I suspect they’re also not *allowed* to refuse to rent a gun to someone just because they have a bad feeling about him/her, because as an establishment open to the public, that would be “discrimination” and they’d find themselves on the losing end of legal action.
In many cases, the management’s hunch might be more effective than a federal or state background check.
The lady I wrote about had been Baker Acted. That is pretty crazy. The other guy, as far as I know, had not been Baker Acted, so the range probably would not have been able to stop him. But the range I go to has a big sign on the door, “We reserve the right to deny service to anyone for any reason.” They also make you fill out a form where they ask you if you’ve been declared incompetent or convicted of a felony. They also ask if you’re subject to a restraining order. Of course, anyone can lie about that stuff, and they’d never know. Personally, I would feel a bit safer in the range if I thought they had done a background check on everyone. And I don’t see what the civil liberties issue is, assuming that it could be done quickly.