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Have you ever been glad you DIDN'T have your gun?

Set

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
23
Location
Sedro Woolley, Skagit County
I don't mean it in a way like as in you'd of done something stupid, that's immature. I'll share my story today that made me wonder..

Was on vacation last week, and off holiday on Monday so today was my first day back. Figured I'd leave to work an hour early to get some stuff done. Was leaving town on a main road to get to I5 and saw a sheriff going the other way. I was only going 5 over so when I saw him flip around down the road and hit his lights I thought maybe it was my cracked windshield or something. Turns out it was my front plate being in my dash instead of mounted, oh well.

Normally when driving somewhere I know I'm not allowed to carry (ie work) I leave it wedged between the passenger seat and the console in the IWB holster because I'll be leaving it in the car for the day (not there of course). I knew I was coming straight home from work today so opted to leave it home instead. The officer was very friendly and I left without issue but I don't know if he was the type who doesn't like armed citizens etc. I was super pissed I chose to leave early on my first day back and had gotten pulled over in the first place (even though it turned into a non issue) but I continued to work thinking I was kind of glad I didn't carry today.

Anyone else got a odd instance where they were glad they weren't carrying? Most CANT and say they feel naked without.. so it's an odd situation indeed.

PS: I realize I wouldn't of been doing anything wrong had I carried in that fashion today, I was just happy it wasn't a headache as it was.
 

gogodawgs

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
5,669
Location
Federal Way, Washington, USA
I don't mean it in a way like as in you'd of done something stupid, that's immature. I'll share my story today that made me wonder..

Was on vacation last week, and off holiday on Monday so today was my first day back. Figured I'd leave to work an hour early to get some stuff done. Was leaving town on a main road to get to I5 and saw a sheriff going the other way. I was only going 5 over so when I saw him flip around down the road and hit his lights I thought maybe it was my cracked windshield or something. Turns out it was my front plate being in my dash instead of mounted, oh well.

Normally when driving somewhere I know I'm not allowed to carry (ie work) I leave it wedged between the passenger seat and the console in the IWB holster because I'll be leaving it in the car for the day (not there of course). I knew I was coming straight home from work today so opted to leave it home instead. The officer was very friendly and I left without issue but I don't know if he was the type who doesn't like armed citizens etc. I was super pissed I chose to leave early on my first day back and had gotten pulled over in the first place (even though it turned into a non issue) but I continued to work thinking I was kind of glad I didn't carry today.

Anyone else got a odd instance where they were glad they weren't carrying? Most CANT and say they feel naked without.. so it's an odd situation indeed.

PS: I realize I wouldn't of been doing anything wrong had I carried in that fashion today, I was just happy it wasn't a headache as it was.

No.

I'd rather carry and know that I can protect my life than not.

I can deal with the 'headache' of LEO, I am confident of that. I would suggest that you elevate your ability to deal with LEO, the 4th amendemnt, the 5th amendment, etc...
 

acmariner99

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
655
Location
Renton, Wa
As a matter of fact, yes. I will only say that there has been a recent situation where the risk of my firearm potentially being used inappropriately far outweighed the risk of a potential attack. Due to the continued risk in this situation, I either carefully conceal or I leave my firearm under lock and key - or simply don't bring it with me. I don't even wear my OC holster and I make no mention of firearms whatsoever. If you want clarification, PM me.

In other news, I have had rather immature comments made where I was glad my firearm was under my immediate control and not the other persons. I no longer associate myself with these individuals.
 

decklin

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
758
Location
Pacific, WA
Never. I don't like being unarmed. I'm confident in my hand to hand capabilities but criminals don't fight fair, do they?
 

Set

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
23
Location
Sedro Woolley, Skagit County
but criminals don't fight fair, do they?


I don't think they do anything fair.

gogodawgs, I understand where you come from.

