denwego
Regular Member
imported post
Quick background - I happened to be carrying concealed during this, because it's cold for a Texan in Colorado this time of year, and a jacket is standard after sundown in October...
A few minutes ago, as I was coming home from getting some dinner, I was driving down 30th St. and turning to the side street I live on when I noticed an old man collapsed on the side of the road. I pulled over as quick as I could, parked, and ran over to see what was wrong with him, to find him struggling to get back up to his feet. He was a 74 year old WWII vet who lives in the retirement home down the block, trying to walk to the nearby bus stop to go down to the tobacco store for cigars, and as he stepped onto grass, he lost his footing and fell.
From the way he was putting all his might into it just to regain his footing, it was clear he needed medical attention and would never make it back to the home, let alone the store. Holding him up with an arm over my shoulder, I got him across 30th to the benches at the bus stop (with him nearly falling again in the middle of the busy street with no crosswalk, were I not there to support him), and ensured he was going to wait for the next bus and not try to wander off. With him sitting, I hurried back to my car to get my cell phone that I had left in my rush to park and called the police for some sort of medical assistance; not the best, I know, but 911 doesn't work on my cell in this area, and he wasn't in immediate danger so long as he was sitting.
I kept my eye on him for two minutes or so until a police cruiser arrived and two officers came out. One went to check on the old man while I approached the other and informed him I was the one who called, et cetera. As the first one managed to convince the old man to call it a night and worked him slowly back to the car to drive him home, the second got the story rehashed to write down in their notes. After I summed it up for him again, he wanted my contact info, so I gave him my cell number and my drivers license to jot down in case I saw him out again tonight.
Since I was carrying concealed under my jacket, I handed him my CHP with my license. When he saw it, he said, "You carrying your gun tonight?" I said, "Yeah, coming back from dinner." He nodded and handed my CHP back and said, "You know, some people don't like people carrying guns, but the more I meet people with carry permits, the more I realize that you guys who carry guns tend to be who we wish were around all the time. It doesn't surprise me at all that you were the only one who came over to make sure this guy was OK. Busiest road in this part of town and no one else even called us."
I thanked him generously, since that was about the least likely response I could've imagined getting. I told him I thought it was very sad that no one else did, that Boulder considers itself so morally superior but that they don't even notice an old man lying on the side of a busy road. And I thanked him for his views on CHP-holders, to which he said, "That's what I mean. People who get a carry permit to take care of themselves are the ones who take care of others as well. I'm always glad to see how responsible you guys are when it comes to everything."
By then, the old man was in the car, so we thanked each other and went our separate ways. I don't think it could've gone better in my wildest dreams... you'd never think BPD would say something like that! Amazing!
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Addendum - Without sequenda this into the story, I've decided to try and parlay this exceedingly positive interaction into working on greater acceptance of OCing by law-abiding citizens. Since I know there's at least one corporal on the force with such a view of lawful gun owners, I thought I might contact him through his card on getting a training bulletin circulated amongst BPD. Rather than trying to contact a supervisor or other higher-up out of the blue, this might be a fine foot in the door situation amongst the folks who are actually out on the street, who in turn might bring it up with their bosses on their own. Could be a great way to take a good interaction and make it even better!
Quick background - I happened to be carrying concealed during this, because it's cold for a Texan in Colorado this time of year, and a jacket is standard after sundown in October...
A few minutes ago, as I was coming home from getting some dinner, I was driving down 30th St. and turning to the side street I live on when I noticed an old man collapsed on the side of the road. I pulled over as quick as I could, parked, and ran over to see what was wrong with him, to find him struggling to get back up to his feet. He was a 74 year old WWII vet who lives in the retirement home down the block, trying to walk to the nearby bus stop to go down to the tobacco store for cigars, and as he stepped onto grass, he lost his footing and fell.
From the way he was putting all his might into it just to regain his footing, it was clear he needed medical attention and would never make it back to the home, let alone the store. Holding him up with an arm over my shoulder, I got him across 30th to the benches at the bus stop (with him nearly falling again in the middle of the busy street with no crosswalk, were I not there to support him), and ensured he was going to wait for the next bus and not try to wander off. With him sitting, I hurried back to my car to get my cell phone that I had left in my rush to park and called the police for some sort of medical assistance; not the best, I know, but 911 doesn't work on my cell in this area, and he wasn't in immediate danger so long as he was sitting.
I kept my eye on him for two minutes or so until a police cruiser arrived and two officers came out. One went to check on the old man while I approached the other and informed him I was the one who called, et cetera. As the first one managed to convince the old man to call it a night and worked him slowly back to the car to drive him home, the second got the story rehashed to write down in their notes. After I summed it up for him again, he wanted my contact info, so I gave him my cell number and my drivers license to jot down in case I saw him out again tonight.
Since I was carrying concealed under my jacket, I handed him my CHP with my license. When he saw it, he said, "You carrying your gun tonight?" I said, "Yeah, coming back from dinner." He nodded and handed my CHP back and said, "You know, some people don't like people carrying guns, but the more I meet people with carry permits, the more I realize that you guys who carry guns tend to be who we wish were around all the time. It doesn't surprise me at all that you were the only one who came over to make sure this guy was OK. Busiest road in this part of town and no one else even called us."
I thanked him generously, since that was about the least likely response I could've imagined getting. I told him I thought it was very sad that no one else did, that Boulder considers itself so morally superior but that they don't even notice an old man lying on the side of a busy road. And I thanked him for his views on CHP-holders, to which he said, "That's what I mean. People who get a carry permit to take care of themselves are the ones who take care of others as well. I'm always glad to see how responsible you guys are when it comes to everything."
By then, the old man was in the car, so we thanked each other and went our separate ways. I don't think it could've gone better in my wildest dreams... you'd never think BPD would say something like that! Amazing!
---
Addendum - Without sequenda this into the story, I've decided to try and parlay this exceedingly positive interaction into working on greater acceptance of OCing by law-abiding citizens. Since I know there's at least one corporal on the force with such a view of lawful gun owners, I thought I might contact him through his card on getting a training bulletin circulated amongst BPD. Rather than trying to contact a supervisor or other higher-up out of the blue, this might be a fine foot in the door situation amongst the folks who are actually out on the street, who in turn might bring it up with their bosses on their own. Could be a great way to take a good interaction and make it even better!
