Howdy!

Just wanted to introduce myself.

I am a 14-year Navy veteran, newly returned from a nearly 10 year stay in the great Pacific Northwest, specifically the Seattle area. I was fairly active in the OC community there, "organizing" meet & greets at the local Starbucks and helping with a few other events on the regional and state level. Mostly, I helped with set-up and security at annual 2A rallies and set-up for area picnics.

I also got a real thrill out of corrupting the morals of every non-shooter I could get to go to the range with me. I have to say I didn't take a single one that didn't want to do it again.
Imagine that!:monkey

Unfortunately, I've fallen on hard economic times to a change in my overall health and have had to sell all of my firearms. I'm currently - and for the foreseeable future - staying at the Winston Salem Rescue Mission. That won't always be the case, though, so I hope to get to know a few of you so we can get together when I'm able and can afford to rearm myself and I'll be in a better position to help out on the local level.

In the meanwhile, I'll be studying up on the NC state laws concerning handguns and open carry. I would appreciate any and all help pointing me in the right direction, such as: specific laws to study, whether NC is a Shall Issue state for concealed carry, how much CC and OC dovetail legally, any current legislation, etc. You get the picture.

Thanks in advance! ~Bookman

Just downloaded the NC Sheriffs PDF posted by Solus in the CC car carry - I guess that would be CCCC - thread. It's a good place to start.

Sorry to hear you have hit such rough times. Welcome to the area, I work in Winston. If you are able to, we are having a meetup in Kernersville at Prissy Polly's Friday, February 7th at 6pm. Since you are new to the area, let me know if you have any questions or if I can help with anything.

The mission requires us to be in by 6:30 on weekdays and 5:20 on weekends unless we get a special pass which we can only get if we're going to be with a family member. In other words, I won't be able to make the meet-up. Maybe some other time. Thanks for the invite, though.

You should search for the ATF firearms law guide ... it will have all states like your neighboring states which is good to know

Well,,,

Hi jon; you been quiet for 7 months, many of us have wondered, worried, missed you.
Sorry to hear of hard times for you, I cross my fingers for better times again. Bob

welcome to the tarheel state...

atf-p-5300-4.pdf, 2005 should catch you up to date on the federal side from the ffl perspective

make sure you have the NC AG's firearms document dated aug 2013

ipse

Welcome back Bookman - you were missed.

What was the impetus for your move to N.C.?

How may we assist in you present situation? There are those that have expressed an interest.

Hi John,

May I suggest that you go to the local VA Hospital and talk to one of their social workers about the supportive housing programs?
They have a great program in Seattle to house homeless veterans. I went through that program and it helped me out when I was in need.

Hope this helps,

CA2373

Book i am currently in Charlotte former navy vet myself and i am a very active member of the a community that may be able to help you, can you do me a favor and call me? I will pm you my number but please call me i may be able to help you.

Welcome to NC, glad to have you here. I'm sorry to hear you are going through some rough times. If there is anything we can do to help the situation please let us know.

If any of the members know how to create a fund/donation thing that would be a good start.

Again sorry to hear about the harsh times, hope to meet you soon.

Bob and Grapeshot

Thanks, Bob.

Grapeshot, I appreciate the concern and offers to help. Over a period of about a year and a half I developed arthritis in my lower back and neck and was no longer able to do my job, so I had to give it up. Being unable to find another job in the Seattle area, and knowing I was about to be out on the street, I figured a warmer climate was a better one. Since I had moved to the Pacific Northwest from this area i decided to return to familiar ground.

Unfortunately, while I'm able to do many things, I'm not sufficiently trained to do any of them as a job. What I need is some sort of job retraining into something I can do, such as data entry. In the meantime, I'm concentrating on the basics: food, clothing and shelter. The Winston Salem Rescue Mission (WSRM) has been a big help with that. So far I've been through the initial 90 day program and have just moved on to a 1 year program. Unfortunately, the first 9 months or so of the 1 year program concern making spiritual adjustments in your life and program participants are prohibited from going to school or seeking outside employment during that time. Otherwise, i would be looking at what the local community college has to offer.

As for the VA, let's just say that I'm not impressed with what I've seen here. For instance, in order to see a doctor I have to fill out a ton of paperwork and be screened by the local VA clinic, even though I'm already in the system and my records are just a few clicks away. There are civilian options with bureaucracies that are easier to navigate, and I may end up having to use them.

In any case, I would rather work than be on disability, but in order to do that I need retraining. That's my goal. Training, work, roof, transportation, etc. in just about that order.

Jamesm760 said:

Welcome to NC, glad to have you here. I'm sorry to hear you are going through some rough times. If there is anything we can do to help the situation please let us know.

If any of the members know how to create a fund/donation thing that would be a good start.

Again sorry to hear about the harsh times, hope to meet you soon.

Click to expand...

While I appreciate the offer, I'm not looking for financial support from people who don't know me. I'd rather get the training I need to get back to work. If you insist on giving financially, please donate your dollars to the Winston Salem Rescue Mission at wsrescue.org.

Again, please don't set up an account on my behalf, although the thought is certainly appreciated.

CA2373 said:

Hi John,

May I suggest that you go to the local VA Hospital and talk to one of their social workers about the supportive housing programs?
They have a great program in Seattle to house homeless veterans. I went through that program and it helped me out when I was in need.

Hope this helps,

CA2373

Click to expand...

Thank you. I know Seattle has a great support system for homeless veterans, including King County Vets, Puget Sound Va Health Care System and the Compass Center. I used to manage one of the houses for the Compass Center, So I definitely know about them. I am, however, no longer in that area and am, in fact, on the other side of the country. While NC has a couple of VA hospitals and a few clinics, the level of care in my area isn't quite up to the standards I've encountered in other areas of the country. I believe this is largely due to case overload and is not, in fact, the fault of the VA itself.

Things are moving slowly, but they ARE moving.

bookman, your candor is truly appreciated but i hope you do not hesitate to avail yourself to the resources of the tarheel state as we have a great many subject matter experts on this state's thread in a myriad of areas and while i can not nor will i speak for any of them, i can personally speak for myself, so the offer is on the table if you need anything like sundry(ies), toiletries, or the such, e.g., a care packages, etc., which i would prefer to provide directly to you in lieu of a donation to the organization itself.

and up front, it is not an imposition so dismiss that consideration immediately...fair? PM if you wish something winging itself towards you in W-S!

are you in one of the residences or on the farm?

ipse

Hey John was wondering were you got to bro!

Sorry to hear about your troubles, know you'll be missed in our state and all you have done in encouraging us who had OC encounters with the cops and your proactive help within our community. I wish the best for you and think about you every time I see Shaniqua Manning on the ol' TV.

Thanks, SVG. Believe me, leaving was a hard choice to make. BTW - I was just discussing Shaniqua Manning with someone yesterday. They brought her up in conversation and I told them where she ended up.

Solus, I appreciate your offer and may even take you up on it.

Right now, I'm in one of the residences. It's the newer one on Trade St. The rooms are a lot nicer and it's easier to sleep at night. The other residence, on Oak St. is a sort of screening process for this program. You have to finish that program and ask to come to this one. Then there is an interview process before you're accepted. Final acceptance also involves a meeting of all program staff and a discussion by the staff members as to whether they think you are a good candidate. This program is only a few years old, so they are still very protective of it.

John, it's nice to see someone who is wanting to work for what they earn rather than take handouts, don't see it often anymore. Like I said I work in Winston, EMS, and if you need anything like mentioned above, toiletries or the like, just send me a PM. Since you can't make it to the meetup, when I am off sometime let me treat you to lunch as a welcome to the area.