The wife and I went to use the range at Adventures Outdoors in Smyrna today... I am still processing what happened there...

As always, I was carrying concealed. Had my AR in a case and my wife's pistol in the range bag.

I've been to about 50 guns stores/ranges in my short 6 years shooting, and I have never felt like being treated like a dumbass until today...

We checked in and the gentleman states "If there's no loaded firearms, I will have you guys watch a quick safety video..."

I replied that I had my pistol on me... He immediately changed tone and said "You need to go outside RIGHT NOW and unload your weapon IMMEDIATELY!!!"

I told him I had a concealed carry license, to which he replied "A weapons license means nothing in Georgia, it's a felony to carry a loaded weapon in here".

I walked outside, unloaded and placed my pistol slide opened (as requested) back in the holster. At this point I was curious, and began a conversation with him about why a range/firearms store does not allow concealed carry... He proceeds to tell me he is an instructor there (shocking) and that in Georgia, ii is a felony to carry inside ANY business that have a "No weapons allowed" sign. I researched Georgia gun laws extensively prior to moving here 2 months ago, and he is wrong... It is the same as in MO, where the business can ask you to leave, then if you don't, they call the law, then it's is a crime if you don't leave at LE request... And I'm pretty sure it's not a felony either...

He continued to tell me that he has drawn his weapon before on customers that pulled their guns out while checking in at the range (to his defense, I don't know why anyone would pull their gun out at the counter anyways), which I also thought it was very bizarre...

I understand the concept of their house, their rules... I just found it very weird... And I will not go back there either... I've been to 2 other ranges in the area, and had absolutely no issues at all...

I am missing something here or does this episode seem out of the ordinary?

TL;DR crowd = went to Adventures Outdoors in Smyrna with wifey, range counter employee/store instructor yelled at me to leave to unload concealed carried weapon and told me it was a felony to have it loaded in there in Georgia.

Oh yeah, rules I know....

He's a dumbass


but in their defense many dumbass's carry loaded guns into ranges and shoot people by accident.

Bravo for following the rules.

The GaHTF rules, not theirs

Concealed means concealed.

Welcome to GA! You learned quickly that AO is the biggest and crappiest store around for firearms/range.

Wifey

 

It bugs me that they are so successful. They have been epic d-bags for decades and it starts from the top there. They have a condescending culture there that likely starts with the family that owns the place. They have racks and racks of overstocked inventory.

I suspect that if cherokee or another place with respect for customers opened a store closer to 285 they could kick ass.

This is part of the problem with businesses in the gun industry... there are those who like to make others feel inferior or stupid... safety is one thing, being a total dildo to someone for no reason is another.  Express yourself economically and never go back.

For what it's worth, here in Florida you would be correct in the fact you would be trespassing if you did not leave upon the owners request or his/her authorized representative, no requirement for LE to arrive and ask the same of you before a charge can be made... also, if you are armed with ANY deafly weapon, as in your specific situation at the time it is a Felony under ARMED TRESPASS... GA law may very well be different.  

Store employee: Do you have a loaded gun on you?

Self: No.

This.

 

I don't have so much of a problem with AO's rule as I do with the manner in which it was conveyed.

You don't have to be a dick to your customers to be in the gun-selling business.


And thanks for observing our local htf rules.  

This , They fail massively at customer service and have for years .

But.............

they are laughing all the way to the bank.

As an added bonus they also have an extremely profitable semi exclusive arrangement with Glock.

td the AO hater

The level of stupidity there always amuses me. It's almost worth stopping by just for a laugh......almost.

For the life of me, I can't understand how they are in business.

Every time in the last five years I've gone there (that would be three times) I say never again. I haven't bought anything from them in 12 though.

Wild West, Firing Line, Sandy Springs, Sharpshooters, Hi Caliber, Autrey's all much better places.

Isn't this the same place the NRA is holding an event today?

Isn't this the same place GCO is holding an even on Tuesday?

FUCK AO

Not sure about the NRA, but they are hosting the HB60 party for GCO. Carry will be allowed at the event.

