Sometimes it is so dificult to obtain information on the subject of firearms.  I have to spend hours at the library and on line.  There is only one place in the area that sells equipment that I would like to purchase or have questions about.  The "cop shop".  It's where the law enforcement personal can go to purchase anything from clothes to firearms and body armor.  
I have tried many times to make purchases there. (I understand that some things will be off limts)  But when I am asking a question about a certain scope for my AR I feel like I am being interogated.  

"Where did you get your AR?"  "What do you need a scope like this for?"  "Why do you think you need a tac light for your .45 USP?"

I am a 23 year old man.  Yes, I have shoulder length hair.  Yes, I have piercings in my tongue and ears.  And yes, I have tattoos.  

BUT...I am not a criminal.

Thank you to all who log on to this site not only to gain in your hobbies and interests but also to help others do the same.

Ask if you get the Militia member discount. :)

"I am a 23 year old man. Yes, I have shoulder length hair. Yes, I have piercings in my tongue and ears. And yes, I have tattoos."

Gee, you probably LOOK like a criminal. Why don't you dress respectably and perhaps you'll get some respect in return, instead of being treated like the FREAK you look like.

You [b]shop[/b] at the 'cop shop', figure out what you need, and then [b]order[/b] it from somewhere else!

I just know I probably shouldn't ask this, but why a [i]tongue stud?[/i]  

Just curious, you know.

Eric The(EverSeePulpFiction?)Hun[>]:)]

And here is the mentality....

A$$holes like this that judge by way of physical looks....the same jerkoffs who will kick some ass on a longhair....like me.

Judge me by my looks do you? The ever so impartial COP's that patronize the place are the same way.

I have respect, respect I have earned on many different levels. I have over time met many famous rock and roll or country music stars due to the part time stage setup gigs I accompany my friend with.

I am a machinist by trade, I am an accomplished painter of restored automobiles. I am a fine welder/fabricator.

These things to which a person can count on are what it is to be judged...character. Yes I have long hair, yes I have weapons and plan on getting more and it ain't any business of the A$$HOLE COP where or [I][B]WHY[/B][/I] I want something.


Being an Enigma to them is good to a point and I'll be damned if I will ever change who I am or what I look like to [I][B]AVOID[/B][/I] the likes of how a COP thinks a good gun owner should look.


[rail]Railgun....

Tell them you're an undercover taxpayer. [:D]

Eric,

Tongue stud= clit hammer.

Increase your dating pool instantly!

Although it is not right to judge a book by its cover, human nature dictates the opposite. If you dress like an idiot, people will treat you so. It may not be right, but that is the way it is. If this place treats you like a criminal, either go else where to do your business, or change your appearance. Hard to keep a low profile in life if you stick things in your skin and deviate from the "norm". Yes, you are free to dress and deck yourself out as you want, but don't expect to be treated the same as a "clean cut" normal type guy. Society won't allow that.

You are old enough that you can handle the truth: your appearance is important.  As teenagers, we all felt the need to be rebellious, and looking different is a good way to do that without actually creating any real trouble.  However, you are growing out of that phase of your life. The fact that you mentioned your appearance in your post indicates you are coming to that conclusion on your own.

People judge each other by their appearance.  Your job, income, acceptance in other organizations, attractiveness to girls, etc etc etc will all depend on your appearance.  It isn't fair, we should be judged on our intelligence, character etc, but it is the way it is.  If your current appearance is important to you, that is fine.  It's up to you, but don't complain about the consequences of your own choices.  

I have decided not to hire well qualified engineers, purely because of their appearance.  I didn't feel that I could put them in front of my clients, and I felt their appearance reflected a lack of maturity. So this could eventually keep you from the job and pay scale your talents might really be able to earn.

Finally, we as gun owners need to present the best possible image to the rest of society as part of our overall strategy to hang on to our rights.  They won't listen to facts or reason, just emotion.  You appearance evokes an emotion which makes it easy for the rest of society to make an emotional judgement that gun owners are weird.

I hope I didn't come down on you too hard; this was meant as helpful advice not as a flame.

Tell them it's none of their business.

Tell them because you "can"

Tell them because it's your constitutional right

Tell them for a "home defense" gun

Tell them to kiss your ass and order your stuff from somewhere else.

Railgun,
I don't think that the poster, newbe, indicated that he was interrogated by the police when he went to the so-called "cop shop", seems like he was implying that it was the store employees. Shop owners have a right to refuse service to anyone, even for bigoted reasons. If the owner doesn't want newbe's hard-earned honest dollars, then he should take his business elsewhere. Cops haven't cornered the market on prejudice thought or deeds. Do you judge a man by the job he does or the clothes he wears, but not his hair length or personal body accouterments? In case you haven't guessed, I am a cop, but unlike what you seem to believe, I revel in the differences that are part of the human condition. Life would be boring as hell if we all thought, acted and looked the same. When I was younger, I wore my hair long; the only way now for me to do so would be to transfer to the Narcotics Division, and without getting too deep into my beliefs of how the "War on Drugs" mentality has robbed us all of a measure of our freedom, its not an option for me.

