eBratt
Regular Member
imported post
Dress: Jeans, nice button down shirt
Sidearm: Springfield XD9 4" in a Serpa holster
Took the kids to the Children's Museum on New Year's Eve. It was cold, so I wasn't planning to OC and it wasn't until I had been in there a while and was trying to keep up with my kids that I got too warm and decided to remove my jacket.
With all the kids around, I adjusted my behavior and kept my back and or gun side towards the walls to avoid any curious hands from reaching where they shouldn't, so that may have played into my not being approached until I had been OCing for about 2 hours or so.
I was approached by one gentleman first who asked whether that was a gun I was carrying (yes) and then asked if I was a police officer (no). By this point, another man had joined the first. The first man indicated that I would have to take it out to my car or leave. I asked him if this was city property and he said it was. I then politely pointed out that no rules could be made to prohibit lawful carry on city property.
The second man chimed in and said that that was true and asked if I could cover it up. I indicated to him that I had been covering it up, but that I became too warm and had to remove my jacket. I politely told him that if I got cold, I'd put my jacket back on, but that I wasn't going to put my jacket back on and sweat the rest of my time in the museum just to accomodate them. I reiterated that what I was doing was legal.
They quickly replied that they realized that it was legal and that they couldn't make me leave but that there were some other patrons who were getting nervous about it and approaching managment asking that something be done. I politely suggested that they explain to the patrons that there is nothing wrong with what I am doing and that if I wanted to hurt someone, that I certainly wouldn't be openly carrying the gun before doing so.
They said that explaining that wouldn't help, but that they understood my position. The first guy said that he would need to inform security that there was a weapon on the premises and indicated that he would give them my description so I wouldn't be stopped again if I went upstairs to the food court area, and then he left. The second man stayed and talked with me for a few minutes. He said that with all the kids here, parents tend to be rather protective. I said that I knew and that such was the exact reason I was carrying and reminded him of the Omaha shootings and the Colorado Springs church shooting that was stopped by a citizen with a gun. The point that my reason for carrying was the same as the other parents' reasons for getting upset seemed to amuse him as he chuckled when I pointed that out.
The first gentleman, whose name and position I neglected to note, was very professional and polite. The second gentleman was the head of human resources if I remember correctly and almost seemed sympathetic to my wanting to carry. I'd bet two months pay that employees there are prohibited from carrying.
I went on with the time at the museum without incident but I did notice a few parents "keeping their distance" from me. I made sure I was extremely polite and in the tighter areas, moved back a bit if I was standing next to toys that I could tell parents and kids wanted to get to. Generally, just tried to put a good face on OC.
All in all, not too bad of a day.
Dress: Jeans, nice button down shirt
Sidearm: Springfield XD9 4" in a Serpa holster
Took the kids to the Children's Museum on New Year's Eve. It was cold, so I wasn't planning to OC and it wasn't until I had been in there a while and was trying to keep up with my kids that I got too warm and decided to remove my jacket.
With all the kids around, I adjusted my behavior and kept my back and or gun side towards the walls to avoid any curious hands from reaching where they shouldn't, so that may have played into my not being approached until I had been OCing for about 2 hours or so.
I was approached by one gentleman first who asked whether that was a gun I was carrying (yes) and then asked if I was a police officer (no). By this point, another man had joined the first. The first man indicated that I would have to take it out to my car or leave. I asked him if this was city property and he said it was. I then politely pointed out that no rules could be made to prohibit lawful carry on city property.
The second man chimed in and said that that was true and asked if I could cover it up. I indicated to him that I had been covering it up, but that I became too warm and had to remove my jacket. I politely told him that if I got cold, I'd put my jacket back on, but that I wasn't going to put my jacket back on and sweat the rest of my time in the museum just to accomodate them. I reiterated that what I was doing was legal.
They quickly replied that they realized that it was legal and that they couldn't make me leave but that there were some other patrons who were getting nervous about it and approaching managment asking that something be done. I politely suggested that they explain to the patrons that there is nothing wrong with what I am doing and that if I wanted to hurt someone, that I certainly wouldn't be openly carrying the gun before doing so.
They said that explaining that wouldn't help, but that they understood my position. The first guy said that he would need to inform security that there was a weapon on the premises and indicated that he would give them my description so I wouldn't be stopped again if I went upstairs to the food court area, and then he left. The second man stayed and talked with me for a few minutes. He said that with all the kids here, parents tend to be rather protective. I said that I knew and that such was the exact reason I was carrying and reminded him of the Omaha shootings and the Colorado Springs church shooting that was stopped by a citizen with a gun. The point that my reason for carrying was the same as the other parents' reasons for getting upset seemed to amuse him as he chuckled when I pointed that out.
The first gentleman, whose name and position I neglected to note, was very professional and polite. The second gentleman was the head of human resources if I remember correctly and almost seemed sympathetic to my wanting to carry. I'd bet two months pay that employees there are prohibited from carrying.
I went on with the time at the museum without incident but I did notice a few parents "keeping their distance" from me. I made sure I was extremely polite and in the tighter areas, moved back a bit if I was standing next to toys that I could tell parents and kids wanted to get to. Generally, just tried to put a good face on OC.
All in all, not too bad of a day.
