AbNo
Regular Member
imported post
For you tl;dr folks (too long; didn't read), short version...
Two guys, 6'4", one ~200 pounds with a 4" bi-tone XD40, the other ~250, with a FEG PA63, in Harrisonburg, VA.
Valley Surplus, Rt 42 just North of downtown - No reaction from a mother and child, no reaction from store clerk.
HESS gas station, downtown H'burg - Clerk noticed, worried a moment, calmed after casual conversation him.
20 minutes BSing in the HESS parking lot, no one noticed, commented or looked.
Fireworks tent, Walmart on Route 42: No problems. Good conversation with two workers there. Stares from one worker.
Dollar Tree: Sheeple with blinders. No one saw anything. Girl at the counter was cute.
And, the long version, for those of you who have all the time in the world.
So, I got off work this morning, (no carry because I lack a CCW, and OC by staff in a hotel just plain looks bad....) stopped by the DMV to get a new change of address card for my driver's license, and to update my voter reg.
Stopped by the CoOp here, and checked to see if I could find a holster that would fit both my XD, and a decent sized 1911. A half-arsed search found that to an extent, a holster for an XD will hold a 1911, but the muzzle protrudes a bit.
Still got the XD holster anyway, because, well, I needed one. Dennis, the guy at the gun counter (whom I've had great conversations with in the past), also answered a few good questions for me, like what a pancake holster is. No newb jokes please, we've all got to find out some time.
Took my holster, and two free paper targets (Good customer bonus )home, got some much needed rest, and called my buddy Shayne. We both had a couple of errands to run, namely picking up fireworks and a couple of ammo cans.
When he got there, I had my XD loaded, with a spare mag in the holster (no reason to do things half-assed). I looked at him and said "Do you want to OC?"
He's a pretty daring guy, but he's not foolhardy. After pulling up OCDO, and showing him a couple of the statutes, he agreed. Turns out he had exactly 8 rounds left in his box of ammo. :lol:
Valley Surplus, Route 42 just North of downtown: No problems. There was an older woman in the store with a ten-ish year old boy, no comments, I doubt they even noticed. The guy behind the counter seemed a little annoyed, but after talking to him a minute or two, I get the feeling it was past time for him to go home. :lol: I'm pretty sure he noticed, but didn't care. Or didn't care to say anything.
HESS, downtown H'burg: Had to go by here because a friend didn't know this place doesn't take checks. Clerk noticed and was momentarily worried (comparatively bad neighborhood), but calmed pretty much instantly, since we were there to pay a friend's tank of gas after he found out they don't take checks. Casual conversation smoothed things over completely.
After paying for someone else's gas, :quirky the three of us were standing in front of the gas station, chatting idly. No passersby noticed. Nothing happened. Though Brandon (rescuee) did laugh at the line I has used when we arrived... "I heard you needed backup." :lol:
(And before you gripe, there was no one around, and we were outside when I said that...)
Fireworks Tent, Walmart on Route 42: No problems. Good conversation with two workers there. One woman behind the cashier table kept staring at me with a.... vacant look on her face. I just smiled happily, nodded, and said "Hello" to her everytime she lifted her gaze from my XD to my face. The older gentleman that worked there was completely unphased. I think I smelled WW2 on him, but I couldn't be sure. A guy in his early 30's was a bit suprised, especially when I commented I could OC without a license, but I couldn't buy bottle rockets, roman candles, or those little paper tanks for the 4th. :quirky But, he was helpful just the same, and made a few recomendations, and helped me decipher their 3 digit codes of colors, sounds, lights.
Dollar Tree, Walmart on Route 42 Parking Lot: Decided to run into Dollar Tree as long as we were there, to see if anything useful would be found. A women in their late 40's, and three late high school/precollege kids. Clerk was very nice, despite being hit on by two guys in a row, (she was cute :lol: ) and never made a comment/second glance at either gun.
All in all, a pretty uneventful run. I must pay more attention to my surroundings than most, because no one said a thing, and only two people noticed. One a gas station clerk, the other after it was largely pointed out to him.
Quote of the day:
Me (after being unable to buy ground spinners, bottle rockets, roman candles, or paper tanks): Remind me why I live in this state again?
Shayne: Because of this.... *points to his holster*
Me: Good point...
Oh, and Danbus, I also told him about your Norfolk incident. He said "Wow, someone's getting paid." :lol:
Edit: Clarify a statement before people complain.
Edit: Grammar. I writed good the first times.
