My point is everyone these days is used to taking classes/instruction from online classes, I don't see what's the difference between online and in person as far as basic firearm safety and the issue was State mandates for in person class. The actual handling of a loaded firearm and marksmanship obviously should be done in person and at a range.
Theres a big difference in learning formats, some people can learn well in one and not the other. Others need direct intervention.
Also even a well written curriculum cant cover everything. Being able to ask instructors questions and demonstrate things is a huge help to newbies.
As far as muzzle sweeping big difference between doing it at a range with loaded firearm and handling a cleared gun in a gun shop IMHO. Customer walks in, asks to see firearm in case, salesperson asks for LTC, withdraws firearm from case, clears firearm and hands it to customer.
You write this like this is the ONLY circumstance in which someone in a gun shop is going to be handling a gun? Because a clerk annointed them?
Lol so if you're "customer B" across the shop and you suddenly turn around and you see another "Customer A, as in A is for a**h***" pointing a gun at you, or sweeping you,
how do you know that gun has been cleared?
If the clerk is standing there you might infer that said gun is probably unloaded, but guess what, sometimes clerks have to go and get boxes, paperwork , etc. Or sometimes a clerk might have to answer a telephone while a customer is dicking arund with a gun.
Also theres no magical force field that keeps guns from becoming loaded in gun shops. Apparently you've never had the pleasure of witnessing a nipplehead take a live carry gun out of his holster and use it to try other holsters on in the store.....
I have. THANKFULLY most people are not that retarded, but still. It's also fun when you're looking at someones trade and its still loaded right in the f***ing pistol rug. Usually those people are hard skinflints (usually the ammo is almost crusted in the gun etc. )
Assuming that guns people are handling are unloaded "cuz you're in a gun shop" is just horrifically bad, failure driven mindset. That horrible mindset is exactly how people get hurt, counters get shot, people shoot through their hand, etc.
Also a gun shop is not some 110% cold range.
It's the polar opposite.
YOU ARE EFFECTIVELY IN A HOT RANGE even if people are not shooting. Sure the guns shown to customers typically are going to be clear, but heres some facts..... 2/3rds or even all of your staff has LOADED GUNS on their person. And in free states there are lots of LOADED GUNS sprinkled around the infield in non customer areas. Your customers are frequently carrying loaded, usually holstered guns into your store, too. Theres no dude at the door that magically clears every firearm that enters the building.
If you're lucky you have a sign that reminds people to not be retarded.
This happened about 15 yrs ago but I literally was at Deli Ticket Emporium on a thursday night where I watched a 90? year old guy muzzle sweep a clerk with a revolver loaded with
glaser safety slugs. Thankfully the clerk got the guy to stop being a retard and he unloaded the gun and directed the guy to not reload it in the store. (that guy shouldnt have been carrying shit, but thats a whole other story)
It's also just an etiquette/decorum thing- going back to my earlier example... how would you like to have a gun with the action closed pointed at you? I generally dont like it. Even when I know 110% the gun is unloaded. I don't want people sweeping my other customers, either.
You wouldnt be saying any of this if you have witnessed this stuff a few times. I have. In the real world in gun shops there is literally nothing that ever makes sweeping someone NOT a
safety violation.. It's something that you want to snuff out right away- because it could potentially save them or someone else from making a horirble mistake later. I'm not saying you have to leap over counter and tackle someone, but getting them to stop flagging people with the "unloaded" gun and getting them to understand that its f***ing stupid, is a GOOD THING (TM). It makes it so the safety behavior becomes engrained. Then maybe, as if by f***ING MAGIC, because it was reinforced so much, that person will at least not be sweeping anyone else if they can avoid it. Or at least their brain will be more likely to default to the right gear.
Food for thought: Most NDs and shit like that are often preceeded by some nipplehead going "It's OK its unloaded"
As I've stated before I ran ranges in the Army and being muzzle swept at the range would result in a butt stroke to the head but in the Armory/Barracks Soldiers were cleaning rifles everywhere and walking around with weapons pointed in every direction. That's why when you left the range they were inspected for ammo, "No Brass, NO Ammo Sergeant". In Boot Camp at FT.Benning(Not For Long) the best part of the day was sitting outside the barracks cleaning your rifle and the least of our worries and the Drill Sergeants was pointing cleared rifles at your battle buddy. THAT IS ALL!
Lol and thats why DOD firearms safety practices best resembles something from clown world, and still there are guys firing shots into clearing barrels and that kind of
stuff... or at least people I know who were in have told me about silly shit like that happening. When the system treats people like toddlers it shouldnt be shocked when
toddler-grade incidents happen. Of course part of the problem is they have to deal with training shitloads of people with guns and a large % of those people dont belong anywhere near
a gun to begin with. So I get that, but that doesn't make it any less dumb. The real world doesnt have sanitary freezer cold areas for guns and people shaking others down to make
sure they have no ammo. The real world is a hot range with loaded guns on it 99% of the time.
ETA: to be 110% clear I am not BLAMING YOU for this. Its obvious in those situations people HAVE TO follow the established protocols. Even if the protocol is dumb, otherwise you get in trouble. I get that.