A rare occurrence yesterday

[contender]

I had a rare occurrence happen to me yesterday.

I go armed most of the time. I have CCW, and yet, often I do open carry. Mostly due to the fact that (a) I was raised to tuck in my shirttail, and (b) often going to strangers homes, (customers,) and don't want to alarm them. So, I don't have a holster threaded on my belt, nor do I wear one inside my tucked in shirt.
Normally, I just tuck the gun in-between my pants & shirt. I wear a strong, sturdy gunbelt. it holds the gun nicely. And it's an easy way for ME to carry.
Well, yesterday,, I was in-between customer calls, and stopped at a Mickie-D's, to grab a burger. My order had been taken, and I was off to the side awaiting it. Another lady came in & ordered her meal, and was chatting with the employee about the "Ronald McDonald House" charity. After she'd stepped back ,, and was awaiting her order,, she caught my attention by saying; "Is that a GUN you have there? Does NC allow that?"
I very politely & calmly said; "Yes,, NC has had the legal right to "open carry" for decades. And we also have a CCW law. I enjoy both rights myself."

The rare part?
It was VERY obvious she did NOT like that answer. Yet,, she didn't try & say anything else,,, nor become confrontational.
I did half expect to have a visit from a County Deputy though. See, Mickie-D's was next door to the County Sheriff Dept Annex. I had to chuckle,, as if I had,, I actually know a few of the Deputies who work there.

But it was rare to have an obvious anti-gun type actually say anything to me. Normally, when someone asks about my handgun,,, it usually leads to a good firearm discussion.

 

[Sugar River]

Did she have a NY accent?

 

[mexicanjoe]

I've walked into a business with my "piece" accidently showing and no one has said anything.......... however in this rural part of the state its not uncommon.

 

[Robb Barnes]

But the real question Tyrone is did you have shoes on?

 

[Johnnu2]

Was her name Karen....?

J.

 

[Mobuck]

As I've said before, I practice 'discreet carry' most of the time. Sometimes I notice someone doing a 'double take' but not often. It seems most local folks know and understand our carry laws or simply don't pay enough attention to notice. It's fairly common to see an open carry handgun so no big deal. Most of the open carriers I see are 30-50 year old males in work clothes although I do see females in the same age range with a moderate sized pistol strong side OWB on a sturdy belt. Obviously not something they just threw on for a quick trip to town.

 

[arfmel]

Not many open carry people hereabouts. I might see one or two a week. More people carry concealed (with varying degrees of success) than open. I carry in my pocket most of the time.

 

[Jeepnik]

You don't really even need a gun to scare the sheep. Eight or ten years ago I was in a hardware store. I hade a sheath knife on my belt. After a bit a county sheriff came up and said a woman had called and reported a man with a knife. They of course responded thinking the worst. I guess it was an early case of swatting. The deputy and I had a laugh and said he really wished people would think before they jumped to conclusions. I guess she though just having one was a crime.

 

[contender]

As noted,, due to the way I dress, AND visiting customers,, it's just easier to leave the gun in my truck when working,, but when I'm "in public" and getting in & out of my truck, the simple "tuck" works quite well. And yes,, it's open carry,, but totally legal. I do carry CCW when I'm going certain places, and wearing different clothing.
But this post isn't about how I carry,, but more on how rare it is to have someone make a comment, and easily be seen as a "negative" attitude. Her obvious displeasure was a contrast to the often polite & fun discussions I've had with most folks.
It immediately brought to mind the time I was in line at a Lowe's, and an elderly lady asked me; "Is that a 1911?" and once I confirmed it,, she smile,, & said she LOVED her 1911. The look on a few eavesdroppers was priceless, as this lady & I discussed the virtues of the 1911.

I really kinda wished she'd gone to the PD & said something. THAT would have caused some fun for sure. Especially if a couple of certain officers were there.

 

[Mobuck]

Son reminded me a couple weeks back that Iowa laws are 'different' vs MO (no law ) and that I should be careful to avoid 'an incident'. I utilize the ploy of my Cousin (IA resident) and simply pull a bit of shirt tail over the pistol butt. At that point, I've met the immediate need for cover up and a quick re-tuck before buckling back in the vehicle is all that's needed.
I often follow Contender's option of just leaving my pistol in the vehicle when dealing with unknown 'customers' although I do use caution and take a good look around the premises before disarming myself in a strange area. My Federal agency ID gives me most of the 'privileges' of an actual LEO but I don't see the need for the explanations that using those privileges demands. That's about to end with my resignation set for the end of 2023.

 

[blume357]

I never carry at a customers house... the main reason is I have to do way to much up and down and all around. the second reason is in S.C. it is illegal to carry in or on someone's private property with out their permission. I try to rearm when I go to a store in-between jobs but that actually takes time. even though now I can open carry in S.C. I choose not to. I'm surprised Contender does not get more comments but I think this is because most folks just don't look ... too busy looking at their phone or trying to get home or somewhere and the ones that do see the gun don't want to engage. I conceal carry for that reason... I don't want to have a conversation with some stranger about guns.. pro or con. The same for all the folks I know in this town.

