This afternoon on my way home from work I stopped by a local sporting goods store to see if they had received their broken Kahr PM9 back from the service department yet. They had not, but I spotted something under the counter that had not been there before: a completed DPMS AR-15 lower at a price low enough to make me wonder if I wanted to assemble my own after all. While I was looking at it, the salesman asked me what kind of AR I was looking to build:
Paul: Well, I’ll probably go with a light-weight, no-frills carbine. It’s my first, so I want to save money where I can and get a short, handy first rifle.
Salesman: And that lower would be great for that. In fact, you could get a 10.5″ upper online if you’re willing to risk it.
Paul: And become a felon, sure.
Now folks, I don’t like the NFA any more than the next guy. The $200 tax stamp required for SBRs, the paperwork, and the wait are annoying, but not nearly as annoying as skipping them, getting caught, and having “FELON” stamped onto your background checks for the rest of your days. Not to mention the whole going to jail and losing the right to vote and own firearms. As I’ve stated before, I don’t consider legality and morality to be intrinsically linked, but let’s not be stupid here: $200, though unjust, is not the end of the world. I know folks with SBRs, and aside from the wait the process was no big deal. It’s a violation of my rights, but not enough of a violation to justify an action that could take me away from my family for a few years, and away from productive employment for a lifetime. All that is an especially bad idea for a “feature” on an AR that sacrifices a large portion of its utility.
As I was processing this, I overheard the following exchange:
Customer: Man, that EOTech sight sighted in like nothin! I got it off eBay for $400, and you can’t beat that!
Salesman: Yeah, I like them a lot. I’ve got one on my rifle at home.
(It should be noted that earlier, when I asked if they had any fixed or folding AR sights, he tried to sell me a $30 red dot.)
Customer: They say that mine can be used with night vision gear. I can’t afford it, but it sure looks nice.
Salesman: Yeah, and you don’t see much of it. Most of the newer night vision stuff you see at shows are from the military. Soldiers just write ‘em off as losses and take ‘em home to sell. Hell, I’m going off to war myself soon, and I’m planning to stick a few in my bag when I come back.
First off, I must point out that Gen III NVDs are available to anyone, though it’s worth noting that there are export restrictions. Pricey, yes, but perfectly legal.
Making a personal decision to break what most consider to be an unjust law (unregistered SBR) is one thing. Advocating noncompliance with such laws from a storefront is stupid, but I’m not going to judge. Announcing that one is planning to steal from the US Government for personal gain, though? I mean, he knows everyone in that room pays for that stuff, right? Do people have no shame?
I’m just about sure that a complaint letter to the owner is in order. What do you guys think? How would you approach this? This guy is giving firearm retailers and gun-owners everywhere a bad name, but it’s possible that he’s not the only one and that such a letter would be ignored.
In any case, I won’t be purchasing that Kahr, or anything else, from that establishment unless they kick the guy to the curb.
