Open Carry at Cabelas in Hammond

[rhino]

I had a friend OC in a Cracker Barrel and he had the cops called on him.It was no big deal since not only did he have a permit, but he is also a cop.It just shows how some people react to a gun in public.

Which Cracker Barrel? I haven't carried openly in a Cracker Barrel since the last time I was in one.

 

[Prometheus]

I KNOW WHERE MARCH'S OC EVENT IS GONNA BE AT!!!

WOOT!

I was wearing khaki cargo pants and a black long sleeve 1/4 zip, tucked in. XP in a serpa at 3:30 and open top fobus dual mag pouch at 8:30. Wife was wearing brown khakis and a dress-ish sort of top. Her XD was at 9:00, no spares.

FYI I sometimes get accused of looking like a 5.11 model

 

[NWI40cal]

FYI I sometimes get accused of looking like a 5.11 model

I was thinking something like that... lol.

Here's me:

Look at me... mean muggin' fo' lieeeeffe!

Spare mag /\ the leg pocket

 

[Rookie]

It must have been the satanic shirt.

Dude, hide the bong before you take pics next time. The onion on top is decent camoflage though.

 

[NWI40cal]

It must have been the satanic shirt.

Dude, hide the bong before you take pics next time. The onion on top is decent camoflage though.

That's a good one! It's my nicest one! It's actually a "george dickel" tennesee sour mash whiskey jar, in the shape of a golf club, with a golf ball on top to make a pouring nozzle. I'm not that guy. <- Even though this guy looks like it.

It's a really nice bottle, but I won't open it. We be some golfers around here...

 

[Walter Zoomie]

...I was wearing blue jeans with a long sleeve shirt, untucked, because the other 3 I had tucked in already made me look a little puffy.

Why you wearin' so many shirts?
You can't afford a coat, or is the multi-layered look in this season?
That's what the panhandler at the bottom of the exit ramp wears...


Or Randy...

 

[Prometheus]

It's actually a "george dickel" tennesee sour mash whiskey jar, in the shape of a golf club, with a golf ball on top to make a pouring nozzle. I'm not that guy. <- Even though this guy looks like it.

Thats pretty sweet. I have one similar to that w/o the golf ball on top. It's in my parents basement, I can't recall who it's patterned after however.

 

[NWI40cal]

I am 6 foot 150 soaking wet, I need them layers. It's hard to OC with a hooded sweatshirt and a down coat.

 

[turnandshoot4]

Thanks for the rundown everyone! I had a great time and I hope that we might have educated a few people while we were carrying. I know the many women that I held the door for while waiting for Prometheus were surprised to see I was carrying but didn't mind that I held the door for them. Let's educate one at a time! Reps for everyone!

Mission accomplished!

 

[turnandshoot4]

One intresting observation though, we got more hassle from Cabela's than we did from Northwoods. Northwoods doesn't sell guns. As a matter of fact a Northwoods manager thanked us for choosing them. As if she knew that we chose her restaurant to get together to open carry.

 

[haldir]

I am surprised they would suggest checking a gun in... they are willing to assume the liability of taking my loaded gun, storing it, then returning it to me....

 

[Scutter01]

Their check-in process is only supposed to be for guns you're intending to sell or have repaired. It's not supposed to include holstered personal defense weapons.

 

[turnandshoot4]

I am sure when you check it in it gets locked so you can take it to the gunsmith. That way they know it isn't loaded.

 

[NWI40cal]

Ive had a gun checked in before. All they do is check to make sure its unloaded, write it in the "store log" I guess, I can't remember for sure, and put a trigger lock on it. "Here you go" I'm not sure how you fit it for a holster with a trigger lock on it though, they might chain lock it through the grip.

 

[Prometheus]

"Here you go" I'm not sure how you fit it for a holster with a trigger lock on it though, they might chain lock it through the grip.

They send an employee with you while you check holsters... supervised, lol

 

[Walter Zoomie]

Never been in there, but the folks at Cabela's sound like a bunch of tools.

I don't think I'd buy guns 'n' ammo from a joint named Cabela's anyways.

Sounds like the name of a pretentious, overpriced Italian steakhouse...

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Never been in there, but the folks at Cabela's sound like a bunch of tools.

I don't think I'd buy guns 'n' ammo from a joint named Cabela's anyways.

Sounds like the name of a pretentious, overpriced Italian steakhouse...

