Fiasco at Bass pro shop tonight

[Maj. Boom Boom]

Was anyone else at the foxboro bass pro shop preferred members special tonight? What a mess and i am not sure what to do about it other than to write to the corporate headquarters and to Remington who donated the shotgun.

Let me explain. this will be long

Tonight Bass Pro was holding a preferred member special where they were giving out knives to the first 120 people, had food and drinks and was holding raffles. There were to be names drawn every 1/2 hour between 7pm and 10pm with the last one at 9:30. All but the last drawing was for 25 gift cards, the last one was for a Remington 870 express shotgun.

On the promotion card sent to the preferred members telling them the details of the night it CLEARLY says you need to be present to win the shotgun. Common sense says you would need a Ma fid to win and when we started out, with everyone eating, it was stated by a bass pro employee, that you need a Ma fid to win the shotgun.

OK, so they pull a name for the shotgun at 9:30. They announced it over the speaker and a couple minutes later this young man, around 20 i would guess, comes down stairs and announces hes the winner. At this same time they are announcing the last $25 gift card which was from someone who was not there. So when the young man announces himself as the shotgun winner they ask him if he has an fid. He said "No not yet"!! the person in control tells him to wait at the side (he stood right next to me), and continued to pull names for the last gift card till he had a winner.

During this time i told this young man and the person next to me that he could not win the gun without an fid. The young man says "I'll have my brother pick it up". A few of us who heard all of this stuck around to see what was going to happen. The person in charge and a couple other employees took the young man into the side room (the conservation room) where we all ate. We saw the winner show them is DL and took down his info. They are allowing him to pass the shotgun along to his brother who will pick the gun up.

I had a talk to the person in charge after the young man left (without the gun) about what was going on. I was told they were not going to give this guy the gun but that they had a rule where the winner could pass it on to a family member. It would only be allowed to leave the store with an fid holder. Also if the brother did not pick it up, (which judging by what was said he will) within a week they had picked an alternate winner and that would be emailed/called.

My problems with this are 1) this guy did not have an fid 2) you were supposed to have been there to win 3) its for preferred customers. and 4) there was nothing in print saying it could be passed along.

What should have happened, in all fairness to the preferred customers there, is that the young man should have been told sorry you cant win without an fid (that is what was stated earlier) and they should have picked another winner. His brother was not there, that was clearly stipulated as a rule and he is not a preferred customer - this was a preferred customer raffle. So since it was not printed about being able to pass the gun along to family member and given the above about the brother, in my mind and that of others there, the brother should not have been allowed to win, which in essence is what happened.

They should have picked another winner. I am not mad about not winning, heck i had a great time, i am mad that the gun went to someone not there and not a preferred customer, most importantly i am afraid the brother is just collecting the gun for the winner who does not have an fid. That's all we need in this state - bass pro should have known better!

 

[theGringo]

If the guy who pulled the lucky ticket was a preferred customer, and he was present, and unless the rules stated that the winner must have an FID, then the guy is the legitimate winner. That he could not take immediate possession of the gun is an artifact of state law.

I hope the guy gets his FID, takes legal ownership of the gun, and has a great time with it.

 

[jenlynn724]

I don't see what the big deal is.. All Bass Pro Preferred customers aren't necessarily shooters The kid was probably trying to win a gift certificate to the store. I think it was irresponsible for Bass Pro to raffle a shotgun to be honest. There are many many customers who shop there that have no LTC, and no intention of getting one. They should have raffled a kayak or something..

 

[Franco]

i agree if you enter a raffle to win a shotgun you should be licensed to own a shotgun beforehand. the kid should of been told to screw. and pass it along the next qualified participant

 

[George D]

Sounds strawtastic.

 

[theGringo]

i agree if you enter a raffle to win a shotgun you should be licensed to own a shotgun beforehand. the kid should of been told to screw. and pass it along the next qualified participant

Licensing "should" be required of no one. This kid has just been given an opportunity to enter the shooting sports. You should be happy for him.

 

[Franco]

Licensing "should" be required of no one. This kid has just been given an opportunity to enter the shooting sports. You should be happy for him.

i agree with your point, its those backwards upside down MA laws that are rubbing off on me.

 

[MACGYVR]

Usually when winning something like this there is a fine print rules that are not published but are overarching and available on request.
In there usually if you win something you cannot take posession of, they will award you a prize of equal value or can make other arrangements. Nothing says that you can't have your brother take posession. He won it fair, legally can't have it, and he said his brother would claim it. Brother comes and takes it. Now his gun. Nothing wrong with that at all. Once the kid gets his FID, then his brother will give him the gun on an FA-10. And we add one more happy gun owner to Mass.


