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Bass Pro ~ Open Carry Policy

Bill Starks

State Researcher
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
4,304
Location
Nortonville, KY, USA
Bert might want to look at his corporate policy....

Here's the link:
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...shops-across-USA!&highlight=Larry+L.+Whiteley

Bass Pro. Inc. Clarifies Policy “ Open Carry Welcome!

June 2009
OpenCarry.org (OCDO) is pleased to announce that Bass Pro Inc. advised OCDO co-founder Mike Stollenwerk by telephone today that open carry of holstered handguns is as welcome as concealed carry provided all federal and state laws are followed.

After being contacted by OpenCarry.org (and apparently some of our almost 20,000 some thousand members) about sporadic inconsistent treatment of open carriers at some Bass Pro shops, Bass Pro’s Manager of Communications Larry L. Whiteley asked OCDO co-founder Mike Stollenwerk for more background information and some time to straighten things out.

Stollenwerk advised Whitely two weeks ago that open carry is legal in most states, usually without a permit, and that Sportsmans™ Warehouse and Cabelas have adopted clear corporate policies welcoming open carriers in their stores just as they do concealed carriers. Further Stollenwerk noted, its better to adopt one clear corporate policy than allow individual employees make up store rules or give legal advice to customers, i.e., the proverbial but well meaning, psst, hey, you gotta cover that up, its the kind of thing, which can get gun owners in trouble for breaking the law and unlawfully concealing (e.g., in Wisconsin where no permit to conceal is even issued).

Well today Mr. Whiteley called and confirmed that Bass Pro's policy is and always was� to be to respect lawful customer gun carry, concealed or open, and that steps the following steps are being taken to ensure this policy is understood by all managers and employees, including production and distribution of training videos as well re-drafting of signage pertaining to guns.

OpenCarry.org is pleased that Bass Pro. joins both Sportsmans Warehouse and Cabelas in clarifying to OpenCarry.org that open carry is welcome in their stores as a matter of corporate policy.
 
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Curmudgeon

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
307
Location
York, Pennsylvania, USA
Bert might want to look at his corporate policy....

Here's the link:
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...shops-across-USA!&highlight=Larry+L.+Whiteley

Bass Pro. Inc. Clarifies Policy “ Open Carry Welcome!

June 2009
OpenCarry.org (OCDO) is pleased to announce that Bass Pro Inc. advised OCDO co-founder Mike Stollenwerk by telephone today that open carry of holstered handguns is as welcome as concealed carry provided all federal and state laws are followed.

After being contacted by OpenCarry.org (and apparently some of our almost 20,000 some thousand members) about sporadic inconsistent treatment of open carriers at some Bass Pro shops, Bass Pro’s Manager of Communications Larry L. Whiteley asked OCDO co-founder Mike Stollenwerk for more background information and some time to straighten things out.

Stollenwerk advised Whitely two weeks ago that open carry is legal in most states, usually without a permit, and that Sportsmans™ Warehouse and Cabelas have adopted clear corporate policies welcoming open carriers in their stores just as they do concealed carriers. Further Stollenwerk noted, its better to adopt one clear corporate policy than allow individual employees make up store rules or give legal advice to customers, i.e., the proverbial but well meaning, psst, hey, you gotta cover that up, its the kind of thing, which can get gun owners in trouble for breaking the law and unlawfully concealing (e.g., in Wisconsin where no permit to conceal is even issued).

Well today Mr. Whiteley called and confirmed that Bass Pro's policy is and always was� to be to respect lawful customer gun carry, concealed or open, and that steps the following steps are being taken to ensure this policy is understood by all managers and employees, including production and distribution of training videos as well re-drafting of signage pertaining to guns.

OpenCarry.org is pleased that Bass Pro. joins both Sportsmans Warehouse and Cabelas in clarifying to OpenCarry.org that open carry is welcome in their stores as a matter of corporate policy.


M1Gunr, thanks for posting this! Here in Pennsylvania we have recently been advised by folks at Bass Pro's corporate level that this is so. I couldn't find a copy of their policy though.

I don't know who "Bert" is either, but it is apparent he has some learnin' to do. ;)
 

Paul E. Blouin

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
54
Location
Independence, Louisiana, USA
I met Bert tonight (one of the store managers) @ Bass Pro

Okay, here's what happened. Called up the Denham Springs, La store and asked to speak to someone regarding corporate policy. Lady answering the phone said, hold on please, I waited for a few moments then I heard a voice say, This is Bert, can I help you. I said, hello Bert my name is Paul. I will be visiting your store this afternoon with my daughter looking at your compound bows and .22 rifles. What is your corporate policy regarding open carry? I clarified that the weapon I will be carrying will be in a holster.

He promptly said, "the lady in the front as you pass through the turnstiles will ask you to put one of our trigger locks on the weapon so you can continue to shop". If you are a law enforcement officer with a visible badge you do not have to have a trigger lock.

