Rusty Young Man
Regular Member
Hello all,
I've been following the conversations on this forum for a few months (since I started becoming knowledgeable in applicable AZ laws, and this forum popped up a bit in my searches), and I'm glad to know we have a lot of people interested in protecting their 2nd Amendment RIGHTS. I am 20, an Arizonan by birth, and only a recent pro-2A convert (about two-and-a-half years now). I wanted to introduce myself and let everyone know of a funny, good experience during my first OC day, and hope I can start a thread on funny OC encounters.
I was carrying last Saturday and stopped by the Home Depot in Mesa at S Country Club and the 60 for some brick. My OC was a 1911 in a Galco leather holster between the 2 and 3 o'clock position. I was with my father and uncle, and half the palette of brick was already gone, so being the "most able" (their words), I had to climb up onto the palette to hand the bricks forward. With the holster riding high on my belt, I had to slide it over to the 3 o'clock position to avoid it poking me (I was crouching on the shelf). Well, around the 20th brick, and older white gentleman, about 65-70, comes walking along the shelf and jokingly asks if I was put up there for being naughty. I replied "something like that" (no other answer came to mind) and made a mental note of where he was. I detected his silence and turn my head towards him while placing my open right hand over the holster (it was a subconscious movement on my behalf). The older gentleman then proceeded to ask "Is that real?!" while reaching out towards my gun with his hand. I answered that yes, it was indeed real (maybe I was supposed to be carrying an Airsoft pistol?) and he decided to walk off a bit hurriedly.
A few minutes later, I was waiting with the brick and cart when I met the same man accompanied by a slightly heavyset African-American employee (to cut some styrofoam board/insulation). The older gentleman freezes in place when he sees me and my pistol, so I try to break the ice by letting him know that it is a 1911 (I guess at this point I assumed he was a Kalifornia transplant and expected him to be confrontational). By the way he jumped back (in a very un-manly and wimpy fashion), you'd think I showed a diva a cesspool of insects or something. He adds "Ohhhh, that scares me" and the following conversation takes place:
Older gentleman: Can he do that?
Home Depot man: Yes
Older gentleman: Well, is he a guard?
Home Depot man: (Suppressing an amused smile) No
Older gentleman: And that's legal?
Home Depot man: (With an obvious amused smile) Yes
Now, I didn't get to thank the employee for backing my right to carry (with monosyllabic responses, nonetheless:banana but I thought it was nice that there was a knowledgeable employee that could let the older gentleman know I wasn't breaking the law.
How would you have reacted? What funny OC encounters have not yet been posted? Or who would like to re-tell a funny encounter? Hope to hear from everyone.
I've been following the conversations on this forum for a few months (since I started becoming knowledgeable in applicable AZ laws, and this forum popped up a bit in my searches), and I'm glad to know we have a lot of people interested in protecting their 2nd Amendment RIGHTS. I am 20, an Arizonan by birth, and only a recent pro-2A convert (about two-and-a-half years now). I wanted to introduce myself and let everyone know of a funny, good experience during my first OC day, and hope I can start a thread on funny OC encounters.
I was carrying last Saturday and stopped by the Home Depot in Mesa at S Country Club and the 60 for some brick. My OC was a 1911 in a Galco leather holster between the 2 and 3 o'clock position. I was with my father and uncle, and half the palette of brick was already gone, so being the "most able" (their words), I had to climb up onto the palette to hand the bricks forward. With the holster riding high on my belt, I had to slide it over to the 3 o'clock position to avoid it poking me (I was crouching on the shelf). Well, around the 20th brick, and older white gentleman, about 65-70, comes walking along the shelf and jokingly asks if I was put up there for being naughty. I replied "something like that" (no other answer came to mind) and made a mental note of where he was. I detected his silence and turn my head towards him while placing my open right hand over the holster (it was a subconscious movement on my behalf). The older gentleman then proceeded to ask "Is that real?!" while reaching out towards my gun with his hand. I answered that yes, it was indeed real (maybe I was supposed to be carrying an Airsoft pistol?) and he decided to walk off a bit hurriedly.
A few minutes later, I was waiting with the brick and cart when I met the same man accompanied by a slightly heavyset African-American employee (to cut some styrofoam board/insulation). The older gentleman freezes in place when he sees me and my pistol, so I try to break the ice by letting him know that it is a 1911 (I guess at this point I assumed he was a Kalifornia transplant and expected him to be confrontational). By the way he jumped back (in a very un-manly and wimpy fashion), you'd think I showed a diva a cesspool of insects or something. He adds "Ohhhh, that scares me" and the following conversation takes place:
Older gentleman: Can he do that?
Home Depot man: Yes
Older gentleman: Well, is he a guard?
Home Depot man: (Suppressing an amused smile) No
Older gentleman: And that's legal?
Home Depot man: (With an obvious amused smile) Yes
Now, I didn't get to thank the employee for backing my right to carry (with monosyllabic responses, nonetheless:banana but I thought it was nice that there was a knowledgeable employee that could let the older gentleman know I wasn't breaking the law.
How would you have reacted? What funny OC encounters have not yet been posted? Or who would like to re-tell a funny encounter? Hope to hear from everyone.