Buy .45 ammo

[RetiredE9]

I bought some ammo yesterday at Wal-Mart (National Ammo Day!) and picked up a coupla boxes of .45 and .40 ball to burn at the range. This was the first time I bought .45 in Texas and the clerk asked me to verify that the .45 was for a handgun only??

What was that all about?

[KC5AV]

The system at Wal-Mart prompts that question on certain ammo which can be fired in either a handgun or a rifle. It's to make sure that someone under 21 isn't purchasing ammo for a handgun. It's the same thing when the system asks if the person purchasing alcohol is over 21, etc.

[KaiserB]

I bought a 100 pack of 9mm WWB from Wal Mart for my AR-15 9mm a few weeks ago. The guy at the counter rang it up as handgun ammo. I delayed the transaction considerably by saying "actually I am using it in my rifle" That statement threw the guy off for the whole rest of the transaction as he proceeded to give me a lecture about 9mm is handgun only, and their is no such thing as a 9mm rifle. And how one should not lie when purchasing ammo.

So just being me, I pulled up a picture (on my cell phone) of an MP5, MP40, and an AR-15 9mm Upper and asked him what was in the picture and what caliber the picture description said... We then had a 10 minute discussion about how fun it is to shoot sub guns and carbines.

[Xander]

Sounds like he was confused. In theory, the cash register was prompting him to ask if it was for a handgun (but not handgun only) because in the case that it is handgun ammunition, you would have to be 21 to purchase it. This is something they ask any time the rounds are common for both handguns or long guns and there is doubt about the buyer's age. However, since you bought .40 caliber ammo which is assumed to be for a handgun, the .45 should have been a moot point. Because of the .40, if he thought you might not be 21, he should have ID'ed you, and if he though you were, it shouldn't have mattered for either. So, I'm betting he simply hasn't been trained properly and was just guessing at what the prompt the cash register was giving him meant.

Edit: Sheesh, I'm slow.

[AEA]

I'm 61 and they ask me "are you over 21" when I buy cigarettes at WalMart!

[CainA]

I'm 61 and they ask me "are you over 21" when I buy cigarettes at WalMart!

I'd take that as a compliment, I wish I got carded more often.

-Cain

[lws380]

I have clothes in my closet that are 21 years old!