Older gentlemen with an issue...

I was out at Cici's Pizza on Platte today. I paid and was asking my daughter if she wanted sauce on her noodles. I hear "What are we going to do about this gun problem"?

I look behind me and see the glare of an older man. He goes to the manager as I'm getting our pizza. I hear nothing more from him and I was not bothered by the manager.

I think what bothered me the most was the voice and volume. I mean I would rather have someone approach me discreetly and state the issue. I don't mind someone pulling me off to the side and speaking to me if there is an issue with what I'm doing. Doesn't mean I have to agree. But that is what men do, right?

No... let us be loud and point out the gun on the father who is dressed nicely out with his daughter and wife so everyone in earshot can see and hear. Don't ever speak to the individual you have an issue with. That would be too.... manly. /vent

p.s. Great pizza IMO

Should have told your companion loudly "beware of people who wish to limit your rights, they are the bane of freedom"

Without more information about tone of voice and context I am not sure the comment was meant as harassment. I'll take your word for it that it was a negative encounter.

You point out that the gentleman had an exchange with the manager and that nothing came out of it that impacted you. I'd say that highly suggests the manager was professionally polite and "considered the source".

You may be making more of the event than it actually merits. Even so, it does give you an opportunity to develop and practice some responses to comments such as that which you may encounter in the future. Given the circumstances, I would like to suggest "I would love to discuss what we should do, but only after my family and I finished eating. Would you be so kind as to wait till then?"

BTW - I'm old, I sometimes try to behave like a gentleman, and find I sometimes speak louder than many folks around me because if I don't I cannot hear what I'm saying and/or the folks I an talking with can't hear unless I raise my voice.

stay safe.

Incorrect...Cici's is NOT "great pizza"! It is edible and cheap, but "great"...not so much! You need to broaden your pizza horizon :lol:

skidmark said:

Without more information about tone of voice and context I am not sure the comment was meant as harassment. I'll take your word for it that it was a negative encounter.

You point out that the gentleman had an exchange with the manager and that nothing came out of it that impacted you. I'd say that highly suggests the manager was professionally polite and "considered the source".

You may be making more of the event than it actually merits. Even so, it does give you an opportunity to develop and practice some responses to comments such as that which you may encounter in the future. Given the circumstances, I would like to suggest "I would love to discuss what we should do, but only after my family and I finished eating. Would you be so kind as to wait till then?"

BTW - I'm old, I sometimes try to behave like a gentleman, and find I sometimes speak louder than many folks around me because if I don't I cannot hear what I'm saying and/or the folks I an talking with can't hear unless I raise my voice.

stay safe.

Click to expand...

I chose to not say anything. I figured that was best, there was nothing I could honestly do to make better of the situation. Education was not an option... too many people there and I don't usually educate people who are older than I out of respect. So it really caught me off guard. All my elders where I grew up taught us what we should do "protect the family" and firearms when respected are safe.

So really, it caught me off guard. I was thinking... "what"?

Bernymac said:

Incorrect...Cici's is NOT "great pizza"! It is edible and cheap, but "great"...not so much! You need to broaden your pizza horizon :lol:

Click to expand...

I think haha the best for me is the choices. I can have three or four varieties of pizza in one sitting. It's novel.

Plus... if it puts a smile on my daughters face, I'm all for it.

Bernymac said:

Incorrect...Cici's is NOT "great pizza"! It is edible and cheap, but "great"...not so much! You need to broaden your pizza horizon :lol:

Click to expand...

If it not frozen and from a box, it's great. Nearest (real) pizza (place) to me is 50 miles away.

MontanaResident said:

If it not frozen and from a box, it's great. Nearest (real) pizza (place) to me is 50 miles away.

Click to expand...

That beats me by about a factor of three. (I don't think there's one in the town ten miles from here; I am pretty sure there is one in the other town, the other direction, 16 miles away.) But you know us rural folk can always hang out there with a shotgun and wait for a pizza to fly by and KABLAMMO nail it, though admittedly we have to wait for pizza migration season for that. Them city folks seem to think pizza comes from a freezer at the grocery store. They probably call the live ones in as flying saucers.

You might want to make a point to thank the management/owner for handling the issue professionally and for them being a business that supports the rights of individuals. Make sure they know its a big plus in your book and in others and that translates to business for them.

