• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

How open carry can deter an altercation

A

Armed4Life

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
164
Location
Pinal County, AZ, ,
imported post

I was leaving Target open carrying today (as usual). Since it was 105 and the sun was beating down I told my wife to wait at the curb and I would bring the SUV to the shade to pick her and baby up. Pulled up to the curb with turn signal on.... The guy in the truck behind me wasn't happy with where I stopped and laid on the horn. I could see from the rear view mirror that he wanted to roll down the window and say something (how rude of me to make him have to drive around my vehicle!!!!). Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
 
HankT

HankT

State Researcher
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
6,215
Location
Invisible Mode
imported post

Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
 
G

glocknroll

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Hampton, Virginia, USA
imported post

HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be implying that bad things happen just because people carry guns, would you Hank?
 
HankT

HankT

State Researcher
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
6,215
Location
Invisible Mode
imported post

glocknroll wrote:
HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be implying that bad things happen just because people carry guns, would you Hank?
Click to expand...
No. I was just wondering what would have happened if the other guy had a gun too. What do you think, glocknroll?
 
HankT

HankT

State Researcher
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
6,215
Location
Invisible Mode
imported post

Armed4Life wrote:
I expect that if he were open carrying as well, he would have politely minded his own business as I was doing.
Click to expand...

So he wouldn't have gotten peeved at whatever it was he was peeved at about your maneuver? Or maybe he would have gotten peeved, but would have just elected not to lay on the horn?
 
VAopencarry

VAopencarry

Regular Member
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
2,151
Location
Berryville-ish, VA
imported post

HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
A blood bath, no doubt.
 
G

glocknroll

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Hampton, Virginia, USA
imported post

Armed4Life wrote:
I expect that if he were open carrying as well, he would have politely minded his own business as I was doing.
Click to expand...
Hank, this has also been my experience. Most people who carry guns legally tend to just mind their own business, and expect others to mind theirs. I would sincerely hope that no one would have lost his temper and done something stupid. I can't remember who said it first, but I have always liked the line "An armed society is a polite society." since, you, armed4life, and I are such armed, polite people, I think we could co-exist quite peacefully most anywhere.
 
M

Mike

Site Co-Founder
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
8,706
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
imported post

I once had a (probably) panhandler type start to walk up to me in a gas station late at night while I was pumping gas near Henrico County o/a I-95; she noticed my sidearm, said "you've got a gun," and walked away.

One advantage to OC in a brewing altercation, not that my experience was one, is deterence value without risk of a brandishing charge.

There are of course tactical downsides to OC too.
 
A

Armed4Life

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
164
Location
Pinal County, AZ, ,
imported post

As those who have OCed can attest, it does make you overly polite so as to ensure that you are never the agressor or instigator in any situation. Had he been OCing, I believe he would have been much more likely to let it slide (whatever IT was that ticked him off in the first place)
 
O

openryan

State Researcher
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
1,602
Location
, Indiana, USA
imported post

Armed4Life wrote:
I was leaving Target open carrying today (as usual). Since it was 105 and the sun was beating down I told my wife to wait at the curb and I would bring the SUV to the shade to pick her and baby up. Pulled up to the curb with turn signal on.... The guy in the truck behind me wasn't happy with where I stopped and laid on the horn. I could see from the rear view mirror that he wanted to roll down the window and say something (how rude of me to make him have to drive around my vehicle!!!!). Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...

And if you had been cc'ing or not carrying at all, what do you think he would have done?
 
ConditionThree

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
imported post

There is a distinct effect on those observant enough to catch the glint of a firearm on those who open carry...

This isnt from an abundance of personal experience... but what I have gleaned from what Ive seen here, there are a couple of instant effects...



1) No one wants trouble from the OC inclined.

2) No one wants to hug the OC inclined.



That's just alright by me... not that Im anti-social, but I really dont want people feeling comfortable approaching me for spare change, to pick my pocket, to lambast me because they dont like my driving habits, or to otherwise molest me....
 
T

Tomahawk

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
5,117
Location
4 hours south of HankT, ,
imported post

HankT wrote:
glocknroll wrote:
HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be implying that bad things happen just because people carry guns, would you Hank?
Click to expand...
No. I was just wondering what would have happened if the other guy had a gun too. What do you think, glocknroll?
Click to expand...
The real question, Hank, is, "What does HankT think?", since you brought it up.
 
HankT

HankT

State Researcher
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
6,215
Location
Invisible Mode
imported post

Tomahawk wrote:
HankT wrote:
glocknroll wrote:
HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be implying that bad things happen just because people carry guns, would you Hank?
Click to expand...
No. I was just wondering what would have happened if the other guy had a gun too. What do you think, glocknroll?
Click to expand...
The real question, Hank, is, "What does HankT think?", since you brought it up.
Click to expand...

I don't really know. It's an interestingthing, the effects that people propose. What I can't resolve, really, is what the guy in the truck got miffed at. Had to be something. Whatever it was (his own impatience, or the OP's bad maneuver, whatever) I can't really say that his having a gun would have eliminated that miffing.

I simply don't know. I don't think anyone else does, either.
 
T

Tomahawk

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
5,117
Location
4 hours south of HankT, ,
imported post

HankT wrote:
I don't really know. It's an interestingthing, the effects that people propose. What I can't resolve, really, is what the guy in the truck got miffed at. Had to be something. Whatever it was (his own impatience, or the OP's bad maneuver, whatever) I can't really say that his having a gun would have eliminated that miffing.

I simply don't know. I don't think anyone else does, either.
Click to expand...

One of the reasons many people carry is because you really don't know what's going on inside that guy's head.

Funny thing about the RKBA (or any right, for that matter) is that it requires to trust the average person to think and act reasonably, while constantly being alert to the ones who don't.
 
M

molonlabetn

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
450
Location
, Tennessee, USA
imported post

VAopencarry wrote:
HankT wrote:
Armed4Life wrote:
Anyway, he starts to pull around eye-balling me hard just as I'm getting out. He notices the gun and the hard look immediately turns into a "my bad" wave and he quickly drives away. Obviously, not a major altercation, but a practical example nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I wonder what would have happened if he had a gun too?
Click to expand...
A blood bath, no doubt.
Click to expand...

Indeed... :banghead:

I just live to get in gun-fights over parking spaces and traffic in-discretions :uhoh:



Hank, most of the people I know who carry are pretty laid-back in public, even me (if ya' can believe it, between all of my violent confrontations with police :uhoh:)... Personally, I haven't even used my horn in years(much less my middle finger, derogatory vocabulary, or firearm) to intimidate someone... The general consensus is that we want to be left alone and aliveto fight real issues.

So, what if he was a gang-banger, and wanted to start a shootout right there? At least the OP would have had some means of repelling the 'road-rage' attack.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top