Only thing wrong here was that you did not win and are pissed about it.

What you should have done is talk the kid up. Congratulate him. Tell him of local clubs where he could take the class to get an FID. Tell him about GOAL and NES.

 

[TomH]

Sounds strawtastic.

Does rather sound like that doesn't it?

 

[cekim]

MA state police should just have swarmed in and arrested everyone just to be safe...

Sorry, just had to laugh...

Yes, BP should have done a better job, but they didn't... So, take your money elsewhere...

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

Only thing wrong here was that you did not win and are pissed about it.

Absolutely 100% wrong!

its not about me winning, i already own 2 shotguns. would i have taken it if i had won? you bet. is that why i am mad? HELL NO!!

I'm upset because the rules say the winner has to have an fid, it was stated on the invitation and again when we were all eating, and that the winner had to be there. the young man didn't have fid. he should have been disqualified and another winner picked. I don't care who the winner is as long as they are a preferred customer, has an fid and is there at the time stated! there were 3 simple rules which were expected to be followed by the winner, they weren't. if rules are not followed what good are they? it was stated on the invitation that the winner had to be there, since the brother is the winner by default, he should have had to been there. since this was for preferred customers, his brother should have been a preferred customer. if their was a rule that you could pass it on it should have been listed with the other rules.

here's an example.

1) not knowing that the shotgun could be passed on and hearing the young man say he did not have an fid.

2) seeing the person in charge take him into the other room and you are dismissed with a statement that the raffles were over.

3) without stopping to talk to the person in charge, which i did.

would you think the young man was getting the gun illegally? would you call the police?

and by the way my whole conversation with the person in charge was in regards to making sure the gun was not going home with the young man who didn't have an fid and not about his brother being allowed to have it.

in my opinion its just not fair to all the other preferred customers who did things by the book. a couple people left after we were told that an fid was needed, shouldn't they have been told you could pass the gun on? maybe they would have stayed for a chance.

i'm just saying the rules are the rules and you should stick by them and make them available instead of making them up as you go along. it has absolutely nothing to do about me not winning.

if it was posted and or stated that it could be passed on and that the person it was going to didn't have to be there, i would not have a problem with it. but that's not the case, in fact everything we were told was opposite that.

i guess myself and all the others who heard what went on are all spoiled sports....lol NOT! its more about the rules being followed as posted and making sure its going to a licenced owner, preferred customer than anything else.

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

MA state police should just have swarmed in and arrested everyone just to be safe...

Sorry, just had to laugh...

Yes, BP should have done a better job, but they didn't... So, take your money elsewhere...

i guess i am just not getting my point across right. what if some of the people who left (and who did not have the conversation i did with the person in charge) thought the kid was getting the gun without an fid? should they call the police? would you call the police if you had heard the kid didn't have an fid and then saw the management taking his info? shouldn't all the rules be posted somewhere? shouldn't the others who left, have been given the same chance by being told they could pass it on?

 

[theGringo]

I'm upset because the rules say the winner has to have an fid, it was stated on the invitation and again when we were all eating ...

Here's what you said in the original post:

On the promotion card sent to the preferred members telling them the details of the night it CLEARLY says you need to be present to win the shotgun. Common sense says you would need a Ma fid to win and when we started out, with everyone eating, it was stated by a bass pro employee, that you need a Ma fid to win the shotgun.

Was the "FID Rule" rule stated on the written invitation or wasn't it? I don't know what might have been spoken at the event ... Did they say you need an FID to enter the contest? Or that you need an FID to take the gun home?

You've got me confused. Maybe it's the annoying lack of capitalization, or the inconsistency in your story.

Don't know what that "call the police" crack was about. I don't think I'll go there.

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

Here's what you said in the original post:



Was the "FID Rule" rule stated on the written invitation or wasn't it? I don't know what might have been spoken at the event ... Did they say you need an FID to enter the contest? Or that you need an FID to take the gun home?

yes it was. neither, you needed an fid to win.

You've got me confused. Maybe it's the annoying lack of capitalization, or the inconsistency in your story.

what inconsistency? the common sense line was just that anyone with half a brain should know without reading the invitation that an fid is needed in ma. even if you know jack about guns, with all the news stories out there, you should know you cant just walk out with a gun.

