gun store background check 4473
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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Even if you’re a seasoned gun owner or you’re new to guns – we wanted to talk a little bit about strategies you can use to most effectively use your time and the time of your retailer during these strange times. As a firearm retailer, we’ve talked about this before but from what I’ve seen, it bears repeating.

We’ve talked about this a bit in the past. These stories are a little funny, but what can we learn from them? Here are some strategies to make your purchase as smooth as possible.

Let’s start with a brief primer.

This shouldn’t need to be said, but if you buy a firearm from a local retailer, they are still going to have follow every federal and state law. Their continued licensure depends on it.

That means comlpeting an ATF Form 4473 and complying with waiting periods if your state mandates them. That means meeting any state-level requirements.

If you live in a state where your concealed carry license exempts you from the background check, terrific! That will save you lots of time at the dealer. It’s less work for us, it’s less time spent out and about for you and everyone wins.

If you’re buying from  a retailer out of the area/out of state – it’s going to ship to a federal licensee of your choosing to do all the required paperwork under federal and state laws.

What we’re seeing here at Hank’s — and probably every other gun dealer in the country — is someone calling in from out of the area wanting something that’s hard to find. If I have it, I tell them I have it, I take their payment and ship it to a FFL near them.

Lots of first-timers are buying. We’re still getting calls from folks who do not know they can’t get a firearm shipped directly to their house and they don’t know of any dealer that’s open right now that’s doing transfers.

Strategy Number 1: Before you shop online or out of state, line up a local FFL first.

Lots of brick and mortar dealers are closed and lots of home-based FFL’s are, too. These are interesting times. They demand interesting solutions.

What’s happened here at Hank’s and many other gun dealers is someone calls in looking for something hard to find. That item is in stock and available. The prospective buyer then calls every FFL in a 50 mile radius near them on the Gunbroker FFL finder to find someone to handle the transfer.

By the time they locate someone and call back to pay, the item has already been sold to someone else who has their payment, their FFL info and everything squared away on the spot.

When someone calls a dealer looking for a gun, can’t find an FFL to do their paperwork and then finds out the product has been sold to someone else with everything all ready to go, it wastes everyone’s time and they’re not happy.

Even outside of extremely busy times like we’re in now, you can ensure a good transaction by getting everything in place up front and having your ducks in a row. You’ll also avoid the disappointment of having the gun you’d been looking for sold to someone else.

Strategy Number 2: Take care of the little things.

That means CURRENT ID, or supplemental ID that is not expired and ready to go. Have any state level safety certificates, etc. that need to be brought with you. Double check your documents before you walk out the door.

Another problem this industry is having is that the government shutdown has impacted everyone who’s recently moved to a new state and hasn’t had a chance to get their ID updated yet with their new address. What that means, unfortunately, is that an FFL can’t sell you a gun.

Most private party sellers who want to see an ID aren’t going to sell you a gun either. We’re seeing folks come in with expired drivers licenses and lapsed concealed carry licenses and we can’t do anything for them because the ATF will not let us.

If you don’t have current ID, download ATF Form 4473 and look at the supplemental forms of documentation to see if you can bring the retailer something that meets that requirement. If you can’t, they won’t sell you a gun. It’s that black and white.

If you forget something, it’s no big deal. But by the time you run home to get what you forgot, you’re going to need to get back in (frequently long) line to get served by one of the counter staff again. That doesn’t sound very fun, does it?

Worse, lots of retailers are only seeing customers by appointment now to minimize the number of people in their stores. If you don’t have the right documentation, you probably can’t just run home and get it. You’ll have to make another appointment and come back again (and hope they still have the gun you wanted).

Recently, one customer drove two hours to get a gun that we had in stock that we’d set aside just for him. He came in, plopped down his cash, and…forgot his photo ID. There is nothing I can do for someone who has forgotten their ID except tell them to go home and get it.

Strategy Number 3: Know what you want.

