For the record I reside in NYS, not in NYC.
On 1/13/11, I ordered a BP rifle from Bass Pro, on-line. All was well until I attempted to check out. I was told that I could not purchase it, because it was a restricted item. I spoke to a CS rep using their on line chat, and was told that she "was unable to locate our exact policy for firearms shipping restrictions". I pointed out that what I was trying to purchase was not a firearm under the law. I was told that she would have someone get back to me.
On 2/28, I again contacted their on line chat, asking about the status of my question, regarding, being restricted from purchasing a BP rifle. I was asked my zip code, when I gave it to them, I was told the item was still restricted. I asked if it had to do with NYC's law about BP guns, that I didn't live in NYC. I asked for a written response explaining why they were refusing to sell me an item when I was allowed by state law to own it.
On 3/3, I received the following from Bass Pro:
Thank you for contacting us. I understand you are requesting a statement from us regarding why we won't ship a CVA Wolf BP rifle to your zip code.
We are currently restricting from sale black powder guns to New York City and the vicinity. We have consistently applied the same geographical definition for “New York City and vicinity”, which is any zip code that begins with 100-119. This ensures coverage of all the boroughs but certainly does stretch to locations outside “New York City and the vicinity”. We do not employ a zip-code by zip-code enforcement as it would not be feasible for us to do. There is no clear legal definition for the boundary of New York City for any of these laws and we have been opting for a more conservative approach, one that is sometimes more conservative than some of our competitors. This is not done with the intention of deterring customers nor to suggest a stance on the law itself. Rather, it is the company’s decision to ensure Bass Pro Shops’ compliance with an historically strict jurisdiction based on our best interpretation of the law. We certainly wish to serve as many existing and potential customers as we can but the logistics of compliance is not an easy task. We do periodically revisit our compliance practices and will certainly look at this again in the future.
Please contact us again if you require further assistance.
Best Regards,
TXXXX
Bass Pro Shops
Customer Service
1-800-554-5488
I responded with the following:
Ms. TXXXX,
With all due respect ma'am, your statement: "There is no clear legal definition for the boundary of New York City for any of these laws and we have been opting for a more conservative approach, one that is sometimes more conservative than some of our competitors." is completely puzzling to say the least.
In case your legal department has not figured it out yet, allow me to give you the legal definition. NYC is comprised of the five (5) boroughs which comprise of the following counties: Manhattan (New York county), Brooklyn (Kings county), Queens (Queens county), The Bronx (Bronx county), and Staten Island (Richmond county). NYC laws and restrictions do not apply outside these areas. I reside in Orange county, NYS, which is outside of the geographical & political boundary's of NYC. Additionally Orange county, NYS does not touch or is physically connected to NYC.
How much simpler does this have to be? To make it more relevant to you, I'm sure laws passed in Jefferson City, Missouri, don't impact people that live in Springfield, Missouri, do they? If your legal department doesn't or can't figure this out, I respectfully suggest you fire them, and maybe hire some first year law students, who can. It will probably save your company some money.
Thank you for the courtesy of a reply, I Hope that you can bring this to the attention of some one in your company who has a little more common sense than the legal department.
Sincerely,
I received the following reply back:
Thank you for clarifying the boundary for us. As I stated in my email, we use a range of zip codes that we know go outside of the boundary to be conservative. We are continually reevaluating our policies and will keep your suggestion in mind.
Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.
Best Regards,
TXXXX
Bass Pro Shops
Customer Service
1-800-554-5488
Are these people nuts? Sorry for the long post, but this is what happens when people with too much money like Boom-berg & George Sorry-oros, get too much power. BTW, I purchase my BP rifle from Cabelas, and I decided on a T/C instead of a CVA.
