And yeah, it's only Illinois but this sucks balls.
Stopped at a LGS this morning to see if they had the Sig P320 X-Compact and the X-Carry to compare. They had sold their last X-carry and had 2 on order. The X-compact was currently unavailable through their distributors.
I had my wife with me and we hit the road for Plainfield Il, some 90 or so miles southeast, near Joliet. Plainfield is the home of Mega Sport which is the largest gun store in Illinois that I'm aware of.
Mega had one X-Carry and several X-Compacts on the shelf. This is a store that due, I suppose, to their proximity to Chicago has a lot of stuff that smaller shops don't, but their prices also seem to reflect their proximity to the city. Everything seem to be priced about 8-10% above what I'd expect to pay at home.
They also rent a good selection of guns, and I have come here before to rent before I decided to buy. The range is currently closed and being renovated while the store is under pandemic restriction. Still, they had what I was interested in and I was able to look at and handle them.
My usual routine is to either compare guns, or rent and fire them at Mega, then return home and order from the LGS. Today, because the LGS had voiced uncertainty as to availability of what I wanted, I had decided to purchase at Mega, even though the price was higher and IL 3 day waiting period would mean a second 180 mile round trip to pick up my purchase.
I told the sales guy I'd take the X-Compact, and he directed me around the case to a computer and sales station. He took my ID and gave me a form with the store's letterhead on it. There was a lot of info about Illinois laws and requirements, and also a lot of safety stuff and disclaimers. At the bottom of the form was a place to sign, and also places to list your vocation, and your reason for purchasing the firearm.
I scribbled a signature and listed my vocation as a millwright. On the line for reason to buy I simply wrote the word "personal".
Now the sales guy is watching me fill this out and he informed me that they required an actual reason for the sale in order for it to be completed. Guy was young, but seemed to be respectful. He explained that now that the state licenses firearms dealers that they (the state) required this information. I don't know if it's bullshit or what, but I've bought guns in a couple of other places since the state licensing law was passed and gave no such information. And like I said, this wasn't a state form, but on a store letterhead.
I told the guy that my reasons were my own and I didn't owe the state or the store any explanations. Told him that he could complete the sale or I'd be glad to buy elsewhere. He made a phone call, then came back and said that the store's compliance manager had declined the sale.
And the story just updated this very minute as my youngest son stopped, on his way home from work, at our nearby LGS to do paperwork on a Glock 20 he has ordered. He told me that he filled out the same type of form when the store requested it.
Alarmed I am...