Well, me and my daugther went to Bass Pro, and guess who walks up to us in the gun department with a name tag saying Bert! He asked me if I needed any help. I said, I'm looking for 10 mm semi auto ammo and he said we don't usually have those rounds. I said, hello Bert, I'm the person that called earlier. He smiled. I asked him if that was corporate policy and he said yes. I thanked him for his help and told him to have a great 4th of July.

I would like to get this clarified and then give Mr. Bert a telephone call and help him to understand corporate policy for his store. No disrespect to Bert. He was supernice and helpful, just possibly misinformed. I notice that the letter on the earlier posts is dated June 2009. Has their policy changed since then?
 
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NRAMARINE

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
523
Location
Anywhere but here.
I've oc'd in there maybe a half dozen times. No problems, even chatted briefly with the store mgr. ( can't recall his name, sorry) Bert is misinformed, the policy clearly states they follow state law.
 

Mike

Site Co-Founder
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
8,706
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
stop asking, just carry

Come on folks - just openm carry discreetly and mind your own business - asking permission almost always gets you a negative response, even where corporate policy is otherwise - just like asking police officers for their views.

If any Bass pro violates corpo. policy and tells you to leave or check your gun, call larry Whitely or i will do it for you and that store will be straightened out ASAP.

Don;t ask, don;t tell applies to open carry too. Just carry.
 

sraacke

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,214
Location
Saint Gabriel, Louisiana, USA
Paul,
Put simply, Bert was wrong regarding Bass Pro policy. This has been covered several times. Many of us have open carried in that particular store and we have covered this ground already.
The policy is that if you are bringing a gun in to the firing range or to the repair area then it has to be trigger locked.
If you are carrying a gun for self defense and it is going to stay holstered while you shop then you don't need a trigger lock. Citizens, regardless of whether they are LEOs or not, may carry a hosletered pistol in the store.
Back in May I attended a few of the seminars held at Bass Pro. Mr Solomon, one of the BP employees in charge of the store firing range, explained the store policy in detail.
Just as importantly, don't go creating waves by calling and asking these questions in the first place.
 

Paul E. Blouin

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
54
Location
Independence, Louisiana, USA
Sorry if you think it is creating waves................

Paul,
Put simply, Bert was wrong regarding Bass Pro policy. This has been covered several times. Many of us have open carried in that particular store and we have covered this ground already.
The policy is that if you are bringing a gun in to the firing range or to the repair area then it has to be trigger locked.
If you are carrying a gun for self defense and it is going to stay holstered while you shop then you don't need a trigger lock. Citizens, regardless of whether they are LEOs or not, may carry a hosletered pistol in the store.
Back in May I attended a few of the seminars held at Bass Pro. Mr Solomon, one of the BP employees in charge of the store firing range, explained the store policy in detail.
Just as importantly, don't go creating waves by calling and asking these questions in the first place.

I disagree, I don't appreciate the attitude. I'm old enough and been around the block a couple of times to decide what is best for me and my family when it comes to carrying a firearm.

I did not want to walk in the store with my daughter and get into a situaion without knowing what I was walking into. You decide what is best for you and I will decide what is best for me and my family. You get what I'm saying? I was simply asking if anyone knew what their policy was, not all the other crap!

I believe in helping people understand, either I was wrong or they were wrong or just a misunderstanding. I think it is an opportunity to inform people about what their rights are. Look, Bass Pro is a private business and they can make policy that either allows me to open carry or not. And I will respect that decision, once I know what it is. I will make a call to Bert this afternoon and discuss this with him, so he doesn't "misinform" others when they call to speak to someone about open carry policy at Bass Pro. Thanks for your help!
 
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NRAMARINE

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
523
Location
Anywhere but here.
Whoa Paul, no one on this thread is trying to give you crap or insult you. It's simply that we have been down this road and you were being misled. As far as making waves goes, you have to understand that most people's knee jerk reaction is to say no guns, period. Look at the big picture, our goal I believe is to have oc be seen as commonplace and no cause for alarm. The best way to do that, put simply is to carry on as normal at your discretion while oc'ing. I admit I don't oc everywhere, about 75% of the time however I do. When you do, handle yourself as a responsible citizen, and go about your business. Walk the walk.
 

charlie12

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
545
Location
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Last night I asked the girl I know that works at BP who Bert was. She he was A manager but not THE manager.
I told her about him putting out false info about OC'ing in BP and not following Co. policy.
She asked if they would be getting emails or phone calls, told her probably so that I didn't know what was so hard about the policy, it was simple. Sounds like some of the managers are simple too.
 

sraacke

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,214
Location
Saint Gabriel, Louisiana, USA
Paul,
Sorry if you were offended by any of my statement. It was not meant to be a personal slight. Those of us who have been on this, and other forums, have discussed this issue several times and also talked about the pros and cons of calling a business and inquiring about their policies. We've walked this road and we know what happens when certain actions are taken. Again, I'm sorry if you took what I had to say in any other way than simple advice based on experience. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across as well as intended.
 

Paul E. Blouin

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
54
Location
Independence, Louisiana, USA
As I said I Thank Everyone for their opinion and help!

