IndianaBoy's OC Experiences

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I suppose I should add yesterdays OC experience to my log. Picked up Blackfox for the OC Shootout/Eat Out yesterday. We had breakfast at McDonalds first. While filling up my fountain drink, a gentleman walked up to fill his cup. He told me he was just getting ready to leave but had to come back in when he saw us "coming in carrying guns." I smiled and replied that there was nothing to worry about.. He said something to the effect of "well, reading the newspapers today gets you thinking about that kind of stuff." I smiled and agreed and told him that's why we carry. He nodded his head and told me to have a good day.

Cabella's was fun: no one approached me or even gave me a negative look...well, all cept the guy behind the gun counter. He looked a little suspicious but other than that, nothing really to report. I'll have to say, having guns on your hips really helped me pick out the group and find everyone!

Shootout was fun, then we headed to Smokey Mountain. I work in Eagle and know a lot of the kids who work at the local stores. Sarah, our waitress, recognized me immidiately. Everyone that worked at the restuarant was friendly and generally unconcerned about a group of armed men. A few of the customer's looked curious as to what we were doing/who we were, but no one got nervous and left to my knowledge. I'll see a lot of them at my store when I go back to work in a couple days, we'll see if we get any comments then.

I'm not sure who suggested it, but I like the idea of OCing downtown sometime. I donno, let me know what you guys think.

All in all, great day yesterday and I'm glad to see such a range of ages/personalities in our group. Everyone carried themselves well, dressed appropriately, and treated everyone with respect. I'm proud to be part of the Idaho chapter of oc.org.

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I forgot to mention that while waiting for other OCers to show up, Sage, Blackfox and I carried into Best Buy and Petsmart. Not a single comment or even a funny look in either place.

Feeling a bit embolded, Blackfox and I decided to head out for a bit today. First stop, my usual (McDonalds of course!). Though I try to go to a different one every time. This time it was the one close to Cabella's where we met yesterday. We got several looks there from the customers and the crew. While waiting for my order at the counter, an officer got in line (Boise PD). I smiled at him and gave a respectful "nod". He nodded back and there were no words exchanged. I grabbed my tray when it was ready and went to sit down. Blackfox was at the counter alone now with the LEO. No problem with the cop at all, though Blackfox mentioned something to me about hearing someone say "If it wasn't legal he wouldn't do it".
Next was a trip to Petsmart again to browse around and give the pup a break from the car. No problems at all, even when kids came up to play with my puppy and the adult noticed the gun. Very friendly place.
Afterwards I went to the cop shop to look for a better belt. I disarmed before entering as I was planning on trying on belts, holsters, etc. Blackfox did not disarm. The two gentleman that served us were very helpful and assisted me in ordering a properly fit belt. OC friendly from what I can tell.
Soon after we went to the Boise Gun Company off Chinden in Garden City. I wanted to ask someone about the fouling in my chambers and see if they could recommend a better solvent or other suggestions for cleaning it out. I left the gun on my hip, but unloaded it so it would be easy to unholster and show them without making anyone nervous. No comments before the noticed it was unloaded, and no comments when I finished talking with him, took out my speedloader and loaded the gun before reholstering it. Cramped store, but helpful, down to earth people working there.
After this I had to drop off Blackfox and head to a meeting with a different friend. I did not OC (Dog park, lots of kids and my first time there, next time for sure).
My final stop for the night, Subway in Eagle. The conversation with the girl at the counter went something like this:

Girl: So, are you undercover or...?
Me: Exuse me?
Girl: Oh, I just noticed you "packing" that gun, I thought you might be an agent of some sort.
Me: Not at all, I just carry for self defense. Just a normal guy.
Girl: Ok...You said turkey on wheat, right?

She seemed like an odd girl...she seems odd when I'm there WITHOUT the gun, so it was hard to judge her reaction. I think she was ok though as we went right along with the order, talked about her busy night and said goodnight to each other.

Anyways, good experiences. I'm going to stop posting in depth explainations. Instead, I'll list the places I go if they are OC friendly and will give a greater discription if the place wasn't so friendly. So far so good though.

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OC'd at Mcdonalds and my new bank, Pioneer Federal Credit Union in Eagle. Nothing of interest to report.

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IndianaBoy79 wrote:

...
She seemed like an odd girl...she seems odd when I'm there WITHOUT the gun, so it was hard to judge her reaction. I think she was ok though as we went right along with the order, talked about her busy night and said goodnight to each other.
...

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Did you get her number?

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I don't date women with kids your age.

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OC'd to my bank..no problems.

