Big 5 Sporting Goods, commonly referred to as the Big 5, is a sports goods chain store established in 1955.
From Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour to FILA, Bear Claw, and New Balance, almost every sports brand has set up dedicated counters here.
In his previous life, Ethan often visited this place because with just a couple of hundred dollars, he could put together a complete sports outfit.
However, today, Evelyn brought him here not for buying clothes and shoes.
Upon entering the store, the girl headed straight for the hunting display case.
Then, in the glass cabinet, a diverse array of firearms appeared in Ethan's sight.
The next moment, he heard the girl say, "Hello? Is anyone there? I need to take the Firearm Safety Certification."
As soon as she spoke, a burly middle-aged white man behind the counter stood up.
"Who's taking the test?" He first glanced at Evelyn, then shifted his gaze to Ethan. "The exam fee is ten dollars, and you can take it twice. If you fail, you can retake it after 24 hours."
"Okay." Evelyn took out ten dollars from her purse and handed it to him, then pointed at Ethan. "He's taking the test."
Firearm Safety Certification, abbreviated as FSC, is a firearm safety certificate in California's legal system. Anyone buying or owning a firearm must pass this assessment by answering at least twenty-three out of thirty questions correctly. The certification is valid for five years.
In reality, when Ethan saw Evelyn running towards the firearms section at Big 5 as soon as she got out of the car, he had already guessed what the girl wanted to do. When Evelyn called out for a coach, shouting that she wanted to play basketball—no, wait, she wanted to take a gun license exam—Ethan's face broke into a smile.
"Oh, Evelyn..." Ethan called out his sister's name.
However, before he could finish speaking, Evelyn interrupted, "Don't refuse."
"Didn't you say earlier that you were threatened when buying materials?"
"Although California has strict gun regulations, to be honest, San Francisco is still too chaotic. Having a gun in this place is pretty good. So... consider it a gift from me, to celebrate the success of the game selling, okay?"
"Wow, I love this gift!"
Ethan nodded with a smile and said, "And, you misunderstood earlier. I didn't mean to refuse."
"I'm just... very happy."
Indeed, when Ethan saw the various firearms in the display case, his mouth almost stretched to his ears!
Because in his past life, he had wanted to handle guns!
It's just that at that time, he had a long-term visa, and it was quite troublesome to get a gun license in that ghostly place called New York.
So, he never got the chance.
But now it's different. Although California's gun laws are painfully strict, at this moment, isn't he the star-spangled banner from old Washington?
Without the restrictions of his identity, handling guns is now quite easy!
And the FSC assessment is straightforward, consisting of only true/false and multiple-choice questions. The content of the questions can be measured with the intelligence of a third-grader.
Because understanding the construction of firearms is as simple as recognizing words, and their usage is extremely straightforward. The only potentially challenging safety question is whether guns with safety devices are 100% safe, questions like 'Is it legal to shoot into the air?' and a series of similar overtly hinted questions.
As long as one has a bit of normal logic and doesn't insist, like some immortals, that the Earth is flat, they will surely know that there's nothing absolute in this world. So, a safety device doesn't guarantee 100% safety.
Since the teacher asks you if shooting into the air is legal, then, it's definitely illegal.
Hey, the key here is rebellion!
Oh no, it's anti-logic!
Therefore, after Ethan received half an hour of written training, he only took ten minutes to end the exam with a perfect score, immediately obtaining the FSC certificate.
Then, showing his driver's license, and the registration card for his vehicle, and filling out a questionnaire at the request of the counter staff after questions about whether he had committed crimes, had a record of drunk driving, been arrested by law enforcement, used drugs or controlled substances, and other related queries marked with crosses, Ethan finally chose a shotgun worth three hundred and fifty dollars, the Remington 870.
After that, Ethan and Evelyn returned home empty-handed.
Yes, for the first legitimate gun purchase in California, a background check is required.
The gun store staff will submit the information to the California Department of Justice and the FBI to ensure that your information meets the standards and is true and valid. This process takes ten days, so the earliest one can get the gun is on the eleventh day.
But that doesn't matter, right?
With the FSC already obtained, the ten-day countdown seems to pass in the blink of an eye!
Uh... well...
Ethan admitted that these ten days had been quite agonizing. Just the thought of having a gun made it hard for him to sleep. So, on the morning of the tenth day when he went to Big 5 to get the gun, he had panda eyes from lack of sleep.
But as soon as he got hold of the hefty shotgun, he felt that the wait was worthwhile. Eagerly reaching the shooting range in San Jose, he slapped a twenty-dollar bill on the boss's desk.
Hiring a private instructor, he had him teach him how to shoot. Despite the Remington 870 shotgun lacking sights and scales, it was surprisingly easy to handle. Whether shoulder-fired or hip-fired, using its 18.4 caliber bullets, aiming was simple—just pull the trigger towards the approximate target location.
With a loud bang, wooden boards ten meters away flew, watermelons twenty meters away instantly turned to mush, plastic barrels thirty meters away cracked, and there were bullet holes on a steel plate forty meters away! The power was so impressive that Ethan couldn't get enough of it.
Feeling the sleek black gun in his hands, Ethan decided that from now on, he would always carry this thing whenever he went out.
"Damn! If anyone threatens me in the future, I'll pull out this big guy! Ask those idiots if they want to be a hero or a prince!"
However, realizing that he was only shooting at targets and there was still a gap before real combat so when he returned home, he discussed with Thomas about organizing a family gathering.
For example, going to a nearby hunting ground for a hunt? Thomas could understand Ethan's excitement about getting a new toy, but at the same time—
"Ethan, I have to go to the orchard every day. I really can't find time. How about you guys go and play on your own?" Thomas suggested with a bit of a toothache.
"Oh, Thomas! What are you saying? This family can't be without you!" Ethan continued to invite.
Evelyn also agreed, "Dad, I think Ethan is right."
"Do you not get tired of going to the orchard every day? Take a day off and give yourself a break," Linda added.
"Yeah, you're busy every day. You should take a break," Evelyn chimed in. "Our hired workers follow an eight-hour work schedule; why should you, as the boss, work non-stop?"
Seeing that his wife, daughter, and nephew had already formed a united front, Thomas couldn't find more excuses.
"Okay, okay. Let me think. Give me some time, and I'll talk to the Fish and Game department to see if there's a suitable hunting place nearby."
"Wild boars and black bears are too fierce, so... deer and antelope, maybe..."
"Yeah!" Ethan cheered first. "Thomas, I love you!"
"Alright, alright," Thomas nodded slightly, accepting Ethan's affection. He then turned to his wife and said, "Linda, if you guys are going to hunt, make sure to get a hunting license. Even though you only need to pass 80 out of 100 questions, you have to complete the offline training time yourself."
"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Linda smiled and nodded.
With the confirmation of the plan, the house was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
However, just as Ethan was getting ready for the upcoming family gathering, on the night of April 30th, Steve Jobs suddenly paid a visit.
His arrival caused a delay in the Johnson family's gathering plans because after dismounting his motorcycle, Steve Jobs smiled and said to Ethan, "Ethan, tomorrow at ten in the morning, Nolan will introduce 'Snake Game' to the invited merchants at Atari's factory area."
"After my efforts, he agreed to let me be the main speaker to introduce the product on stage."