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The other side of the holster

nofoa

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
374
Location
Arlington, Washington, USA
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I've been reading these boards for about 3-4 months now. I really enjoy the tales of experience good and bad. I have yet to OC, or CC so far. But i wanted to post something about the perspective of sheeple.

This was about a month ago i was at the local range up here in Arlington. I walk into the bay with my brother. There is one person in the last stall shooting an ar-15. From the way he's dressed i think off duty cop. He's got a hat on with a LEO type emblem on it. I say greetings and i start setting up the paper and going over gun safety with my brother. He's never shot before. It was around this time i finally notice the guy in the last stall has a holster on and what looks like a glock. And i swear i had this immediate dull fear tickle me. I mentally chastise myself and turn to keep an eye on my bro. Now that i've seen the holster i keep noticing in as the guy reloads his mags on the bench. I chat with him and he asks if im a firearms instructor. Because of the booklets i get out for my brother to look at. That got a laugh, and he was kind enough to let my brother shoot a few rounds out of his ar-15. He left after that and i thanked him again.

I totally forgot about the encounter until a few days ago i was reading about the posts here on the forum. "Your making customers nervous." "Not my problem mam, my gun does not eminate fear waves."

I like guns.
People certainly have the right to carry weapons.
Why the hell did i get nervous when i saw that dude's OC glock?
 

Pauly

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Nov 24, 2007
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106
Location
Ravenna, Ohio, USA
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Of all the places to get nervous seeing a pistol I'd think the range would be the least of them. I am even more at ease when I see someone holster their piece after unloading into a paper bad guy. I just love the ones who turn and point the gun at the concrete floor behind them and say, 'Damn, it jammed again.' I hate ricochets.
 

sv_libertarian

State Researcher
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Aug 15, 2007
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3,201
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Olympia, WA, ,
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Social conditioning. I lived in Seattle for a couple of years where fixed blade knives are a big no-no. I saw a couple of people wearing them, but they were usually of a pretty low crowd and they made me nervous.
Now I have OC'd fixed blade knives in places where legal. Right after I started OCing my gun I saw a guy wearing a hunting knife on his belt. My first thought is "What is this guy up to?" Then I told myself to shutup because it is as harmless as anything else.

Too much time in a place where anyone with a big knife is probably a BG...

You cannot change your "programming" overnight, but once you are aware of it, you can change it.
 

uncoolperson

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Joined
Jul 17, 2007
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608
Location
Bellingham, ,
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kinda sorta on topic

the two places i feel okay with leaving my truck unlocked

1) gun shop
2) gun range


because of the openness with firearms everywhere.


the friendliest people i've ever met where standing beside me at a pistol range or sharing the trap with me.

I'm not sure if it's firearms, or everyone enjoying a hobby that demands some form of respect for what you are doing and a certain level of trust for the guy next to you. It just always seems people are nicer.
 

ScorpioMk

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Jan 14, 2008
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68
Location
Lynnwood, Washington, USA
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uncoolperson wrote:
kinda sorta on topic

the two places i feel okay with leaving my truck unlocked

1) gun shop
2) gun range


because of the openness with firearms everywhere.


the friendliest people i've ever met where standing beside me at a pistol range or sharing the trap with me.

I'm not sure if it's firearms, or everyone enjoying a hobby that demands some form of respect for what you are doing and a certain level of trust for the guy next to you. It just always seems people are nicer.

100% agree. Kinda funny story, recently at sams someone hit my truck in the parking lot. He came in and went directly to the closest employee and handed them his info and said "I hit a green truck in the parking lot, I dont know where the owner is but heres my info" and basically was tryin to get outta there quick haha. I'd be scared hitting a car in a gun shop/range parking lottoo.

As far as the original post

sv_libertarianwrote:
You cannot change your "programming" overnight, but once you are aware of it, you can change it.


Marcus
 

Misguided Child

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Nov 3, 2007
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193
Location
, Washington, USA
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I'd be a little nervous if I saw the guy next to me with a holstered glock. I shoot there 4-5 times a week and I've seen the number of idiots shooting in there. It is also a volation of range rules to have his weapon in a holster. LE shoots in a bay by themselves usually so I would have to assume this guy just didn't know or care about the rules.
 

