Posted: 2/11/2012 12:30:52 PM EDT
| What's the deal with the store formerly known as Badger Guns? I see a new sign out front, and an empty parking lot. |
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I believe they received a large amount of bad press when it was shown that a high percentage of gun crime in Milwaukee was committed with their firearms. Also, Milwaukee Police were pretty much saturating the area near there to interact with their customers. They would do anything to pull a car over that left Badger.
The ATF revoked the prior owners FFL after numerous violations. The store is essentially owned by a family. The father sold it to his son when the first round of ATF trouble came around. Then the son who owned it had his FFL revoked, he sold it to his brother. Now that brother is trying to get a FFL. Currently it is just ammo and range. I bought my first Glock from them, they had good prices. I didn't really interact with the salesman, I walked in and said this is what I want, this is what I want to pay in cash. I have been pulled over when crossing into Milwaukee after leaving Badger once. I was "speeding" (it is damn near impossible to speed down Lincoln there at rush hour) but the only thing the cop did is check my identity. I used their range once, it was ok. It is what you would expect out of a range located in a big city. I have neither love nor hate for the place. If you live in the Southern half of Milwaukee county, you need to check out shooters in Racine. The younger guy with glasses is full of herp derp, but they have a good range, and it is not expensive. |
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I remember the former owner losing their license. I was wondering if the new owner is related to the old owner, as I recall there was some talk of that. I was also wondering if there are plans to make it a full-service store again. The new owner is the former owner's brother. The former owner is the son and nephew of the original owners. There are plans to do so, but the paperwork is being held up due to concerns over the family relationship. Quoted:
please tell me they lost their license for something valid, not the fact that they are the ONLY gun shop in milwaukee.... FWIW, the parking lot is in Milwaukee but the store itself is in West Milwaukee. There are no gun STORES in the City of Milwaukee that I am aware of. Quoted:
I believe they received a large amount of bad press when it was shown that a high percentage of gun crime in Milwaukee was committed with their firearms. Also, Milwaukee Police were pretty much saturating the area near there to interact with their customers. They would do anything to pull a car over that left Badger. The ATF revoked the prior owners FFL after numerous violations. The store is essentially owned by a family. The father sold it to his son when the first round of ATF trouble came around. Then the son who owned it had his FFL revoked, he sold it to his brother. Now that brother is trying to get a FFL. Currently it is just ammo and range. I bought my first Glock from them, they had good prices. I didn't really interact with the salesman, I walked in and said this is what I want, this is what I want to pay in cash. I have been pulled over when crossing into Milwaukee after leaving Badger once. I was "speeding" (it is damn near impossible to speed down Lincoln there at rush hour) but the only thing the cop did is check my identity. I used their range once, it was ok. It is what you would expect out of a range located in a big city. I have neither love nor hate for the place. If you live in the Southern half of Milwaukee county, you need to check out shooters in Racine. The younger guy with glasses is full of herp derp, but they have a good range, and it is not expensive. Badger's high trace problems partially stemmed from their location (closest to Milwaukee ghetto) and partially due to the Milwaukee PD's unique firearm tracing criteria. Unlike most police departments, Milwaukee traces everything it can get in its grubby hands. Gun turned in to the police by a widow who just doesn't like guns? Trace it. Gun found in an abandoned property? Trace it. Gun encountered during a non-arrest situation? Trace it. Combine the location with the "trace EVERYTHING" mantra and you have a recipe for abnormally high numbers. After the police officers were shot by someone who got a straw purchased gun from Badger, MPD started heavily patrolling outside of Badger. Folks were pulled over for just about anything, and any LEGAL excuse was good enough to inspect the vehicle, look for illegal transport, etc. There were accusations of racism, and the former owner posted a sign accusing MPD of racial profiling. Milwaukee and MPD quickly responded as aggressively as possible, as such allegations could be ... problematic in a minority-majority city. There is some question as to whether the former owner painted a MASSIVE target on himself and his business for doing what he did. There have also been some questions as to whether the fine-tooth comb inspection which found all of the violations was essentially payback for the racism accusations, as it was easy to see that city leadership was beyond scared and mad over that sign. On a personal level, I also have reservations over calling the entire MPD