HAMPTON ROADS, Va.- Have you noticed the smell of marijuana out in public more? So has the owner of Bob’s Gun Shop Steve Dowdy in Norfolk, and he said it’s a problem inside his store.
According to Dowdy, too many people coming in to buy a gun smell like marijuana.
“I would say on a normal business day, we’re probably seeing it once a day,” said Dowdy.
Dowdy currently owns the store and previously worked there for 32 years selling guns, ammunition and other products.
He said store personnel have always been on the lookout for people who appear to have been drinking alcohol, but said those cases are rare. He never thought shoppers who smell like marijuana would be a problem and said that too often, they try to buy a gun or use the firing range.
“It’s a crime they could be charged for. Obviously, there needs to be someone here to enforce it. But yeah, it’s definitely a crime,” said Dowdy.
News 3 looked up the federal code, which states that it’s unlawful to sell a gun to anyone who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance, which includes marijuana.
However, Dowdy says it can be tricky to solely rely on his sense of smell to discern which shoppers may be under the influence of marijuana.
“You rely on olfactory senses to figure out if somebody’s using or not," he said.
Dowdy said he is part of a network of gun shop owners who have also expressed the same problem. He said some even hang signs on the door, warning people they can’t buy a gun if they smell like marijuana. He’s even considered hanging one on the door himself.
“Letting people know it might be legal in the state but federally it’s still illegal,” said Dowdy.
James Parker is a customer and praised Dowdy for speaking out about the issue. He said people need to be more responsible.
Dowdy said says if they smell it, they will refuse the sale.
“You have to be diplomatic and we just err on the side of caution,” he said.
When people are confronted, he said they have different reactions, but he’s speaking out in an effort to educate the public and help them understand the rules when purchasing a firearm in Virginia.