Don't know what that "call the police" crack was about. I don't think I'll go there.

its not a "crack" the point being if someone heard everything that happened EXCEPT for my conversation with the person in charge, they could have thought bass pro was giving this gun to someone without an fid. then said person would be in their rights and i dare say should call the police to see if that was indeed what happened.

i am not saying it was illegal only that it could have looked that way to any of the others who were not there when i talked to the person in charge. by the way i am calling him "the person in charge" because i am not sure if he was the manager or not. since my beef is about the way it was run and not about who won or the legality of it (since i had the conversation that was made moot) i did not take notice. had i not had the conversion, i would have thought the kid was getting it illegally.

 

[cekim]

i guess i am just not getting my point across right.

No, I understand your problem... Just saying I wouldn't have gotten my panties in a wad... Sounded like they were trying to do the right thing with the FID. Whether or not they did or not, I don't know... but no, at that point, I don't see someone trying to commit a crime. In your place, I might/would likely mention that they should confirm the legal requirements if it looked like stupidity was going to get someone in trouble, but...

I'll let them figure that garbage out on their own time...

Yes, they should have figured it out before hand, but beyond mentioning it to the "person in charge" as I thought you said you did, I don't think there is anything else to do...

As for re-drawing, well that too is going to cause a fiasco because now the first winner is going to be pissed... At that point, I want no part in this process...

I don't want to be Mr. #2 and get involved in whatever disaster follows with Mr. #1 complaining, suing, etc...

At that point its no longer a "free gift", its a big old suit case of BS waiting to spill all over you...

That's all...

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

No, I understand your problem... Just saying I wouldn't have gotten my panties in a wad... Sounded like they were trying to do the right thing with the FID. Whether or not they did or not, I don't know... but no, at that point, I don't see someone trying to commit a crime.

I was only like that till i talked to the person in charge but still worried about what it looked like to others.

In your place, I might/would likely mention that they should confirm the legal requirements if it looked like stupidity was going to get someone in trouble, but...

That's what i did during the conversation, i stated that it wasn't about who got the gun and that i thought it was my duty as a lawful gun owner to make sure whoever took the gun had the right id. they agreed.

Yes, they should have figured it out before hand, but beyond mentioning it to the "person in charge" as I thought you said you did, I don't think there is anything else to do...

yep i did. the only other thing i did was to post it here to get others opinions as to if i was totally whacked or if they thought things could have been done better. and to see if they might have thought it possible, that a gun was handed over illegally if they didn't hear the end conversation.

As for re-drawing, well that too is going to cause a fiasco because now the first winner is going to be pissed... At that point, I want no part in this process...

I don't want to be Mr. #2 and get involved in whatever disaster follows with Mr. #1 complaining, suing, etc...

At that point its no longer a "free gift", its a big old suit case of BS waiting to spill all over you...

That's the only spot where i may have a differing opinion. I thought the fairest and easiest way to handle it taking into account:

1) the rules as printed
2) the folks who already left who did not know about the "passing on"
3) the other customers who were where they were supposed to be with what they were supposed to have.

would have been to draw another name. I am not sure the 1st winner would have a case since it was stated that the winner had to have an fid. however i am not a lawyer by any stretch of the imagination so i could be wrong.

I would not want to be in a suit either. The BS is correct which is why i named this thread the way i did.

just trying to make sure things are on the up and up.

anyway thanks for all the responses everyone it helps to give insight as to how this board thinks and if i am way out of line here.

 

[Lamina]

sounds like sour grapes. like others have said... sticking to your guns on principle, when the principle is flawed, is flawed.

it's absolutely evil that such a thing as an FID exists, and yet you wish to have some entity bind themselves to their own wayward rules condoning such a beast?

 

[FalArAk]

I would have been pissed the 20 yr old just couldn't walk out of the store with a shotgun after passing the NICS check.

You have been indoctrinated just fine,the Liberals would be proud of you.

anyway thanks for all the responses everyone it helps to give insight as to how this board thinks and if i am way out of line here.

Don't let anybody do your thinking for you.

 

[codenamepaul]

Originally Posted by George D
Sounds strawtastic

Does rather sound like that doesn't it?

You two need to go find yourself a definition. Too many (perhaps yourselves) are too ignorant as to what a straw purchase actually is.

 

[RI_John]

I would have been pissed the 20 yr old just couldn't walk out of the store with a shotgun after passing the NICS check.

You have been indoctrinated just fine,the Liberals would be proud of you.

I bought a used 20 gauge shotgun at the local hardware store when I was 14 years old in Tennessee. The only question asked of me was "Does your dad know you're buying this?" This wasn't that long ago, not the 1950's but 1980.

The fact that a 20 year old man needs some sort of special government license to buy a shotgun is absurd and very sad.

ETA- Oh, and I meant to ask, Hobbit, were you by chance the hall monitor in middle school?

