After a breakfast/lunch (I hate the word "brunch") with my parents at the Country Barfet on University Avenue I was walking down the line of shops. Naturally, my kids got glued to the window of What Not. What Not is a slightly-more-but-still-close-to-a-dollar store.

The left-hand door is graced by a "What Not bans guns in these premises" sign. The right-hand door was propped open by... a cannon. A small cast-metal cannon. The kids had alredy run inside, so I had to follow. Walking in, I asked the gentleman at the counter how does the cannon mesh with the sign, and he said "Quite well, that gun us mine." That was only the beginning.

My dad walked in behind me, and hes the kind of guy that can't resist a conversation, particularly on the subject of guns. He's extremely proud of me having a carry premit (I think because in his mind it's a GoodRepublicanThingToDo) and he just got into guns himself.

So, the counter guy proceeds to tell us that the sign is only there on the insistence of his lawyer. "I don't care if you come in here with a gun, but if anyone gets shot here I have to show I had the sign so that I don't get stuck with the liability", said he. Then, he says he owns a Desert Eagle. He then proceeds to tell us how they are made in Israel, but assembled in Minnesota so that they are shipped through customs as gun parts.

He also has a Ruger carbine in .44 mag that is "just like a WWII carbine, but I cut the stock and put a pistol grip on it so I can hunt black bear". He's also had a Blackhawk at some point, but I tuned the conversation out a bit by then so I didn't catch the details.

Dad, being dad, told him about the wonderful russian rifles that Fleet Farm sells. (He tells everybody) "They are in 7.62, like ours, right?" quoth the counter guy. Dad says no, they are different. "Oh, yeah, that's right. The Russians changed the brass on'em so that we couldn't use it"

I could retell more of it, but I am too lazy. Bears tall enough to reach into deer stands, SHTF, etc. BTW, he does sell camo bandannas.

I went home scratching my head. Amazing how some people wind up with such a salad in their minds...

Well...

The guy may have been a bit too enthusiastic but he wasn't a complete buffoon. He wasn't in far left field on any of it. Desert Eagles *are* manufactured by IMI in Israel and assembled by Magnum Research in Fridley. Ruger *does* (did?) make a .44 Magnum carbine (unlike their Mini 14, though, it doesn't resemble the WW2 M1 carbine). They also make 9mm and .40 S&W carbines. The Russians do (more correctly, *did*) have their 7.62 rifle but it uses a 54 mm long case with a rim (7.62 x 54R). They didn't make them that way to prevent other forces from using thier ammo, though. They *did* do that with their mortar, though; an 81mm, I believe. They could, in a pinch, shoot captured NATO rounds but we couldn't use theirs in our tubes.

A bear could have easily reached into a deer stand I had, as it was only about 6 feet off the ground. Not everyone has a 30-foot tower in the woods.

The guy's a fellow gunnie; lighten up a bit. Life's short, take time to enjoy it without your knickers in a bunch.

jb

Well, he was far out there as far as liability and gun signs. Speaking of liabilty, he told me that it should be possible to "drill a little hole in that cannon and fire it with blackpowder"...

Russians must have had a time machine to do anything with the 7.62x54R that would relate to 7.62 NATO, since the Russian round is 115 years old.

The necessity of pistol grips for bear hunting is kinda interesting, too...

I generally don't mind the camo crowd, unless they presume to lecture me. What got me irked here was the "No gun sign" put up by a guy who really should know better.

Maybe it WAS a CYA sign. As the law states, the area must be posted AND you must leave upon request. (I think that's what the consensus is here) If you ignore the sign and aren't requested to leave, have you really broken the law?? I don't think that's the case. Gun control freaks inhabit almost every aspect of our lives. Hell, just yesterday, I took a pre-employment physical and one of the questions asked was "Are there any guns in the house?" I "failed" to respond to that question. Just like the seat belt law. That was a law promulgated by the insurance companies. Is it a good idea to wear a seat belt ?? Well, probably. It's been proven to reduce injuries. Maybe the guy was a bit overzealous, who knows??

I inquired with my insurance carrier about a $1 million dollar umbrella - one of ht euqestions asked was - are there guns ion the house and if so how many and how are they stored?

When i told them how many guns I had - the qeustions stopped there - and I really didnt like what I heard after that....

I was denied by my carrier - so I went elsewhere.......

Sucks huh?

And this is why I have a strong distaste for insurance companies. I sell insurance, but I hate some of their rules. I've actually stopped writing certain companies in the past because I thought their rules and practices were unethical. But, that's just me.

I thought when the carry law was reinstated, “AND” was changed to “OR”. So, now there isn’t a requirement for a sign and being told “we ban guns”. Is this not the case?

Nope. You must be:

1) "Informed" (by sign or in person)
2) Given a "Demand" to comply
3) Refuse to leave

...and then, if you stick around `til a cop shows up, you can be written a $25 Petty Misdemeanor ticket.

Of course, just being given a demand to leave, and then sticking around till a cop comes, is Trespass, a full Misdemeanor, gun or no gun. Likely that's what the cop will charge you with, just for wasting his time. Best to just stay concealed, and not have to deal with it. I walked, packing, into a place with a sign today. No one saw, no one knew. There were no problems. Small gun, pocket holster.

Nope. The gun makes is a petty mis. Thanks, Joe!

Hummmm - if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it - did it make a sound?

50-50 90 rule applies to firearms and their possession and carry - 50% of the time you are right - 50% of the time you are worng - and after that there is sitll a 90% chance that you are still wrong.....

Best to just obey the signs and be very leary of a confrontation of any sort with an LEO. If you are carrying a firearm in a posted business - right wrong or indifferent and you are seen for any reason - asked to leave - you better leave....