czth
Regular Member
imported post
I decided to OC my Springfield 1911 EMP when I picked my wife up at the airport last Friday night. I've been reading these forums for a little while, and my reasons for OCing are self and common defense and assertion of my right to do so; a right not exercised can be lost. The airport seemed to be a reasonable first OC (since I'd only be there a short time and I'd be sitting away from people for much of it).
I got to the airport at about a quarter to midnight. I was wearing my EMP in the car (I have a CPL), in the holster it came with (I'll probably get an IWB holster for CC, too - recommendations? I like the Galco Royal Guard, but $26 extra to get black clips to match my belt is a bit much). I was aware that there were no prohibitions against OCing in the non-secured areas of an airport, and had seen this post mentioning OCing at SeaTac
, which helped my confidence. It was a positive experience. All told I was there for about 40 minutes; I did what I normally did: checked the big board to see which carousel my wife's flight's bags would arrive at (ignoring the time, since I knew the flight was late), then sat on an out of the way bench and read a book I'd brought (back to the wall, nobody nearby).
A few minutes later a lady came over (either an airline or airport official, but not security; she had a uniform and a name tag on, but I didn't see who she was with), and asked if I had a firearm, I said I did, and that Washington was an open carry state. She said she didn't know if it was legal in an airport, and I informed her that it was legal outside the secured areas. She explained (very nicely) that a few people had made comments to her about it - I think she wanted to be seen as doing something - and I said I understood; she then left.
I got the hairy eyeball a few times when I was walking around, but no other comments. I felt a bit self-conscious, but I was more worried about making sure I knew who was around me, especially behind me, more so than normal, since I now had the responsibility to make sure nobody grabbed my gun; for example, I'd usually stand right by the carousel, but this time I hung back a little (probably a good idea in general; standing against the edge doesn't make the bags come any faster...) and only grabbed my wife's bag when she saw it come out. Anyway, a positive first experience. I'll pick up some of the OpenCarry.org brochures I've heard about at the next WAC gun show.
I decided to OC my Springfield 1911 EMP when I picked my wife up at the airport last Friday night. I've been reading these forums for a little while, and my reasons for OCing are self and common defense and assertion of my right to do so; a right not exercised can be lost. The airport seemed to be a reasonable first OC (since I'd only be there a short time and I'd be sitting away from people for much of it).
I got to the airport at about a quarter to midnight. I was wearing my EMP in the car (I have a CPL), in the holster it came with (I'll probably get an IWB holster for CC, too - recommendations? I like the Galco Royal Guard, but $26 extra to get black clips to match my belt is a bit much). I was aware that there were no prohibitions against OCing in the non-secured areas of an airport, and had seen this post mentioning OCing at SeaTac
A few minutes later a lady came over (either an airline or airport official, but not security; she had a uniform and a name tag on, but I didn't see who she was with), and asked if I had a firearm, I said I did, and that Washington was an open carry state. She said she didn't know if it was legal in an airport, and I informed her that it was legal outside the secured areas. She explained (very nicely) that a few people had made comments to her about it - I think she wanted to be seen as doing something - and I said I understood; she then left.
I got the hairy eyeball a few times when I was walking around, but no other comments. I felt a bit self-conscious, but I was more worried about making sure I knew who was around me, especially behind me, more so than normal, since I now had the responsibility to make sure nobody grabbed my gun; for example, I'd usually stand right by the carousel, but this time I hung back a little (probably a good idea in general; standing against the edge doesn't make the bags come any faster...) and only grabbed my wife's bag when she saw it come out. Anyway, a positive first experience. I'll pick up some of the OpenCarry.org brochures I've heard about at the next WAC gun show.
. I hope my experience makes it easier for others.