Dealers are not displaying guns like before. This is new to all of us. Dealers are setting up tents in their parking lot and bringing guns to people in their cars. Customers aren’t even setting foot in the store.

I’ve taken call after call from people asking for me to pull a bunch of guns out to show them or their spouses so they can get a feel for what’s they’re buying because they’re new to guns.

I’ve talked with some friends in the industry and no one I know is pulling out or displaying inventory. Everything sits on the wall or behind the glass until it’s sold and written up.

The reason is simple. Why am I going to put a bunch of guns into a bunch of hands and take the risk of spreading the virus? Why am I going to let someone inside the store if I don’t have to?

What this means in many cases: no touching guns. No feeling guns side by side. No comparison shopping.

You walk in, tell me what you want or point at what you want on the wall and we’re wrapping it up as fast as possible. Don’t like it? Sorry. We’re selling plenty of guns this way, I’ve got lots of people to wait on who know what they want and understand the new normal.

The reason we’re doing this is simple: it’s not worth the risk of spreading the virus to other customers or the retailer’s staff.

The less exposure, the better.

Any retailer who is not deploying these sorts of precautions isn’t taking this situation seriously and I would steer clear of them now for that reason alone. These are scary times and they’re demanding aggressive social and industry changes to adapt.

Strategy Number 4: Have a plan and be patient.

Background checks are backing up. Every dealer I talk to is having the same problem. Delays on common last names like Smith, Jones, Diaz, Martinez, Johnson, Williams, etc.

This could mean you’ll wait hours or even days to get your gun. If you have a common last name, be prepared to go back later to pick up your purchase.

Let the dealer do the work, give them your phone number and they’ll call you when your merchandise is ready to pick up. Start your 4473 and head out and do a run to Home Depot or brave the grocery store or Target to hunt for some Charmin and Lysol wipes. Ideally your merchandise will be ready to roll when you’re done.

Don’t be surprised when the dealer tells you that they’re running behind on background checks. Most of the nation is so don’t be surprised if you are delayed.

The earlier in the day you can get to the dealer, the faster this usually goes. Between 9 to 10AM is usually a good window to get some background checks done. Saturdays are consistently the busiest day of the week, so when you show up at 4PM on a Saturday afternoon and everything’s been running three hours behind and the store closes at 6PM…that means you’re not going home with your gun that day.

However, if you come in on Sunday, we are normally able to move stuff through very quickly. My average transaction time start to finish is 10 minutes on a Sunday versus 2+ hours on a Saturday. If you’ve got a dealer near you that’s open 7 days a week, take advantage of the lull by doing your transactions on a Sunday.

Strategy Number 5: Guns are half the solution. Ammo is the other half. 

Every day the phone rings with the same question: “When is your next delivery of bulk 9mm coming in?”

Answer: We have no idea.

Please don’t shoot the messenger. Every wholesaler we deal with is zeroed out on ammo. A lot of online ammunition dealers are running weeks behind on shipping orders.

If you’re going to be waiting a few days to get your gun, it might not be a bad idea to get an order in at an establishment that can ship on a timeline that works for you. Prices are not great right now, but it is what it is. And we’re not going to see demand abate anytime soon.

Right now, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for most of what we carry and highly limited supplies. If you keep these tips in mind, you could have a smoother buying experience and experience less frustration.

If you’ve got any other tips to add, please comment below and if your suggestion is good – we’ll edit it in.

Keep your mags loaded and your Lysol wipes handy.

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89 COMMENTS

    • At this point in time NO One. As far as I’m concerned all the ammo dealers have reverted to price gouging. 1000 round cases have more than doubled. Since the Chinese virus was unleashed upon society. Fortunately for me I’ll never have to buy another round of ammo. Being prepared has it’s merits. Now they are trying to peddle “High Quality” ammo at ridiculously high prices. When most people didn’t buy it before because it was to high priced. Keep Your Powder Dry.

