Posted on 02/26/2012 5:56:52 AM PST by marktwain
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A Charlotte couple says Dick's Sporting Goods refused to sell them a gun because of their last name and race.
Bernard and Francine Miller tell us they went to the store on W. T. Harris Boulevard looking for a rifle because they spotted a coyote in their yard.
After forty minutes of shopping and working with the sales agent, they settled on the one that fit their price range. A 22-rifle that cost just over $200.
Bernard was then asked to fill out paperwork. But the couple says after filling out the paperwork, a salesperson refused to sell them the rifle.
"I get ready to hand him the papers back, that's when he come out with a silly grin on his face talking about how he couldn't sell me the rif... how HE wasn't going to sell me the rifle," Miller told WTBV. "HE MADE the decision! He said HE MADE the decision not to sell me a rifle."
-----------------------cut----------------------
We asked the company for a response to this story but they had no comment. But we did hear that audio tape Francine Miller says she recorded in the store.
In it, the manager said this wasn't a prejudiced act, rather, that it's a federal offense to sell someone a gun which they believe is intended for someone else.
(Excerpt) Read more at wbtv.com ...
“Bernard Miller says he was told that’s because another African-American man with the last name Miller, but a different first name, had tried to buy the same gun at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Matthews and been denied.”
*If* this couple are as they claim (and I say so reservedly from what I’ve seen), they’ve now painted a huge “I’m trouble” sign on themselves. They’ve shown that they go around anticipating (deliberately?!) trouble. They’ve proven that their idea of dispute resolution is very public displays of emotion-based allegations - including the race card.
I wouldn’t sell them a picture of a firearm, and I doubt anyone else will now, either.
Looks like the gun stores might have their own means of knowing what was going down and the Millers are "known".
They may be on the "Top Ten" list of people not to sell weapons to.
Recording runs both ways (security cameras) and "shopping around" don't mean what it used ta mean.
Yeah, I wondered about that too. Of course, cell phones have lots of capabilities these daze. Sounds like they only started recording after they got the news they were turned down and started speaking to the manager. It would unquestionably be a setup if they had recorded the whole visit.
Bernard and Francine Miller What’s so unusual about their name? I see nothing that would lead me to believe their name was a reason for charges of discrimination.
But...but...but...that would violate the Civil Righrs Act /s
I can kill any coyote on Earth with a good .22 rifle loaded with the high velocity ammo, nothing heavier is needed unless you are shooting at long range which is not going to happen when the coyote is in your yard. My older brother once told me that .22LR was too small to use on feral dogs that were roaming the rural area where we grew up but then he killed one of those dogs at at around 100 yards with a .22LR revolver!
The same brother had a medium size dog (about forty pounds) that chased a neighbor’s cattle and got shot with a .270 deer rifle, the bullet passed just beneath the spine at about the last rib. The dog survived and lived for years afterward, the only lasting effect was that it turned from yellow to white haired and stopped chasing cattle.
Here is the reason given, from the article “Bernard Miller says he was told that’s because another African-American man with the last name Miller, but a different first name, had tried to buy the same gun at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Matthews and been denied.”
This seems pretty silly in a variety of ways. First of all Miller is a very common name. Secondly if I want to be sneaky and get someone to buy a gun for me am I going to pick somebody with the same last name as mine? I could see if the two men had the exact same name you might well think they were the same guy, but I don’t see why you’d think these 2 have anything to do with each other.
They wouldn’t sell me a rifle. I’m black. Ergo, they wouldn’t sell me a rifle because I’m black. Perfect, unassailable logic.
The civil rights act violates the rights of all Americans.
He probably from Nantucket Island and did not notice their race for the first 40 minutes?
Got it.
That I didnt know. But it makes sense. If it looks like it is going to blow up on your later, a person would be a idiot to sell a gun if it even has the slightest risk of going south.
I whole heartedly agree with that statement.
What kind of paperwork is necessary to purchase a .22 rifle? Last time I bought one at WalMart (Mississippi), I picked it out and paid for it, then left with it.
Miller us a common AMISH name. ;-)
If the clerk saw the recording item, he could refuse out of fear of being stuck in jail as several other gun sellers are under Fast and Furious.
Yeah, and those are the just the people who post on FR gun threads../sarc
worth repeating
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