Agent 47

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Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
570
Location
, Washington, USA
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Misguided Child wrote:
I'd be a little nervous if I saw the guy next to me with a holstered glock. I shoot there 4-5 times a week and I've seen the number of idiots shooting in there. It is also a volation of range rules to have his weapon in a holster. LE shoots in a bay by themselves usually so I would have to assume this guy just didn't know or care about the rules.
If it is staying in the holster, that is fine but most ranges have rules restricting drawing from the holster. Due to the fact thatwhen drawing or re-holstering you are more likely to have a ND.
 

Liko81

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Joined
Dec 26, 2007
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496
Location
Dallas, TX, ,
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Agent 47 wrote:
Misguided Child wrote:
I'd be a little nervous if I saw the guy next to me with a holstered glock. I shoot there 4-5 times a week and I've seen the number of idiots shooting in there. It is also a volation of range rules to have his weapon in a holster. LE shoots in a bay by themselves usually so I would have to assume this guy just didn't know or care about the rules.
If it is staying in the holster, that is fine but most ranges have rules restricting drawing from the holster. Due to the fact thatwhen drawing or re-holstering you are more likely to have a ND.
+1. Having your weapon holstered is generally OK (it gets it off the bench, covers the trigger, and generally points it in a safe direction), but you can't practice holster-drawing drills for the above reason.

I also have to agree with the first reply; of all the places I'd be uncomfortable seeing a gun, being in a gun store/range is extremely low on the list.

If you were taught early and had it highly reinforced that "guns are bad"/"people who aren't copswho haveguns are bad", it might make you a bit nervous to see a holstered gun. However, it is an irrational fear, and the more you see that carry mode the less you'll think about it. I don't know whether publicOC is legal in Washington state, but in Texas it isn't, so the only time I see OC is in the gun shop anyway.
 

Misguided Child

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Joined
Nov 3, 2007
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193
Location
, Washington, USA
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It is not OK in the holster at Norpoint. All guns must be cased until they are on the line. Mine comes out of the holster and into a case just for the walk in the door and to the line. And they know me well. The guy with the glock didn't know or care about the range rules for safe handleing.
 

2nd_to_one

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Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
14
Location
Arlington, Washington, USA
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Greetings all,

I felt the need to weigh in on this one. I have OCed at Norpoint, where I am a member (no I'm not the guy with the Glock). I specifically asked, when I was in there last Sunday, whether I was ok with my carry gun or did I need to case it prior to entry. I spoke with one of the owners and he specifically stated that holstered is permitted at Norpoint and showed me where it was covered in the language of the waiver that you sign to shoot there. He went on to tell me that one of the long term plans for Norpoint is to, with special training and an advanced membership, allow members to practice drawing from the holster in a dedicated range bay.

Regards,

Steve
 

Misguided Child

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Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
193
Location
, Washington, USA
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2nd_to_one wrote:
Greetings all,

I felt the need to weigh in on this one. I have OCed at Norpoint, where I am a member (no I'm not the guy with the Glock). I specifically asked, when I was in there last Sunday, whether I was ok with my carry gun or did I need to case it prior to entry. I spoke with one of the owners and he specifically stated that holstered is permitted at Norpoint and showed me where it was covered in the language of the waiver that you sign to shoot there. He went on to tell me that one of the long term plans for Norpoint is to, with special training and an advanced membership, allow members to practice drawing from the holster in a dedicated range bay.

Regards,

Steve
Well, that's interesting. Thanks for the update. I have been told they want guns in cases specifically because they don't want people walking in OC'ing and I have heard the manager and both of the guys that work the counter tell other customers that. Ijust pulled one of the waivers out and #1. at the top of the page reads: "All firearms brought into the range must be completely unloaded. They must be carried with the action open and muzzle pointed down, or enclosed in a case until in actual use"

I will drop by today and ask the WTH???



Alan
 

tarzan1888

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Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
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Location
, , USA
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nofoa wrote:
.....I like guns.
People certainly have the right to carry weapons.
Why the hell did i get nervous when i saw that dude's OC glock?

