I guess it comes down to a couple of things:
If they outright lie about it, citing a law that doesn't exist, then it's not a store that i want to do business with.
If the counter help doesn't have any idea what they're talking about WRT laws, then it's not a store I want to do business with.
In this case, I don't see the end of freedom as we know it, I see a dishonest, or at best, an uninformed staff. I do see it as a minor encroachment; what business is it of theirs where you're gonna take the ammo/components/gun parts you buy? Personal responsibility is what we all preach, and if they won't let someone with a Ma DL, purchase ammo to go shoot at their buddy's range in Hooksett, without an LTC, they're not practicing what they preach. If they cite a non-existent law concern no sales to MA residents without an LTC, they they're just flat out liars.
Problem with this is it means if you are ideologically consistent you won't set foot in like 75% of the gun shops in the region, because I've run into poorly informed or legally misleading staff at many of them. I stopped caring a long time ago and o ly care about them selling me a product at a reasonable price. The rest of it is nearly meaningless absent some serious shenanigans on the part of the shop.
-Mike
Mike is right! How many of us have been in gun shops (or at gun shows) where we've heard clerks spout the following stuff????
- Putting pre-ban mags in a post-ban gun is illegal.
- These P-mags are all pre-ban.
- Glock mags with high caliber markings are all post-ban . . . only U-channel or square-channel mags are pre-ban.
- These mags/<specific type> ammo will be illegal as of <some random date>, so you better buy it now, last chance.
- It's illegal for you to touch a gun in MA w/o showing your LTC/FID first.
- etc. ad nauseum!
There is so much mis-information spouted by ignorant clerks, that if you boycott every shop this happens in you will literally have no place left to shop. It is impossible for any business owner to absolutely 100% ensure that NO employee ever spouts an untruth to a potential customer, no matter how hard they try. Choose to react as you like, but just be aware of this.
How often do you see people here on NES spout "law" that is pure BS? Should Derek ban them all for life too?
There is no Liability, It is all in his head.
I've had the personal discussion with Jim on why he cards everyone. Personally I don't agree with that policy (and Jim made it clear to me that it was his policy and NOT law), BUT I do understand his position and why he implemented it.
After a perp visited his shop and it became known during the investigation, he had picketers out front of his shop. I'm sure that he had "investigators" interrogating him about said perp, taking valuable time away from him or his staff doing their jobs. I'm just as sure that some one of the ban crowd will try to shop him to trip him up and out him to cause him business harm that will cost more time and legal fees to prove that he did nothing wrong. It is easy for each of us to sit back and tell others to fight injustice but if it harms his business/cost him unnecessary legal fees that is a "liability" of sorts and each business owner must judge how much they will tolerate prior to reacting.
As a business owner, I have made some judgments and refused some work because I wasn't willing to assume the risks involved. If a client gives me an uneasy gut reaction, I refuse the work.
I don't have a personal opinion on SO's treatment of customers since the couple of times I was in there, they didn't have what I was looking for (certain bulk ammo) and my Wife bought only one expensive pair of 5.11 pants there to date. We didn't have to show any ID to make said purchase so nothing to complain about.