To: Mills Fleet Farm
From: Mitch Berg, Irascible Peasant
Re: Blowing With The Wind Breeze.
Dear Fleet Farm,
I’ve been shopping Fleet Farm for a lot of sundries besides guns and ammo (back when I had guns, which I don’t anymore, because they terrify me).
But no more.
Stand with the heroes, or lie down with the sheep. There is no in between.
That is all.
It’s kind of amusing when you think about the ads they run on TV. Could the people in them, the actors, be any more hick? And the music? And the products too are often only of use for hicks – outside of specialized stores, I’ve never seen as many horse care products as in a FF store. A ban like this gives those ads a tone that seems mocking or sarcastic.
Owned by a New York investment firm. Calls to mind that old ad about Old El Paso salsa (wasn’t that it?), where the cowboys threaten to beat up the cook on their cattle drive because he bought salsa made in New York City!
Another company refusing to sell legal product to willing customers. I guess this is more of that “unbridled capitalism” we hear taked about.
To be clear, the article notes that Mills has only stopped advertising/promoting certain firearms, but they haven’t stopped selling them. And they made the decision a month ago without a lot of fanfare and virtue signalling. Sounds like a business decision. It’s a slip, but it’s not a full slide. We’ll see where the new ownership takes them from here.
jdm, not just any NYC investment firm but KKR! Talk about a sellout. I do not think KKR do proper due diligence on who FF’s customer base is.
I thought it was a graceful “compromise”, and they at least consulted with their customers first. They are continuing to sell the weapons, and to folks of legal age, but not making a big deal of it (either via virtue-signaling or advertising). People who want to buy these products know where to go, and aren’t likely to forget.
Also, it’s a good idea to wait for a written sign-off from the FBI, which has already shown that it’s competence is questionable. It may be an extra day and a little more hassle for legal buyers, but in this climate woe be to any FFL that sells to someone without it. (Unless the FBI engages in a revers “Gun-Walker” scheme to deliberately slow-down or refuse to review requests.)
For Immediate Release:
At Big Retailer, we respect the rights of citizens to purchase legal products, from which we intend to make a profit. But we also respect the rights of citizens to disapprove of sales of legal products. So we’re announcing new procedures to accommodate both groups.
People who are legally authorized to purchase firearms may buy them after they pass the national background check, pay a firearms transfer adverse-publicity fee (to compensate us for loss of revenue if they do something stupid with the firearm we sold them) and demonstrate the ability to stand on their head (to prove they possess the physical dexterity to operate a modern weapon of war).
In addition, we will sell firearms only to persons who are eligible to run for Congress (reside in our district, over 25 years of age, citizen) who have passed our Supplemental Background Check by providing three written references from persons of good moral character who are members of a respectable church or synagogue (proof of three or more descendants born in wedlock may be substituted for one of the references) and written confirmation from the applicant’s high school principal attesting to no discipline problems or mental health concerns.
We’re confident these common sense requirements will impose only the slightest infringement on Constitutionally protected rights while ensuring that only the safest members of society possess the deadliest weapons ever devised. Thank you for shopping at Big Retailer.
I’d personally like it–somewhat off topic here–if churches and others who work with children were allowed to get a Brady check on prospective applicants for a small fee. Two bonuses; you have a nationwide check of felonies (at least if governments enter the data, of course) for those working with children, and you utterly ruin Brady check records as a de facto gun registration system if the BATFE just “happens” to “forget” to delete records of checks.
That noted, I’m kinda with Night Writer on this one. Waiting until the Brady check clears is simply good business–the word picture I use is “would you like to be on the witness stand explaining your decision to an aggressive plaintiff’s lawyer if something goes wrong?”. Raise Hell when people play political games with it, but this is one gun law that actually makes some sense.
And if they want to walk away from the 5.56mm business, that’s fine. Really, the reason one shops at Fleet Farm for guns is really based on price, isn’t it?
Or, for that matter, just about anything you get at Fleet Farm is on price. I buy jeans and gloves there because that’s one part of the store they haven’t ruined yet with “cheapest” procurement. My guess is that their new holding company is not going to do well with keeping their sporting goods department in good shape, to put it mildly.
Calls to mind that old ad about Old El Paso salsa
Hey jdm, I think it was Pace Picante Sauce.
“Hey, this stuff is made in New York City!”
“New York City?!”
The change in the background checks makes sense from a product liability aspect. If the gun is ever used in any nefarious activity, FF can insulate themselves from any suit pointing out that they did not sell the gun until the person was cleared. I do not know if they still have this, but one used to be able to get precleared for the background check before you ever went to buy a gun, similar to getting TSA precheck.
I do not know if they still have this, but one used to be able to get precleared for the background check
If you ever wanted proof Shvonder-eTASS is inflicted by dunning-kruger, this is it.
Pre-approved to buy? I’ve been shooting 40 years and I’ve never heard of that. Maybe you could provide a cite, Emery?
Nowadays, everybody in Minnesota who wants to buy a firearm from a licensed dealer must obtain a Permit to Purchase, which involves a background check by the local law enforcement agency.
Some of us go on to obtain a Permit to Carry, which involves another background check plus book learning and live-fire exercise. A Permit to Carry can be used as a Permit to Purchase since I’ve been double-checked.
But everybody – Permit to Purchase and Permit to Carry – must pass still another background check conducted by the FBI at the time of actual purchase. The dealer verifies your Permit to Purchase and then makes you wait in the store while they run the national background check, a triple-check.
By the time I’ve been triple-checked, I should be squeaky clean, right? Just like the Florida school shooter. He passed all those checks, too. So what went wrong?
Background checks don’t matter if the database is incomplete because the school adopted a policy of refusing to report mental health problems, or the law enforcement agency adopted a policy of refusing to charge criminal activity, or the governor issues blanket pardons to favored groups, or the court forgot to send the records of conviction or commitment to the national database.
Background checks don’t matter if the felon buys a gun from somebody who stole it. Background checks don’t matter if the felon send his girlfriend to buy the gun in her name, using her clean record, and then she gives the gun to him to use in his crime.
Pingback: Late Night With In The Mailbox: 04.03.18 : The Other McCain
Thanks for clearing that up.
Ian in Iowa, you are indeed correct. I hang my head in shame.
Emery Incognito, you’re welcome to the explanation. May I inquire if you feel a bit silly having expressed an opinion on a subject about which you plainly know so little? If so, then let me extend an offer – let’s go shooting.
I’m a member of a local gun club, I’ve been shooting 40 years and have taught other people, I’m a Range Safety Officer and I’d be happy to introduce you to the sport. No preaching, no judgment, just safety, accuracy and perhaps a bit more understanding of American heritage and why it’s so important to us.
.
Ian in Iowa, you are indeed correct. I hang my head in shame.
No worries, they say memory is the second thing to go. I forget what the first is 🙂
Joe, Chris Kyle tried range therapy with mental defectives…bad idea.
Better to meet Dunning_Kruger at Chuck-E-Cheese…give him a sippy cup full of Orange Crush and a hand full of game tickets to make the voices go away.