5Q4 Jeff Miley, owner Jeff’s Bait & Guns
Jeff Miley has been selling guns for 20 years from his store, Jeff’s Bait & Guns, in Jasper. He has a few opinions on gun control and the reason these shootings are occurring.
How are your guns sales going right now?
We are up 55 percent over last year so far. After Aurora we increased our sales 99 percent. Don’t rob anyone in Dubois County, I think I have sold everybody in the county a handgun since Aurora.
[quote]Don’t rob anyone in Dubois County, I think I have sold everybody in the county a handgun since Aurora.” Jeff Miley, owner Jeff’s Bait and Guns[/quote]
What do you think the solution to the gun debate is?
Morals and mental health. Look at video games, there’s a video game that actually looks like you’re getting [sexually explicit] while you’re in the car and you drive over people. Is that right?
We took guns to school in my day, no one was scared then. What changed? Where did it go wrong? Mental health and morals.
What about assault weapons?
Does this look dangerous? (He picks up a Chinese-made Mosin Nagant bolt-action rifle) It’s killed 58,000 people in one day in China, but no one’s scared of this gun. That’s a five-round, bolt-action nothing, but a person can do more damage with this gun than one of these AR’s.
The politicians are gonna define and assault weapon as whatever they want to define it as. What makes it an assault weapon? Extended magazines and pistol grips. I can put a pistol grip on any rifle. They are making decisions based on cosmetics.
How hard is it to purchase a gun?
The ATF has a revised form that was initiated on July 9. They have used a similar form since 1968. You have to answer questions like “are you a felon,” “do you have mental illness,” and “have you been convicted of domestic violence?”
This form is then called in and a background check is performed. The form is also be inspected by the ATF and kept on record for 20 years.
I’ve had two inspections the past two years, they (ATF) went through every form we have and every question has to be answered.
You can’t just come in an buy a gun, in fact I just turned down a person, we make a decision too. I don’t have to sell a gun to someone if I know they just got out of a mental institute or I know about their history.
If you are a felon there is no way to buy a gun from a legal shop. If a felon needs a weapon he can go to a hardware store and buy a hammer with no paperwork.
What about record keeping for guns you purchase and sell?
When you have a sale, you have to write in this record book and you better be sure you have the serial number right. They’ll (law enforcement) will come in and say “I have a need to see where that gun went to, you received that gun in July of 1993”, then I have to go and look it up and find it in one of those cases. Those forms better be right.
We get one of those from the ATF’s tracing center each month.
What is the solution?
Laws aren’t going to stop it. If they came up laws that would help, I think gun shop owners would jump up an support it, but the guy (Adam Lanza) broke 15 felonies right away, as soon as he walked on the school with the weapons.
You’ve taken the prayer out of school, you’ve gotten rid of allegiance of anything, politicians are crooked as hell, and the media beats us (gun owners) to death.
Murder has been with us since Cain and Abel, but do guns make it worse?
They took over a plane with a box cutter. If there was gun on that plane, would it have happened?
When was the last gun shop or any place where guns are kept was robbed?
Is there a solution to keep guns out of the hands of evil people?
Well put Jeff…..if you make it a crime to possess a gun, only criminals will have one….where does that leave the law-abiding citizens then???
Quote “We took guns to school in my day, no one was scared then. ” Really…..then why were you carrying guns? I don’t think more guns are the solution. Our kids lives are more important!
I graduated in 1990. It wasn’t uncommon at all for guys in our school to have a gun rack in the back window of there truck, with a gun in it. Back then guns were for hunting and target practice. There was no fear of a gun. I think this is what Jeff meant. I, as many law abiding gun owners think there is a civility/ moral problem in this country!
Leon – respectfully you may never understand. At many high schools in America, guns at school were allowed. Furthermore, often riflery was and is still taught at universities. Some high schools still offer it. Trap and Skeet I know is offered as well. IU has riflery still, Rose Hulman too.
Your ignorance is acceptable and justified, you are likely the product of liberal leaning dogma in which “all guns are evil”. I assume your knowledge of “guns” is very shallow and not very rich. I only state that based upon your response in your post. It appears your knowledge has been spoon fed to you across the evening news at 5 pm which is grossly inaccurate.
To help broaden your mind – I will give you some useful knowledge. You can purchase an AR-15 subsidized by the federal government at a great deal! Try googling “CMP” or “DCM Rifle” aka Civilian Marksmanship Program and Department of Civilian Marksmanship.
Regardless of your ignorance on the subject of guns, I personally thank you for contributing your tax dollars so I can buy they evil assault weapons at a great price!
So to answer your question – there are guns in schools and even better – they are subsidized by the anti-gun ignorant types. Furthermore – if you still want to learn to shoot and be safe – you can participate in a federal program to bone up on your skills!
See you at the shooting match!
Cheers!
Jcnsc….really, sounds to me from your response that you are still just a kid in school and upset that your toy is going to be taken away…..you will never convince me of your selfishness. My name is Leon and have been around guns longer than you have been alive. What is your name sir……I can’t tell because you are scared to voice your opinion with your name…….who,s hiding here….
Leon,
I have worked in the firearms industry for almost thirty years. While you may be my elder, your firearms education is lacking.
I respect your opinion despite your ability to base it upon facts. Firearms have been in this country since it’s inception, mass school shootings are a recent phenomena (20 years). What changed? The guns or the people pulling the trigger?
I don’t reveal my name because it would be safe to assume I own firearms and I don’t want a nut job breaking into my residence and trying to steal my valuables. Ar-15s? Assault Weapons? no – mainly shotguns and competition firearms but each costing in the thousands.
Since we are having this chat and I can help you learn some facts, researched sources show that assault weapons account for only 2%-8% of all guns used in crimes. That may be a shock to those who get their news at 5 pm and don’t dig for the truth.
The most common firearm used in the commission of a crime? 6 shot double action revolvers, usually .38 / .357 caliber.
Method in which criminals get their guns? Bureau of Justice Statistics states their inmate surveys shows that 80% of firearms used in crimes are either obtained by theft or through a straw purchase.
Low information voters are the downfall of this great country.
Class is dismissed.
Boy, I got schooled 🙂 wow thanks for totally changing my mind. jcnsc, I hope you find peace
I think Jeff hit the nail on the head. More laws will not fix the problem. The problem lies at the door of our morally deficient society. It has become a world where there is an excuse for every bad thing that someone does. Criminals are slapped on the wrist and sent on their way. Guns are not the problem, people are the problem. Unfortunately, you cannot regulate a criminal if he is out and running loose.
Leon you are a pansy gunaphobic…JEFF