So today at Dicks Sporting Goods

[Hot Holster]

I'm surprised you found an employee in the store to talk to. I stopped going to DSG a long time ago because prices weren't posted for a lot of items and i got tired of looking for someone to do a price check for me.

[JTecalo]

OP, which Dick's was this?

In my experience it doesn't matter, Oregon or Ca. the attitude is noticeable.

I try to use them at a last resort.

Jim

[rondeezy]

doesn't a straw purchase imply that the person whos suppose to end up with the gun is a prohibited person? Im sure yall see where in going with this..

[sl0re10]

Just for clarity because I see it passed around. A straw purchase is someone who buys a gun for someone who cannot buy a gun. If both are legal to own there is no "straw purchase"

Yeah; but the store is not dross'ing both people... so they don't know the other person is g2g.

Still lame IMO. Helping someone else pick a gun is not evidence of a straw purchase....

[sl0re10]

So I called corporate today, basicly they said the store didn't feel comfortable selling it in my situation. Then I asked them well so if more than two person show up to the gun counter someone is asking the questions and translating for the other person does that constitute a straw purchase? If more than two people show up does that constitute a possible straw sale? He says that if they feel uncomfortable with it they can refuse the sale. Then I asked why did the manager looking guy offer to sale the gun to me only, even after I told him the gun was not for me, doesn't that constitute a straw sale? blah blah blah he said he would call the store.

Its cool. I don't feel comfortable shopping in your store now. -click-

[jdouglas]

What does it cost to run an instant background check? If the cost/time is minimal, the government should just allow gun stores to run a check on both people to prove neither one is prohibited. It should be at no cost to the patrons or gun store of course. (It's for the children after all.)

[CaliforniaLiberal]

OP, it may have been a bad idea to even say the words "Straw Purchase." It's like making jokes about a bomb on the airplane while waiting at the gate to board. Very, very touchy situation.

FFLs are strongly encouraged to refuse to sell if they have any suspicion of a Straw Purchase. They are under pressure from ATF audits and can't afford to have any ambiguity whatsoever.

It's even worse in a big box store because the staff likely has very little training and experience and are probably taught to decline a sale for even the slightest suspicion. And are threatened with losing their job or even getting arrested if they don't follow all the rules exactly.

Perhaps the salesperson did not realize at first that your Mother needed assistance with translation and thought you were trying to be in charge of the transaction and making the decision of what gun to buy. Like someone doing a bad job at making a straw purchase.

There is never an excuse for being treated rudely but there are pressures on the staff that perhaps you weren't aware of.

[luckystrike]

Seeing a sale walk out the door is the ultimate F U.

noone cares, unless the CEO is there to witness you walk out the door.

what you could do is call a district supervisor and/or coporate and raise hell

I remember being in a big 5 once, one guy was asking all the questions, then the quiet one tried to buy it, but number one red-flag was a raiders jersey.

[dinkydau]

They are building a Dicks here in Pleasant Hill. We had a Sports Chalet open a couple years ago or so not too far away and now its closed. The only places that have firearms besides the LGS is Sports Authority and Big 5. SA has a big section for hunting.
If Dicks doesn't have any firearms at all or hunting stuff. It will fold too, just like Sport Chalet did.

[BrassCase]

I have a C & R license as well which doesn't help with a new gun purchase.

I would tell him " Thanks for taking the time to show us these rifles, I think we know which one Mom is going to buy now. We will go around the corner to our local GS and make the purchase, Thanks agian though for spending the time to help us make that decision" In other words, it is a polite FU.

[strongpoint]

Just for clarity because I see it passed around. A straw purchase is someone who buys a gun for someone who cannot buy a gun. If both are legal to own there is no "straw purchase"

Stop spreading misinformation. That's NOT the definition of a straw purchase, and it doesn't matter if neither party is ineligible.

http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/Straw_Purchase

[Shoot-it]

To the op it can seem like a straw purchase if you answering all the questions.

[ivanimal]

There have been stings. I feel that being over cautious is one thing but losing your license is quite another. Walmart no longer sells guns in CA because of clerical and foolish errors. Dicks is protecting themselves. Foolishly. moronically. Yet protected.

[CrippledPidgeon]

Stop spreading misinformation. That's NOT the definition of a straw purchase, and it doesn't matter if neither party is ineligible.

http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/Straw_Purchase

Exactly.

http://www.atf.gov/files/forms/download/atf-f-4473-1.pdf

If it seems to the FFL that the person filling out the 4473 isn't the intended recipient of the firearm, they are required to refuse the transfer.

Unfortunately, since the stereotype of a firearm owner is that they're male, it makes it hard for first-time female gun buyers to make their first purchase. Usually they want to rely on their significant other/relative to ask the questions for them, but in the (male) salesperson's eyes, it looks like the actual buyer is the male and they're using the (usually uninterested) female to make the straw purchase.

So my best advice is that if you're accompanying an inexperienced buyer to the store, do your best to stay out of the process. Let the buyer ask the questions. If they ask you a question that the salesperson should be able to answer, prompt the buyer to ask the salesperson directly. If it's something like "how tall is the nightstand" or something specific to your conditions, then answer.

If you need to translate for the buyer, make sure that you state up front that's what you're doing. It may not relieve suspicions of a straw purchase, but it won't hurt anything either.

If the buyer turns to the helper and asked questions like "what do you think," or "how does this feel to you," I'd get suspicious. If the buyer said something like "I dunno, it's your gun," or "my hands are larger than yours, so do what feels right to you," that was usually a decent sign that it wasn't going to be a straw purchase. If the helper's response was "feels good to me, we'll take it," then I'd probably ask very pointed questions.

If you're buying a firearm as a gift, make sure that the monetary transaction takes place outside of the gun shop. The 4473 asks if the person filling the form is the "buyer," and thus forces the dealer to refuse the purchase if someone else pays.

[prometa]

I have learned my lesson from this thread--don't go gun shopping with my wife. Give her a few suggestions/ideas, then let her go by herself.

It's even worse in a big box store because the staff likely has very little training and experience and are probably taught to decline a sale for even the slightest suspicion. And are threatened with losing their job or even getting arrested if they don't follow all the rules exactly.

Can't excuse the chain because they aren't training employees. It's still a reason not to go.