Perhaps the most blatant way to give customers the impression your store isn’t a professional environment is by making mistakes at the gun counter. It’s far too common for employees tasked with handling firearms to violate gun safety rules, and by doing so they not only endanger customers but also create a haphazard, unprofessional appearance. Ensuring employees adhere to important safety rules isn’t just about appearances, though — it’s good business. Here’s how to get it done.

 

The Four Rules

If you spend time digging around online, you’ll discover there are various interpretations of the basic gun safety rules. In addition, there are more than a few internal debates within the firearms industry regarding what those rules should really say or how they should be interpreted. Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, offers a good, straightforward set of four golden rules that are well worth teaching to your team:

·      All guns are always loaded.

·      Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.

·      Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.

·      Always be sure of your target [and what is beyond it].

These might seem like difficult rules to follow at a gun counter due to the fact that employees and customers alike will be manipulating slides, opening actions, and dry-firing triggers. However, the rules continue to apply in those circumstances.

Treating all guns as though they’re loaded means being fully aware of the damage guns can do and that they’re not toys — they’re tools for self-defense and hunting. That means not waving them around, tossing them back and forth like a ball, or otherwise treating them with anything but respect. Some people take rule one too literally, because clearly guns aren’t always loaded, but the point is to handle them as though they were. Don’t be flippant about firearms handling.

Rule one melds nicely with rule two as well, because even at the gun counter, the muzzle of the gun better not point at anything you don’t want destroyed. That includes people, pets, and inanimate objects. Your store should have designated safe directions for dry fire and looking through scopes that are mounted to guns (or aligning iron sights). Generally speaking, the floor is the safest direction for dry fire, although it depends on whether you’re on the ground floor. Looking through scopes and sights is best done by aiming the firearm at the ceiling (again, what level you’re on matters).

Fingers on triggers are a frequent issue at gun counters. If your employee’s finger rests on the trigger as though it’s a recliner for their hand, that’s bad. All employees should demonstrate trigger safety by indexing their trigger finger high on the slide or receiver of the firearm. You should be able to see air through the trigger guard, not a finger. And if they want to show a customer dry fire, they need to aim the gun in a safe direction — after the gun’s been double-checked to ensure the chamber is empty, in full view of the customer (more on that later).

Being sure of your target and what is beyond it comes into play at the gun counter thanks to the way the supposedly empty guns are often waved around. Whether it’s a team member or a customer who thinks it doesn’t matter what they use as a target for dry fire or bringing the gun to their eyes, it’s a huge mistake to just point the gun wherever. But don’t worry, there are ways to deal with this.

 

Careful Employee Selection

Not every team member you bring on is going to be well-versed in firearms, but it’s helpful if they are. For those who claim to be experienced gun owners, it’s a simple matter to ask them to cite the four rules of gun safety. And for newcomers to the gun world, those rules are easy to teach. What’s not as straightforward is making sure the team sticks to those safety rules without fail.

Reality is there’s no way to know if your new hire — or even your existing team member — is a safe gun handler without seeing them in action. Taking that a step further, seeing someone handle firearms safely one time doesn’t mean there’s a good pattern of behavior, especially if they know they’re being watched.

 

The Case for Blue Guns

Blue guns, also known as orange or dummy guns, are fantastic tools for teaching and testing gun safety. Gun handling can be made part of the interview process by asking the person to demonstrate safe handling. You can even request they role play as the gun counter guy selling you the dummy gun in question. If you don’t have access to blue guns, you can also use a firearm with a cable lock in place to ensure it can’t be fired or manipulated.

A potential employee who fails to safely handle a gun during an interview isn’t necessarily a bad hire. Most likely they simply need instruction. After all, gun handling is part of a working at a sporting goods or gun store, and it’s a skill that must be taught, learned, and adhered to. No one is born knowing how to be safe with guns. Of course, if the person behaves as though you’re silly for considering safety, there’s a good chance they’re a poor fit for your business. The last thing you need is an employee who’s a liability and doesn’t care to do anything to fix it.

You can also utilize blue guns to teach gun handling before an employee starts working at the counter. It isn’t unusual for people to feel a bit silly treating a hunk of plastic as though it’s a functional firearm, but once the importance is explained, it should be treated with the same gravity as a working gun.

 

What If the Team Member Doesn’t Listen?

If you find yourself with an employee who repeatedly breaks the safety rules, it’s time to reconsider allowing them to work at the gun counter. Even if the errors in handling are accidents, there’s only so much leeway you can allow. You’ll need to decide where you draw the line on frequency of safety violations.

 

Wait…What If It’s the Customer Who’s Unsafe?

No team member should be forced to keep their mouths shut while a customer aims a gun at them or pulls a trigger while waving the gun around. There should be an agreed-upon protocol in place for how to politely correct customers. In circumstances where the customer flat doesn’t care how safe they are — usually because they’re claiming “the gun’s empty anyway” — take it away. These things can be done tactfully, and while you’ll probably lose a sale here and there, anyone who cares about gun use will be receptive to gentle corrections.

One easy way to circumvent dry-fire-related issues is by having clearly marked dry-fire targets. These targets will probably be on the ground and can be standard paper targets that have been laminated and fixed in place. A mat or sign designating the target for dry-fire completes the space. If you have a large gun counter, place these dry-fire targets at intervals.

 

Check, Double-Check, Triple-Check Those Guns

You might be surprised how often people are injured by guns that someone assumed or “knew” were empty. Gun counters are an especially high-risk area due to the sheer quantity of administrative handling. Perhaps the most important rule is not to have live rounds at or near the gun counter, but it isn’t uncommon to see ammo displays atop a glass counter (or on an end cap mere feet from the counter). Employees must keep an eye out for anyone handling ammunition who then goes to the gun counter. Set ammunition out of reach during the sale.

Even guns that have been sitting in the display case should be cleared before handling. This means dropping magazines, racking slides, and confirming not only visually but by touch that the chamber is empty. Sometimes our eyes deceive us, but our fingers rarely do. Teach employees to visually check that the gun is empty and to follow that up by sweeping fingers through chambers to confirm there’s not a round in there. It might seem annoyingly redundant, but it’s a vital safety measure. Mitigating risk is important not only for employee and customer safety but for your store’s liability.

 

Don’t Forget the Guns That Walk In

Post signs at the door and, if the size of the store requires it, throughout the store reminding customers to leave holstered guns in place. Under no circumstances should a customer wear a gun in and then unholster at the counter to show it off. Although it’s rare, there have been instances where a customer drew their holstered personal gun to compare it to a sales gun and ended up shooting someone negligently. In addition to signs reminding customers to leave guns holstered, make sure employees keep an eye on people. Most negligent discharges can be avoided if a qualified employee maintains control of the situation. And while it shouldn’t have to be said, go ahead and remind employees that if they’re carrying, those guns aren’t up for show and tell.

Guns coming in for the gunsmith should be in carrying cases, allowing the gunsmith to open the case and inspect the firearm themselves. The gunsmith should also have safe directions for this purpose, not an open space with zero options.

 

Safety Is Priority One

Your top priority should be safety, and that means ensuring your team is well trained. The team, in turn, monitors and controls customer interactions with firearms. Never assume someone knows how to handle a firearm, whether they’re looking for their first gun or claim to be experienced. Post the safety rules at the counter. Recite them to customers. Allow team members to say that it’s simply store policy, so bear with them while they run through rules. Take care not to be condescending, but don’t slack on safety. A gun firing at the counter is the proverbial bell that can’t be unrung, and it’s a problem that can be prevented by sticking to the rules.