      • There is no such thing as as price gouging. Price is determined by supply and demand. That way ammunition is most efficiently allocated. I love how freedom lovers stop loving freedom when it doesn’t go their way. You don’t have right to cheap ammo. Don’t like the price, don’t buy it.

        • Tell that to all the people arrested and facing jail time for selling or trying to sell medical equipment at “supply and demand” prices.

        • Indeed. I was rolling my eyes at the government giving some Sihk a hard time over selling masks for $1/ea when home made masks are like $14 on Etsy.

          Its all about control.

        • Darkman, the government arresting people for something doesn’t make the government right and the arrestee wrong. It just means the government has more men with guns to enforce their bullshit edicts, and bunch of brainwashed people out there who think government is the solution to problems and not the source of all problems.

        • “Supply and demand” is generally, in very many product lines, manipulated by middlemen of various sorts. A surprising number of investors who cashed up and hate bonds suddenly become toilet-paper distributors, or 9 mm cartridge distributors, or (in other times) oil distributors…provided the opportunity to “raise prices to meet demand” appears either very likely or certain. Let the rich wipe their ar#es…the poor or the slow walkers can make do with, well, the fingers of their left hand, eh? Per customer limits make sense. What really works is the memory of would-be-buyers. Cheaper-Than-Dirt comes to mind. Not so profitable in the long run to gauge unless you have stone-dumb clientele.

        • @ropingdown.

          I have learned one lesson from C19:.

          Righties are just lefties with different opinions.

          You aren’t any different than a Bernie Bro.

        • We’re not out here pursuing a hobby, self defense is a necessity.
          I don’t recall reading an affordability clause on the 2nd Amendment. Everyone has a right to bear arms, not only those with discretionary incomes. Your attitude is disgusting. I would be ashamed to say that in public.

          Not only that, we aren’t in a war situation and already the supply chain in the gun industry went the way of the toilet paper. Can you imagine what will happen when the “S” really does hit the fan? Our goose will be cooked, if it isn’t already.

      • 10lbs of powder, Bullseye, AA#2, Unique, H335, H110, 4895, etc., thousands of assorted bullets, thousands of primers, SP, LP, SR, LR, buckets of brass, 1 progressive and 4 manual presses, etc. , dies for .380, 38spl, 9mm, .45, 300BLK, .223, .308. 40+ years reloading. Went through a few hundred rounds at the range the other day.
        What shortage?

        • Sorry! Dad came from a big farm, mom from a small one. They both went through the Depression, WWII…. Dad was always terrified of running out of food, mom was always terrified of running out of money. I’m terrified of running out of ammo.
          Fear is a great motivator for prepping!

      • Ammo is harder to find, and somewhat more expensive but not necessarily double or anything. Just a couple days ago, I ordered some 7.62×39 online. I had ordered some of this same ammo about 2 months ago (before coronapocolypse) and the price went up about 30 percent.

        Sure $5 a box is more than $3.8 a box, but it isn’t horrible.

        I’ve also bought .270 win. ammo locally. The price has not increased at all over the last couple months.

      • “Price gouging” where allowed by law keeps the hoarders at bay, ensuring an adequate supply for those truly in need, and willing to pay a little extra until things get back to normal.

        • This.

          I didn’t participate in the great guns and ammo panic of ’20 because I always have what I need — 1500-2000 rounds per caliber of defensive ammunition. That includes ball since if things suck bad enough for me to exhaust my JHP supply ball will be good enough. You are not going to need more than that unless you are Rambo. Unlike Call of Duty you only get one life.

        • No, you didn’t participate in the great ammo hoarding of 2020 because you’re a GENIUS, AN ABSOLUTE GENIUS, who saw what every…nobody saw coming. An absolute mastermind of prognostication. Gather around everyone and clap for him! His genius is unparalleled! (Do you by chance live in Boulder, Colorado?)

