Oregon Instant Background Approval

[OldBroad44]

my most relaxed buying experiences are at Coastal farm and ranch. I just learned to not go any earlier in the day than noon if I intended to but a firearm. Earlier than that and you probably will only be able to buy ammo and accessories. The persons allowed to sell firearms don't start early in the day.

I, too try to go to gun stores during times that they are least likely to be busy and the right clerk is available. In most cases that means I avoid Monday, Friday, or Saturday. And I avoid the lunch hour or the end of the day. A lot of people drop in on downtown gun stores during their lunch hours, creating a rush about 11:30 till 1:30. With an unfamiliar gun store I call and ask them when their least busy times are. This isn't because I'm concerned about getting neglected. Its because I dislike being anywhere near a gun counter when there's a neophyte there obliviously sweeping everybody while handling guns. Or the are hangers-around giving unsolicited wrong advice to others.

Gun store clerks these days know some women shoot. The first time I visit their store they've got my number. They notice the expert way I receive a revolver, check the cylinder to see that its empty even though they just did that, push the cylinder closed gently as a woman handling a man's, whoops. Er..ahem. Cough cough. gently. Avoid sweeping anyone while handling gun. And politely ask permission to dry fire the gun. They relax. In some cases add more .44mags and announce they have something new to show me next time I visit. On my second visit to Tick Licker-Corvallis to meet a buyer there, using them for the ffl, one of the clerks brought me a Ruger .44 mag 7.5" Redhawk to look at while waiting. I already own the 9 " model. But it was a friendly way of letting me know they remembered me. And when I was ready to buy a shotgun from gunbroker, I checked with Tick Licker to see if they had it in stock or could get it easily first. They appreciated that. In just two visits they had become "my gun store."

 

[Stomper]

They notice the expert way I receive a revolver, check the cylinder to see that its empty even though they just did that, push the cylinder closed gently as a woman handling a man's, whoops. Er..ahem. Cough cough. gently.

Whoa hold on, wait a minute!


Some of us MEN aren't made of sugar and don't mind the rough stuff once in a while!

 

[raftman]

The male clerk can turn away and ignore your question if he doesn't like your gender, race, age, or apparent level of affluence. The paper doesnt. And it constitutes a written record that proves it if someone has been discriminated against.

If someone is going to be so blatantly disrespectful as to turn away from a question, I'd take my money elsewhere. They're the ones losing out on a sale, or maybe even on a loyal customer for life.

Plus it's not like the sheet is a legally binding document, what's to stop them from ignoring a name on a sheet?

 

[OldBroad44]

Plus it's not like the sheet is a legally binding document, what's to stop them from ignoring a name on a sheet?

In my experience most people who are being a little sexist or racist don't mean to be, and notice it when they have obvious proof. And try to correct it. Especially if left alone to figure it out themselves and correct their behavior by themselves rather than having someone rub their noses in it. And even if a clerk is racist or sexist its fairly likely the boss won't want the missed sales that come from that behavior, even if the boss is also a little racist or sexist too.
With the sign-up sheet, the customer is in a better position to complain to the boss. And the clerk knows that, and is likely to pay attention to waiting on customers in proper order.

 

[orygun]

If someone is going to be so blatantly disrespectful as to turn away from a question, I'd take my money elsewhere. They're the ones losing out on a sale, or maybe even on a loyal customer for life.

THAT is why I've only been to Keith's once.

 

[raftman]

If someone is going to be so blatantly disrespectful as to turn away from a question, I'd take my money elsewhere. They're the ones losing out on a sale, or maybe even on a loyal customer for life.

Plus it's not like the sheet is a legally binding document, what's to stop them from ignoring a name on a sheet?

My impression is that this would be a "penny wise, pound foolish" solution. To rely on the sheet will probably be off-putting to more people than you would gain for using it as a tool against discrimination.

 

[OldBroad44]

My impression is that this would be a "penny wise, pound foolish" solution. To rely on the sheet will probably be off-putting to more people than you would gain for using it as a tool against discrimination.

