A few years back I had a guy come in looking for a semi automatic pistol, he knew exactly what he wanted and after holding it he confirmed that was the one he wanted to purchase. I handed him some paperwork to fill out and instead of taking the pen, he snapped his fingers and this lady came from one of the aisles to fill out the paperwork. This was obviously fishy, so before I denied the sale I asked for his ID to make a photocopy.
I then proceeded to tell him that I couldn't continue with the transaction because it was obvious he was trying to do a straw purchase and he told me that he could do whatever he wanted and that I HAD to sell him the gun.
A little more back and forth continued and I eventually told him if he doesn't leave I was calling the police.
He left and I sent his info to a local ATF agent. Not 20 minutes later I got a call asking for all the info I had on him, when he arrived, when he left and what direction he went.
Turns out the guy was wanted for being a suspect for several murders and they couldn't track him down, hence why he wanted someone else to buy the gun.
30 George Zimmermans
My brother owns a small gun shop. He gets a disturbing amount of people who think that buying a gun grants them some police powers. As in: "OK, I'm going to buy this gun and then head downtown so I can chase off those homeless guys by the Starbucks."
As my brother put it: "I never met George Zimmerman but I've had at least 30 of them come through my store."
Negative Yelp Review
GiphyThe buyer brought in his 10 year old son with him during our Glock sale day. He was being very discreet around his son, like he didn't want the boy to know he was buying a gun. He asked me to see "a Glock." I released the mag and cleared the G17, and handed him the gun.
He holds its with both hands viewing the side, while pointing in his sons direction, and click - at his son.
I stared dumbfounded for a minute and then said: "You just pulled the trigger and your son is standing right there."
He said "Yeah but the gun wasn't loaded."
I countered by taking the gun back and refusing to sell him a gun unless he took a crash course with our shop instructor. He agreed as long as it would be quick enough where his son wouldn't notice.
We asked him to leave and gained a negative yelp review out of it too.
Sleazeball Boss
I've wanted to deny sales back years ago when I worked at one, but my boss was a sleazeball and wouldn't let me.
Biggest time I wanted to deny? Guy came in, wanted like 12 Phoenix Arms pot-metal $75 little .25 ACP pistols. It was obvious he was going to resell. He also bought a TEC-9 and a KG-99.
I took my boss aside and was like "You're not really going to allow this are you? It's pretty obvious he's going to resell or something. Something definitely illegal is going to happen."
His response: "Pshh you don't know that. There's nothing illegal about buying that many guns."
I knew that but it's still suspect as hell especially with those cheap little pocket pistols. I guess the redeeming thing is even since he passed his background check, he bought more than one pistol in X amount of time (right then and there) so a special form is filled out to be sent to the ATF to check him out as a way to help stop illegal underworld dealers, etc. So I don't doubt an ATF field agent showed up at his place and asked a ton of questions.
Saving His Son
I had come in to my local gun shop/range early to be the first customer because the store gets absolutely slammed on the weekend. A nervous looking older gentleman is also outside waiting. I can tell something is off about him. I enter and start talking to the salesman, and the other guy is hovering. My curiosity is peaked. The salesman starts talking to him and I can only make out certain parts. "Yes we know,.... its been passed down to everyone.... you don't need to worry sir... he will not purchase one from here...."
And then I figured it out. This poor father was trying to keep his suicidal son from buying a firearm.
He looked like he was ready to break down in tears. The salesmen all understood the issue and were very kind. As a father I just wanted to hug, or pat on the shoulder, and tell him he was doing the right thing. He left the store to go to another firearms store. His eyes were watery. This man loved his son, and was about to go to every place around and ask them not to sell to his son. It hit my black heart in the little feels it has.
Mom Vs. The Salesman
Not an employee, but a customer.
I had decided to join the trap team at my high school along with my friends. I was only 15 or 16 at the time, so my mother came along to actually buy the shotgun for me.
We go in, look around, consult the employee, and decide on a Benelli supernova (fantastic all purpose gun if anyone is looking). My mom fills out the 2a, passes the background check, and is about to pay when the employee (who's been helping us the entire time) says "Sorry I can't sell you this gun. Buying it for your son would be considered a straw purchase, which is illegal."
