Delilah Rios was an assistant store manager at Big 5 Sporting Goods, and a licensed firearms instructor authorized to sell firearms at Big 5. Rios was forced to resign from her job after the company tried to force her to sell a firearm to an individual whose behavior she found erratic, aggressive, and unstable.

In January 2015, Rios assisted a customer who came in to purchase a firearm at the Big 5 store in Downey. From the beginning, this individual displayed signs that something was amiss.. Initially, he marched into the back office because he felt that the DOJ processing fee was taking to process, and stormed out of the store. Then he insisted on buying “a crappy old gun” and refused to comply with Rios’ instructions that he fill out the application without outside assistance. After purchasing the 12-gauge shotgun he chose, he accused Rios of selling him the wrong gun. After the ten day waiting period, he came in and immediately demanded that the firearm be released to him. When told that the hands-on demonstration required more time, he grew irate and yelled at Rios, “It’s my property. I paid for it, and you need to give me my fucking gun.” He loudly called her a “bitch”, created a scene, walked through the store and yelled. Later Rios found live ammunition where the customer had been lingering, and it was not a kind sold by Big 5.

Rios reported to corporate management and the firearms department what had occurred, expressing serious concerns about the customer’s behavior. The company responded by saying they would call and ask him if he had brought in the ammunition. Rios felt that this was a terrible idea, and also stated she would not release the gun to this man as she had a right to refuse selling a firearm to someone if she felt they posed a threat to public safety. Big 5 responded by saying they would get another manager to release it to the customer.

When the customer returned, Rios was the only manager on duty, and told the cashier, “I fucking hate that bitch…. I fucking hate people like you. People like you should not exist. I hope you get fired.” Rios told him that she would not be releasing the firearm to him, and he became angrier. The cashier began to cry, and Rios became very afraid for the safety of her employees. While on the phone with management at Big 5, Rios explained what was occurring, and informed corporate that the police were on their way. The corporate department berated her, intimidated her, and tried to repeatedly pressure her to just give this dangerous individual his gun. When she did not stand down, they said they would call another manager on his day off and have him do her job for him.

While police stayed on scene, the other manager came in, released the gun, and gave the customer a gift card for the “trouble.”

Delilah Rios filed a complaint with HR and asked to be moved to another store as she now feared for her safety. Big 5 refused. At this point, Rios realized that money meant more to the Company than a loyal employee’s safety, and the safety of the public. Rios notified the company that she did not feel that her safety concerns were being taken seriously, and that she was retaliated against for raising them. She felt she had no option but to quit after realizing that the company had put her in an unsafe situation, had tried to coerce her to release a firearm against her legal rights, and indeed against her legal obligations not to, and was unwilling to take any corrective action after having had several opportunities to do so.

Stand with Delilah and let Big 5 know that it needs to protect and support employees who, in their judgment, decline to release a firearm when a customer displays aggression, volatility, and instability. Please sign the petition.

Rios Complaint Against Big 5