Joe,
While out doing my shopping chores today, getting hunting licenses for me and my son was on the list. Being in Fruitland, we stopped in Wal-Mart and waited in line at the sporting goods counter. The young guys in front of me were buying .410 and .44 ammo for a new pistol they had bought that shoots either through the same chambering. We were talking about the gun as the cashier went through the transaction on the touch screen register. After ringing up the 6 or so boxes, he asked the strangest question pointing to each box, “Will this ammo be used for a handgun or long gun?” as they answered for each box, I asked the cashier if his touch screen had an “It’s none of your damned business” button on it.
I am 55 years old, hunted since I was 10, and have NEVER been asked this question! Not for any product. Imagine some products one would buy that would require that question!
Because the cashier had no bird stamps in stock and I wanted to dove hunt this afternoon, I did not buy my license there, but decided to buy it at the north end Wal-Mart close to my house. When I went there, I picked up some dove loads for the 20 gauge, and to test the Wal- Mart software, I added a 100-box of .22’s to the order. Upon being rung up, I got the same question, “handgun or long gun use?” My answer was “That’s an unconstitutional question, and I won’t answer it. I have a right to privacy”. The cashier didn’t know what to do. “But sir, I have to put an answer here or it won’t go through with the transaction.” I said that I might just throw it in the campfire to watch the pretty sparks. When that was not an option, I told the cashier to forget the ammo and just sell me the licenses. Trying to back the ammo out of the transaction was impossible, and in a fit of button pushing, the transaction went through and I got the ammo without answering the question.
Now my curiosity is piqued, so I headed over to Dick’s and asked the store manager about his ammo software. He said first, he had no such question in his transaction software, and if it did come with that, they could change just about anything on there. His employees ask for age identification only from people under 30 or so. Long gun ammo age is 18, handgun ammo is 21. (Maryland)
I found the same setup at Gander Mountain.
When I told the Wal-Mart cashier that I wasn’t trying to be obstinate towards her, that it seemed clearly like an Obama question to me, she said, ”Oh, I know, I’m so frightened at what that man might be doing to our Country.”
I put the question out there; Has anyone ever been asked this question in the past years? I’d like to know.
Gary M Bullard
Salisbury, MD
