Here is one guy's OC experience with Bass Pro Shops

[JBinMontana]

This was reported on Glock Talk so this is being passed to you from there. He lives in the greater metro area of Atlanta, Ga

Link Removed

Hey hey, what do you know, I finally have something worth reporting.

I visited a Bass Pro Shop today. I have openly carried to this particular store at least four times previous, probably more like six times previous, and have even interacted with multiple employees before.

This is a first, for me: When I entered:



Employee: Do you have a license for that? [motions at gun on hip]

Me: Yes.

Employee: Can I see it?

Me: I prefer not to show anything to anybody othe than law enforcement.

Employee: To paraphrase: Our policy requires us to see the license if you want to carry it openly. I decided it was reasonable and quickly showed him the license, he looked at the expiration date very quickly, said thank you, and on I went, with a smile.

I noticed he then got on the phone for an extended conversation.

A short time later I was approached by a regular looking guy in jeans and a T-shirt who identified himself as loss prevention and asked if I had a badge for that. I said no. He said that a Georgia concealed weapons permit, which is what it sounded like I had, allowed concealed.....I broke in and explained the whole "it's not a concealed...it's a GFL..open or concealed is legal....in GA open carry is legal..." to which he responded with the store policy angle. I could cover the weapon or they could put a trigger lock on it. Those were the options I was given. I said "Then I will just leave." And turned around and started to walk to the front of the store. There was another customer, a man in his 50's maybe, who approached both of us, asked if it was what he thought it was (more or less) and said that he thought it was crap, and he talked to XYZ person about it, and that it wasn't a concealed license he had one he knew the laws I was perfectly legal so it would have to be a store policy, etc...

I stoppd at customer service on the way out and they called the manager down. I asked him what the policy was (and I asked about the loss prevention guy as he never showed ID and I never asked, he verified he worked there and was within his power), he says the policy is what I was told.....cover it up or put a trigger lock on. I told him how many other times I had openly carried there and the manager stated that he was shocked beause they were not doing their job all those times everybody ignored the gun. He apologized for the inconvenience but that was their policy and as a private business they had that right. I agreed, they certainly did, and now that I knew I would be leaving and not returning (they are usually over priced anyway).



My dad and brother are visiting from Indiana, they never seem to be able to believe that I openly carry everywhere, all the time, adn nobody ever says anything. I told them they are bad luck, this is the first and thus far only time any employee (or LEO) has ever asked or said anything. Go figure.





So no more Bass Pro Shops for me. :triniti:

 

[tattedupboy]

I visit opencarry.org all the time and unfortunately, stories like these aren't all that uncommon for people open carrying. Not saying it's right, but that's one of the reasons I prefer to carry concealed. If I were the guy in this story, however, I'd take my business elsewhere.

 

[DocBoCook]

Convenient, because I am heading there today. If they ask me to cover it up or leave, they will have lost business, thats for sure. How can you claim to be a sports oriented store, but not be FOR sportsman and their rights?

 

[squisher]

I think you should check with Bass Pro Shop's corporate policy. I know some will argue against that, but generally I find that it's better to check. I was requested to leave my weapon in the car at the local Target, and when I checked with corporate I learned that the person who asked that shouldn't have.

The closest BPS to me is an hour away, so I'm not in there often. It would be interested to hear corporate's policy. It seems like most stores that actually have a policy at the corporate level will allow whatever is legal in the state.

Although it could be left to the discretion of the local GM as well.

 

[JBinMontana]

I fully support the right to carry openly if your state allows it. I down sized the word allows because not all states allow OC. But for me, I have a CCW and support using it if you have one, so not to cause problems with store management or people in general. Now when I am out and away from town, usually I am going out into the woods, so it is very common here to find others OCing.

 

[S&WM&P40]

I fully support the right to carry openly if your state allows it. I down sized the word allows because not all states allow OC. But for me, I have a CCW and support using it if you have one, so not to cause problems with store management or people in general. Now when I am out and away from town, usually I am going out into the woods, so it is very common here to find others OCing.

