since9
Campaign Veteran
Yes, it's true! I was sitting at Starbucks on the corner of Garden of the God's Rd. and Centennial this morning, around 11:30, while enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend of mine with whom I'd just spent a couple hours hiking through Palmer Park.
Lo and behold! A kind lady about my age from the table next to me stepped up and said, "Excuse me, my son's a cop, and I'm just wondering what the laws are about your carrying a firearm. I'm not anti-gun or anything. It's just that I don't know. Do you need a permit?"
I thought, "Wow! What an opportunity!" I put on my editor's hat and condensed a little more than two years and 4,000+ posts here on OCDO, and said, "No Ma'am, no permit is required in the State of Colorado for Open Carry. You must be 18 years of age and free of a disqualifying issue, such as a felony or mental condition. In fact, 43 states in our Union allow open carry, and only 15 of those require a permit."
She then asked, "What about concealed carry?" to which I replied, "For concealed the same basics apply, except that you do need a permit and you must be 21 years of age."
Sharp as a tack she observed, "Why the additional scrutiny? Is concealed carry more insidious?"
I thought about that one for a moment and said, "I believe it stems from the late 1800's, following President Lincoln's assassination. Back then, everyone OC'd, and only a few were allowed to CC."
She closed with, "Thank you! I'd never heard anyone explain it so well! I'd much rather see someone carrying out in the open than catch a glimpse of it tucked behind a jacket or in their waistband, as you never know what they're up to! When a person is carrying openly, they're the last person I worry about misusing a firearm!"
"I'm with you on that, Ma'am!" I replied, as she smiled and walked away.
Ok, now really - whose mother or wife here on OCDO was she, really? She must have been a plant! :lol:
Interestingly enough, my friend, who knows I carry, spoke up and said, "I didn't even notice you were carrying! Shows you how observant I am. Sheesh!"
Lo and behold! A kind lady about my age from the table next to me stepped up and said, "Excuse me, my son's a cop, and I'm just wondering what the laws are about your carrying a firearm. I'm not anti-gun or anything. It's just that I don't know. Do you need a permit?"
I thought, "Wow! What an opportunity!" I put on my editor's hat and condensed a little more than two years and 4,000+ posts here on OCDO, and said, "No Ma'am, no permit is required in the State of Colorado for Open Carry. You must be 18 years of age and free of a disqualifying issue, such as a felony or mental condition. In fact, 43 states in our Union allow open carry, and only 15 of those require a permit."
She then asked, "What about concealed carry?" to which I replied, "For concealed the same basics apply, except that you do need a permit and you must be 21 years of age."
Sharp as a tack she observed, "Why the additional scrutiny? Is concealed carry more insidious?"
I thought about that one for a moment and said, "I believe it stems from the late 1800's, following President Lincoln's assassination. Back then, everyone OC'd, and only a few were allowed to CC."
She closed with, "Thank you! I'd never heard anyone explain it so well! I'd much rather see someone carrying out in the open than catch a glimpse of it tucked behind a jacket or in their waistband, as you never know what they're up to! When a person is carrying openly, they're the last person I worry about misusing a firearm!"
"I'm with you on that, Ma'am!" I replied, as she smiled and walked away.
Ok, now really - whose mother or wife here on OCDO was she, really? She must have been a plant! :lol:
Interestingly enough, my friend, who knows I carry, spoke up and said, "I didn't even notice you were carrying! Shows you how observant I am. Sheesh!"
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