racist. Pissing on top brass and leadership decisions is one thing- pissing all over beat cops is another. My personal view is that the racism sign is what spelled the end for Badger. Any how, the store is doing surprisingly well without firearms. Then again, the markup on new guns is crap and Badger was popular because their prices were relatively low compared to other stores. They may well be able to make a go of being a range, accessories, and a SAME DAY WHILE-YOU-WAIT gunsmith facility. I only hope to see them improve their range including ventilation, lighting, and hopefully adding more rifle-capable bays. Running all sorts of classes is also a possibility- they have way more classrooms than any other store and, if they don't do firearms, will have even more space. Shooters is a nice place, though some of their prices seem high. I wish more folks carried REAL black powder like they do, but the low explosives dealer requirement kills that for all of Milwaukee County. (IIRC, even having an explosives license is illegal in Milwaukee County, but it has been a while since I considered obtaining an explosives license). My first Glock (G30 .45) came from Badger in 2002, as did my first Kimber (Classic Custom Target) in 2000. I hope they're back in business soon. One of the sadder/amusing things is that the ghetto dwellers are looking elsewhere for their firearms now. Gander Mountain had some straw purchase issues and word is that the new shop, Shorty's in West Allis, is now getting too many visits from undesirable elements. It's sad and frustrating to see this happen, but it IS vindication that the so-called Badger clients aren't- they're equal-opportunity thugs who just go to the closest store to gear up. Mike |
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Shorty's wouldn't know an undesirable element if they were standing in front of them, I was kicked out of their store for looking at my cell phone when i got text message alert. Between that and their bullshit price sheets and not having prices on any of their guns i hope they close up shop sooner than later.
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I know Shorty personally, he's a board member at my club, and runs the bowling pin shoots there.
I really hope he can handle Badger's overflow traffic, and it does not trip him up.  Sorry you had a bad experience there rugger. Not having prices is an issue, I agree, but he's still starting out, and operating on a shoestring. If he didn't own the building, I don't think he'd have been able to open at all. As to the cell phone, that's a catch-22. I wasn't there, so I can't speak to what happened to you, but it's common policy at all gun stores to prevent straw buys. Shooter's Shop is very strict on their cellphone policy too. Such a policy can go either way. They can enforce it absolutely and equally, (especially Shorty, who's got a target on his back from the City of West Allis) or you can enforce it selectively against the "right people", and then risk claims of bias.
I'm not in his shoes. So it's hard to say. I'll admit, I have no love for Badger, Son-of-Badger, Grandson-of-Badger... whatever they are now, over Beatovic's mouthing off, because every time he railed against Milwaukee, he'd also open his mouth and say something to throw all law abiding gun owners under the bus too. However, I still valued them as a thorn in Milwaukee's side, and as a lighting rod for "that element" which I feel helped protect the reputation of all other FFL's in the region. So I hope they get an FFL again. I know the City of Milwaukee does not want them to have one, and I'm sure is lobbying the ATF hard, but hopefully, it's a situation where they meet all the criteria, and after a pro-forma display of some foot-dragging the ATF does not have any grounds to deny them. |
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Badger's high trace problems partially stemmed from their location (closest to Milwaukee ghetto) and partially due to the Milwaukee PD's unique firearm tracing criteria. Unlike most police departments, Milwaukee traces everything it can get in its grubby hands. Gun turned in to the police by a widow who just doesn't like guns? Trace it. Gun found in an abandoned property? Trace it. Gun encountered during a non-arrest situation? Trace it. Combine the location with the "trace EVERYTHING" mantra and you have a recipe for abnormally high numbers. Mike This part is absolutely, positively, 100% true. I don't know if it's still the case, but at one time there were only 2 cities that had this type of tracing policy, and Milwaukee PD was one of those 2. MPD also has a nasty habit of sending those same guns to the State crime lab for ballistics testing. And the crime lab evidently doesn't have any cleaning kits or know how to wipe down a gun after handling it. |
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If you live in the Southern half of Milwaukee county, you need to check out shooters in Racine. The younger guy with glasses is full of herp derp, but they have a good range, and it is not expensive. Yeah, you're right about that kid. I gave him about 2 minutes and got all kinds of off-the-wall recommendations. I'll deal with the older guys or the lady that works there, though. They're all good people and do a good job of keeping the busy lanes moving and running a shop at the same time. |
