Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Edmonton Gun Shop Private Rules

In Alberta, they are, to name a few:

Prophet River, in Lloydminster, which you know about
Wolverine Guns & Tackle - in Red Deer.
Bashaw Sports - In Bashaw.
Red Deer Shooting Center - in Red Deer.

I have bought guns from all of them, and I highly recommend them.

On-line, I have dealt with:

Budget Shooter Supply - in Surrey B.C., for reloading supplies & ammunition.
Rusty Wood Trading Company - in B.C., for reloading supplies, gun parts, and Starline brass.
Western Metals - in Calgary, for reloading supplies and tools, LEE Precision.
Marstar - In Ontario, for black powder guns, and miscellaneous stuff.

I have been quite satisfied with all of them.

Try Prairie Gun Traders too. They do lots of mail orders.

I haven’t shopped much at P&D in the last 20 years, before that I think it was called Klondike ?
There were other shops on that street that faded away ...

Seems to me, iirc Phil was seriously injured in a restricted/ prohibited robbery gone bad.
Not that there haven’t been other incidents of that nature which led to enhanced security measures.
WholeSale Spurts comes to mind at their various locations were tested by robberies.

I’m starting to see why the Liberal C21 divide and conquer strategy is working.
We are our own worst enemies.

Cheers

338. Always has been called Prairie Gun Traders. Original owner.

Thanks for the recommendations, the landscape is changing. Customers are aging.
Lots of the good old boys are retiring from the retail game.

When I was equipping my teenage sons, I phoned around looking for used 30-06s. You would think easy enough, except one was left handed. I found only one in the Vancouver area. If I had to go through enhanced security, it would have been a " Large So What ! "

The P&D location was indeed occupied by Klondike Arms, which had itself changed ownership.
The Custom Gun Shop was located next door to it, which created a not too friendly rivalry.
Klondike had been there since the mid-80s. Previously, the original owner was located in downtown Edmonton since around 1970 and was called Klondike Arms & Antiques, because it also sold antiques as well as a lot of new and military surplus guns.
I bought guns from all of them since age 18. Almost 50 years now.

There was also a gun shop/gunsmith business just a short distance north operated by two brothers who also made custom rifles. And, on the opposite side, on the same block, was another gun shop which had two different businesses, one after the other. Gun Row, as it was called, dwindled to just Klondike and then P&D. I bought many guns from all of them over the last 50 years.

The truth be told, practically every gun shop in Edmonton suffered break-ins over the years, regardless of the location. Security measures didn't seem to be much of a deterrent.
They always found a weak spot to exploit. Smash and grab, get in and get out fast, was always the M.O.

The enhanced security procedures, mandated by insurance companies, evolved from burglar alarms, to motion detectors, and then to high-def cameras.

Frankly, P&D is a great gun shop, but I still say that their mug shot policy sucks.
I mean, really, what next? Fingerprinting?

The mug shots on entry aren't necessary just to buy basic gun-accessory items not requiring a PAL. I mean, do you really need to do this just to buy a bottle of Hoppe's #9?

No other gun shop is doing it and it certainly is NOT required by law.

I think their mind set is more directed at the Restricted / Prohibited class of purchaser.

Don’t they have curb-side pickup & phone ahead ordering for those consumables ? 😏

To review:

1) The mug shot requirement applies to ALL PERSONS when they enter the store.
2) You must stand facing a wall-mounted camera at eye-level which is 3 feet away.
3) You must lower your medical mask and allow your full face to be clearly recorded.
4) You may then fully raise your medical mask, which is mandated by Edmonton and Provincial requirements, under penalty of law for non-compliance.
5) Only then will you be allowed to proceed into the store and shop for ANYTHING.

After entering the store, Restricted and Prohibited class firearms purchasers are treated the same at P&D as in any gun shop. However, as I said, the "mug shot at entry" applies to every person who enters the store, not just them.