        • Well Sunshine, I didn’t have to because I learned my lesson after Sandy Hook and kept my inventory at reasonable levels. Now STFU subhuman.

      • How do you “never need to buy another round of ammo again”?
        Did you sell all your firearms?….I mean, I know you did 😉 but how would one go about not having to buy any ammo?….reloading doesn’t count cause you still have to keep supplies on hand….

      • LOL…plenty of affordable(!) ammo & guns at Blythes,Griffith,IN. Pretty much all common calibers too. Do they ship? Beats me…I prepared before the Kungflu. IF you didn’t you truly are a covidiot😏

    • The gun stores in my area, central Texas, are well stocked. I see no price gouging or raised prices. Cabelas in Buda is very well stocked, (except for powders, which always seem to be feast or famine) and has still kept on with their seasonal sales.

      Now the real question: who has a Ruger Single Seven blued with a 4.62″ barrel available? JDub has needs.

    • Geoff,
      Go to ammoseek.com
      Prices have gone up, and availability is down, but I’m seeing .223 and 7.62×39 for around 25 cents a round. That is higher than I’d like, but it isn’t insane.

      I ordered from Lucky Gunner on Sunday night, and the ammo shipped yesterday.

      • Also, that 25 cents a round is for crappy tula, wolf type ammo. Works fine for AK and SKS, whether you want to use it in your AR is another question.

    • If you want up to date deals go to gundeals on reddit. Academy is still selling a lot of ammo at reasonable prices (as long as you live in a state they ship to). Target Sports USA was doing so as well but their shipping times are long.

    • The real question to me is why you need ammo now anyway? I know that sounds harsh but bear with me here.

      Gun ranges are closed in many places and IMHO with the current situation you should be in a conservation mode anyway, assuming that what you have is what you got for the foreseeable future. Didn’t build in a “shooting budget”? Well then you don’t have one. Simple as that, crappy but true. You were living box of ammo to box of ammo? Shitty, but that’s the way it is.

      On top of that this is like taking an exam. You don’t cram the night before by studying the stuff you don’t know. You know what you know, brush up on the stuff you have questions on and forget the stuff you never learned because you’re not going to learn it now. Shooting is no different. If you were so bad you feel you couldn’t handle a DGU without going through a box of ammo a week then you were screwing up from the jump. There’s no point in blowing through ammo you might not be able to replace, and arguably might need before this is over, at this point. You got what you got and it’s not goi g to change now.

      Practice your draw, reorganize/reorient your kit, service firearms as necessary, dry fire etc. You probably won’t need to use your gun but if you do it would be nice to have something to feed it along extra helpings if necessary.

      And you can always look forward to the day you can go rip through the ammo you have now once a sense of normalcy returns.

      “No one is coming. It’s up to us” means no cavalry ridingbover the hill and also means no resupply. Adapt and overcome. Adjust to reality or reality will do the adjusting for you and you really, really won’t like that.

      • Gun ranges didn’t close in Tx and many other states. In Tx, they are specifically constitutionally protected in a time of emergency. We did that after Harvey. Some counties tried to close gun ranges and the Attorney General smacked that down in less than 48 hours.

        And also, many of us just shoot at home.

        • I don’t have a problem with people shooting provided that the situation allows for it.

          But if you’re complaining about an ammo shortage in your area what you’re really doing is bitching that your hobby is being affected.

          Got a shooting budget and/or access to ammo and a place to use it? Have at it. You don’t? Then you shouldn’t be hobby shooting anyway.

          If you’re worried about “gouging” right now then you don’t have the situation to be hobby shooting. Plain as that. And if you’re saying “OMG without training for six weeks I’m gonna die!” then you might be a touch paranoid and you were probably going to die anyway.

          Yeah, shooting well is a perishable skill but it’s not THAT perishable. If granny can blast the BG with gun she hasn’t looked at in a decade you’ll be fine or you were fucked from the jump and you ain’t gonna fix it now.