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I haven't been to Shorty's yet. My family has purchased several firearms from Badger, and I'll continue to do so once they get their FFL sorted out. While I may not agree with everything they say or do there, they are a LOCAL shop with low prices, I've always been treated well and felt welcome in their store, I like their range, and it's the closest store to where I live. I never felt welcome in Shooters Shop, and I was not real impressed with their range either. Sure, it's lit a little better, and the floor is nicer... but it's tiny and every time I've been there, a few lanes were non operational. |
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I haven't been to Shorty's yet. My family has purchased several firearms from Badger, and I'll continue to do so once they get their FFL sorted out. While I may not agree with everything they say or do there, they are a LOCAL shop with low prices, I've always been treated well and felt welcome in their store, I like their range, and it's the closest store to where I live. I never felt welcome in Shooters Shop, and I was not real impressed with their range either. Sure, it's lit a little better, and the floor is nicer... but it's tiny and every time I've been there, a few lanes were non operational. Exact reason I will never go there again. |
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I never felt welcome in Shooters Shop, and I was not real impressed with their range either. Sure, it's lit a little better, and the floor is nicer... but it's tiny and every time I've been there, a few lanes were non operational. It has been about 5 years or so since my last trip to Shooter's Shop in West Allis, and that is because it changed somewhere along the way. The showroom got smaller (about half the size) and the range is neither heated nor cooled like it used to be. Then (so I heard) it changed hands. That is when the "feel" of the place changed. I never felt unwelcome, but it definitely felt like they didn't care if you were there or not. It almost felt like you being there was an imposition on them. Add all these to the fact that it was over an hour drive to get there, along with joining a club with an outdoor range MUCH closer, and I never felt like going back. Plus one of the club members is an FFL holder, and his prices are MUCH better than anyone else's. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I never felt welcome in Shooters Shop, and I was not real impressed with their range either. Sure, it's lit a little better, and the floor is nicer... but it's tiny and every time I've been there, a few lanes were non operational. It has been about 5 years or so since my last trip to Shooter's Shop in West Allis, and that is because it changed somewhere along the way. The showroom got smaller (about half the size) and the range is neither heated nor cooled like it used to be. Then (so I heard) it changed hands. That is when the "feel" of the place changed. I never felt unwelcome, but it definitely felt like they didn't care if you were there or not. It almost felt like you being there was an imposition on them. Add all these to the fact that it was over an hour drive to get there, along with joining a club with an outdoor range MUCH closer, and I never felt like going back. Plus one of the club members is an FFL holder, and his prices are MUCH better than anyone else's. Exactly. I used to live a couple blocks away from Shooters, I still drove the extra 10 minutes to go to Badger. The guys at Badger always made me feel welcome- like they WANTED my business. I'll go so far as to admit the first time I ever loaded a pistol (I'd shot one before but never loaded it) was with a rented gun at Badger, and I made the mistake of loading it backwards, chambered a round and it got stuck. Yeah herp derp all you want. I took it to the counter and they were cool about it. I explained that I'd never loaded a gun before, only shot them. They popped the round out and let me go back to the range. I seem to think it would've been much different had that gone down at Shooters. |
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I believe they received a large amount of bad press when it was shown that a high percentage of gun crime in Milwaukee was committed with their firearms. Also, Milwaukee Police were pretty much saturating the area near there to interact with their customers. They would do anything to pull a car over that left Badger. Imagine that, the only gun store in an area sells the majority of guns in that area! |
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I believe they received a large amount of bad press when it was shown that a high percentage of gun crime in Milwaukee was committed with their firearms. Also, Milwaukee Police were pretty much saturating the area near there to interact with their customers. They would do anything to pull a car over that left Badger. Imagine that, the only gun store in an area sells the majority of guns in that area! Shooter's Shop is only a few miles away (43rd St vs. 84th St), but Shooters' prices and attitudes sent some people away. Shorty's is too new for commentary, though his "make me an offer" pricing is garbage. Mike |