Was I out of line?

[markeb]

I was in a local gun shop today looking at a used gun I was interested in. Someone came in with a gun that he wanted to sell to the owner. It happened to be the same model I was looking at but different barrel length. I made a comment to the seller that I wished I had met you before you came in because I was looking for that model. After looking at the gun, I would not have paid what the owner offered. It was not a serious comment to the seller. I called the shop later in the day and asked if he would lower the price a bit on the gun I was interested in. He started out by telling me this is a legal gun store and we buy and sell by the law, not parking lot deals. I was not trying to buy the gun from the walk-in seller. The owner also made a comment that a person could be barred form the store for these type of actions. Maybe I took it wrong by his comments. Right or wrong?

 

[Xfuzz]

You handled it WRONG...on many counts.

 

[PattonTime]

Out of line?

By the book I believe you were. I have done the same thing in the past and have had it brought to my attention.
The store owner could lose his license if he permitted a private transaction in his store.
He also needs to make a living too, and does not want you to offer ten dollars more and snag the gun. It is hard to watch sometimes but I have learned to keep my mouth shut.
I once saw a young man come in with a nice 20 gauge o/u, he asked what they would offer for it, they said $400.00 which he accepted , they sold it a few minutes later for $1000.00.
But , they have a store, they have credit cards and they have a FFL !

 

[Buford57]

I was in a local gun shop today looking at a used gun I was interested in. Someone came in with a gun that he wanted to sell to the owner. It happened to be the same model I was looking at but different barrel length. I made a comment to the seller that I wished I had met you before you came in because I was looking for that model. After looking at the gun, I would not have paid what the owner offered. It was not a serious comment to the seller. I called the shop later in the day and asked if he would lower the price a bit on the gun I was interested in. He started out by telling me this is a legal gun store and we buy and sell by the law, not parking lot deals. I was not trying to buy the gun from the walk-in seller. The owner also made a comment that a person could be barred form the store for these type of actions. Maybe I took it wrong by his comments. Right or wrong?

First off, your comments seem innocent enough to me. Secondly, in a climate where the Mayor of New York sends "operatives" to other states to run "stings" to prove his political points and ATF allows gunrunners to arm cop-killers for the same purpose I'm not surprised that the owner is a little more vocal than necessary in asserting that he is on the up-and-up. If he doesn't know you very well he may smell a set-up and wants to be sure that his disavowal is one the record, or the recording as the case may be.

 

[steamloco76]

Most gun shops are pretty touchy about private offers in their stores.
Twenty years ago I was getting a double barrel Fox B series out of my trunk in a gun stores lot. A customer who had exited the store saw it and asked me what I wanted for it. He agreed to the price. Eagle-eyed store owner saw what was going on and charged me an extra $20 to pick up a new gun I had pre-paid for and ordered. Told me that will "teach me to pull a fast one on him". Haven't talked private sale business near a gunshop since.

It is tough to hold your tongue on certain occasions. A month ago I saw a dealer buy a Colt Python for $600 and sell it to the next customer in the door for $1100. Fastest $500 profit I've seen.

 

[stantheman86]

It sounds like an innocent comment that got taken out of context..........the gun shop owner has probably been burned before or you caught him on a bad day.......

I've never been in this situation, but if it's legal to do a FTF in your state, I would let the transaction play out while I looked around the store, if the guy selling didn't take the gunshop owners offer, I would ask the seller of the gun to meet me at a location off the property of the gun shop to maybe work something out.

 

[RobertJ.]

I was in my LGS one day when a guy came in looking to sell a Universal M-1 Carbine. The owner, who I've known for many years, told him he could only give him $125. Then he looked at me and asked "Do you want to make him an offer?"

So really, it all depends on the store, and your relationship with the dealer.

 

[David LaPell]

I can tell you that I have seen the same thing go on in a gun shop and have watched the owner run the guy out the door. Dealers are under a microscope right now. You have the dealings going on in Texas and along the border, the Giffords shooting, and right now the BATF is making rounds, at least where I live. I can tell you even at the local gun shows if they catch you on the floor trying to do a private sale they toss you out. One, dealers need to make money, period. Two, they don't want to lose their FFL and if you happen to be either an undercover plant (straw purchasers don't have to work for them) or work for an LE agency looking for a purchase like that then is what will happen. You have to look at it from their point of view. I would just say take it as a lesson learned.

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

I think I am missing something here. What law (federal or state) would I be breaking if I (a customer) offered to buy a handgun and the owner ( a customer also) accepted my offer and we were in a gun store? It might not be ethical to bypass the owner and shorting him his profit, and might violate all gun store etquite (SP), but I do not believe it is aginst the law. If so, I would like to know which one(s).