And, since I am sure that you have already looked at the P&D home page, you are perfectly aware that they do offer, mail order and phone-ahead curbside pickup.

But so does every other gun shop.

The problem is that while P&D does list firearms and ammunition on-line, it does not illustrate the rest of their inventory on-line, and does not have a shopping cart on-line system for ordering. That means that visiting the store in person is the only way to shop and compare and decide if what they have is what you actually want.

And, P&D is a bricks and mortar local store. That has always been it's greatest strength.
So, a policy that frustrates and offends customers entering their store seems a bad business move.

And since gun shops like Prophet River DO comprehensively illustrate just about everything on-line, and tell you the exact amount that they have in stock, and do offer on-line shopping, they are much easier to order from and get exactly what you need.

And I am not aware of any other gun shop that has the mug shot policy.

The mug shot policy is really a strange move for a gun store, especially when its not mandated. You are correct in your thinking that a policy like that would doom a business south of the border. I know I wouldnt shop there. I bought a LH ruger scout from P&D a few years ago, other than that I've never dealt with them.

This is interesting and I am not sure what to think. I have no problem with security cameras in the stores anytime including before mandatory masks came into play.

The idea on a having to take a mug shot by dropping a mask before entering the store is a step beyond security cameras. I think a shop doing that may be off the list for the new shotgun I am looking for. Bashaw or Prophet River will get the sale.

I wonder, has anyone asked P&D why they did this? I am not defending them, but it would be nice to hear their side of the story. Maybe there is something that we are not aware of.

Just a thought.

Corlanes in Dawson Creek has online sales, very knowledgeable gunsmiths and staff.
Shopping around these days is easy..

I have contacted them as I have bought product there in the past. They are doing it for security reasons to identify anyone that comes into the store in case something happens. Internal management decision to take extra steps based on a past robbery (someone drove a truck into the store after hours) and quite a number of years ago one of the owners was shot during a robbery.

Knowing this change in operation, it is up to the individual whether you want to shop there or not.

Fair enough. I can understand their worry about being robbed, especially with their previous problems. I know that the bank here put extra cameras around the entrance and inside.

It makes me chuckle when I walk into the bank with a mask. It would make a great cartoon. A real bank robber walks in to the bank and sees a line up of people with masks on. The caption would read, "Rats, I should have got here earlier..."

Off course it had to do with security and employee safety. Criminals often case a place right before robbing it, this way they know exactly what is available and exactly where it is. Reviewing photos just before the crime eliminating regular customers can help in an investigation.

These are the commercial establishments that we should be frequenting and doing business with. They have suffered greatly from poor government legislation, criminal activity and now this pandemic. I only wished that I lived closer to this business, I wouldn’t be put out by their extra security measures. When in the public, wether it be on the street or in commercial establishments there is no expectation of privacy, take my picture. But when in my home or on my property I expect privacy.

Am I right Steve? It’s everyone’s choice, I frequented a gun shop where one had to make an appointment to see the firearms. They were mostly an internet sales firm but allowed a few visitors per day. This was for security reasons as they also carried restricted firearms. I was not put off by this and after a few sales I became a regular and enjoyed a great relationship with the owner and their staff. I look forward to the day post Covid to visit them again. I have tax refund dollars to spend.

Cheers,
Nick

Simple solution, take your business where the rules or lack there of suit you. Easy peasy, no whining on the internet required.

Good summation

Wow! The Trudeau liberal left-wing anti-gun Federal government would love your attitude.

They would love to bring in legislation requiring everyone who enters a gun shop to submit to mug shots every time they enter.

The fact that you endorse having to submit to mug shots just to enter a gun shop makes me think that you are actually an anti-gun liberal troll.

Considering that you only have 22 posts, it seems likely.

Or, maybe you work for some police service in Canada, and you get paid to spread your anti-gun propaganda.

Sounds like another anti-gun liberal who wants to impose more draconian regulations on law-abiding gun owners.