OC'ing around family members

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I've started OC'ing more and more and have gotten comfortable doing so. I know the wife supports it, butmany of my family members do not like it.They understand it's legal, and they are not against guns necessarily but just don't like the thought of carrying in the open b/c it's not common. It won't change anything I do b/c I feel the right to protect myself and my family comes above all else, but it would be nice if I could get them to warm up to the idea.

How did you guys handle certain family members that may have frowned upon OC'ing? Do you OC all the time, even when out with the extended family?

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Generaldet wrote:

SNIP: Do you OC all the time, even when out with the extended family?

Click to expand...

Tough call, depends on WHO i am going to be around. I have some family that i won't OC around as it does nothing but cause huge issues. Ultimately ruining the family fun we would have had. I have learned you cannot change everyones mind. People are scared of what they are scared of. We as gun owners can thank the countless thugs in the world, and mass media/hollywood for that.

When around "these" people i also try not to be to opinionated on the things they say or do. Once you judge they WILL judge back. I once said something to my nephew for being two knuckles deep into his nasal cavity while out to dinner. My sister replied "if you can embarass us with THAT THING, he can dig for gold anywhere he wants". nice huh?

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Well, I have gotten mixed reviews from different family members. First was my wife. At first, she hated it. She never grew up around guns, noone in her family was a hunter, so naturally she was uncomfortable with it. She now understands the reason behind it, or has just learned to deal with it.

My mother in law on the other hand, she has been quite the opponent of it. When she first learned of my taking a CPL class, she threw the whole book of questions at me. "What do you need that for? Who are you trying to defend us from? Isnt that what the cops are for? When are you going to carry? Why? Why? Why?" And as calmly as possible I informed her of my reasons, intentions, ets., about who, what, when, where, and why I carry a firearm. You should have seen the look on her face when they showed up to the campsite a couple weeks ago and I was OC'ing my.45! The look on her face was priceless. And yet another slew of questions about having it on my hip "like some cowboy!"

Needless to say, I dont carry at her house, or OC around them, unless they are at my house. Not sure what my father in law thinks but I feel he understands the reasoning behind CC and OC.

Other than that, the rest of my family, and mywfies family,is pretty pro gun. The only response I got from my dad was "What do you need a gun for? Your a 6'3" 220LBS man, nobody is going to mess with you!" But he understands.

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My parents were very against it at first. Dad had bad experiences with a gun back in the day, but I think he kinda is happy and proud when he asks me to do security at his store when he has big jewelry exhibits. We also had a talk about him getting one for the range and keeping it in the house. They live in a nice neighborhood, but wouldn't that make it seem more attractive to a robber? So he's thought about getting one. My mom on the other hand was like the mother in law in the above story. Gave me all the WHY would you need that and WHY would anybody wanna hurt my poor little boy!! She never liked me having one in the house. Now once in awhile when I go visit them I'll pull heraside and be like "hey look what I just had done on the gun!!" I really try to involve her in them and show how that they have a meaning to me, and she's starting to warm up to it now. Instead of yelling 'put that thing away!!' usually now it's just a fun little 'yep yep oh wow look at that! Okay okay put it away now.' So it worked for me by easing family into it slowly, give them time to understand that you aren't carrying in an effort to cause any trouble. Good luck though!!



Ben

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My inlaws are against it. So what. When they come to visit, I have to make sure that all the guns that are not being used (carried) are put out of sight. But I'm thinking of getting a rifle rack for the living room.

Whenever some one asks me why I want to carry, I just point to my 2 sons. Of course, I have some other answers ready too, ( provided by another thread in this forum.) just in case.

My current favorite, "I can't carry a cop." Shuts up most people.