Went with Blackfox to go purchase his first firearm (congrats!). First stop was Boise Gun company. Great folks, no problems.

Didn't have what we needed so we went to Cabella's. No questions asked and I was even approached by an employee who simply wanted to know what I was packing. Nice guy. After Blackfox made his purchase, the genteman escorted him to the front of the store with his new gun. I thought that was silly when he told me it was policy, so I said to Blackfox "No problem, just go out to your car, load up and come on back in." The guy didn't respond badly to this comment at all, and soon we were both packing heat in the store. The gentleman who asked about my gun noticed Fox had put his on...he smiled and asked if he could help get us anything else.

Had the dog with me, so we went to the Petsmart next to browse around and meet some of the other pups. Two guys with guns don't look so dangerous with a cute puppy dragging them along. All I got was positive comments about Brutus and no comments or even looks about the guns.

Fox wanted to check out Impact guns to see what the place was like and try to find a decent cheap cleaning kit. Again, nice folks and no problems at all.

I'm never leaving Idaho...

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IndianaBoy79 wrote:

After Blackfox made his purchase, the genteman escorted him to the front of the store with his new gun. I thought that was silly when he told me it was policy

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Somewhat odd for a Place like Cabelas to have a Policy like that...
Unless it's for Insurance reasons....that could explain it.

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Eagleeye wrote:

IndianaBoy79 wrote:

After Blackfox made his purchase, the genteman escorted him to the front of the store with his new gun. I thought that was silly when he told me it was policy

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Somewhat odd for a Place like Cabelas to have a Policy like that...
Unless it's for Insurance reasons....that could explain it.

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I agree, a little odd. However, he wanted to load it up and put it on anyways, and I don't think it's a good idea to do that in the store. They've been really good about the OC thing and he certainly didn't mind us coming back in with it.

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IndianaBoy79 wrote:

Eagleeye wrote:

IndianaBoy79 wrote:

After Blackfox made his purchase, the genteman escorted him to the front of the store with his new gun. I thought that was silly when he told me it was policy

Click to expand...

Somewhat odd for a Place like Cabelas to have a Policy like that...
Unless it's for Insurance reasons....that could explain it.

Click to expand...

I agree, a little odd. However, he wanted to load it up and put it on anyways, and I don't think it's a good idea to do that in the store. They've been really good about the OC thing and he certainly didn't mind us coming back in with it.

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That's good to hear.

Like I said though It "could" be for Insurance Purposes.
Still seems wierd though....that's more the kind of thing wallyworld is known to do.

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Sportsmans Warehouse did the same thing when I bought my PT1911. I think part of it is insurance reasons and they dont want to take the chance with you walking out with unpaid merchandise.

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Not important enough to make a stink about, thats for sure....however, the merchandise is paid for at that point. I'd say you could prolly raise a stink and tell them you want it in your posession now. But then, even if they complied, they could always say "fine this time, but no more shopping here again." Once again, not complaining at all, they were great with us and never minded us coming back in. Not worth making a fuss over something so stinking silly.

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I had an interesting conversation with Deputy Brodin of the Ada County sheriff's office while I was at work yesterday. He approached me and asked "So, was that you I saw walking down the street playing Wyatt Earp the other day?" I gave him a puzzled look and said, "I don't know what you mean by playing Wyatt Earp, but if you saw a man walking down the street yesterday with a gun on his hip, it was probably me." I told him that I was active on OCDO and told him a bit about what the movement is about. He asked several questions like, how do normal people react, or how do most officers react to me. We discussed the national movement and how so many people in other states are having such a difficult battle, and that I am proud to live in Idaho. I invited him to OCDO and told him he was welcome to participate in our discussions and learn more about us. He seemed interested/intrigued by the idea of what we're trying to accomplish. Towards the end of the conversation, he said he was just teasing me about the Wyatt Earp comment. Deputy Brodin was very friendly and easy to talk to.
Later that night, a regular customer came in and while chatting with him he noticed I was reading a book, "On Killing," by Dave Grossman. I told him I had recently taken the concealed weapons class and that it came highly recommended by the sheriff's office. We began to discuss OCDO and I think he'll be checking us out soon.
On another note, I've been trying to stretch my comfort zone and OC more around my local area, around people who know me. I've had mostly positive comments and questions. Overall, I'm beginning to feel more comfortable flexing my second amendment rights. Getting my new Milt Sparks holster helps with that too

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I've had my first official "bad" run in with a local restuarant. A manager at McDonald's in Eagle, ID asked me not to carry my weapon in the store. Here's how it went to the best of my knowledge.

Manager: I know it's an open carry state.
Me: Yes, it is.

long silence....