That's possible . though when the store was framed and there were lines out the door the signup was necessary. But certainly lots of rules get instituted for solving problems that don't exist.

 

[mkelly1128]

Has anyone heard what the current wait times are for background checks? I have a friend who just purchased his first handgun and was told about 2 weeks for approval.

 

[CountryGent]

I never thought I'd see the day in which many NFA transfers are coming back faster than "instant" background checks. And, yet, here we are.

 

[Xmark1]

Picked up another Glock today.
Transfer & BGC at A Cut Above Pawn. $30 Total.
My approval was so fast I would have to use negative numbers to describe it.
Business as usual.

 

[Xmark1]

THAT is why I've only been to Keith's once.

 

[Hotdog 7]

Purchased a rifle today, instant approval. CHL w/ unique name - former mil and LE affiliation (although I've spoken with someone at FICS who assured me that has nothing to do with it). I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't been instant approval and I've purchased probably over 100 firearms in the last 10 years.

Just to update from this post, I am not longer receiving instant approvals as of April 2024. Coincidentally, I bought a rifle at the start of the year and that was instant approval. When I went to buy a pistol in May I was placed into the queue (and just last week I bought another handgun was placed into the queue). In April I traveled to Europe for the first time since getting out of the military ~10 years ago. I have a sneaking suspicion that traveling outside the US likely creates some kind of marker in a system somewhere with Homeland Security/CBP and if FICS hits on that marker - it results in being placed in the queue so it can be reviewed by a person from FICS. I think this because when I was traveling back from Europe, I could see the CBP Agent's computer screen after he scanned my passport and it looks like it had a history of all the places my passport got scanned while I was in Europe. That information is likely getting stored somewhere and looked over when people buy guns (likely to look for people traveling to countries with terrorist groups and then coming to buy guns when they return).

 

[raftman]

Just to update from this post, I am not longer receiving instant approvals as of April 2024. Coincidentally, I bought a rifle at the start of the year and that was instant approval. When I went to buy a pistol in May I was placed into the queue (and just last week I bought another handgun was placed into the queue). In April I traveled to Europe for the first time since getting out of the military ~10 years ago. I have a sneaking suspicion that traveling outside the US likely creates some kind of marker in a system somewhere with Homeland Security/CBP and if FICS hits on that marker - it results in being placed in the queue so it can be reviewed by a person from FICS. I think this because when I was traveling back from Europe, I could see the CBP Agent's computer screen after he scanned my passport and it looks like it had a history of all the places my passport got scanned while I was in Europe. That information is likely getting stored somewhere and looked over when people buy guns (likely to look for people traveling to countries with terrorist groups and then coming to buy guns when they return).

You might be overthinking it. In many cases it could be something as simple as an entry error. I typically get instant approvals, but one time they switched two letters in my name and I got into the queue. I went back to being instant after that.

I think the most reliable indicator is having a unique name, especially one not shared with anyone that has a record, but it must be entered accurately. For example, for a name like Ed Smith, there's probably hundreds of people with the same name, some of which likely have a criminal record, so this will almost certainly result in a manual review to make certain that's not you. So it could also be that someone with a similar name may have earned themselves a record and you're paying certain consequences, too.

 

[CountryGent]

Up in the city to pickup a pistol and FFL said entire background check system down.

 

[Bolt_308]

Up in the city to pickup a pistol and FFL said entire background check system down.

 

[CountryGent]

Appears to be back up, because approved.

 

[PrDubi]

My only significant delay last year was for 3 days at Emerald Valley gun store in Creswell, OR.
But that's a glitch in that I went in on Monday and saw a Beretta APXA1 tactical for cheap..bought it.
Then saw something else for cheap Wednesday and bought it and then Friday bought a rifle and pistol for cheap and then they delayed me.

Buying too many guns probably trips their alarms.

That's my last delay since then.
Otherwise, super instant like ten seconds instant.
Unique name does that being my name is hardly unique.
Still hold a security clearance and I'm retired mil.

Lessons learned.

Don't buy 4 guns in one week is what I learned.