 

[Bob's Gun & Archery Shop]

Quit your bitching

A: Free Raffle
B: You had a chance to win Free stuff
C: You didn't win
D: Be glad BP was even doing a Free Raffle for its members, nothing written you are entitled to Free Goods.

And what they did was totally legal. They way you explained it, it was fair and square. If they said you had to be present to win or its a reload, then I could see a complaint. He was there he won and he played within their rules. You should have been congratulating him instead of stewing about the FID issue. That was between BP and him no one else.

 

[USMA-82]

Yeah, I think this is really not the big deal it seems. The guy won the raffle, he just could not take possession of it because of MA laws. The store could hold on to the prize until the guy got his license, then everything is fine.

I had a similar (but different) episode myself several years ago. I won a raffle in New Hampshire (it was either a gun show or a competition), and the prize was a new pistol. Of course, it wasn't on the "Massachusetts List of Stuff Allowed for Inmates" so I couldn't take it, and couldn't just tranfer to a MA FFL. And in this case, the situation wasn't going to change anytime soon. The solution was that they gave me cash instead.

...and I promptly traveled down to Four Seasons and picked up a Romanian SAR-1 with the money!

So - no laws were broken, I was a happy camper, and they gave raffle winner #2 (a NH resident) the pistol.

Now there's a happy ending!

*

 

[lowbuckbob]

Quit your bitching

A: Free Raffle
B: You had a chance to win Free stuff
C: You didn't win
D: Be glad BP was even doing a Free Raffle for its members, nothing written you are entitled to Free Goods.

And what they did was totally legal. They way you explained it, it was fair and square. If they said you had to be present to win or its a reload, then I could see a complaint. He was there he won and he played within their rules. You should have been congratulating him instead of stewing about the FID issue. That was between BP and him no one else.

+1. I fail to see the issue here.

 

[Fixxah]

What if the winner was not qualified, ie; FELON?

Just sayin.

 

[SKS Ray]

...and I promptly traveled down to Four Seasons and picked up a Romanian SAR-1 with the money!

Much better than a new pistol.

FWIW I don't thing the Bass Pro thing is that big of a deal and I kind of expect it from a chain store.

Maybe they should have held a separate raffle for the shotgun where people would have to show proper license before getting a chance to win it. I'm willing to bet more than half the people there that night with tickets in hand didn't have an FID.

 

[depicts]

Do you know the kid is from Mass? What if he was a preferred customer from RI, 10 miles down the road. People come to bass Pro from hundreds of miles away. Can only locals be Preferred customers?

If he wasn't a Mass resident, he couldn't have an FID card, and Bass Pro couldn't make the transfer, but if he was a preferred customer, they may have determined to honor his "win" in another way that didn't involve an out of state transfer.

I'm all for following (most) rules, but I'll bet there is more to this.

Maybe a Bass Pro employee on the forum can explain what happened.

btw, If I had been there, waiting 2 hours for the drawing, and the written rules said you needed an FID to win, I'd have asked for clarification too.

What if the winner didn't have an FID, but rather, a LTC? Would they be disqualified? If they were properly licensed out of state, couldn't they buy the gun by having it shipped to a dealer in their state? Could they have wanted to find a way to not have one of their promotional items, or customers end up in a different strore?

There's no such thing as a free lunch, or I guess free raffle tickets.

I don't know, I don't go to Bas Pro much. I've heard a rumor they have a big, goofy, red faced guy there named C-pher that kisses people and says, "I love you man". Gives me shivers just thinking about it.

 

[vellnueve]

If he wasn't an MA resident, they could have possibly arranged for a transfer from a BP in another state.

I believe C-Pher no longer works there, but I could be wrong.

 

[offcamber]

They should have opened that store in a free state that doesn't require an FID to buy a long gun...or any gun for that matter.

 

[SKS Ray]

One thing I wanted to mention about Bass Pro that I had happen a few weeks ago.

When I went there looking for ammo there was some big soccer event going on at the stadium and fans were everywhere. I had to wait to find a store employee so I could get some ammo from one of the cabinets and as he unlocked the case he said they usually have it unlocked but because of the soccer game that day, they had to lock it.

 

[vellnueve]

One thing I wanted to mention about Bass Pro that I had happen a few weeks ago.

When I went there looking for ammo there was some big soccer event going on at the stadium and fans were everywhere. I had to wait to find a store employee so I could get some ammo from one of the cabinets and as he unlocked the case he said they usually have it unlocked but because of the soccer game that day, they had to lock it.

I have a couple of friends that are frequent soccer people, and I think that this is an extraordinarily good idea. From what I hear, they should probably load a few of the shotguns and keep them behind the counter as well.