Support using it if you have one? A lot of people get them so they can open carry in the carry. If i was at a store and they asked me to leave i would as it's the law. I would then call the main HQ get the company rules and names of all people o talked to. I would then set up a huge open carry event at that store ( as many have done before) Or a Open carry walk around the parking lot ( that has also already been done, But it was around the whole town and ended at the Police station) 60 people Open carrying because some cop stopped and gave crap to a CHP holder for open carrying. Telling him it was not legal and all this crap ( some dumb cop who HE HIM Self did not know the laws.) As most cops do if they don't know it they act as if they do. OPEN carry is a right and if it's legal do it. All this talk about how Concealing it is better as not to upset people and all this crap is just that CRAP. They will get use to it and the shock will go away. I mean if i have to walk down the street/shopping center and watch two guys making out ( as if their right as well) i think they can deal with open carry. The fact that people feel we should have to hide our guns (makes me feel like the BG). On top of that LEO get to carry and do not get crap ( even when off duty). The fact that all cops are good is crap read the news( that Ex state trooper who went on a shooting spree down in TX) The more they see the gun the more use to it they will be.

 

[JBinMontana]

SWM&P40 here in Montana, one does not need a CCP for carrying openly so my saying if you have a CCP I support using it, is ment for that and that alone. Open Carry is allowed under the law and so far, I have not had or seen any bad experiences with it either.

Now, I had worked for a Sheriff over in Petroleum County that told me of a Town ordenence that was passed by our then County Commissioners who tried to get us to enforce their new law. When the Sheriff told me that no one could OC in town, I told him that Montana State Law is Pre-emptive and the County Commissioners could not write their own law concerning OC in the town of Winnett, Mt.

Now this Sheriff veiwed himself as above the law, I actually asked him if he saw the movie with Steven Seagal. Well he just looked at me with that stupid look that they can have. Yep, I was a deputy and was not a yes man either. I left Petroleum County before the Sheriff was finally arrested and convicted because of information provided by yours truly. I have not worked in law enforcement since June of 2005, but am glad I left it behind me too. What is sad, is that when a cop goes bad all the others that are good get painted bad. But they need to be held accountable for ALL their actions.

Anyway, your plan for protest is good, as long as someone doesn't come out and ask you to leave of face trespass against you. But it just might be enough to get some news print or even local news station coverage, which will bring alot of gun owners down on them and people really don't like being wronged as Bass Pro Shop in Alanta has done.

Good luck

 

[S&WM&P40]

SWM&P40 here in Montana, one does not need a CCP for carrying openly so my saying if you have a CCP I support using it, is ment for that and that alone. Open Carry is allowed under the law and so far, I have not had or seen any bad experiences with it either.

Now, I had worked for a Sheriff over in Petroleum County that told me of a Town ordenence that was passed by our then County Commissioners who tried to get us to enforce their new law. When the Sheriff told me that no one could OC in town, I told him that Montana State Law is Pre-emptive and the County Commissioners could not write their own law concerning OC in the town of Winnett, Mt.

Now this Sheriff veiwed himself as above the law, I actually asked him if he saw the movie with Steven Seagal. Well he just looked at me with that stupid look that they can have. Yep, I was a deputy and was not a yes man either. I left Petroleum County before the Sheriff was finally arrested and convicted because of information provided by yours truly. I have not worked in law enforcement since June of 2005, but am glad I left it behind me too. What is sad, is that when a cop goes bad all the others that are good get painted bad. But they need to be held accountable for ALL their actions.

Anyway, your plan for protest is good, as long as someone doesn't come out and ask you to leave of face trespass against you. But it just might be enough to get some news print or even local news station coverage, which will bring alot of gun owners down on them and people really don't like being wronged as Bass Pro Shop in Alanta has done.

