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Turners has finally formalized their interpretation of the gun lock issue, albeit hidden away in the buyers FAQ.
Last Tuesday I bought a consignment handgun at Turners and saw they automatically added the gunlock to my fees. When I said I would sign the safe affidavit to comply with CA DOJ and bring in my own lock to comply with the Fed regulations, the sales kid said I could not do that since he was required to sell me the lock. I tried to argue my case, but the kid said the lock requirement had nothing to do with Federal laws and that he'd seen a memo from DOJ saying that the safe affidavit was no longer valid. He again said he was required to sell the lock and nothing would dissuade him, nor did there appear to be anyone higher up the food chain as this was right at store opening at 10AM. Couldn't argue with idiocy, so I paid the extortion fee and went on my merry way.
Later that same day, I went into another Turners in OC to look for any new consignments and the employees seemed to be more PO'ed than usual. When I asked my one contact there why they were all moaning, he said it was due to a new memo from corporate that they were required to read and sign regarding the lock sales. He let me catch of glimpse of it before another employee walked up and yanked it off the counter, but it was addressed from Bill Ortiz and it essentially looked to be a new corporate policy statement enforcing lock sales for all handgun purchases.
I took a look at Turners website later that night to see if they would publicize this policy but could find nothing. They did reference the locks and affidavit in their buyers FAQ, which I copied down as I intended to email Bill Ortiz asking for a public clarification.
Last week, their FAQ said:
"6. Why do I have to buy a gunlock or trigger lock with the purchase of my gun?
(a). California law requires that all firearms sold, be transferred with a trigger lock, cable lock, qualifying gun cabinet or lock box, or gun safe. Persons who already own a safe or lock box can sign an affidavit attesting to ownership of those devices."
Tonight I intended to email Bill about the issue, so I looked back at the Turners website to see if they had made any statements. There was nothing immediately obvious until I went back into the FAQ and found that they had indeed made some revisions.
Tonight, their FAQ says:
"6. Why do I have to buy a gunlock or trigger lock with the purchase of my gun?
(a). California law requires that all firearms sold, be transferred with a trigger lock, cable lock, qualifying gun cabinet or lock box, or gun safe. These devices may include those approved trigger locks that come with the majority of new firearms or one that was purchased within the last 30 days, provided that it is accompanied by a receipt.
State law dictates that persons who already own a safe or lock box can sign an affidavit attesting to ownership of those devices. However Federal law now requires that a trigger lock accompany any handgun transfer without consideration of CA law. Effectively this means that safe affidavits are no longer acceptable since the Federal law went into effect."
Well there it is, Turner's effectively official policy. No more arguing with clueless Turners sales kids.
With all of the confusion and ill feelings that have come from the lock issue, it would have been nice of Turners to post their imposed lock sales policy more prominently on their website or in their stores, particularly since it is based on a combined interpretation of CA and Federal laws made solely at Turners discretion, rather than one based on a formalized legal position from CA DOJ.
Last Tuesday I bought a consignment handgun at Turners and saw they automatically added the gunlock to my fees. When I said I would sign the safe affidavit to comply with CA DOJ and bring in my own lock to comply with the Fed regulations, the sales kid said I could not do that since he was required to sell me the lock. I tried to argue my case, but the kid said the lock requirement had nothing to do with Federal laws and that he'd seen a memo from DOJ saying that the safe affidavit was no longer valid. He again said he was required to sell the lock and nothing would dissuade him, nor did there appear to be anyone higher up the food chain as this was right at store opening at 10AM. Couldn't argue with idiocy, so I paid the extortion fee and went on my merry way.
Later that same day, I went into another Turners in OC to look for any new consignments and the employees seemed to be more PO'ed than usual. When I asked my one contact there why they were all moaning, he said it was due to a new memo from corporate that they were required to read and sign regarding the lock sales. He let me catch of glimpse of it before another employee walked up and yanked it off the counter, but it was addressed from Bill Ortiz and it essentially looked to be a new corporate policy statement enforcing lock sales for all handgun purchases.
I took a look at Turners website later that night to see if they would publicize this policy but could find nothing. They did reference the locks and affidavit in their buyers FAQ, which I copied down as I intended to email Bill Ortiz asking for a public clarification.
Last week, their FAQ said:
"6. Why do I have to buy a gunlock or trigger lock with the purchase of my gun?
(a). California law requires that all firearms sold, be transferred with a trigger lock, cable lock, qualifying gun cabinet or lock box, or gun safe. Persons who already own a safe or lock box can sign an affidavit attesting to ownership of those devices."
Tonight I intended to email Bill about the issue, so I looked back at the Turners website to see if they had made any statements. There was nothing immediately obvious until I went back into the FAQ and found that they had indeed made some revisions.
Tonight, their FAQ says:
"6. Why do I have to buy a gunlock or trigger lock with the purchase of my gun?
(a). California law requires that all firearms sold, be transferred with a trigger lock, cable lock, qualifying gun cabinet or lock box, or gun safe. These devices may include those approved trigger locks that come with the majority of new firearms or one that was purchased within the last 30 days, provided that it is accompanied by a receipt.
State law dictates that persons who already own a safe or lock box can sign an affidavit attesting to ownership of those devices. However Federal law now requires that a trigger lock accompany any handgun transfer without consideration of CA law. Effectively this means that safe affidavits are no longer acceptable since the Federal law went into effect."
Well there it is, Turner's effectively official policy. No more arguing with clueless Turners sales kids.
With all of the confusion and ill feelings that have come from the lock issue, it would have been nice of Turners to post their imposed lock sales policy more prominently on their website or in their stores, particularly since it is based on a combined interpretation of CA and Federal laws made solely at Turners discretion, rather than one based on a formalized legal position from CA DOJ.
. Please remember that companies like turners, ones with more cash, more assets, and more exposure are much more likely to be sued versus a mom and pop shop with no assets. I'm not saying that i'm happy with their decision but as a busoiness owner i understand why and where they are comming from.
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