Noobs

[Boondock Saint]

Not referencing this incident specifically, but personally, I love teaching somebody brand new all about guns. They're generally very eager to hear what you have to say and it's a great chance to make a good first impression for the 2A community. A newbie who walks into a gun store is either going to feel welcomed and decide this is something he'd like to do, or walk out feeling pissed off and rejected and wondering if maybe all of those negative stereotypes he's seen of gun owners are true, and if perhaps he wants to start voting anti gun after all. Personally, I'd rather have the newbie there in Annapolis testifying with us or writing letters every legislative session, along with maybe his wife and family members he brings into the sport with him.

 

[PapiBarcelona]

I think we're taking this a little bit too personal for some infrequent stranger interaction at a store. If the guy really wanted to know about what to buy, google is only a high speed internet connection search away.

I suppose some people in 2012 rather not mess with computers, but it sure aint like it was 17 years ago when searches were limited, and message boards a new wave of the future.

I don't know what else I could say, spend half the day "educating" some dude about what to buy? Sounds good, but I got better things to do, sorry. I'm far from a certified pro instructor since I can barely hit the targets I shoot at, and just about all my reloads never work.

LOL

 

[720Deere]

LOL always leave it to Papi to mix things up a little!

 

[Zombie_013]

I was in a sporting goods store today to pick up my new hunting license. After that I looked over a couple of their used beater guns and while doing so, some guy walked in and said he wanted to but a shotgun to use for home defense and for skeet. The first salesman said he only knew about fishing stuff and left to get someone else. I struck up a conversation with the customer and asked, "so what kind of action type were you thinking about"? He said 12ga. I said no, not the gauge, the action, to which he asked what I meant. Oh boy, here we go.... "pump, auto, side by side, over under"? Oh, a pump for sure, but what's an over under? And so it went... might as well have been buying a space ship.

If he was a kid I would offered to take him shooting and get him pointed in the right direction, but he was a 40 something yuppy. He heard what I was saying, but he wasn't listening. I can see him shooting his Lexus.

I was happy to pass him off to the "gun salesman" who appeared to have just graduated from high school. Scary. LOL

even yuppies need reforming

 

[Ruzo]

Talking about Noobs. My wife's friend and her husband, let's call him Ned Nooberton. Came over to visit. My wife friend turned to me and said "Ned" loves going to the range". He's a big gun guy. So old Nooberton asked to see some of my collection. So, I brought a few pistols down. He picked up my Dan Wesson p7, and says to his wife, "check our this Glock dear". I was like ummm, no, that would be a 1911. Ohh he says. Then I brought down my KSG. He gets this Glazed over look in his eyes. Then says is that an Automatic???? I said, "why yes Ned, yes it is".:..

 

[PapiBarcelona]

If you really wanna educate, you gotta first establish the terminology peeps use. Probably 5/10 peeps who want home defense guns and then say they want it for "trap" also. First you gots to make sure what type of "trap" they are referring to. Sometimes they say trap, skeet, but really mean walking out on farm property and hand throwing a box a targets once a year, and have no further interest in doing anything else.

I don't know much about yuppies and guppies

 

[mbz300sdl]

Sure I read it. He did say:

"might as well have been buying a space ship."
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

The customer (voter) was confused on action.
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

The customer did not understand the various actions of a shotgun
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

The customer did not understand gauge.
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

Overall it is an epic fail. Some dude is ready to learn shotguns, but we are supposed to laugh at him, per the thread.

this ^

I work with people all day i heard a guy call semi-auto pistols glock style i educated him that semis were around long b4 the glocks and he was very glad to have new found knowledge

 

[mckraut]

Elitists in the hobby turn off newcomers, give the guy a break. We were all noobs at some point.

 

[jonnyl]

I love noobs! Because to them, I'm a freakin' gun guru!!!

Here, I'm maybe just a step above complete novice...


but seriously, ditto zoostation.. Any missed opportunity to make a good impression on someone new to guns and shooting is a sad loss.

 

[BlueHeeler]

this ^

I work with people all day i heard a guy call semi-auto pistols glock style i educated him that semis were around long b4 the glocks and he was very glad to have new found knowledge

At the risk of over simplification...

I look at it like this, I consider myself always as a noob, especially on this forum. No matter what score, there is some guy better than me. There is a guy that knows more and shots better. That does not make me an idiot, rather I am someone that would like to learn from the pros.

I wish we could apply that same notion to new shooters, rather than ridiculing them.

 

[MadeInAmerica]

Sure I read it. He did say:

"might as well have been buying a space ship."
That is a golden opportunity to help him. <--- he said that to us not him

The customer (voter) was confused on action.
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

The customer did not understand the various actions of a shotgun
That is a golden opportunity to help him. <--- he knew he wanted a pump

The customer did not understand gauge.
That is a golden opportunity to help him.

Overall it is an epic fail. Some dude is ready to learn shotguns, but we are supposed to laugh at him, per the thread.

how about i do you a solid the next time i see someone who doesnt know something about a firearms ill alert the carepolice and give them a copy of cod so they can learn all about dolphin diving with akimbo golden aks.