Good luck

First off I'm glade to see we still have some good people in uniform and that you took a stand. Cops let the badge go to the head ( Some COPS). So for that i give you a huge THANK YOU. As for open carrying in the state of NH you do not need a permit to open carry. You do need a Concealed weapons permit to carry a weapon on your person in the car. So that's what i was getting at with that. As for protesting yes you are right about being asked to leave and not doing so. You would face arrest if you still did not go. But here is the cool thing. If you hold your protest at the entrance of the store (sidewalk) that's public property and the store can not tell you to leave or move on. Per most city code for side walks as long as you are moving and not blocking the side walk and or store drive way you are good. I have not been told any thing about needing a permit. As long as you are moving up and down the sidewalk and not stopped or blocking it you are good.

 

[Glock Fan]

I got hassled in the NV Bass Pro Shop. I did some shooting at their indoor range, and when done shooting, I cleared my firearms and then reloaded it with my SD ammo. While I was holstering my firearms, the employee at the range stopped me and told me "You cannot walk out of here with your concealed weapons." I told him "What am I supposed to do?" The employee told me that my firearms needed to be "cased and unloaded". I told him "That won't do me any good if I need to defend myself between here and the outside of your store. Do any of you have means to guarantee my safety?" At this point, the employee called a manager and we had a little conversation. The manager told me that it was store policy, etc. After a few minutes of conversation, it was determined that I would be able to walk out with my loaded and proplerly concealed firearms, but had to holster where other customers couldn't see me. His reasoning was that he didn't want to set a "bad precident". I told him not to worry because for 1. the other customers wouldnt' know if I was LE or not (they seem to have an exemption for LE) and 2. I'd be taking my business to "Cabela's".

After I got out of the store and back to my hotel room, I made a call to their corporate office. I was told that the official policy was to allow citizens to use firearms in accordance with state and local laws. The person I spoke with assured me that they would research the situation and inform the store of any discrepancies with corprate policy.

A buddy of mine went shooitng there a month later and had no problem holstering up when he was done shooting (he's not a LEO). Sometimes all it takes is a call to the corporate office and some persistance.



gf

 

[vegasgun]

I got hassled in the NV Bass Pro Shop. I did some shooting at their indoor range, and when done shooting, I cleared my firearms and then reloaded it with my SD ammo. While I was holstering my firearms, the employee at the range stopped me and told me "You cannot walk out of here with your concealed weapons." I told him "What am I supposed to do?" The employee told me that my firearms needed to be "cased and unloaded". I told him "That won't do me any good if I need to defend myself between here and the outside of your store. Do any of you have means to guarantee my safety?" At this point, the employee called a manager and we had a little conversation. The manager told me that it was store policy, etc. After a few minutes of conversation, it was determined that I would be able to walk out with my loaded and proplerly concealed firearms, but had to holster where other customers couldn't see me. His reasoning was that he didn't want to set a "bad precident". I told him not to worry because for 1. the other customers wouldnt' know if I was LE or not (they seem to have an exemption for LE) and 2. I'd be taking my business to "Cabela's".

After I got out of the store and back to my hotel room, I made a call to their corporate office. I was told that the official policy was to allow citizens to use firearms in accordance with state and local laws. The person I spoke with assured me that they would research the situation and inform the store of any discrepancies with corprate policy.

A buddy of mine went shooitng there a month later and had no problem holstering up when he was done shooting (he's not a LEO). Sometimes all it takes is a call to the corporate office and some persistance.



gf

Glad to hear that you might have the situation at BassPro resolved.

I noticed a sign on the door of Sportsman's Warehouse in LV that said "IF" you planned on removing your firearm from the holster in the store then you needed to have it unloaded and action open before entering the store. At least they had a sign.

The sign at BassPro seems to govern all firearms being hand carried openly into the store for business, though it does not specify that.

 

[llama]

Not just Ga. and not just Bass Shops

The Bass Shop story gets right to it ... stores can set these policies, but I wonder how they are going to feel about it when sonebody robs then and the police aren't close by? Like the big mess in Mumbai (India) with one or two armed guys coming in at taking over whole hotels...no CC or Class A holders there, and look what it cost them in deaths and damages! There is one food retailer in MA. that fancies itself quite special and its mechandise a cut above all other stores, and price it accordingly in most cases. For all that, they have a "no guns" policy. Period. Their choice, but I hope they don't have any robberies with any injured customers who may later decide to sue based on this policy implicitly putting the burden of protection on the store!