On the rare occasion I do step foot in AO, I CC. There's a couple of knowledgeable guys behind the counters, but the rest are just giant idiots.

My favorite thing is that all of them get to carry in store, and there's one guy that has a huge hand/wrist brace on his shooting hand. Dude wouldn't be able to draw his weapon if his wet dream of having to use it at work ever happened.

grumblegrrrrrr .... Barbie only has naughty words to write so I will stop before



hmmmmmm ... go ahead and try to pull that shit with me, cowboy

Yes its the same place NRA is doing the meet and greet with Jack Kingston

.
The last 6 guns stores I have been to ALL have a sign that says NO LOADED WEAPONS ALLOWED TO INCLUDE CWL HOLDERS. The reason for this is A) liability insurance B) they want to be the only ones with loaded weapons in a store criminals might want to rob. When I was at AO three weeks ago they were posted, No Loaded Weapons. Can't people read? Just because you have a CWL doesn't mean you can ignore POSTED PRIVATE PROPERTY. If it says No Loaded Weapons, that means no loaded weapons for everybody no matter what piece of paper you have in your wallet. Only exception is the owner and/or employees if owner so desires (most do).

Now for stupid Gun Stores, I could not get the flash suppressor off my barrel so I took it to a gunsmith. I asked him if he had time to do it while I waited. He said yes, but bring the AR in with no magazine and the bolt to the rear so they can check for empty chamber. I did so. The gunsmith then tries to separate my upper and lower receivers without releasing the BCG back into battery. Hello! I almost asked for my rifle back if he wasn't paying attention or didn't know the bolt had to be in battery maybe he shouldn't be working on my AR. It took 5 minutes with the tools they had. Cost me $10 to remove the old and install the new. So I am not complaining about that part.

I went in there a couple of years ago and I'll probably never go back. They weren't busy and the employees behind the counter basically ignored the customers while they chit-chatted. After about 20 minutes I just left.

they need to change insurance carrier and use the same one other ranges/gun stores use (the normal ones, where you can carry), because they will just chase away business (at least they have chased mine away)...

I have news for them... criminals don't care and will still carry..

This guy also told me something on the same line of what you posted.... I kinda chuckled inside when he said "You are well protected in here, since we all carry", after seeing all the weaver stances on the safety video and behavior of the employees, I highly doubt that...

AO has been well connected for a long time.

Bob Barr went to bat for them in a big way several years ago when Bloomberg was trying shut them down.

It always helps to have friends in high places.

Kingston is no friend to the working man. He voted to affirm raising his pay 7 times while his constituents were being laid off or agreeing to pay cuts in order to keep their jobs as companies were forced to downsize during lean times.  

td

Unfortunately their business, their rules. That place is full of stupid. However, they make money hand over fist there. They have a very lucrative LE sales, SPD, in there so they don't care if they piss off a customer or two.

Yesterday I was there and saw this rather "big boned" deputy from a north metro agency pull and unmarked Expedition into the fire lane and stroll her big ass into the counter and peruse the SPD counter. Guess it pays to be a chosen one, she definitely didn't appear to be on a call. Different story for a different time though.

Amen...... And I just blew diet coke out my nose upon reading this thanks for the belly laugh

Sounds like a road trip, I'll drive if we can get a videographer to film

 

I can't get a response from them about us bringing the owls and hawks for a wildlife awareness program.

Heck, Going Gear had us for a half day program and it was a HUGE success.

I've known them at AO for over 20 years.

Well there ya go Mad-Machinst Barbie thoughts keeping you healthy ... Coke is bad for you "Good Purge"

Cpl0313 ... Bring on the video and hide the knives

TB, let me know when this will go down..........I'll bring the lawn chairs and the popcorn!

First off, let me say.... Damn, look at those legs!  Your wife should never wear long pants, not ever.  

Second...

