Ep 2. Booze and Guns

In the second episode of Hardcore Pawn, titled Booze and Guns, we are taken to the American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit, Michigan. The Gold family runs this business that specializes in buying and selling all kinds of items, including firearms.

The episode starts with Ashley, one of the Golds, arriving at the store with a disassembled shotgun, which she found in the trunk of a car she just bought at an auction. She quickly realizes that she has no idea how to put it back together, so she asks her brother Seth for help. He gets suspicious and asks her several times if the gun is stolen, to which she insists that it's not. Seth is not convinced and decides to call the police to check the gun's serial number.

Meanwhile, Les, the patriarch of the family and the founder of the store, is dealing with a customer who wants to sell him a collection of vintage whiskey bottles. The customer claims that some of the bottles are over a hundred years old and worth thousands of dollars. Les is skeptical but decides to call his expert, Bobby, to have a look.

Bobby is an expert in all kinds of collectibles, including coins, stamps, and vintage alcohol. He examines the bottles and confirms that they are indeed very old and valuable. He appraises the collection at around $10,000, which shocks Les and the customer. However, there's one catch: some of the bottles have been opened and partially consumed, which greatly diminishes their value. The customer still wants to sell them, but Les is hesitant to make an offer.

Back to Ashley and Seth, the police arrive to check the shotgun's serial number. It turns out that the gun is clean, and Ashley didn't break any laws. However, Seth is still angry with her for bringing a gun to the store without telling him. He feels that it puts the family and the store at risk and warns Ashley not to do it again.

Later, a man comes into the store to sell a pistol that he claims was used by his father in World War II. The pistol is in poor condition, covered in rust and dirt, but the man insists that it has sentimental value. Les asks Bobby to appraise it, but he can't find any information about the gun's origin or value. He suggests that they take it to a gun expert, but the man is not interested, and Les passes on the offer.

The last customer of the day is a man who wants to sell a collection of gun parts. He claims that he bought them at an auction and doesn't know anything about them. As Seth and Ashley examine the parts, they realize that some of them are illegal to own, including a part that turns a rifle into a fully automatic weapon. They call the police, who come to take the parts and question the man. He claims that he had no idea that some of the parts were illegal and is let go with a warning. However, Seth and Ashley are shaken by the experience and vow to be more careful when dealing with guns.

In the end, Les still hasn't made an offer on the whiskey bottles, and the customer is getting impatient. He decides to take them to another expert but promises to come back to American Jewelry and Loan if the other offer doesn't pan out.

Overall, Booze and Guns is a tense and exciting episode that shows the dangers and complexities of dealing with firearms. The Gold family does their best to follow the law and keep themselves safe while still making a profit, but they realize the risks involved and vow to be more careful in the future.