How NRA Firearms Instructor Rick Ector Was Robbed In His Own Driveway - Part 7

How NRA Firearms Instructor Rick Ector Was Robbed In His Own Driveway - Part 7

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With One Step – Gun Ownership

Anyhow, after filing the crime report at my not-so-local neighborhood police station, I headed downtown to acquire a “Ten Day Purchase Permit.” The Gun Licensing Department ran my background to see if I had any official governmental prohibitions – felonies – against owning a firearm. 

Of course, the check came back clean so I was issued the permit. I was now able to legally buy a gun within the next ten days. If I had failed to do so (buy a gun), I would have to come back downtown to repeat the process.

Next, I went to a local gun shop without haste and bought my first handgun. I didn’t let the ominous signs – warning customers against pulling out guns because they might get shot – or the fact that all of the gun shop employees were openly carrying their guns on their hips, deter me. I had no idea of what to buy, so I bought the same gun that my brother-in-law owned. 

“If it was good enough for him, it must be good enough for me,” I reasoned. I didn’t originally plan on spending several hundreds of dollars on my purchase, but my first and only thought was to buy the best gun I could “afford” even if a few utility bills didn’t get paid on time that month. My life and safety were worth a ding or two on my credit report.

In retrospect, the gun dealer didn’t offer me a lot of informed customer service. To his credit, maybe he assumed, that since I was a guy, that I knew what I wanted. In fact, I didn’t know much of anything. 

My ignorance was my fault. The dealer’s fault was not asking me enough questions to allow him to best assess my needs. However, his insensitivity did not stop him from also suggesting additional purchases: jacketed hollow points and an inside-the-waist (IWB) holster.

(To be continued)