If You Like Being Insulted, Do We Have A Virginia Gun Store For You

Absolute Outdoors in New Kent, VA
Absolute Outdoors in New Kent, VA
Virginia Citizens Defense League
Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA –-(Ammoland.com)- A Virginia Citizens Defense League member brought to our attention a “No loaded guns” sign on the door of Absolute Outdoors in New Kent.

EM Ed Levine sent them an email to confirm that policy.

First, let me say that many gun stores have a “no loaded guns” policy.

That’s because, unlike pretty much any other public place around, people are actually drawing guns and handling them in a gun store. That said, many stores have a better policy of saying that a person can have a holstered, loaded handgun as long as the gun never leaves the holster while the owner is in the store.

So, if the “no loaded guns” was indeed Absolute Outdoors’s policy, it wouldn’t be the best policy, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for such a business.

However, the response Ed got back was, well, unbelievable and uncalled for.

We report, you decide.

Here is Ed’s email to Absolute Outdoors:

On Jun 30, 2014 10:04 AM, wrote:

Hi –

Someone told me that you guys have a sign on your door that prohibits the lawful carry of firearms by customers (unless they are law enforcement). [PVC: Here I will note that Ed should have said “…the lawful carry of a LOADED firearm by customers…” However, this would have been a good opportunity for the gun store to set the record straight.]

I just wanted to confirm that before I put the word out to 30,000 Virginia gun owners.

Thanks,

Ed Levine
Founder – Virginia Open Carry
Executive Member – Virginia Citizens Defense League
NRA – Life member and Instructor
GOA – member

The response back to Ed: In a message dated 6/30/2014 11:16:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:

You need to add to your list of titles:

Loser
Idiot
In desperate need of a life
life long member of the tiny dick club
Just plain stupid

Now that better describes you.

Rick Baker, owner

I’m usually there everyday so you should drop by and see me little man.

Sounds like Sarah Brady wrote that clever response to Ed. Ed was in the Marines, so I’m not so sure that the “little man” thing fits him very well.

There are lots of gun stores out there and I know that I, for one, won’t be headed to Absolute Outdoors anytime soon. I’ll be spending my money with gun dealers that treat gun owners in a friendly and respectful manner. There are plenty of them out there.

About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org

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jamie

Never a good idea to be rude its not good business practice whatever the reason.

VT Patriot

Does sound to me like a whole lot of nothing. If I am treated badly in a gun store, or any other store, I just don’t go back. I usually CC, tho in the summer I OC. Not to make a show of how tough or cool I am, but for many other reasons.
I live in a “FREE State”, and although I’m a staunch supporter ($$) of the 2A, and various organizations, I don’t believe that carrying is ‘cool’ or macho, but may be needed for my survival. Others may have different reasons, and they’re welcome to them.

Robert Bruce

You really are a self important thin skinned little man. You left out “loaded” in your inquiry and your inquiry had the tone of a nosey liberal, your reaction is like an insulted pouting little kid without proper respect or manners towards a rightful working business owner…he probably is tired of whinning simpering liberal socialists telling him how to run his business and life.Now, you, in immature retaliation instead of solidarity, wish to run down and ruin/boycott his store. IMHO you really are everything he said you are you little egotistical “boy”. Please, grow up, cowboy up, man up and… Read more »

TEX

@gregory romeu,it scares the living hell out of you that the name is absolutely outdoors ? You got some critical issues going on there pilgrim !

Gregory Romeu

What scares the living hell out of me is that all you supposedly swarthy and intelligent gun owners that are supposed to be trained and alert, paying attention to detail, especially while armed, have ALL failed to recognize that the NAME of the store is AbsoluteLY Outdoors.

james

He could have answered without the attitude,

“It is my store and I make the rules”.

We had a small one man shop in my city,
the guy had large selection of new and consignment items, always had an attitude with customers, demanded a pistol purchase permit before he would let you touch anything, if you did not have the permit he told you to get the &%(# out of his shop. One day the shop was gone.