        • strych, I think the problem is one mainly for recent purchasers who didn’t previously own a firearm. They need to practice. From another point of view they’re getting their just desserts.

        • Generally speaking, most outdoor ranges are in the county Far from the whims of badge toting politicians.

        • “And also, many of us just shoot at home.”

          I have it almost as good as that, an open invite on someone’s private property that wishes I’d shoot there more than I already do now.

          My ammo problem has just been solved – Plastic bent. Found some at local store that has free shipping to that store for US-made at 12 bucks a box, actually fairly reasonably-priced since I won’t be on the hook for shipping…

      • “The real question to me is why you need ammo now anyway?”

        Not hash at all. Just an issue of my non-optimal preparation, and that’s 10,000+ percent on me, and me alone. I get to live with it.

        On-hand I have about a 6-month supply at the rate I usually shoot at. That’s now curtailed until I see the supply chain getting back to normal.

        I’m not destitute (thanks mostly to getting last year’s accident aftermath settled), I’d just like an extra thou on hand (like everyone else would like to be).

        What’s that old saying about a bitching Marine being a happy Marine? It’s kinda like that. I could be in a whole lot worse shape then I am…

    • Bass Pro is selling Herter’s 9mm (brass boxer case and copper FMJ) for $8.99 a box with promised shipping by May 15. Other calibers are available for more.

    • Useful information:

      1. Try gunbot.net for ammunition.

      2. And quite yer belly achin’ and shut yer yap. This is for beginners, not you.

    • I have my eyes on a couple of wants and am hoping the window of sanity between coronapocalypse and election hysteria remains open long enough for me to get something without too much hassle or jacked prices.

      • I suspect when the newer owners decide it’s safe many of them will dump their weapons.
        They probibly are the same folks who buy a pickup when fuel is cheap then panic and flood the car lots when fuel goes up in price.
        So I’m in watch and wait mode I have a few guns I’d like to pick up and if the price is right may luck into one or two of them.

        • “I suspect when the newer owners decide it’s safe many of them will dump their weapons.

          I kinda doubt that, and here’s why –

          Were there a lot of guns hitting the used market after the Y2K panic? After the Obama scare after Sandy Hook murders?

          Or did folks just stash them away at home afterwards and half-forget about them?

      • I am afraid that the DNC’s “opener” false flag operation is going to be successful. Too many States are jumping on the bandwagon instead of waiting a couple of weeks to see how Georgia and Texas do. When cases spike nationwide Trump will get the blame. Say hello to President whoever Biden picks as VP.

        • Sweden never shut down and their numbers are similar to NY and NJ. I guess that herd immunity over there is working. We are just postponing the numbers it, not preventing it.

        • Herd immunity requires permanent immunity. No Flu, Cold or URI virus conveys anything other than short term immunity. C19 is in the cold virus family. The only way you get to herd immunity is by vaccination.

        • Herd immunity requires C19 to be a one and done thing. No cold or flu virus is one and done. You only get to herd immunity through a vaccine.

          Sweden has the population density of Arkansas. They are doing poorly compared to the rest of Scandinavia and US States with similar population density.

        • “Sweden never shut down and their numbers are similar to NY and NJ. I guess that herd immunity over there is working. We are just postponing the numbers it, not preventing it…”

          NY numbers are very bad. Part of this is poor governance, part of it is the urban density of NYC skewing the numbers. It’s not representative of the US. Compared to the US as a whole, Sweeden is doing worse, mortality-wise. Compared to their neighboring countries, they’re doing quite a bit worse. But still not as bad as might be expected. Yet if we consider where they are on the curve, things might get much worse in about a week and a half.

          Yet with the exception of the elderly- who are dying in high numbers- it seems that they are having better health results even for those infected. This has nothing to do with lockdown or no lockdown… but it’s definitely interesting.