 

[stantheman86]

It comes down to the fact that the gun shop owner or employee has the right to enforce any rules he wants in his store. If he doesn't want you doing FTF's in his store, and asks you to leave, then that's the way it is. He has no control over what you do off of his property.

If the owner is cool with it, then you're good to go. Every state has it's own laws regarding FTF's.

Any business owner has the right to refuse service to anyone. If you refuse to leave, he can call the police because now you're a trespasser.

 

[sunday bill]

There have been individuals walking around or standing around the perimeter of the room with guns for sale or trade at EVERY gun show I've attended in KY, including the National Gun Day shows.

 

[labworm]

I think usually when one of us knows we did something wrong, we ask others, hoping they will make us feel as though we haven't.

Should of waited and talked to the owner of the shop about purchasing the firearm, believe me, he is never going to forget your face.

Live and learn as we all have.

 

[XTrooper]

There have been individuals walking around or standing around the perimeter of the room with guns for sale or trade at EVERY gun show I've attended in KY, including the National Gun Day shows.

This is regarding a gun SHOP, not a gun show. Totally different situation.

I owned a gun shop for six years early in my retirement and I would have never tolerated private sales on my licensed premises. It's a bad idea for a number of reasons.

 

[cal50]

I would stay clear of the "deal" until the owner passes on it then approach the seller preferable outside the store. Same goes for gun shows. If two people are negotiating I stay clear until they go separate ways then make an offer if interested.

I was at a show and had a lever gun in my hand and was trying to agree on a price. We were close so I set it down and walked around a bit. In the few moments I walked away another person had already come by and had the same rifle in their hands. I had decided I would take it for the price he wanted. I waited for the guy to either put the rifle down or buy it. He sat it in the rack and said "I will pass". I told the seller "I will take it". Man did I ever get a dirty look.....

I never get in the middle of people working a deal.

 

[stantheman86]

Would the owner of a restaurant ask you to leave if you just sat at a table and pulled out a bag lunch and didn't order anything?

If I were a gun shop owner, and people were doing FTF sales and I made 0 profit off of it, would be pretty peeved.

 

[markeb]

I think it was just a misunderstanding. I would not have offerd a price to the seller while the owner was dealing with him in his store. It was just in conversation, that I made the comment to the seller. I have been in that store several times. I understand where he is coming from. I will be back again and most likely buy something. Most of my guns are purchased at local stores. I was just venting last night. It's all good.

 

[blujax01]

Make certain the shop owner knows this. Apologize for the misunderstanding and I'm sure it'll be okay, Guys don't hold grudges. It's too much like work!

 

[kbm6893]

I can see the owner's side, BUT when it comes to buying used guns from people, gun shops should have a big jar of vaseline on the counter to make it easier on the customer. I know they have to make a profit, but buying a shotgun for $400, then selling it for $1000 is a scumbag move. What do they do to make the gun ready for sale? Make a log entry, put a tag on it, and put it in the case. I once bought a brand new Glock 26 for $525 and only owned it two weeks before bringing it back to the shop for a sale. I had put brand new Trijicon's on it, and the gun had exactly 100 rounds through it. He offered me $100. I asked him why it was so low, and he said 'I have to make a profit". He would have given me my $100, slapped a $500 tag on it, and made $400 in about 30 seconds. I have walked out after a guy got low-balled on a sale and offered him cash on the spot, though I wouldn't do it in the man's shop.

 

[blujax01]

kbm I must disagree. If I were to sell anything, I'd know how much I wanted for it, how much I needed for it, and always have the option to refuse any offer. It's called a willing seller and a willing buyer. It's not the shop owner's fault the seller was satisfied with taking less than what the item was worth.
It's not like they held a gun to his ... uh, never mind. Bad example.

 

[sbcman]

This is regarding a gun SHOP, not a gun show. Totally different situation.

I owned a gun shop for six years early in my retirement and I would have never tolerated private sales on my licensed premises. It's a bad idea for a number of reasons.

Totally agreed. I feel that when I PAY to go to a gunshow I have bought the right to sell to or buy from ANYONE I wish. If the dealers pay all the cost to set-up and the public got in free, that's a different story. But in a gunstore, no.

I personally don't see a big deal from your actions and I'm sure it could be smoothed over with the owner. Nevertheless, in that case, I would have just waited for the seller and dealer to negotiate. If they came to a deal, I would talk to the owner about the price as you did. If they couldn't agree, I would discreetly ask the dealer if I could speak to the seller. If he didn't allow it in his store, I would stalk down the seller in his car after leaving (joke, joke