Mike

i have to agree 100%!

hey newbe, just a footnote on the appearance thing, you just described me and all my friends when we were your age - we REFUSED to "conform" to the ways and means of the establishment. (this was before my gun days) but, coming from a small town, and looking the way i did, i just got no respect, and i realized that i couldn't do much without ALWAYS being watched. anyway, i got a "real" job and have to look the part - BAM! instant transformation! nobody hassles me at the airport, cops and gun-guys give me the time of day. james bond wore a suit all the time because no matter where he was, it looked like he belonged there!  [:)]  same thing can apply in real life - AND, no matter what your philosophies are, the people who would hassle you the most will never be the wiser!!  
STEALTH is the way!      [}:D]

Neither am I!

Just because I'm black/hispanic and want a bunch of semi-automatic weapons doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to drive slow down your street with the lights dim/off and shoot you and your family up.

I might decide to hide in a tree for a couple days and put one in your eye!

Ok, all joking aside; I hate that shit too. I go to just about any gun store (and worse in a pawn shop), and I get this... "OK, heres the lower 20's minority that wants an UZI to shot sideways" deal. I've never touched an damn Uzi, nor do I care to. And don't give me that, "maybe its how your dressed" bullshit either. I don't see what's so stereotypical about t-shirts and jeans. I know you guys wear them too.

I think I've been over this before on another post (back when o0o was actually McUzi).

Anyway, I know what you mean. I just say to hell with `em. Give me my damn gun and I'll get out your store because I make you fell insecure and cautious.

Tongue ring = Chick magnet. [:D]
Here's your friendly neighborhood moderator TREETOP with a couple:
[img]wsphotofews.excite.com/008/cz/jt/1Q/eT57199.jpg[/img]
{yes, that's a 9/16" hole in my tongue}

newbe, I've found that I get more respect and a more positive type of attention since I removed all of my visible piercings, grew out a little hair, and started dressing reasonably decent. I always said that people needed to accept me for who I am, but I realised that who I was portraying was giving people a faulty view of who I am.
Just a thought...

Eric, I like how you sign your posts. I get a real laugh out of them.

I have my nipples pierced...  Am I a freak?

I have found great pleasure in blending in. I was once young and at war with the world( my hair was nearly to my ass and the first time I got my nipple pierced was with a piercing gun) Now, the only way you would know I am not just a dorky white guy is if I let you in on it.
F**K those cop stores they are Holier than you. Buy from the freakiest militia nut you can find at the next gun show.

I thought I was being funny once and asked a guy at the gun store once that same question. He looked me straight in the and said "which one?" (this is when I was in Kali) Guess jokes on me.

Right on target.[;)]

"The Cop Shop"?  Is that name for real?  I would be reluctant to go in there just by virtue of the name.  It sounds like it should be a closed, private club or something.

What EXACTLY does a FREAK look like???

Perhaps if he is clean cut like Jeffery Dauhmer or Ted Bundy they he'll be a *better person*!

Yep, people judge by appearences but why should we! I've met many people who "look" like "skinheads" but I didn't assume they were nor were they...... Is there a uniform code of acceptance? We're talking people NOT resistors, you [B]just[/B] can't judge them by looking at them.

P.S.- What city is this store in? Next time I pass through i'll be sure NOT to stop there.

(far off the topic)

say newbe, doesnt your profile say you are from iowa. where abouts in iowa are you from??

While people [b]should[/b] judge you by your personality, deeds, what's on the "inside," etc, when you first meet someone you do not know, all they have to go by is what they see.

It's unfortunate that people can't just accept others who are different than themselves, but the sad truth is, looks do matter.  If you look more "respectable" you get more respect.  

(For the record, I also used to have shoulder length hair)

Just because you have long hair or piercings doesn't mean you are rebelling.  There are many very personal reasons why someone looks the way they do.  I have hair down to my belt.  I keep it in a neat ponytail.  Yes I have caught hell, however, I am an Engineer for one of the largest companies in the world

You know it is funny, the 20th (and now it seems the 21st) century has been the only time in the history of mankind when men with long hair were looked down upon.

...I have respect, respect I have earned on many different levels. I have over time met many famous rock and roll or country music stars due to the part time stage setup gigs I accompany my friend with.

Earned respect by meeting rock and roll stars?
Bahahahaha! You wimpy little puke. Why don't you earn some respect by serving our country in the military, or by serving as a LEO? You worthless little runt. You are nothing. You deserve no respect. You think respect is something you earn by setting up concerts and smoking dope with your other drug crazed freaks?
I did TWO tours in Vietnam. I have been a Federal LEO for over 17 years now. I have, and still do, put my life on the line for this country every day. Don't you dare speak to me about respect that YOU HAVE NOT EARNED you worthless piece of sh$t.[:(!]