Because my work forbids it and the nature of my job would make doing it anyways near 100% impossible not to get caught I actually don't carry very often at all when going solely to work and back. I know it could be needed, but I don't like leaving it locked in the car away from myself all day just to have it with me while walking to my car in the morning and walking from the car to my house at night. This is a risk I take. But I work in a sketchy part of town and don't trust to leave anything worth more than 50$ or so in my car whether it's visible or not, heh. So today was not anything unusual for me, but being so frustrated on my return day to work itself (sucks to go back) and then getting pulled over just made me think I was glad I didn't have it, whether it "should" of caused problems or not (it shouldn't, I know this).
 

amlevin

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
5,937
Location
North of Seattle, Washington, USA
But I work in a sketchy part of town and don't trust to leave anything worth more than 50$ or so in my car whether it's visible or not, heh.

So what do you do to keep your car from being stolen, being a "sketchy part of town" and all?

Sounds like maybe one would want to be armed just going back and forth from work to the car.

As for being armed when stopped, since I started carrying in 1964, I've been stopped a couple of times and never been disarmed, or had an officer worry about my firearm. Only words usually spoken were "where?", "Just leave it where it is", and once, "just leave your hands where I can see them".

Why all the paranoia about being stopped while armed? You ARE going about your business legally, right?
 

Ruby

Regular Member
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
1,201
Location
Renton, Washington, USA
No. I carry as much as I can, even though that's concealed most of the time. At least I have it with me if I need it. I ride the bus and have witnessed a couple of assaults at the Burien transit center; I don't have the option of not going there because of my work. I also practice good situational awareness that is just about automatic now. I do not read, wear headphones, etc.; I pay attention to what and who is around me.

I was stopped by a LEO while OC a couple of years ago. He was polite, professional, and didn't seem to have a problem with OC. He did disarm me, which I didn't like, but they are supposedly allowed to do that for "officer safety".:p I was nervous of course, my first time stopped OC, but it went well and I didn't get a ticket. (Turned without signaling).
 

Vitaeus

Regular Member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
596
Location
Bremerton, Washington
Not so far, in about a year of carrying. Wife and I just finished a road trip to Montana and we both carried our sig's damn near 24 hours a day for 4 days, except for sleeping. Of course WA, ID, and MT are very open carry friendly.
 

Set

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
23
Location
Sedro Woolley, Skagit County
So what do you do to keep your car from being stolen, being a "sketchy part of town" and all?

Sounds like maybe one would want to be armed just going back and forth from work to the car.

Drive a piece of crap and hope no one wants it? :confused: Some things cannot be avoided and I've got to go to work. I've not heard of anyones car getting stolen during day hours in the parking lot. It's quite big and shares parking with the 7 other businesses on a strip mall. I have heard, several times however, of peoples cars getting opened and their stuff getting stolen/gone through. I don't know if they just left them unlocked or anything, those details aren't my business. Either way I don't like leaving it in the car.

As for being armed then it's not so bad when we leave at night and the lot is mostly empty. We leave at the time (7 employees) and all are mandated to park in reserved spots next to each other. I'm far more worried during the day when the lot is full of cars and people coming and going all the time to have a break-in then I am going to my car at the end of the day. As previously mentioned taking it in is not an option so going to and from the car unarmed is not something that can change, either way.


Why all the paranoia about being stopped while armed? You ARE going about your business legally, right?

If you read what I mentioned at least two times before of course I was going about everything legally. I wouldn't call it paranoia because I say that ONE TIME I was glad I didn't have it. Paranoia would be like jumping in the bushes every time a LEO walked by or something dumb like that. You've heard stories about leo having negative/illegal reactions to legally armed citizens, right? Well that could potentially make a stop turn into a headache, and this onnnneee time I thought to myself that the day was going so horribly already I was glad I wasn't carrying. End of story.
 

MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
I do not go about unarmed. I have had only one incident while OCing in Bellingham. The offending officer was Officer Allen Bass of Bellingham PD. During his attempt to intimidate me he implied that he was going to "take" my weapon. I strongly commented that he had no authority to take my weapon and he did not have my permission to either search or seizure. Do not take this encounter as atypical of LEOs, this officer was just acting like a thug, not a LEO
 
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