I will never forget when I took my CC class. It was in a class room connected to a gun range.

While I was signing up there was a guy helping some of us register and as he walked from one guy to the next I noticed this holstered gun on his hip.

I had been around guns and loaded guns my whole life. I had gone shooing more times than I could count in the 40 odd years before that night, and carried a loaded rifle while my friends also carried loaded rifles.

I had carried loaded handguns, in the woods,myself and had shot handguns with my friends, but this was the first time I had been in a public setting and there were people walking around with LOADED guns on their hips and they were not Cops.

I was nervous and had a hard time taking my eyes off his, and the other guys, guns.



I have been carrying both openly and concealed for almost 10 years now and I no longer give it a thought. My wife who once was uncomfortable about me carrying guns is now cool. Last Sunday as I was about to leave for church, she gave me a hug and then smiled up at me as she felt my .357 in my shoulder holster.

I know how you felt. I don't know exactly why we felt that way, but I know how it feels.



Tarzan
 

swillden

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Dec 9, 2007
Messages
1,189
Location
Firestone, Colorado
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tarzan1888 wrote:
I was nervous and had a hard time taking my eyes off his, and the other guys, guns.

[...]

I know how you felt. I don't know exactly why we felt that way, but I know how it feels.
LOL. Me too.

My experience was at my concealed firearm permit class. About two hours into the lesson, right in the middle of a serious and excellent discussion of responsible firearm carry, the instructor turned and his shirt flipped up to flash his gun.

My reaction was surprise, shock, nervousness and more than a little bit of fear. Immediately following that I felt foolish -- why wouldn't I expect a CFP instructor to be armed, and why in the world would I be afraid of someone who was at that very moment impressing me with how deeply he thought about responsible carry?

The emotion stayed with me for several minutes, though, even after I recognized just how stupid it was.

I try to keep that in mind when I see people acting nervously around my gun. Not that I'll avoid OCing just to protect their sensibilities, but a little empathy is a good idea.
 

charliecrusader

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Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
18
Location
Marble, Washington, USA
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Same here, I was raised with loaded guns in the house. Very pro gun family. But about 2 years before I started carrying I was at a local gas station with a friend of mine (also pro gun) and we saw a guy standing and talking to someone and he had a pistol on his hip :shock: We figured he wasn't LEO but we weren't going to ask him about it. Looking back I feel foolish but hadn't ever seen that before, even up here in NE Wa.
 

Misguided Child

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, Washington, USA
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Ok, my bust. Since I shoot at Norpoint 4-5 times a week I have copied one of their liability waivers with all my info on it so all I have to do is pull one out of my case, sign it and go shoot. So I have a copy of the old version of the rules. They are definetly OK with OC. Which will now save me even more time. Sorry to post the bad scoop!

Alan
 

Right Wing Wacko

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Aug 11, 2007
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Marysville, Washington, USA
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Misguided Child wrote:
Ok, my bust. Since I shoot at Norpoint 4-5 times a week I have copied one of their liability waivers with all my info on it so all I have to do is pull one out of my case, sign it and go shoot. So I have a copy of the old version of the rules. They are definetly OK with OC. Which will now save me even more time. Sorry to post the bad scoop!

Alan

Then they need to change the sign on the front door!
 

amlevin

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Feb 16, 2007
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North of Seattle, Washington, USA
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Of all the ranges I have shot at, Norpoint seems to be most in tune with reality. Some know how to handle firearms and some don't. Their plan to separate those two groups, and let those that are experienced practice draw/shoot exercises makes a lot of sense.

Of course there are ranges at the other end of the spectrum. Kenmore comes to mind where their behavior mimic's that of the Nazi's. EVERYTHING appears to be against their rules. (AR owners, how do you like their "One round in the mag" rule?
 

ATCer

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Feb 2, 2008
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Iraq
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uncoolperson wrote:
I'm not sure if it's firearms, or everyone enjoying a hobby that demands some form of respect for what you are doing and a certain level of trust for the guy next to you. It just always seems people are nicer.
An armed society is a polite society!
 
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