While I understand your sentiment, if you refused to do business with any company who has BS policies, you'd probably have nowhere to shop. Further, while its a BS policy to check in guns, I suspect it's because the gunsmith at Cabelas got sick of people pointing "unloaded" guns at him.

Cabelas is a cool store. They have a large selection of outdoor gear, and much of it is very good quality. Their gun section is quite a bit larger than many gun stores. Their gun section is not likely to get much smaller due to their high prices. I did talk to a guy last week who picked up a used Browning Buckmark for $200, which seems pretty darn good to me. I wouldn't probably buy a gun there, but they have accessories and reloading supplies at fairly reasonable prices. A lot of gun shops don't even have the accessories- at any price. At least at Cabelas you can inspect the product, unlike our beloved internet.

 

[FieldShunt]

Cabela's is owned by two brothers in Nebraska, last I heard.
I so happened to get into a conversation a while back with a Cabela's floor guy over carrying in the store, just a general chat.
The real problem from the store's point of view is bad gun handling. Being open to the public, pretty much anything breathing and mobile can walk in, and neither the company nor the visitors have any idea if anyone else is presenting a clear danger.
I know everyone here would never sweep anyone, nor would they ever get a finger inside a trigger guard unless they had a legitimate target.
On the other hand (no pun), the reality is that the store has seen more than a few instances of bad gun handling on their floor, most especially including sweeping and fingers.
I think we can all agree we've seen that sort of thing, at Cabela's and many another gun-selling place. I've been swept by muzzles with fingers on triggers more than once, just at Cabela's-Hammond alone. But those were all store guns and there was a fair probability that they were indeed, mechanically unloaded.
What the problem for the store is the guns that come into the store, especially the hot ones in holsters. Unfortunately, there are a number of shoppers who actually have unholstered a hot gun, sweeping numbers of other people, and sometimes with a finger ensconced in the trigger guard.
The fellow I was talking to described in hair-raising detail how he'd been subjected to just that situation, while the shopper was in the process of considering a holster.
So that's where this store rule came from: If you're carrying in the store, the gun stays in the holster, with the exceptions made under the supervision (hopefully) outlined above.
As someone who gets exposed to liability in the course of business (not related to firearms), I can appreciate a company trying to reduce that kind of exposure. It's private property, and even though it's open to the public, the private owners should, and even must, do what they can to reduce liability, not to mention public danger.
I took no offense at this description of the store rule, and I could see where it came from.
I also believe that Cabela's is unusually favorable to gun rights and ownership in a general sense; if you've ever been to the Illinois Cabela's, they very actively promote the Illinois State Rifle Association's work, and other pro-gun political activities including holding out a petition for customers to sign to the Cook County Board regarding the County's various gun bans and proposals. For a big-box, that's really heartening.
Yes, there are individual employees who don't always follow the program, but in my view, Cabela's is pretty responsible when it comes to doing the right thing.

 

[Scutter01]

The real problem from the store's point of view is bad gun handling. Being open to the public, pretty much anything breathing and mobile can walk in, and neither the company nor the visitors have any idea if anyone else is presenting a clear danger.
I know everyone here would never sweep anyone, nor would they ever get a finger inside a trigger guard unless they had a legitimate target.
On the other hand (no pun), the reality is that the store has seen more than a few instances of bad gun handling on their floor, most especially including sweeping and fingers.

I've said this before in other threads. That line of thought is complete bullsh*t.

If you unholster a loaded weapon and start waving it around, it's called "brandishing" or "reckless endangerment". OC vs CC at that point COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. If you are a gun store owner (or Cabela's), all you need is a sign that says "guns must remain holstered under pain of torture". It works perfectly fine at Gander Mountain. If you're bringing in a gun for sale or repair, then fine, ask that it be unloaded and cased.

There is no need, requirement, or law that suggests that your carry weapon should be concealed or that you should unload your personal protection firearm before entering the building. (Note that I'm specifying your carry weapon, not your "for sale" gun). All you need to do is tell your customers to keep it in the damn holster. Period. There's no "bad gun handling" if you do that.

 

[clt46910]

I have worked in a number of gun shops in the pass, and hope to again in the future. You do get people in that have poor or dangerous handling practices. In the smaller shops it is easier to watch for it. In the larger shops it is not so easy. One shop I know has a sign out front that claims No loaded firearms inside the store. It is to protect himself from a lawsuit. He does know a number of his customers do carry and is fine with it as long as they show safe handling practices. But you got to protect your business from some of the less careful or careless people out there.