What's the worst gun advice you were ever given?

[Mayonnaise]

I was once told that a concealed carry class and regular practice was insufficient. Without more training I was a danger to people around me in the event of a gunfight. I eventually accepted this advice as fact, and allowed permit to expire. I started to save money to attended a handgun course. The cost of travel, ammo, and the course itself made this a rather long process. A little over a year after the expiration of my permit I was beaten in the parking lot of my then girlfriends apartment complex while walking to my car, my car was also stolen. This was in 2008 in the wonderful city of New Orleans. Never found the car, never heard anything about the case.

Sure would have been nice to level the playing field that day.

Edit: Before I get another private message. NO, it had nothing to do with this website. It was actually the father of the girl I was dating at the time.

 

[DAVE_M]

That we (as shooters) don't need a ton of ammo, but we need more training.

So what do we train with, if we don't have ammo?

 

[Emperor]

By the NOPD Stolen Property Department in or around 1980.

Me: "I am about to buy a gun and I want to see if it's stolen." (I was almost 99.9% certain it was).
Them: "What would you like us to do?"
Me: "I was told that I could call you guys and give you the serial number, make, and caliber, and you could run the numbers to see if it was."
Them: "Hold on, Sir!"
Me:
Them: "Okay Sir, what are the numbers/"
Me: "blah blah number/letter."
Them: "Hold on Sir."
Me:
Them: "Sir, we don't show that gun in our system."
Me: "So it's not stolen?!?"
Them: "We don't show that number as being one that was reported stolen, Sir."
Me: "So I shouldn't have any issue with this?"
Them: "I can't answer that. You will have to find out."
Me: "That's why I am calling you."
Them: "We don't have it listed as stolen."
Me: "So, if I buy it; what happens if it's listed as stolen at a later time after I take posession?"
Them: "You will be in posession of stolen property."
Me: "Then how am I supposed to know, if you can't tell me?"
Them: "I can't answer that, Sir."
Me: "Is there anywhere I can find out?"
Them: "You can bring it in and register it!"
Me: "I think I will just not buy it. Thanks for your time."

 

[O_R_B_1]

Just turned 21 and was going to buy my first handgun.
"This here Llama is just as good as any Colt or Springfield out there."
I bought it.

 

[DS727]

By the NOPD Stolen Property Department in or around 1980.

Me: "I am about to buy a gun and I want to see if it's stolen." (I was almost 99.9% certain it was).
Them: "What would you like us to do?"
Me: "I was told that I could call you guys and give you the serial number, make, and caliber, and you could run the numbers to see if it was."
Them: "Hold on, Sir!"
Me:
Them: "Okay Sir, what are the numbers/"
Me: "blah blah number/letter."
Them: "Hold on Sir."
Me:
Them: "Sir, we don't show that gun in our system."
Me: "So it's not stolen?!?"
Them: "We don't show that number as being one that was reported stolen, Sir."
Me: "So I shouldn't have any issue with this?"
Them: "I can't answer that. You will have to find out."
Me: "That's why I am calling you."
Them: "We don't have it listed as stolen."
Me: "So, if I buy it; what happens if it's listed as stolen at a later time after I take posession?"
Them: "You will be in posession of stolen property."
Me: "Then how am I supposed to know, if you can't tell me?"
Them: "I can't answer that, Sir."
Me: "Is there anywhere I can find out?"
Them: "You can bring it in and register it!"
Me: "I think I will just not buy it. Thanks for your time."

What's the big issue you have with this response? I guarantee it's the same one you will be given today by ANY police department in the State of Louisiana.

Without gun registration, all they can do is run the number and if it doesn't show that it's been entered by someone, somewhere as stolen, that's all they can tell you.

Does that mean it's not stolen? Of course not. But it means that even if it is, the owner didn't have the serial number to give the police. If you bought a firearm that was checked by a police department at the time of purchase and shown not to be entered in NCIC as a stolen firearm, the WORST I see happening is that if the owner did somehow find the number at some point in time and reported it as stolen and you were found in possession of it, WITH NO OTHER CHARGE, you would just surrender it and it would be returned to the owner.

Now, if you were a felon, or engaged in some sort of criminal activity and found in possession, then you would have bigger problems.

 

[Emperor]

What's the big issue you have with this response? I guarantee it's the same one you will be given today by ANY police department in the State of Louisiana.

Without gun registration, all they can do is run the number and if it doesn't show that it's been entered by someone, somewhere as stolen, that's all they can tell you.

Does that mean it's not stolen? Of course not. But it means that even if it is, the owner didn't have the serial number to give the police. If you bought a firearm that was checked by a police department at the time of purchase and shown not to be entered in NCIC as a stolen firearm, the WORST I see happening is that if the owner did somehow find the number at some point in time and reported it as stolen and you were found in possession of it, WITH NO OTHER CHARGE, you would just surrender it and it would be returned to the owner.

Now, if you were a felon, or engaged in some sort of criminal activity and found in possession, then you would have bigger problems.

Sorry! Registering a gun that I didn't own, yet; cause I had no way of knowing for sure wheter or not it was stolen, by a woman in the property room at NOPD in 1980; was the worst advice I ever got on a gun.