          In any case, the infectiveness of this virus is way above what was claimed in the beginning. Forget R0 of 2, it’s something like 3-5. We’re talking measles levels. The bad news is that herd immunity has to be way higher to work. That means even with lockdowns pretty much everyone is going to get it eventually unless we have the fastest vaccine in history.

        • A Measles level R0 is 20. This isn’t nearly that level. Measles, while having a high mortality rate for a common childhood illness before the vaccine, is less lethal (using current numbers, which are probably wrong).

  1. “Delays on common last names like Smith, Jones, Diaz, Martinez, Johnson, Williams, etc.”

    How are common names causing a problem when they have different social security numbers? Are they using paper records or something?

    • The use of your SSN or EIN is optional on the 4473. If you have a common name that gets you sent to Limbo in the system it might behoove you to use one of these identifiers when filling out your 4473’s. Most people I know choose not to include that information…it’s their call.

      Fortunately, Montana allows your valid CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) to serve for the NICS Insta [sic] Check. Drivers license and CWP = you’re out the door in under 20 minutes.

      • The last time I bought a gun (Nov. 19), I didn’t put in my ssn (and I have a common last name). It got held up for a couple days. Had I known that would happen, I would have included my ssn. They ATF surely has it from many of my previous purchases.

        • Same thing happened to a friend with a criminal son. He’s senior and junior has a record. They denied it and told him they needed a SSN to prove he wasn’t his kid.

          Mind you the address and ID should do that but on the phone that’s what they needed.

        • Art, Im more worried about Identity theft by a disgruntled gun store employee. Now that the pot heads got their way in Michigan the ATF banned our CPLs as a skip of NICs. I’ll probably just buy used from now on.

    • I just buy so regularly, they keep me at the top of my states NICS list I guess, aka frequent buyer club.The Fusion Center probably has my frequent buyer pass notice posted so as to not cause any delays with multiple purchases. Usually the response comes back so fast the dealer comments and says they cant believe it, they waited a-half an hour on one transaction today. i just smile and say, “yeah, I know, membership has privileges.”

  2. I’ve been trying to buy a gun online for the second day now. (Third if you count my initial inquiry email over the weekend.) I really want it. Bad.
    No one answers the phone, they won’t return repeated emails.

    I’m starting to get a bit frustrated…

    • And we all know that you have hardly any guns, and desperately need this one😁is

      Like you, I always want more guns
      Also, like you, I can probably get by ok with the large number I already have

      • Haha. Yup. You and I and quite a few others will get by just fine. And it’s not like I don’t already have a couple of .44 mags.
        But this one is special. I’ve been looking for her for a very long time.

    • I usually use gun(dot)deals to search for best prices and who has something in inventory. You can search by item name, but UPC # works best. Usually you can first search by name and then just click the UPC # in the results to get a better search. If you are having trouble with this Grabagun is a good place to get the UPC # of a gun or you can try using the manufacturers part #.

  3. There are exceptions to this, but most people who are only now buying their first firearm are probably not on our side. Think about that.

  4. #6: Have your chit together last year. Oh GS650G WHO puts their SS# online to get a gat? Admittedly I have a quite uncommon name but my local eye center my WIFE’S SS# as a trusted contact!?! WTF indeed…

    • i don’t know how you complete 4473s but i don’t do mine on line.

      Pretty sure the FFL is on the phone with them and giving them that info verbally.

      Have a nice day.

      • Many FFLs do process theirs online. Many FFLs process theirs verbally over the phone. Either way in my humble opinion both are the wrong way. My FFL doesn’t do either. In fact they don’t send any of my information through the NICS process as they just look at my CCL and compare it to the 4473 I just filled out. I never, and I do mean never, put my SSN on any 4473. I typically am in and out of my FFL within 5 minutes and short $20 in cash. Gotta love Kansas laws! I have no need for a CCL in Kansas anymore (due to constitutional carry) but I do travel out of state and the decrease in time it takes to complete the 4473 process is well worth keeping it.