My name is Ceetee and I have bought a pistol at Adventure Outdoors.  It was only the once, though, and I think I'm over it.  I had just recently been bitten by the 1911 bug, and AO was the only place within a reasonable driving distance where I could see most all the available 1911's in most all the available sizes, from most all the available manufacturers.  And it must have been a full moon out because the counterman that helped me out was helpful, knowledgable, and patient; he let me finger every pistol I wanted to hold, (which was probably over a dozen); he freely gave me his opinion when I asked fo rit and kept his mouth shut when I didn't... In short, he treated me the way I wanted to be treated.  He treated e the way I think I would treat someone were I in his shoes.  I ended up with a Sig Nitron Carry for a price that was roughly the same as if I had shopped around online and then had to pay shipping and transfer fees.  In short, I think I got a fair deal on a decent pistol.

That said...

I agree that if a place like Cherokee was to open up anywhere near me over here in the West Side, I'd be on it like white on rice in a bed of mashed potatoes on a paper plate in the middle of a blizzard.  I'm just sayin'.

They got sued by the Bloomberg crew and took it pretty hard.

I don't shop there.  Treating me like I'm the two kids from the beginning of Menace II Society was all I needed to know I can spend money elsewhere.

I've told this story here before, but I'll tell it again...

I went in one day to the old location looking to trade two guns towards a new one and dickered a little with the manager and a counter guy that I had bought guns from in the past and was developing a rapport with.  Towards the end of the dickering, I made one last offer and the manager came back with a counter offer that was a little muddy but I accepted.  The counter guy then escorted me to the register to trade my two guns and pay the difference on my new purchase.  At the register, the nice young lady asked what we were doing, and the counter guy told her the offer that I had suggested, and sensing he was a little confused as I had been with the manager's final offer, I stopped him.  He said no, the manager sounded like he was excepting my value on the trade in my favor so I shrugged and paid the difference that was now more in my favor.

A week later I received a phone call from the counter guy saying he made a mistake and I needed to come in and pay the difference or his manager was going to cause a bunch of trouble for me and also dock his pay for the difference.  I was younger, didn't know how to stick to my guns, and I was concerned because I had been in there in uniform after work before and didn't want them calling and making claims about me with my employer, so I went in and spoke with the counter guy and ended up paying the difference.  In retrospect, I wish I had told the manager to stuff it.  At the time though, I felt bad for the counter guy, I didn't want trouble, and I enjoyed browsing the large selection and shopping there (didn't want to ruin that).

I stopped shopping there when I realized they were really a bunch of ass-hats. I would go in and kick the tires a lot of guns I wanted, often.  But I did this while making up my mind on what I wanted to spend my money on.  There were just too many times where I'd stand at the counter trying to get a counter guy to sell me a gun that I actually left to buy it somewhere else that I just stopped shopping there all-together.

I can't stand that place, and I won't go back. Non of my gun friends have ever had a good experience there either.  FAO.

I have been there once ..... Didnt like having to check my EDC at the door but I was meeting up with about 6 friends and this is their go to place. Went to the range area and after the video ( which I didnt mind, some dont have range etiquette) and the long process of taking all my Tulammo and Herters because of their no steel case ammo policy. Then overcharging me for some PMC Bronze so I could still put some rds down range after meeting their no steel cased ammo policy, I then I then had to grab a piece of cardboard out of my car to put over the grates in the floor so that I could collect my overpriced brass I just purchased from them. I couldnt believe the contraption they have on the floor of the range ....... it is a hole in the floor with grates so that the shooters brass automatically goes into the hole for AO to resale! I reload, so I was pissed! Then the range Officer tried to give me a hard time about that!

Anyways ....... Here is their most recent announcement from FB



So NOW they support and encourage concealed carry!

They have some good deals on 5.56 right now..... just sayin'

 

1. Cobb Cunty sucks.
2. AO Sucks.
3. ?
4. Profit.

dem calves

The North end of the county is ok..........otherwise I agree

Define north end please. Wouldn't be caught in Acworth without at least a 9mm on me.

I've actually never been to AO, but the reason being is because of stories like these. It's all I ever hear from people that have gone there. No desire to give em business, they sound like a bunch of retards

Diana isn't looking bad at all.

Send them the link to this thread......

Kennesaw area...............and some parts of Acworth are ok..............some parts. I live in the lower half of Cobb, and would trade it for Acworth in a heartbeat