 

[zoostation]

how about i do you a solid the next time i see someone who doesnt know something about a firearms ill alert the carepolice and give them a copy of cod so they can learn all about dolphin diving with akimbo golden aks.

that's not how we talk to one another here please.

 

[Indiana Jones]

how about i do you a solid the next time i see someone who doesnt know something about a firearms ill alert the carepolice and give them a copy of cod so they can learn all about dolphin diving with akimbo golden aks.

Welcome to the forum....

 

[Maverick0313]

I try to remember that when educating someone with a bit less knowledge than I have (granted, that may not be saying a lot), that I am an adult and it's part of my role in life to asist others in reaching at least my level of competence (which is not earth shattering). I have found that there are usually two types of people; the ones that know everything, and those that know nothing (in the view of the former). My dad always taught me to treat others like I wanted to be treated; this principle for the most part still works for me.

 

[blackthorne]

You guys sure like to read between the lines in order to bolster your self righteous egos. Well boys, let me say that at no time did I belittle the noob. At no time was I anything less than helpful or polite. In a scant minute or two, I politely recommended taking a learn to shoot class, mentioning the great facility at PG, directed him to the better pump on the rack that was within his budget, and was able to do this without interfering with the store or salesman. I would have loved to do more and don't need a lecture about mentoring would-be gun enthusiasts from any of you. Doing so in the middle of a store's opportunity to sell a gun would not have been the right thing to do. Sure, I was laughing inside, so what. The only mistake I made was to share a chuckle about a noob in a room with so many other noobs and boobs. I'll not be baited further. Have a good day.

 

[browning guy]

ok lighten up on blackthorne people!

I am going to take this a little diffrent direction. Having been behind the counter of a gun shop for over 15 years now let me give you my take on this.

Customer comes in the store and is a total noob. guy behind the counter is with another customer on the phone what ever. Old hand customers strikes up conversation gives some pointers and first hand wisdom. Noob customer is kinda clueless and a little uncomfortable in the gun shop he half harted listens. Old hand customer leaves thinking to him self "God, was I ever that green"

There is not a day that goes buy in the store I do not have one of the reg customers give advice and try and help other customers, its very normal.
9 out of 10 times it make the noob feel a little more at ease in the store and generly helps to make noob's feel a little more welcome.

now the down side is when some jack hole starts speewing out some Yo g-money ganskta ghetto B.S. ie" glocks shoot faster then other guns cause they are tighter???????"

Anytime I come across a customer talking bull shit its my job to bring them back to reality and not scare the hell out of a noob and have them go running away with a bad feeling toward guns and gun people.
There is to much bad information and way to many assholes out there giving the shooting sports and hunting a bad name I am quite shore the op is not one of these people!

Remember we were all fng's at some time. Think who took you under their wing and straighten you out??

 

[Skins_Brew]

I bet if the noob was a 20-something blond the OP would have helped her out a little more

 

[wlc]

 

[Redcobra]

You guys sure like to read between the lines in order to bolster your self righteous egos. Well boys, let me say that at no time did I belittle the noob. At no time was I anything less than helpful or polite. In a scant minute or two, I politely recommended taking a learn to shoot class, mentioning the great facility at PG, directed him to the better pump on the rack that was within his budget, and was able to do this without interfering with the store or salesman. I would have loved to do more and don't need a lecture about mentoring would-be gun enthusiasts from any of you. Doing so in the middle of a store's opportunity to sell a gun would not have been the right thing to do. Sure, I was laughing inside, so what. The only mistake I made was to share a chuckle about a noob in a room with so many other noobs and boobs. I'll not be baited further. Have a good day.

Yup Blackthorne, bet you won't make a post like that again! You became cannon fodder for the true believers.

I, on the other hand, appreciate your posts. I have learned a lot from you in the past and hope to continue to do so. Please keep posting whenever you have a thought to pass on to us. I sincerely doubt that your comments or attitude to the Noob were as many of the above posters have implied.

 

[kohburn]

I was in a sporting goods store today to pick up my new hunting license. After that I looked over a couple of their used beater guns and while doing so, some guy walked in and said he wanted to but a shotgun to use for home defense and for skeet. The first salesman said he only knew about fishing stuff and left to get someone else. I struck up a conversation with the customer and asked, "so what kind of action type were you thinking about"? He said 12ga. I said no, not the gauge, the action, to which he asked what I meant. Oh boy, here we go.... "pump, auto, side by side, over under"? Oh, a pump for sure, but what's an over under? And so it went... might as well have been buying a space ship.

If he was a kid I would offered to take him shooting and get him pointed in the right direction, but he was a 40 something yuppy. He heard what I was saying, but he wasn't listening. I can see him shooting his Lexus.

I was happy to pass him off to the "gun salesman" who appeared to have just graduated from high school. Scary. LOL

take your angst out on the "ignorant and proud of it" crowd, not the noobs that are interesting in learning and have to start somewhere.

you may take a lot of things for granted if you were raised around it or spent the last couple decades becoming familiar with it, you can't seriously expect someone new to firearms to hold that level of knowledge.


that said - props for striking up a conversation with a stranger, and hopefully helping him out.