I just got back from a week in Detroit. What a depressing place. Mile after mile of city/suburb/gas station/deli-lotto-liquior-checkcashing/bar and tons of the usuall chain locations.
I figured since they honor my permit I would take a .45 and find a indoor range to use and keep myself out of the bars. I was sadly shocked at what I found. The first place, I wont name names unless you email me, was a dirty smokey hole in the wall. The attitude wasnt to bad other than we dont give a shit, pay us $8 and hour and shoot. The actual "gun shop" front was pathetic. I saw very few new guns, mostly used crap that looked like the tables at gun shows where the guy drags in his personal collection of used crap.
The second one I found was supposed to be the best one in the area. I was told that by at least a half-dozen people that I asked while trying to find someplace else. What I saw there made me wonder about big cities and gun owners in them. The "shop" was not to bad but really proud of the prices if ya know wut I mean. They were really freaked out about ANYONE handleling weapons anywhere other than standing in a firing lane or standing directly in front of the sales counter with a salesman who was lookin at ya kind of funny. I didnt look at any , just watched the way they treated shoppers. I figured it was because of the high crime rate, not so. They were worried about dumbasses who cant be trusted to unwrap a twinkie much less handle a firearm. While I was putting on my eyes and ears before going into the range I overheard some guy with a rifle case tell the guy behind the counter he wanted to shoot his rifle (they had a 50yd range and did allow some rifles) but this guy wasnt sure what calibre ammo he was needing !?!?!? WTF!! I went into the range and was minding my own business, or trying to when I noticed the goomer in the lane to my right. He caught my attention and asked me if I knew how to load the rifle. Jeezz. He had a .22 that apeared to be very old with a battered old scope but what made my jaw drop was he was trying to load them single shot because he had no mag. I told him he needed the mag and where was it? He kind of whent "Huh, I wondered what went there,," Needless to say he didnt have the mag. The guy rolled his target out about 10 feet and was grouping single shots about 4", read that again 10 feet, 4" groups with a scoped 22.
I saw guys with mini-14's thinking they were rambo, guys shooting high power scoped bolt guns off benches at 25 yds, among other things. I went to this particular place twice and ran out of ammo. I only took about 350 rounds with me. To make an already long story short I saw examples of a total lack of knowledge of proper firearm handeling and just plain stupidity. I cant properly put into words how flabbergasted I was. I never have and never will support gun control BUT what I saw makes me wonder what the awnser is. I know the mandatory training for purchasers is a danger that gun control groups would exploit but some of these people are dangerous. And no, I'm not going to step into them and offer to help out because someone may take exception to my butting in and start some shit. Does anyone here live in a large city and see these things?