Customer points his muzzleloader right in my face.

[tenpercentfirearms]

A guy comes walking in yesterday with a muzzleloader. He has it in his hand holding it horizontally. I am keeping an eye on him while talking to my BiL. I ask what I can do for him as I am sitting at my desk. He comes walking over and has the muzzle pointed right in my face.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't point that gun at my face."

"Well it ain't loaded."

"Treat all guns as if they are loaded, I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOU POINTING THAT GUN IN MY FACE."

He kind of gruffs and then wants to know what caliber balls to use and power and all of these questions I have no idea how to answer and don't really want to answer.

Thankfully another customer was there that knew more about black powder and helped him out and I pretty much purposely started ignoring him. Someone that stupid is going to have me special order him something that doesn't work or will get him killed.

My BiL was incredulous and the other customer said I handled it with more tact than he would have.

What other ways could I have handled it? Drew down on him? Told him to get out of my shop now? Grabbed the muzzle and fling the muzzleloader across the room?

[Ukiahgunnut]

I would have grabbed the muzzle and flinged it across the room! YOU NEVER POINT A GUN AT SOMEONE you are not going to shoot.

[tenpercentfirearms]

Oh crap, I have this on video. I might have to try and review it today.

[FatCity67]

Hey buddy for the second time get that gun out of my face before I ram it up your nether regions. Too Harsh?

Lost a good friend over a situation like that about 20 years ago. His ego just wouldn't let him admit he screwed up.

However as a business owner that deals with the general public you should always be polite and always say it with a smile on your face.

Remember the customer is always right even when they are wrong.

Always take the opportunity to turn a bad situation into a good one. Lastly,You could always refer the customer politely to your competition. <--- I like this one for those real special customers/clients.

[glock_this]

Asked him to leave. Stuff like that is not a joke. 95% chance nothing would happen even if it was loaded BUT is that worth it?

Your shop, obvious rules on how to handle guns. He is not likely going to come back, you and he both know that, so no real loss and even if so, do you want that mentality coming around? I would have ousted him no doubt for a basic infraction like that. Even more so for the snicker.

[Rudolf the Red]

The customer is always right.

[CA Gun Laws Suck]

I would say it is one thing when you are showing a customer a gun you handed them from the show case and already checked it and just be polite and tell them to point it in a safe direction. But a firearm being walked in from the street is worse because you don't know it if it is loaded or not. I have had many firearms handed to me over the counter and they said it is oh it is "unloaded" then I rack the slide back and there goes a round out of the chamber. I don't blame you for being upset. I would have told him to bring all firearms in the store cased to start!

[.22guy]

Let's see the video!

[Cokebottle]

The customer is always right.

The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer....



...until you decide that you'd rather not have him as a customer.

[Fjold]

A guy I knew in the Navy had a large black scar on his neck from an unloaded muzzleloader. His girlfriend shot him with the "unloaded" flintlock that had been hanging over the fireplace of her Father's house for over 20 years. She took it down, cocked it and pulled the trigger. The ball just grazed my friend's neck but the powder left a burn scar that he'll have for the rest of his life. As near as they could figure the gun had not been fired in over 50 years and no one knew it was loaded.

[killathrilla]

As soon as I saw him enter my store with the firearm I would have addressed him and asked him to set it on the counter. Never would I have let it go that long....there are a s#%$ load of crazies out there and he sounds like one of them!

[Desert_Rat]

Should have put your finger in the muzzle,Daffy Duck style.

[Alarm Guy]

When he said it was unloaded you should have just said, well I dont know that to be fact and a fire arm should never be pointed at anything you dont want to destroy, loaded or not. Then you draw down on him and say how do like them apples. Well maybe everything but the last part.

[Desert_Rat]

Where's the video.
Post it up.

[MrMarco]

The customer is always right.

Sometimes you have to fire bad customers just like you fire bad employees...