Don Bales’ gun shop — aptly named Don’s Gun Shop, Inc. — is a bit of a social club.
“In the morning, a lot of locals are in here, having coffee and discussing the world’s problems,” said Bales. “It’s a nice social group, a bunch of guys who have been coming in for years now.”
Since it is, after all, a gun shop, sometimes they’ll bring in a gun for him to clean — he offers a wide range of services, from cleaning to troubleshooting problems to appraisal services — although just as many make appointments beforehand. He’s fine with either method.
While mornings are filled with companionable chat, afternoons tend to be when the serious business occurs — that’s his peak selling time. Most of his customers are locals, but quite a few come from the Washington side of the Columbia, as the only other gun shop just opened in Lyle.
Actually, his is the sole gun shop in the Hood River area, although he guesses there are two or three others located in The Dalles. He opened Don’s Gun Shop six years ago, starting with an inventory that was mostly from his own collection.
“I was lucky I had acquired a collection over the years. It helped me start up (the business) and get it going,” Bales said.
At first, he worked days as a machinist at Hoag and Davis, running the shop in his off-hours, generally from 4:30-9 p.m.
But after a few months, the company started laying off employees.
“I was one,” he explained, so he decided to make a fulltime go of it. “It just seemed to take off. It’s done real well.”
It’s done so well that he’s recently expanded the business, located at 1010 13th Street in Suite D — and purchased the entire building and parking lot area, which also includes a barber and a massage therapist.
Now, he’s doubled his floor space and been able to increase inventory accordingly. Bales carries handguns, semi-automatics, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, ammunition, scopes, slings, holsters and magazines.
“Anything you’d like to purchase, I can pick up for you,” he said.
When mass shootings occur, like the one Dec. 2 in San Bernardino, Calif., gun sales tend to go up in the aftermath, he said.
Det. Mike Martin, founder of Best Defense Training, LLC, will hold a carry concealed weapons class at Don’s Gun Shop on Dec. 18, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Cost is $50. Bales has a signup sheet at the shop, or interested persons can contact Det. Martin at 541-490-6546 or visit bestdefensetraining.biz. Best Defense Training can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/bdt.....
“It makes me sorry to hear — I don’t want that to happen to anybody like that,” Bales said. “But it seems like (sales) do go up after something like that.
“It puts a bad name on guns,” he added. “We should really look at the people doing the shootings. The restrictions are hurting honest people. Criminals don’t care (about gun laws) — if they can’t buy guns legally, they will steal them or buy them on the black market.”
Another result of shootings: He’s seeing a large influx of female customers buying weapons for personal self-defense.
“It’s just the way the world is going,” he said. “I had three women buy handguns this week already for themselves.”
When a gun is purchased at Bale’s shop — and in Oregon — customers must fill out a 4473 form and answer a number of questions regarding the disclosure of disabilities, dishonorable military discharges and/or domestic violence incidents. Patrons are also thumb printed as an additional layer of security. Then, he fills out the remaining paperwork concerning the type of gun purchased and proof of identification presented. The final step is entering the data for the Oregon State Police via computer or phone.
“Sometimes, the background check is instant — it depends on how many background checks are going on around the state,” he explained.
It’s usually busier around the holidays and prior to hunting season, he said, so expect wait times to be longer.
He recommends that gun owners take classes — either concealed carry or gun training — because they “get you more familiar with the gun you have picked out,” Bales said, “and give you a little bit more perspective on the laws in Oregon, as far as concealed carry and what your rights are if you get into a situation where you have to use a handgun.”
Bales grew up in Orville, Calif., where he graduated from high school. He served in the Navy for four years, and moved to Hood River in 1977.
“I came through on vacation with my wife at the time,” he said, “and liked the area. I put in an application for a mechanic position at Diamond Fruit, and a week later they called me up. So we moved.”
Bales has always been an avid gun collector. “I love guns. I like to target practice. I haven’t hunted in a few years, but I may take it up again, now that my kids are grown up and out of the house.
“Like a 1911 Colt, I just like the feel of it in my hand,” he explained. “I just love the feel of them, I love to shoot them, I love to collect them.
“Guns are a good investment, Colts in particular right now,” he added.
He’ll think about retirement in another four years or so — he’d like to do some traveling, namely to visit museums and gun shows around the country.
But for now, he’s happy to help customers with questions, direct them to gunsmiths, and clean or sell weapons.
“(The gun shop) helps fill the need and desires of the people who are related to gun enthusiasts, in hunting and just target shooting alone, and collecting,” he said.
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