RDNK

@Smitty,not in Texas ! Maybe them yankee gunbrabber states do ! Dont know and really dont care !

Smitty6398

MOST GUN SHOWS nationwide request “NO LOADED FIREARMS”

Larry Schillinger

To the guy that doesn’t like people open carrying rifles. You are one of the types that anti-gunners love. What part of “shall not infringe ” do you not understand? Are you really afraid of these guys because they are carrying a rifle? I can just see the antis rubbing their hands together like the wicked witch smiling with joy. I know all of you lily livered types are afraid you might offend someone and they may want to take you rifles away. I hate to break your bubble, they already do. Where were you 20 years ago? Remember when… Read more »

Wgumcd

I have to completely agree with the shop owner! It has nothing to do with your carrying concealed and safely holstered while inside, but everythin to do with the safety of handling a loaded gun in a close environment, and the potential of ” let me show you mine” syndrome which seems to prevail. ATF and many cities are looking for any reason to close a gunshop, not to mention the insurance fiasco, and police report for a completely avoidable accidental discharge by a no ammo or loaded guns policy. It has nothing to do with the disrespect of the… Read more »

USpatriotVet

In my state this gun shop would be done in a month. Many law-abiding gun owners in my state and we respect our 2nd Amendment rights, but we do expect that in return for our business, or we go somewhere else-period! Business-101, don’t piss off your customers and don’t get yourself negative press, or you won’t be in business long.
MOLON LABE

Mark

I stand firmly for the God-given right of all of us to keep and bear arms (this is not a 2d Amendment right – the right to keep and bear arms predates the Constitution, and is the birthright of free people everywhere.) However, I also firmly stand for the rights of property to set whatever conditions they want for entry onto their property, e.g., if they demand that you have to hop on your left leg to come onto their property, that is also their right, if not smart. I can think of some very valid reasons for making such… Read more »

MixWestMike

This will ensure this business fails, but that may have been the owners goal.

Terry Story

There is a gun store in Lancaster, CA. that has a sign like that on their door as well, but the reason that they do is that they don’t want a lot of gun handling in the store leading to AD’s, and I consider that a valid reason to post a sign of that nature. There is no reason that you would carry a loaded firearm into a store where every employee is armed and there are fully loaded rifles in the shelves under the counters. I feel very safe in that store and I know that those folks behind… Read more »

Frank Morris

Just curious what VA statutes say about such signage. For example FL statutes specifically prohibit such crap, but SC laws allow it with quite specific sign size, color, type face, etc. Is VA too stupid to write laws that address the issue at hand?

Oldclimber

I recently wrote what I hope was a blistering comment on an open carry group that was parading (maybe preening) around with high capacity, semi, long guns. For the reason you do not need this kind of firepower, unless the Chinese drop a hundred invading paratroopers in your neighborhood, I call it a childish display and rank it with kilowatt car sound systems at full blast, Harleys with no mufflers, crotch rockets at 150 + mph, pickup trucks with 6 foot wheels, etc. Our society has “inspired” the fringe to some personalized and ludicrous vanishing point. There is nothing wrong… Read more »

Janek

You got to remember some of these gun ‘shoppes’ are being run by the recently prosperous class of ‘firearms elites’. LOL

PUNISHER

california.I LIVE IN THE BEACH CITIES THEY DON’T ALLOW GUN STORES IN THERE CITY. SO THIS ONLY SPORTING GOODS STORE HAD TO MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY ABOUT 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD. BEFORE THEY LOST THERE PERMIT THEY WHERE ALWAYS RUDE AND COCKY. THEY LOST A LOT OF BUSINESS. NOW THERE IN THERE NEW STORE AND THE ONLY STORE IN A 25 MILE RADIUS THAT SELLS HAND GUNS. ARE LOCAL BIG 5 JUST SELLS 22LR. AND SHOTGUNS AND SOME CENTERFIRE. NO ASSUALT TYPE FIREARMS. SO THIS STORE KNOWING THERE THE ONLY ONE AROUND HAS CHANGED THERE HABITS. THEY AR VERY… Read more »

Bob Irwin

The signs on The Gun Store in Las Vegas say:
You are welcome to carry your loaded firearm here Please leave it in your holster unless an emergency arises. At that time judicious marksmanship will be appreciated. Thank you.