Some days I wish I did not feel 'obligated' to carry. One of the few fears I have is that I will get caught up in a situation where I need to use my pistol and not have it... I've taken well over 200 hours of formal firearms training... like I said, somedays I wish I had not gone down that road...
I often wonder with all the concealed and open carriers out there how many actually realize the heavy burden they are carrying?

 

[Johnnu2]

"I often wonder with all the concealed and open carriers out there how many actually realize the heavy burden they are carrying?"

Sadly, blume, most do not...!!!

J.

 

[contender]

Like blume,, I'm up & down, and most often at strangers homes, so my gun stays in the truck usually. And as he mentions, it takes time and effort to re-arm unless you have a IWB concealed holster to use. But since I keep my shirt tucked in, that option is very hard to use as well. And since I often wear shorts & a T-shirt,, even a holster will cause a bulge & print. This is why I use the strong gun belt, and just tuck it using the legal method of open carry.

BUT,, every few weeks or so, in discussions with customers, firearms do come up. My business deals with wildlife,, and as such, I get questions about using a firearm to take care of a problem. In fact the very same day I had this woman in Mickie-D's say something,, I had just left a customer's house where that had happened.
The customer. A widow, of a former Marine. He'd had firearms, but she'd sold them after his passing, because she felt no need to keep one. But,, afterwards,, a friend had given her a very small Beretta semi-auto. She also had gotten a BB gun to keep the "pesky squirrels out of her bird feeder." She asked about shooting her problem groundhogs. Discussion began, and she told me of her Beretta. She allowed she knew nothing about it. I politely offered to look at it for her.
She produced a .25 acp older Beretta, and a box of CCI .22 Mag shotshells. She had never tried to load the gun & knew nothing about it. We had a very pleasant & educational conversation, and I discussed her options INCLUDING the need for proper instruction. All in all, a very pleasant discussion, with a widow,, who appreciated my assistance with it all.
Good relations of a responsible firearm owner helping someone else.
BTW; In our discussions, she asked about AR-15's & what I thought about them. When I calmly explained several things about the AR vs her little Beretta, and the simple fact that they both operated the same way, and both were mere machines that only did what the operator made them do, she actually smiled & thanked me for that. We briefly discussed the fact it's the mentally ill & criminal element, NOT the firearm, that is the problem. Combine that with the current societal attitude towards mental health issues, & the lack of properly addressing such things, she really liked it all.

So, I potentially re-educated a person who most likely would have voted to ban AR-15's all while wanting to keep her gun, into a person who will think twice about all of it.

So, while blume chooses & prefers to not engage others about firearms,, (his choice & I FULLY respect that,) I actually do not mind taking the time. Hopefully to present gun owners in a very positive light, AND maybe re-educate them in favor of firearm ownership & our Rights.

I just found it kinda funny and rare at the same time, to having spent time with an older lady in a very positive manner about her firearm, her rights, and such, to have another woman obviously upset at seeing my gun.

 

[vito]

Here in Illinois open carry is illegal, and I have never observed anyone carrying this way in the many years that I have lived here. And fortunately, the concealed carry law states that you must be "mostly" concealed, so that an accidental exposure of the firearm while lifting something that raises your shirt, or someone seeing a bulge or an actual printing of the concealed gun is not a legal violation. Even if we had legal open carry I doubt that I would change my current practice of concealed carry as an invisible "gray man". I do believe that open carry can be a deterrent to crime but only if enough people open carry that a criminal, even a stupid one, realizes that even if he eliminates one person who is carrying openly before committing his crime that he will be stopped or worse by the other open carriers. In other words, I might open carry but I will not be the first one to do so.

 

[harley08]

My thoughts on open carry:
If you are out, say at a store and a bad drugged up thief comes in and want the money in the cash register and sees you open carrying he shoots you first and then the person concealed carrying shoots him dead end of story!

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

I had one of those "Mom's in need of some action" types flip out on me last Winter at a small local grocery store, when she caught a brief glimpse of my concealed firearm as I was bending over in the meat case. I casually told her that I had a CCW permit, even though you don't need one in Indiana anymore, and went about my business. She then went up to the office and complained to the store manager, a friend of mine, who informed her that I shopped there weekly, and that a lot of other people carried in the store as well, and it was perfectly OK with him...And, then in his best Curly Bill Brocius voice, said "Well...Bye." when she told him she'd never shop there again.

 

[Watertender]

My liberal PhD brother in law was at a party at my house extolling the virtues of stricter gun control laws and even confiscation.... Little did he know that he was within mere feet of several people who were carrying... We did not enlighten him. Some people are over educated and under smart as my grandpa used to say.

 

[remshooter]

Did she have a NY accent?

all those NY and other northern liberal states transplants will one day vote out your right to carry open or concealled one day. when enough of them move there unfortuantly . just ask states next to california

 

[crstrode]

My thoughts delusions on open carry:
If you are out, say at a store and a bad drugged up thief comes in and want the money in the cash register and sees you open carrying he shoots you first and then the person concealed carrying shoots him dead end of story!

Fixed - no charge.

 

[epags]

all those NY and other northern liberal states transplants will one day vote out your right to carry open or concealled one day. when enough of them move there unfortuantly . just ask states next to california

California does have a concealled carry permitting process.