Carters Country - All Charges Dropped!

[LongHairedRedneck]

I like their selection, but not the service. They are diva's behind the counter. (Houston West I-10 location)

[boomstick]

Wow!

When I posted this thread yesterday, I was just happy that one of the few sources for local reloading components was not going to possibly be shutting its doors. I had no idea that this was going to turn out to be such a bashing session...

My momma taught me that if you don't have anything good to say, it's best to just keep you mouth shut. Mabey all you fine folks have taught me a lesson about the current atitude on this forum...

[Carry-a-Kimber]

I won't get into the fact that in the 90's Bill Carter was very vocal and very anti-Gun Show!
I have no use for Carters!

I hope you have use for your 2nd Amendment Right and the people fighting to keep the Federal Gov't from infringing on it by shutting down lawful firearms dealers. Bill Carter has a very successful chain of stores that apparently has appeal to many people in the Houston area (how else would they be able to keep their doors open for 50 years). I have never seen Gander Mountain, Cabelas, or Bass Pro Shop at a gun show, but then again, I have never seen the owner and founder of these stores behind the gun counter either. Sure, I have had less than stellar service there once or twice, but I have never been given WRONG or DANGEROUS misinformation. The people that work there know their stuff and have used the items they sell in either a sporting or proffessional capacity. I wish for success for all who fighting for our 2nd Amendment Rights.

[Trinitite]

My momma taught me that if you don't have anything good to say, it's best to just keep you mouth shut. Mabey all you fine folks have taught me a lesson about the current atitude on this forum...

The forum has more than 8000 members who haven't posted about this. Maybe they're following your momma's advice.

[alvins]

I won't get into the fact that in the 90's Bill Carter was very vocal and very anti-Gun Show!
I have no use for Carters!

I hope you have use for your 2nd Amendment Right and the people fighting to keep the Federal Gov't from infringing on it by shutting down lawful firearms dealers. Bill Carter has a very successful chain of stores that apparently has appeal to many people in the Houston area (how else would they be able to keep their doors open for 50 years). I have never seen Gander Mountain, Cabelas, or Bass Pro Shop at a gun show, but then again, I have never seen the owner and founder of these stores behind the gun counter either. Sure, I have had less than stellar service there once or twice, but I have never been given WRONG or DANGEROUS misinformation. The people that work there know their stuff and have used the items they sell in either a sporting or proffessional capacity. I wish for success for all who fighting for our 2nd Amendment Rights.

i heard the dude that runs bass pro shop is pretty much anti gun for anything other then hunting?

[esxmarkc]

When I posted this thread yesterday, I was just happy that one of the few sources for local reloading components was not going to possibly be shutting its doors. I had no idea that this was going to turn out to be such a bashing session...

boomstick I certainly apologize for hijacking the thread and to be honest I does sound like a VERY strange entrapment deal they got caught up in. I can't believe that the architects of that scheme can't be held accountable for their actions.

My momma taught me that if you don't have anything good to say, it's best to just keep you mouth shut. Mabey all you fine folks have taught me a lesson about the current atitude on this forum...

Well... My momma taught me that if the steak tastes bad then you have to make a choice to either shut up and choke it down or speak up and send it back to the kitchen. You are better off letting the chef know there is something wrong with his recipe than just hoping that it will fix itself.

Now don't get me wrong that approach can get you in pretty deep water at times. I certainly know that everybody's baby is cute and "of course that dress makes you look thin" so I can't say that I can adhere to my "be honest" approach 100% of the time but I always relay my experiences good or bad. And to be as honest a I would hope that if Mr. Carter did ever stumble across this info he could use it as constructive criticism to alter his recipe.

[PostShooter]

Well stated, esxmarkc. I believe that one of the reasons this forum exists is to find out who's doing it right and who isn't. I don't think it's bashing just to vent a spleen. But I need to know who's getting a good experience at the counter and who is getting dissed. Buying a weapon isn't like buying a Big Mac. It's a lot of cash you drop on a retailer. And everyone has a choice. I too hope that those that get called to the woodshed would see it and realize a change is in order.

With that said, I haven't walked into a Carter's Country in over 15 years (I-10 location). But of all the people I talk to, not one has had something sincerely nice to say about them.

[FL450]

Information I have from someone close to the source ( I wont desclose that). In a nut shell Mr Carter was ask to cooperate in catching straw purchaser (He was ask to sell to them by the BATF so they could track then). He cooporated and the BATF tried to charge him with selling to straw purchasers. Theory is the BATF had their own internal agenda of growth and recognition and used Carter to achieve this.
BTW, he was not the only gun store in the houston area that this happend to but he had the financial means to fight for what was right instead of accepting a plea deal for somthing that he was innocent for.
He might be a frugal man but he is an honest man that would not participate in illegal activity's, This is only my opinion formed from the times I have been around Mr Carter personally over the years.

This article in the NRA E-news letter (vol 18, number 10, 03/11/11) describes what happened to Carters Country exactly the way I heard it from my source a few weeks ago.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Feder ... px?id=6384" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"On March 9, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox sent letters to key leaders in Congress calling for hearings to examine the firearms trafficking investigations tactics employed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Those tactics have allegedly allowed firearms to fall into the hands of Mexican criminal organizations, with the knowledge of the BATFE.
"IIn the letters sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) and their counterparts in the U.S. Senate, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cox wrote that the BATFE project “reportedly allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to individuals already linked to Mexican drug cartels.  Many of those transactions were reported as suspicious by the licensed firearms dealers themselves, but BATFE reportedly encouraged them to proceed with these sales, which the dealers would otherwise have turned down.”

[hirundo82]

Many of those transactions were reported as suspicious by the licensed firearms dealers themselves, but BATFE reportedly encouraged them to proceed with these sales, which the dealers would otherwise have turned down.

Of course, when dealing with an agency that has the power to unilaterally shut down your business if you don't do as they say, it's not so much "encouraged" as "ordered" to proceed with the straw sales.

[PhillRoath]

My momma taught me that if you don't have anything good to say, it's best to just keep you mouth shut. Mabey all you fine folks have taught me a lesson about the current atitude on this forum...

I'm just the opposite. I visit forums in order to find all the information I can. There are some who bash because of something they have heard from someone else (and that is a case of probably should not speak), but I like to hear the first hand accounts of both good and bad customer service. In my case, I've had pretty good luck with the Pasadena store as far as the fellows behind the counter being helpful.

I do remember when Carter's Country was supportive of laws that would limit gun shows, but that's been a few years. Perhaps they've had a change of opinion. In any case, I do like to hear about places I may shop in and also about products I may be looking to purchase. Wade through it all and weigh the pros and cons. It's just a data point for me.

Phill