If you like, I can make up a story.

 

[edman87k5]

I was told by the owner of a pawn/ gun shop that as long as you put good quality ammo in the mag, no gun will jam or have problem, even a hi point or jennings. People always blame the gun and it is never a gun problem, they are just using crappy ammo.
I guess all of his ammo was good ammo because it cost twice as much as the same box at walmart!
I did actually buy several guns over the years form this shop as they had decent prices at the time. Last time I stopped in there it had a different owner and all that was in the case was a bunch of hi points priced well over $200 each, and this was 4-5 years ago! Havnt been back since

 

[O_R_B_1]

What's the big issue you have with this response? I guarantee it's the same one you will be given today by ANY police department in the State of Louisiana.

Without gun registration, all they can do is run the number and if it doesn't show that it's been entered by someone, somewhere as stolen, that's all they can tell you.

Does that mean it's not stolen? Of course not. But it means that even if it is, the owner didn't have the serial number to give the police. If you bought a firearm that was checked by a police department at the time of purchase and shown not to be entered in NCIC as a stolen firearm, the WORST I see happening is that if the owner did somehow find the number at some point in time and reported it as stolen and you were found in possession of it, WITH NO OTHER CHARGE, you would just surrender it and it would be returned to the owner.

Now, if you were a felon, or engaged in some sort of criminal activity and found in possession, then you would have bigger problems.

He is telling a story from 1980. Things have changed a bit since then.

 

[kcinnick]

Not to buy 50 Tapco AK mags for $5 a piece the Saturday December 8th 2012.

And me listening...

Biggest repeated poor advice I see is recommending a smallest gun + biggest caliber for women. Every time a female says they want a small gun, I let them shoot my Keltec PF9 then my Trojan 9mm, they always change their mind about wanting a small gun and want to go somewhere in between.

 

[DS727]

He is telling a story from 1980. Things have changed a bit since then.

No, in respect to the story he was telling, they haven't.

His experience may have changed and the date have changed, but like I said, what he was told that day and what he would be told TODAY are the same thing.

 

[edman87k5]

Not to buy 50 Tapco AK mags for $5 a piece the Saturday December 8th 2012.

And me listening...

Biggest repeated poor advice I see is recommending a smallest gun + biggest caliber for women. Every time a female says they want a small gun, I let them shoot my Keltec PF9 then my Trojan 9mm, they always change their mind about wanting a small gun and want to go somewhere in between.

That remionds me of a time years ago when the wife was gun shopping at a local show. She picked up a titanium frame .44mag with 2" barrel and really liked it! She wanted to know why I was laughing, so I explained that I would not attempt to empty the cylinder unless I was in grave danger. Once I showed her a 44 mag bullet, I think she got the idea.

 

[Skiney]

Gold is IN!!!!

Wost advice was DO NOT buy a Tauras Pistol....

Sure glad I didn't listen:}

 

[Sin-ster]

That there was no way I'd ever use my front sight at speed or under stress, so I shouldn't worry about my sights being on.

Yes, I laughed in the guy's face. Long, loud and hard.

 

[DS727]

Taurus is the only company with the lack of self respect to make something that gaudy.

Skiney, I didn't know you were a closet Mexican.

 

[O_R_B_1]

No, in respect to the story he was telling, they haven't.

His experience may have changed and the date have changed, but like I said, what he was told that day and what he would be told TODAY are the same thing.

I was referring to the phone and today. They will not give out any info over the phone any more. I tried a few years back and was told I had to go in to the station with my ID and notify the officers that I was bringing a firearm in to be checked.

 

[Mayonnaise]

Not to buy 50 Tapco AK mags for $5 a piece the Saturday December 8th 2012.

And me listening...

Are those the ones that came with the free backpack? That was a good deal.

 

[bs875]

Wost advice was DO NOT buy a Tauras Pistol....

Along those lines, "Don't buy a Hi-Point. They're just crap."

The best gun for the money by far. Also the ugliest and the heaviest but if you can get past that...

 

[general mills]

From one of the biggist gun stores in Baton Rouge, to my friend and I who were looking for a 1911 for him. "you want this one here (Springfield GI) because it has these thin, fine, long range sights. I like shooting pistols for long range, and you want these type of thin sights to get you on target."

 

[edman87k5]

Are those the ones that came with the free backpack? That was a good deal.

Same ones, but I didnt do the packpack dela. I got an email flyer witht hem on sale and figured I would try them out. Also got some 20 round ar mags for like $4 each and they are decent too. I wouldnt expect them to hold up to a ton of abuse, but its not like I am taking them into combat.

 

[edman87k5]

From one of the biggist gun stores in Baton Rouge, to my friend and I who were looking for a 1911 for him. "you want this one here (Springfield GI) because it has these thin, fine, long range sights. I like shooting pistols for long range, and you want these type of thin sights to get you on target."

The biggest gun store in BR told me that sigma sights and glock sights were interchangeable. The employee even conferred with his boss who agreed and then their gunsmith in the back was asked and thought they might be interchangeable, but wasnt sure.