After we argue back and forth a little bit, the owner of this small mom and pop shop comes out and asks what the trouble is. The employee tells him the situation, at which point the owner informs in a scolding-type or manner that it's perfectly legal for a parent to purchase a gun for their children as long as they live in the same house.
The employee, slightly embarrassed, finishes up our purchase and we got the gun. I don't blame the employee, in fact I admire him trying to do the right thing, but I was a little frustrated with the confusion and delay. I still frequent that store and have had no further problems. Definitely one of my favorite gun shops as the employees are very knowledgeable and friendly, and have a big husky that's always a treat to pet!
This Sale Fail
Not a buy but an attempt to sell a gun.
I spent lots of time at gun shops and shows. Once at a gun show, a dealer who was a friend told us to watch the action toward the front.
A young man had come to his table looking to sell a gun. This was a pricey high end pistol and the guy was looking for just $200 out of it. For reference, it was worth more like $2000.
Dealer probes a little about how the young man had obtained this gun, but got lots of vague "I bought it last year" sorts of answers. Dealer says he cannot afford it. And as soon as the young man walks away, he flags over one of the police officers at the show. We watched as the police verified the gun was stolen and were arresting the young man.
- debbieae
"Just Wait"
My boss was finishing the background check and decided to let the customer and his friend test fire in the range while they wait. They pass the check, but as he goes into tell them, he overhears them saying things like, "Ya, he's gonna get what's coming to him. Just wait, he's dead the next time I see him."
Boss pretended the check didn't FAIL, but that the problem is on the checkers' end. They'll have to come back tomorrow.
As soon as they leave, boss called the cops and every other dealer in town to warn them. Cops picked the two guys up later that day.
- palauni1
"Shotty"
Almost. Didn't have to actually deny the sale though. Would have if I got the opportunity, but it didn't get that far.
Him: "I need a gun"
Me: "... what kind?"
Him: "Shotty"
Me: "They're on the rack over there"
**5 minutes later**
Him: *sets gun on counter, displays wad of cash. Hands me $400* "here"
Me, declining the money: "actually, we need you to do a background check first"
Him: "what's a background check?"
Me: "basically we check for any felonies or other things that would prevent you from owning a gun."
Him: *immediately leaves*
Home Defense
Some meth head came in asking "whats your most deadly revolver?"
I then said "is it for home defense?"
and he did the classic movie cliche "uhhh yeah... home defense."
Denied the sale right away.
Ranch House Or Town House
At a gun show in Texas. I wanted a new carry gun, so I was browsing the handguns when a couple next to me decide they want a nice Kimber 9mm. And why not? It's a great-looking gun. They start to fill out the paperwork, and get into a HUGE fight with each other about which address to use. Both are in Texas, so no out-of-state issues.
The lady behind the counter is trying to tell them to just pick one, it legitimately does not matter, but they get angrier and angrier about whether to "register" it to the ranch house or the town house. The lady tries to explain that there is no registry and it could not, ever, possibly matter, when the guy gets so frustrated he screams at the counter lady, "THIS IS TOO GODDAMN DIFFICULT JUST TO BUY A F*CKING GUN!"
She suspends the sale, tells the guy he's obviously of the wrong temperament to own a firearm, hopes he doesn't have others, and calls security.
The wife is now angry that they're NOT buying a gun, and I wanted to tell her that based on the scene I just saw, someone is saving her life or his and keeping the other out of prison.
Do Not Pass Go
GiphyI've overheard a co-worker working the firearms department be asked, "I need to see if it fits in this backpack first."
A school backpack.
Cue me standing behind him and waving at my co-worker silently with that "Do not pass Go, do not collect $200" wave you do with your hands kinda crossing, shaking my head, mouthing 'No no, HELL no'.
He didn't get sold anything, and the store owner alerted the ATF and FBI after we briefed him on what happened. No idea what happened to him, but CCW or not, he wasn't getting a gun from us.
