Keith's refuses gun sale to woman, who later commits suicide

solv3nt · Apr 27, 2013

+1 for Keith's, with NW Armory raising prices, Keith's has earned me as a customer, a customer that doesn't expect customer service

Oregon gun store owner tried to block troubled woman from buying gun | OregonLive.com

bellarum · Apr 27, 2013

Sad story. Dicks can still "SUCK IT!"

mancat · Apr 27, 2013

sad story, but the tone of the article is still MORE MORE LAWS. apparently not selling a gun to a suicidal person is going to keep them from committing suidide. sort of like warning labels on prescription drugs, or high fences on tall bridges.

oknow · Apr 27, 2013

I agree it's a sad story.
unfortunately you can bet these type of story's are going to be put into headlines giving the life story of the people (when was the last time you saw an article giving the life story about someone that jumped off a bridge or over dosed intentionally). just another avenue going towards gun control.

jluck · Apr 27, 2013

mancat said:
sad story, but the tone of the article is still MORE MORE LAWS. apparently not selling a gun to a suicidal person is going to keep them from committing suidide. sort of like warning labels on prescription drugs, or high fences on tall bridges.

oknow said:
I agree it's a sad story.
unfortunately you can bet these type of story's are going to be put into headlines giving the life story of the people (when was the last time you saw an article giving the life story about someone that jumped off a bridge or over dosed intentionally). just another avenue going towards gun control.

Yep, more fuel for the anti's....We will see every story like this exploited to the fullest.

Sad story and good on Keith's BTW.

308 · Apr 27, 2013

Good job Maria! She IS the good one at Keith's

Cuthbert Allgood · Apr 27, 2013

what a depressing story!

revjen45 · Apr 27, 2013

People intent on suicide are not always so obvious about it. Many moons ago my family went were on vacation and staying in a motel. While meeting one of our temporary neighbors I mentioned that I would be going shooting, and he asked to go along. I asked him if he was conversant with safe gunhandling, to which he replied in the affirmative. Long story short, he checked out with my .44 mag. (Spectularly ugly result) There was no reason to suspect that he was on the edge and planning to jump. Good on the lady @ Keith's. Too bad potential suicides aren't always so obvious about it. Her buying a rifle instead of a handgun indicates that learned something about how to hide her true intentions, and yeah - it's really sad and depressing.

I no longer go shooting with people I don't know.

BroncoFan · Apr 27, 2013

Good on Keith's - I've heard about how rude they can be but I enjoy going in there if it's not wall-to-wall people.

Regarding the article - it should shout from the rooftops that nothing in the current proposed laws, and nothing short of an outright ban (and maybe not then), would have stopped this lady. It highlights in stark relief the need to concentrate on mental health. If my kid said they tried to buy and gun and was denied and that they were thinking of killing themselves I would have had her committed right then and there. My heart aches for these folks. I've had my share of challenges with my kids but once they're grown they are their own person. You can raise them as best you can, protect them during that time, pray for them always but you cannot be everywhere at once.
By the same token, the government simply cannot protect people from themselves, either. There are some awesome people in government and nonprofit positions that try their level best to address the tsunami of mental helath issues in this country, but the bureaucracy and largess are an absolute joke. We need to focus as individuals and community on helping those at a community, tribal and personal level. Still you can't and won't save them all. Just got back from a week of training regarding domestic violence and child abuse and my opinion is as strong as ever - More firearms restrictions are the last thing we need.

Medic! · Apr 27, 2013

No matter how many times I look at one I allways come to the same conclusion. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporay problem.
And that picture of Maria in the article dose not do her justice. She is almost allways smiling. And her smile dose light up the room. Now Don't get me wrong I'm happily married to the most beutiful woman in the world! But Maria is a truly beautiful woman. Good head on her shoulders too. How many people today realy care for there follow man?In the end it's people that help people. Not laws. You can't legislate morality.

CascadeSam · Apr 27, 2013

Medic! said:
No matter how many times I look at one I allways come to the same conclusion. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporay problem.
And that picture of Maria in the article dose not do her justice. She is almost allways smiling. And her smile dose light up the room...But Maria is a truly beautiful woman. Good head on her shoulders too. How many people today realy care for there follow man?In the end it's people that help people. Not laws. You can't legislate morality.

I was in Keith's two days previously and Maria was there too. Maria is a beautiful sultry woman and the picture in the Oregonian does not represent her.

kumabear17 · Apr 27, 2013

Story is sad and the type anti's like to use against gun owners.
The truth is the suicide rate in the US is surprisingly low compared to a lot of countries which have tight gun controls.

World suicide rates by country

Japan's is twice ours at 19 per the Washington Post.

RBid · Apr 27, 2013

kumabear17 said:
Story is sad and the type anti's like to use against gun owners.
The truth is the suicide rate in the US is surprisingly low compared to a lot of countries which have tight gun controls.

World suicide rates by country

Japan's is twice ours at 19 per the Washington Post.

On average (year to year), Japan's combined homicide and suicide rates are substantially higher than ours. That was really shocking to me, because I have recently learned from the television that suicides only happen when a gun is conveniently accessible.

/crickets

Misterbill · Apr 27, 2013

I applaud the clerk. Suicide is usually a permanent solution to a temporary problem. And certainly, if I was working a gun counter and someone approached me who REALLY didn't seem "right," I can easily see myself refusing the sale.

On the other hand, let's look at the person who shot herself.

13 hospitalizations for depression in the last year. Presumably on medication to help. IT DID NOT HELP.

If waking up every day is an "aww crap" moment, if medication offers no relief, if there is NO HOPE of a real solution to your soul crushing depression. Is suicide such a bad idea?

Seems a rational, if awful choice.

If we believe in the concept of individual rights, suicide by a person suffering such mind-destroying pain every moment shouldn't be something we feel the need to regulate.

It may be tough on the survivor's feelings, but if you're about prohibiting behavior based on someone else's FEELINGS, you should be firmly on the ANTI-GUN side.

nick1980 · Apr 27, 2013

I can't believe that after what she told the state police they couldn't do anything

spider · Apr 27, 2013

There is one salesman there I do not like and I constantly come into contact with him, but I have dealt with Maria and she knows customer service, one of her employees sold me a gun at a gun show some odd years ago and didn't ask for my fingerprints, then a few weeks later I received a phone call from Maria asking me to go to their store in Fairview/Gresham, after I did the thumb prints, she had me 2-50 boxes of some quality .45acp plinking ammo and said it was for my troubles. Very nice indeed! Good job Maria.