 

[Mainsail]

WalMart told me the same thing (in Washington) and I left. But I didn't give up there, even if not shopping in WalMart is no big loss. I contacted Regional and spoke to their head of security. He verified that open carry was allowed in their stores and immediately called the knothead manager (who told me it wasn't) to correct him. I haven't had a problem since. He told me, even though he refused to provide specific citation, that WalMart's rules are to follow the laws of the state.

 

[JohnK87]

Gander Mountain in Minnesota has a sign saying firearms must be unloaded and cased "except concealed carry permit holders." The Cabela's doesn't have restrictions, in fact I've gotten into discussions about carry and used my carry permit during weapons purchases, no problems.

I don't open carry because I don't want to lose the element of surprise.

 

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

When I go to the Las Vegas Bass Pro Shop, I carry concealed and as a courtesy show my CCW to the Greeter at the turnstile, smile politely and continue walking. Never ever had a problem. I did have one employee THANK me for showing the CCW permit.

 

[Cari A.]

WalMart told me the same thing (in Washington) and I left. But I didn't give up there, even if not shopping in WalMart is no big loss. I contacted Regional and spoke to their head of security. He verified that open carry was allowed in their stores and immediately called the knothead manager (who told me it wasn't) to correct him. I haven't had a problem since. He told me, even though he refused to provide specific citation, that WalMart's rules are to follow the laws of the state.

When you spoke to the regional office did they say that is the policy with all the Wal Mart stores that one must carry open or no? Reason I ask is I am in VA and my husband and I both carry concealed when going in there. As with others, I don't want to let every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Jane know that I have a weapon on my person, as well as some of the caliber of folks who do shop there on a more regular basis than I. Maybe I need to call our regional office here in VA and ask that question, though I know our laws state as long as you have a cwp, it is not a place that serves alcoholic beverages, then it was alright. Hmmm something to think about.

 

[wolfhunter]

When you spoke to the regional office did they say that is the policy with all the Wal Mart stores that one must carry open or no? Reason I ask is I am in VA and my husband and I both carry concealed when going in there. As with others, I don't want to let every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Jane know that I have a weapon on my person, as well as some of the caliber of folks who do shop there on a more regular basis than I. Maybe I need to call our regional office here in VA and ask that question, though I know our laws state as long as you have a cwp, it is not a place that serves alcoholic beverages, then it was alright. Hmmm something to think about.

The corporate policy is that local stores should comply with laws as they apply AT THAT LOCATION. If OC is legal in your state, carry openly. If CC is legal, carry CC. If your local law prohibits carry in department stores, then you can't carry in WallyWorld. Some managers may push stricter no gun BS, but a call to the Regional office will usually get matters cleared up.

 

[astute]

I'm a believer in Concealed carry. (keep 'em guessing). If a person is properly carrying, no one will ever know unless the gun is needed for a defense situation because you would never mention, reveal or even touch it. No alarm will come from anyone. What they don't know won't hurt them.

 

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

Bass Pro Shop Las Vegas

The people @ the Bass Pro Shop in Las Vegas have never been anything other than friendly and cooperative to me. Maybe that's because I'm also friendly and cooperative. I hand my CCW permit to the 'Greeter' at the turnstile when I enter. They look at it, smile, hand it back and thank me for the courtesy of letting them know.

 

[mgdell]

If you don't need to have a CCW permit to OC, why would they need to see a CCW permit? Did I miss something?:wacko:

 

[utimmer43]

If you don't need to have a CCW permit to OC, why would they need to see a CCW permit? Did I miss something?:wacko:

The laws vary state to state. Some states do not distinguish between OC and CC. In those states, it is just a carry permit, and is required to do either.