For you tl;dr folks (too long; didn't read), short version...
Two guys, 6'4", one ~200 pounds with a 4" bi-tone XD40, the other ~250, with a FEG PA63, in Harrisonburg, VA.
Valley Surplus, Rt 42 just North of downtown - No reaction from a mother and child, no reaction from store clerk.
HESS gas station, downtown H'burg - Clerk noticed, worried a moment, calmed after casual conversation him.
20 minutes BSing in the HESS parking lot, no one noticed, commented or looked.
Fireworks tent, Walmart on Route 42: No problems. Good conversation with two workers there. Stares from one worker.
Dollar Tree: Sheeple with blinders. No one saw anything. Girl at the counter was cute.
And, the long version, for those of you who have all the time in the world.
So, I got off work this morning, (no carry because I lack a CCW, and OC by staff in a hotel just plain looks bad....) stopped by the DMV to get a new change of address card for my driver's license, and to update my voter reg.
Stopped by the CoOp here, and checked to see if I could find a holster that would fit both my XD, and a decent sized 1911. A half-arsed search found that to an extent, a holster for an XD will hold a 1911, but the muzzle protrudes a bit.
Still got the XD holster anyway, because, well, I needed one. Dennis, the guy at the gun counter (whom I've had great conversations with in the past), also answered a few good questions for me, like what a pancake holster is. No newb jokes please, we've all got to find out some time.
Took my holster, and two free paper targets (Good customer bonus
)home, got some much needed rest, and called my buddy Shayne. We both had a couple of errands to run, namely picking up fireworks and a couple of ammo cans. When he got there, I had my XD loaded, with a spare mag in the holster (no reason to do things half-assed). I looked at him and said "Do you want to OC?"
He's a pretty daring guy, but he's not foolhardy. After pulling up OCDO, and showing him a couple of the statutes, he agreed. Turns out he had exactly 8 rounds left in his box of ammo. :lol:
Valley Surplus, Route 42 just North of downtown: No problems. There was an older woman in the store with a ten-ish year old boy, no comments, I doubt they even noticed. The guy behind the counter seemed a little annoyed, but after talking to him a minute or two, I get the feeling it was past time for him to go home. :lol: I'm pretty sure he noticed, but didn't care. Or didn't care to say anything.
HESS, downtown H'burg: Had to go by here because a friend didn't know this place doesn't take checks. Clerk noticed and was momentarily worried (comparatively bad neighborhood), but calmed pretty much instantly, since we were there to pay a friend's tank of gas after he found out they don't take checks. Casual conversation smoothed things over completely.
After paying for someone else's gas, :quirky the three of us were standing in front of the gas station, chatting idly. No passersby noticed. Nothing happened. Though Brandon (rescuee) did laugh at the line I has used when we arrived... "I heard you needed backup." :lol:
(And before you gripe, there was no one around, and we were outside when I said that...)
Fireworks Tent, Walmart on Route 42: No problems. Good conversation with two workers there. One woman behind the cashier table kept staring at me with a.... vacant look on her face. I just smiled happily, nodded, and said "Hello" to her everytime she lifted her gaze from my XD to my face. The older gentleman that worked there was completely unphased. I think I smelled WW2 on him, but I couldn't be sure. A guy in his early 30's was a bit suprised, especially when I commented I could OC without a license, but I couldn't buy bottle rockets, roman candles, or those little paper tanks for the 4th. :quirky But, he was helpful just the same, and made a few recomendations, and helped me decipher their 3 digit codes of colors, sounds, lights.
Dollar Tree, Walmart on Route 42 Parking Lot: Decided to run into Dollar Tree as long as we were there, to see if anything useful would be found. A women in their late 40's, and three late high school/precollege kids. Clerk was very nice, despite being hit on by two guys in a row, (she was cute :lol: ) and never made a comment/second glance at either gun.
All in all, a pretty uneventful run. I must pay more attention to my surroundings than most, because no one said a thing, and only two people noticed. One a gas station clerk, the other after it was largely pointed out to him.
Quote of the day:
Me (after being unable to buy ground spinners, bottle rockets, roman candles, or paper tanks): Remind me why I live in this state again?
Shayne: Because of this.... *points to his holster*
Me: Good point...
Oh, and Danbus, I also told him about your Norfolk incident. He said "Wow, someone's getting paid." :lol:
Edit: Clarify a statement before people complain.
Edit: Grammar. I writed good the first times.