Stealth

Yeah… There is a large store in Ct ‘HOFFMAN’S who whenever the local liberal news needs an ‘opinion’ goes to- pure idiots just like this store in New Kent, Va. Once, I went in about 12 years ago. I asked the guy ( one of the owners ) if I could see some short barreled revolvers for concealed carry. He looked at me and irritatedly motioned to a gun case about 30 feet away- filled with all used guns, mostly ‘junk’.. I went back to the front counter- and said, ‘no..I’m looking for NEW/QUALITY revolvers’ and he again motioned me… Read more »

GunnyChuck

Sounds like the place not to shop. Been in a gun store before where employees talked down to customers, never went back and let others know about the place. Pass the word and maybe this guy will get the message.

Ron

Had the same problem hear in Ma even though he war the only ons that had what I want I left and will never go back

Ace Kincaid

In Sacramento, I saw a sign in a gun store that said please remove mask and unload gun before entry. I thought it extremely funny.

Lee

I thought it might of been for Insurance reasons but he did not state that,so that being said I would not deal with that gun shop either..

brian winters

At least in free America you have a choice of going to anoter store and carying. IN NJ no legal cary so we do not have a problem Note one nj gun range and store I occasionally go to has a sign posted no loaded guns except for on duty police. They then go on to specify if you are off duty or retired please do not carry in their store. Since they are one of the only public rages for 20 miles they can get away with it.

Ol' Vet

Obviouly your man isn’t in the businss of talking with folks. You don’t send an insulting email and expect to get some nice reply. Who gives a shit what his titles are. So this turkey ruins the guy’s business because he so arrogant that he can’t even ask a question but in an insulting manner.

Leonard

Personally, I don’t like rude, snarky people, magazines or blog editors. If someone in a store treats me rudely, I let them know, and I don’t spend my $$ there. Simple econ-101. If a columnist continually smacks people down (who aren’t there to defend themselves) I cease reading their stuff. Both the challenge (yeah, it was a smug challenge) and the response sucked immensely.

Feltre

If he was banning loaded firearms for safety reasons he should have made his argument rather than being a jerk. That is just not good business. There are many other places to get what he sells.

Michael J.

I agree with Cecil…an exceptionally poor way to bring what should have been constructive criticism to light by Mr. Levine. That said, the response reflects wholesale stupidity by the store owner and would certainly make me pause in doing any business with him. No winners here, on either side.

John Carr

Jerry’s sporting goods in Weston Wv had a sign like this on their store. Since Jerry sold out I’m not sure if the new owners still display the sign. I always thought the sign was a little strange.

Cecil

The response was harsh, but the initial email was a blunt threat. I would have said the same to Mr. Levine, maybe not as harshly, but the email sent to the store was full of swagger and threat.

icetrout

rather go up the road to Walmart… hear that Mr.about to go into bankruptcy… lol 😛

Native Son

As his inventory sits on the shelf he can contemplate his Customer Service decisions and their relation to his lack of business(insert crickets chirping here).

Cameron

I live right down the road from that place. Needless to say I will not be setting foot in there. Much happier giving my business to Degoff’s in Mechanicsville.

RDNK

That Rick Baker is either in the wrong line of work or a total ahole ! Prob.both ! I don’t know how the s o b stays in business !

Mark

I hope you’ll do a follow-up on this story in about a year. You can feature the new tanning salon or whatever business is operating there at that time.

Or maybe the building will just be empty.