I have a thirteen year old girl a eleven year old boy. I'm very careful, when I can, as to what I drag them into. We have a tremendous responsibility to train up our children in the right way. I usually don't worry about calling ahead in a lot circumstances, but when it comes to exposing my children to certain situations, I'm very cautious. That's all it was, and I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear.

It's taught me alot being a father. I've seen situations get out of hand and don't really care for my children being caught in them. Don't won't to keep them from experiencing life's problems, but I think you guys (and gals) know what I mean.

Charlie12, appreciate your help along with NRAMarine and Yale. C12 what does this mean, "She asked if they would be getting emails or phone calls".

Should I give "BERT" a call and see if he has it straight now or just OC their and ask for "The Store Manager" next time if their is a problem?

Thanks again for everyone's help. I really think if we pull together and be careful in our approach with the each other and the "public" we will perhaps change the tide.

As I've heard, it took generations to get where we are, it will probably take generations to turn it around, which may be contary to opinion.
 
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NRAMARINE

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
523
Location
Anywhere but here.
I would just oc there, and IF you have a problem simply ask to speak to the STORE Manager. If you have any problems they should be straightened out quickly. I agree with your feelings about being a father and what we must teach our children. One of the most important lessons in my opinion, is to stand up for what's right, especially when it's difficult or inconvenient to do so.

As far as how far we've come, I feel that we have come a long way, however we could lose it quickly if our vigilance wanes.
 
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charlie12

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
545
Location
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
I have a thirteen year old girl a eleven year old boy. I'm very careful, when I can, as to what I drag them into. We have a tremendous responsibility to train up our children in the right way. I usually don't worry about calling ahead in a lot circumstances, but when it comes to exposing my children to certain situations, I'm very cautious. That's all it was, and I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear.

It's taught me alot being a father. I've seen situations get out of hand and don't really care for my children being caught in them. Don't won't to keep them from experiencing life's problems, but I think you guys (and gals) know what I mean.

Charlie12, appreciate your help along with NRAMarine and Yale. C12 what does this mean, "She asked if they would be getting emails or phone calls".

Should I give "BERT" a call and see if he has it straight now or just OC their and ask for "The Store Manager" next time if their is a problem?

Thanks again for everyone's help. I really think if we pull together and be careful in our approach with the each other and the "public" we will perhaps change the tide.

As I've heard, it took generations to get where we are, it will probably take generations to turn it around, which may be contary to opinion.

Paul,
I agree with everything in your post about your children.
The girl I talked to was responding to what I told her about some of their people not knowin their own policy.
I told her people from all over the U.S. reads these post and when a store goes against their own policy people will sometimes email and call HQ or the store to get them straight.

If what happened to you happened to me I would called BP HQ tell them what happened. Tell them that it seems like most gun owners that OC or CC in their store seems to know their Co. policy but their own damn "managers" don't and would they please email me the written policy so I could copy it and give it to anyone in their store that questions me and doesn't know it.
 

Paul E. Blouin

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
54
Location
Independence, Louisiana, USA
NRA: Thanks for your comments. I have no problem standing for what's right. I also have learned one must be ready to pay the cost, much more than they could ever image, for ones actions. I have a wife and children, before I do anything, anything, that would put them in jeopardy, I count the cost. Not to make this a big deal, but one may remember that in today's society things can get very dicy and very expensive (lawyer cost, etc.) very quickly, that could cost you your job, being able to be with your family because someone is in jail, cannot pay your bills, etc. Believe me, I know someone that is going through this right now.

Not saying don't stand, just saying, just be ready for things to go totally wrong and prepared to have people fabricating all kinds of lies about you in a court of law and going into your personal life in a court of law also. Like, how many guns do you have? How many miltary style weapons do you own? Things can turn into a big pile of *&^^). Yes, this can be the case with anything in life just about. But, especially when it comes to walking around with a sidearm on you in today's society and walking in a place of business.

Again, not saying be fearful, actually be proud of what right you have, but be darn sure you can hang when the proverbial ^%$## hits the fan and things go where you could have possibly never dreamed of.

This nation has gotten in the position it is in now over many years. I would like for this situation to change quick as possible. It's going to take generations, in my opinion, with very diligent effort to turn it back to what it should be. Make sure we vote at the ballot box for the right candiate and make sure you are exercising your Constitutional rights as often as you can.

Charlie12; I think that is a great idea! I will call corporate and see if I can get an emailed clarification on their position and ask them to put more emphasis with regard to all their managers getting a firmer understanding of their open carry corporate policy.
 
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Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
2,269
Location
baton rouge, Louisiana, USA
You people will never learn. Ever.

It's deja vue all over again.

The reason this once-great Republic is is such shambles is each generation fails to learn from those who have gone before us. Today is no exception.

The Bass Pro situation has been beaten to death, just OC there and be done with it.
If there were a REAL OC attorney in the area, anyone arrested for OC'ing at Bass Pro would have their name on the door when the dust settles.

If voting actually were a viable option, congress would have outlawed it years ago.

Dream on.
 
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