Manager: Well, we'd like to ask you to leave your toys at home next time.
Me: You want me to leave?
Manager: No, you can place your order, just next time leave it at home. I'd say put it in your car but I see you walk most of the time.
Me: Ok, I understand it's private property.

Before I left, he mentioned some stuff about not wanting to upset the soccer moms and how it just freaks people out. When I asked him why people weren't running for the door in panic, he didn't seem to have an answer.

So, can someone help me draft a letter to the owners of this McDonalds? The manager was polite and even mentioned he didn't mind me concealing there. I didn't want to argue with him because I don't think he's the guy with the power anyways. Any suggestions? I can get the contact info rather easily, and I can get this guys name too. Thanks.

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look on the ohioians for concealed carry website, they have letters that u can use.
www.ohioccw.org

here is an example of what we can do..

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DOUBLE POST

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Here is a rough draft....what do you guys think? Any suggestions?

[align=right]Thursday, June 26, 2008[/align]
[align=left]To Whom it may concern,[/align] [align=left]
[/align]I'm writing today to inform you of an unpleasant experience I had at your McDonald's restaurant located in Eagle, ID. On June 25th approximately 7pm I was approached by Bill, a member of your management team, and asked to “not bring my toys” to the store anymore. Bill was referring to my firearm that I was carrying in full compliance with Idaho law. I have lived in Eagle for nearly eight months and have visited McDonald's on average of twice a day with no problems until recently. I was offended and embarrassed when your employee singled out my legal activity and even suggested that my actions were “anti family”. I believe that your employees were trying to be friendly, but they went out of their way to express their personal opinions instead of finding out what your policy regarding this issue is. [align=left] I take the responsibility for the defense my family and myself very seriously. As a holder of an Idaho concealed weapons license, I have gone through federal and state background checks. I have no felony convictions, no warrant for my arrest, no record of mental illness, and I've never been guilty of domestic violence. I have been trained in the legal and moral use of firearms. How much do you know about your other customers?[/align] [align=left] I would like to ask what your firearm policy is for visitors to your store; do you have an outright ban on firearms or do you allow people to carry in compliance with state law? Do you have this policy in writing so that I may share it with the other members of the public? I have promised your management that I will abide by your decision and respect your private property rights.[/align] [align=left] If you would like to meet and discuss this issue further, I am available at your convenience.[/align] [align=left]
[/align] [align=left]Sincerely,[/align] [align=left]**********
[/align][align=left]My Contact Info
[/align][align=left]*********[/align]
[align=left]
[/align][align=left]*****Edited July 15th to reflect the letter actually sent.
[/align]

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Indiana...

Nicely worded letter. Gets the point across in a professional, polite manner!

What kind of responses do you get from the deputies that stop by your store regarding firearms? It's be good to know as the attitude around the valley from LE is far from perfect but seems to have improved over the last 10 years overall.

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Most of the deputies know me by name. This certainly helps keep the confrontations to a low as I walk around downtown Eagle. The conversation with Deputy Brodin (see above) was one of the first conversations I've had with them about OC, though I've spoken with most of them about firearms in general. They seem very supportive of my right to carry, but I think they view the OC movement with a little reservation. I think I'm the "wierd" guy that likes to flaunt his gun, but they've given me no problems. The manager at Smokey Mountain is very supportive and always has lots of questions. Rembrants has never said a word to me and I carry there at least 3 times a week. Divinci's Restuarant seems friendly enough, but most the time I conceal there cause I'm having a drink. All in all, Eagle has been a very pleasant town to live in and OC around, until this McDonalds incident. If you think the letter is well writen, I'll mail it off tomorrow.

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Letter looks great. I'll be interested to see what response (if any) that you get from Mcdonalds

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Got off work tonight VERY late. I had to take the dog for a walk and get some of the extra energy out. I changed out of my work uniform first and strapped on my OC rig. Before I got to the end of my street, I ran into Officer (name withheld) of the Boise police. The officer lives in my area and was off duty walking his dog as well. Since he was off duty, I decided to wait and ask if I could post his name. EDITED - The officer's name is Casey Hancuff. He works for the Boise PD. - We talked a a bit about the dogs and how work went tonight. While walking back together, we discussed OC a bit, why I do it, how officers react, and how things used to be in the "old days" when he was growing up. He's very supportive of our rights and doesn't treat OC as a cop only priviledge. I invited him to check out our forum and provide any input he would like. I sincerely hope he does and that we can provide him a good welcome as I have a lot of respect for this officer. We need more out there with his views and approach to people. The more I live here the more I LOVE Idaho.