In general it's better not to say anything. Consider situations like this as a training opportunity. It's easy to make a verbal comeback, hard to hold your comments and continue peacefully.

His bellicosity will come to naught if his target isn't aroused.

We had a similar situation and I let the person rant and said 'thanks for your thoughts on the matter' and then they wandered off. (yes later we did hire a lawyer and threatened them with a lawsuit, and had to remind them a second time of their jeopardy and it ceased completely, then).

Glad you were OK.

Maybe the old Coot was talking about his inability to get additional guns 'as gifts for his family members' in light of the SCOTUS encroachment on the 2A? Or he was talking about the inability to get ammo due to the Feds soldiering up every Agency out there? Or p'haps he was just an guy that due to old age, bad genes, or too many mushrooms in his youth has lost his ability to think clearly, come up with easy answers to problems our founders figured out 250 years ago, and now is now mad about finding himself as such - a Liberal w/o a brain?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

Well handled. Some people do not need any help to make a fool of themselves, and responding to them makes you look bad. In this case, I think the manager must have understood who the real problem was, hence his reason for not coming over to ask you to leave.
I agree with drsysadmin: make it a point to speak to the manager for being professional and for being able to discern belligerent, unarmed bullys from truly peaceful, Law-Abiding citizens who've chosen to arm themselves. I'd do so the next time I patronized the place, letting him know the previous was my reason for doing so.

drsysadmin said:

You might want to make a point to thank the management/owner for handling the issue professionally and for them being a business that supports the rights of individuals. Make sure they know its a big plus in your book and in others and that translates to business for them.

Click to expand...

JonStore said:

I hear "What are we going to do about this gun problem"?

Click to expand...

In four years of OCing nearly everywhere I go here in Colorado Springs, only once have I ever heard a discouraging word. In that case, a lady approached me and said, "I don't like guns!" at which point I smiled at her and said, "Well, I don't like criminals!" We had a good laugh and a better conversation.

One statement I like to keep in my hip pocket for that moment when a person stands dead against you, is this: "One of the best things about our Republic is that we're as free to have our own opinions as we are from having the opinions of others forced upon us. Thank you for sharing your opinion, and I bid you a good day, Sir/Ma'am."

I have to say as someone getting older myself, I think I've hit the point where I don't defer to stale ignorance by default. Some older lady gave me guff at the dog park a few weeks back, saying "Why are you carrying a gun?"

I just said, "Cause there are bad people in the world." Though I wish I'd said "Cause a cop is too heavy."

Her bluster was more likely because she was just on the losing end of an argument over some dog behavior and discipline issues where she had already inserted herself unwanted and been rebuffed. I was playing with my dog and a couple other dogs would attack her when she was chasing the ball. One of the dogs was a giant malamute pup and the owner hauled his dog back, and the dog yelped. She started scolding him about it, and myself, the owner of the malemute and the other lady who's dog I had to pull off mine all put the busy body back in her place.

I think she figured she'd pick a battle she could win, and came up with a double zero.

----------------------------

When I think about "What are we going to do about this gun problem"? I think I'd have said-

"There's no problem, it works just fine."

Saxxon said:

I think she figured she'd pick a battle she could win, and came up with a double zero.

Click to expand...

Sounds like it!

Several factors can cause a person to react negatively to seeing a normal, everyday law-abiding citizen packing a holstered handgun in public. They may be a previous offender barred under law from so doing themselves ; their recognition of the level of responsibility that accompanies going armed in publice is simply above their pay grade; or they actually may be a lurking habitual violent criminal scoping the business for a robbery...and resent the presence of a sheepdog.

In any event you owe them no explanation, or apology.

Saxxon said:

Her bluster was more likely because she was just on the losing end of an argument

Click to expand...

It's satisfying to be snarky. But as a training opportunity to respond to angst with kindness, that's better.

Unfortunately when some people know they are on the losing end of an argument they go evil **coughHillarycough**, and work up a plan to conflate SA with Auto (she's been doing that on purpose for a while they just reported) and worse. I hope that guy's book on her does well.

I sometimes wish I had a magic wand that could do one of two things (or both)
1. Make politicians do a 'Liar, Liar' when ever they open their pie holes (i.e. compelled to blurt out the truth)
2. Send mean people to a planet occupied by an entire population JUST LIKE THEM.

Oh well, at least I can do the little 'I crush your heed' with my two fingers from a distance.