Posted: 1/4/2005 4:46:44 PM EDT
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I was at Scottsdale Gun Center today. Steve said he was re-opening back up there. In about two months. He'll still keep his Scottsdale store open too. w00t! 
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Corp Chaos, you must have been in during the days of Mumbling Joe from the backwoods of Kentucky. I watched him walk around with his tac light on his Glock shining down his leg from his tactical thigh holster. Real wierdo, claimed to be ex-DEA, BATF, FBI and Secret Service.  I miss MG Kellys, and its nice to hear it'll come back soon.
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I think it was shortly after the store was sold to a new owner. If SGC is going to be taking over, then it oughtta be a great place. They're good folks. |
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If the info told to me is correct, Steve Bond used to own a gunstore on Glendale Ave in Glendale (name I can't recall), then he sold that. Steve then opened MGKs. New owner of old store failed, partly because customer base went to MGKs with Steve. Steve then sold MGKs to a LEO/Reserve LEO dude, Mark (IIRC). Steve opens SGC. Don't know if customer base went with him again, but MGKs struggles. At one point, I considered buying it, then saw the numbers. Glad I didn't. Mark gets nice PMC gig in Iraq, MGKs dies. Steve re-expands West, if he follows through on this....which is great, since he does a good job running them, it seems. But, the moral of the story: don't buy a gunstore from Steve. 
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Now I don't want to start rumors but I heard that the reason it closed down this time had something to do with a customer complaint (purchased gun then not at store when came to pick up so he called PD, who called ATF) the ATF doing an inventory and paperwork cross reference and then....... closed doors. anybody know for sure or is this just locker room gossip?  
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Heard the same thing. Urban myth
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I heard same thing from a fairly reliable source. I heard that there were some inconsistanies in the NFA record keeping. Course, only the principals KNOW for sure. |
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I'm not sure which ownership regime it happened under, but one of my best friends got a really bad "gun newb" fucking in Machine Gun Kellys. Which was sad, 'cause I had previously liked thatt shop. This was around three years ago, plus or minus a few months, IIRC. Anyway, this friend of mine was basically a hunter, occassional plinker. I turned him onto the AR and military rifle scene and he decided that he had to have an AR-15. I recommended a 20" A2 Bushy as a good deal on a basic entry level gun (he wanted something basic that was CMP legal). He's a cheap bastard, so to finance his AR he decided to sell an IMI Uzi his uncle had given him. It was a semi auto Model 'B', LNIB with the steel folder, factory case, fake display barrel and a bunch of factory goodies. Anyway, he was too paranoid to follow my advice and post a local FTF sale ad on the net or in the paper. He was convinced that was too risky for fear of armed robbery. On his own he decided to sell it 'on consignment' at Machine Gun Kellys. I hear about it and convince him he can do alot better selling it on his own. We go to pick it up, and the counter guy says, "Well, it's not here". My buddy :"Oh, it sold already?" Counterguy:" Nope, I didn't say that, it's 'just gone' ". My buddy: "Not sold but gone?" Counterguy:"Yep, it's gone." My buddy:"I want to pick it up, or get the money from it's sale, that was the consignment deal." Counterguy:"Well, you can't have either, 'cause it's gone." This goes back and forth, with both parties starting to get pissed, but WTF??? It's 'just gone'? Finally: My buddy: "I need to talk to whoever the fuck is in charge." Conterguy:"You're going to have to wait." My buddy:"Fine." Counterguy steps away and whispers on the cell phone.... says,"It'll be 15 minutes." There is a tense, silent 15 minute wait. Another guy comes in, and gives my buddy five, one hundred dollar bills. Finally I jump in and say, "$500 for an IMI Model B, that you can't find? Bullshit, maybe we need to call somebody with authority..." Second guy digs out two more c-notes and throws them at my buddy, "now get the fuck out". My buddy says, "Screw it, let's go." I didn't want to go, but he just wanted to be out of there. Bottom line: A 'missing gun', trying to steal an IMI Uzi for $500, then stealing it for $700???? It's been three years or so, I can't recall the exact descriptions of the people involved, but I remember how it went down because it was so fucked up. |
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That the gun wasn't there for pick-up, and they say it wasn't sold, I'd be calling for someone from ATF, as much as I hate those guys. Now, the fact that your buddy accepted the $700.00, no more crime (well, between he an gun store), since his acceptance of the money in lieu of gun was acceptance that it was "gone". Now, whether that had ever been entered into the bound book, what its dispo was is another story altogether.... Wow...I am SO glad things didn't work out. |
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My cousin who lives in AZ (who I'm going to be visiting from the 12th-19th of Jan) is a member at the SGC. I went there 4 days out of my 6 day visit this summer lol. Good times, nice place, nice people! I'll try and get online and post when I'm in the land of the free(ie. not NYC) next week. |