  5. True freedom. Filling out paperwork and getting government permission with a background check.

    I’m being sarcastic in case it’s not obvious.

    • It is obvious. And you are right. How sad to see people gloat about their oh-so-free state, where they flash their special “note from mom” to proove their innocence and deserving of their constitutionally protected human rights.
      How deep have we fallen! (Shakes head…)

  6. Not saying everyone out there is panic buying firearms and ammunition, but if you are, you waited too late. I haven’t even been in a grocery store since March 16th. Needed corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day. Scott’s Irish you understand.

  7. The only “COVIDIOTS” are the pathetic, panicky, statist-losers leveraging this B.S. for more political power.
    Everyone else is a fine American.

  8. There’s nothing I am presently seeking in gun or ammo. Well equipped, well supplied, have been for decades. Have noticed some FFL’s I’ve used to receive GunBroker.com buys are no longer listed on the FFL Finder page. But were I to got that route, there are plenty of others.

    I am considering something for a young lady relative turning 21 in a couple of months. She expressed an interest in owning her first handgun (she’s fired all of mine, all my long guns too, gave her a Ruger 10/22 a few Christmas’s ago). I may offer my Cabela’s Club Card Points plus some classes at a local indoor range. Looking into it …

    That is all.

  9. My state lifted their tyrannical orders midnight sunday, still haven’t left home. My reloading setup isn’t as extensive as listed above, and my experience not as long, but I have been gaining ammo from home for several months now, paid off a year-old gun layaway, and built one more. Helps to have an ffl I can call and start a layaway with $0 down, all while getting details of what he has in the back, not available to the general public. So step 6: befriend your ffl years in advance of a pendemic.

  10. Ammo price is one thing, availability is another. There are certain brands & types that I prefer (or my guns prefer) that local shops don’t carry. I stocked up before California’s stupid ban on direct internet purchasing, and I decline to give credence to the obvious 2A infringement. I took advantage of the two Freedom Days our hero Judge Benitez gave us last week to get a few things I needed. It was unfortunate that the ruling happened when COVID Mania was in progress. The bottom line is that we all need to plan ahead as much as possible, and be patient when the panic buying happens. The Leftards don’t understand that they are the best firearm and ammo salespeople. Ha! 🇺🇸

  11. E-mail from Brownell’s two minutes ago that they have 9 mm ball in stock – limited quantities.

    Let the frenzy begin…

  12. “Recently, one customer drove two hours to get a gun that we had in stock that we’d set aside just for him. He came in, plopped down his cash, and…forgot his photo ID. There is nothing I can do for someone who has forgotten their ID except tell them to go home and get it.”

    In MA, a buyer needs his license and a PIN, which is assigned to him by the state. I always ask about the PIN before I start a sales transaction. One would-be customer of mine didn’t have his PIN, so I had to send him home. He returned the next day with his PIN, but when I entered it, it bounced. It was an expired PIN (the state issues a new one every time a license is renewed). So I had to send him home again. When he returned later in the day with his current PIN, the state website was down. So back home he went yet again.

    Throughout the effed-up process, the customer was chill. Gun guys are like that. When we finally got everything straightened out, I gave him 15% off just for being so calm and understanding.

    It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.

    • “Throughout the effed-up process, the customer was chill. Gun guys are like that.”

      Contrast that to the first-time gun buyers in California that lost their shit when the gun stores told the newbies they couldn’t just walk out the door with their new gun…

  13. WooHoo!
    I got it. Finally got a live person. He was able to confirm my questions to my satisfaction.

    I’m now the happy owner of a 1980 S&W 629-1 Five inch barrel .44 mag. It was a dealer exclusive back in the day.
    I can return it if I’m not satisfied, but it would have to be in piss poor shape for me to return it.

  14. I’m in Washington. Our weasel Gov. Inslee closed the gun stores. If you didn’t have a heater already, you’re a burnt hooker because you’re NOT getting one.

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