My first day open carrying yay....

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Well today was the first time i open carried today and boy i was nervous. I chose today cause i had alittle shopping to do and my girlfriend was gonna be at school and i thought it would be a primetime to carry today cause i didnt want to carry and my girlfriend to be with me and if a police officer stopped me i didnt want her freaking out if i was detained or arrested. So like always i check my gun to make sure there is no obstruction or interfernce with the barrel i check my mag and i head out after locking up my firearm in the trunk of my car and secured the mag in the glovebox i headed to my local meijers where onc ei parked and grabbed my mag i retrieved my firearm from the trunk man i was so nervous cause i feel that most ppl will call the cops while your pulling your gun out of the trunk cause they dont know what your doing or motive you have all they see is a gun... anyways I put my .45 xd 5" tact in my lvlII serpa holster then I poped the mag in I didnt put one in the chamber just cause it was my first time and i felt if i had to pull i learned the 5 action pull where it covers rackking one in the chamber which i have it down to about .7 of a sec to pul rack and aim and even less if its a straight pull, any wwho i went in side grabbed a cart and proceeded to shop, I got acouple of stare and heard acouple of ppl say damn look at that gun but it didnt bother me i just kept shopping but i felt like any moment i would turn a corner and i'd have a LEO breathing down my neck but it didnt happen. and note i have seen people OC in the store i was in before so i wasnt that worried but i still felt like i might run into a LEO.



I finished my shopping paid and left and like i said before pulling the firearm out and unloading the mag to put back into my car was the worst thing cause ppl stare and im just not comfortable yet and am worrying once i leave if im going to see and cop car behind me cause someone call saying they saw a man with a gun getting into a car.



So let me know what you think and any advice or input id be thankful.




Brandan

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Congrats! It will only get easier. People will stare, but you want that. You want people to see you, so that more people will become aware it's legal to OC.

Ideally though, that story belongs in the experiences thread. Not trying to pile on ya seeing as you're new and all, just sayin.

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Brandan.45XD wrote:

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So let me know what you think and any advice or input id be thankful.




Brandan

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Congrats.

The only advice or input I would give is to be prepared (and practiced) for what you will do/say if your stopped by a LEO/non-LEO and questioned/harassed. If you've already done that, then you should be confident enough.

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Congratulations.



The onlythat I would haveto say toyou is to keep carrying, and get everyone that you know that is interested to support open carry.Also pass on the information to the uninformed public. I have been spending alot of time on this site, and am doing alot of reasearch so that i am ready when i finally get to carry. I have been carrying around my houseand in myneighborhood,but i am still working up the nerve to go somewhere else to do it.

Carry on!

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xd9sc wrote:

but i am still working up the nerve to go somewhere else to do it.

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Why not call a meeting in your area? That way, you can have other people work up the nerve for you, and have some good company too.

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Michigander wrote:

xd9sc wrote:

but i am still working up the nerve to go somewhere else to do it.

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Why not call a meeting in your area? That way, you can have other people work up the nerve for you, and have some good company too.

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This is why i was planning on waiting until the spring and going to one of the meets somewhere in sw michigan, or surrounding areas. If I meet some more people in the area, i would be happy to go out and carry. I dont really want to "host" a meeting, cause i don't want to be responsible for any other people. plus i am working on getting a law enforcement job and can't afford to be fighting a case, shouldsomething happen. We will see how things go, as i really do want to start carrying. I am also working on finding some more localplaces that are pro-gun to get things moving.

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Congratulation, Brandan.45XD. So the black ops helicopters didn't show up. That's funny...neither did they when I first open carried...although I thought I might have heard something over the horizon. Maybe they got lost on the way. The first time can be a bit exhilarating.

The trick of setting up a meeting is to never "host" it, so you are not responsible for other people. Earlier this week, two "non-hosts" decided to meet over lunch in Grand Rapids. They put the word out a week before the date, and three more of us joined them. Two others wanted to meet us there, but couldn't work out the details.

We have a few members in the Ypsi/A2 area. Put out the word, and see if you get any bites. Its just like fishing - and this fishing hole has plenty of fish, so you already know where they are.

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xd9sc wrote:

Michigander wrote:

xd9sc wrote:

but i am still working up the nerve to go somewhere else to do it.

Click to expand...

Why not call a meeting in your area? That way, you can have other people work up the nerve for you, and have some good company too.

Click to expand...

This is why i was planning on waiting until the spring and going to one of the meets somewhere in sw michigan, or surrounding areas. If I meet some more people in the area, i would be happy to go out and carry. I dont really want to "host" a meeting, cause i don't want to be responsible for any other people. plus i am working on getting a law enforcement job and can't afford to be fighting a case, shouldsomething happen. We will see how things go, as i really do want to start carrying. I am also working on finding some more localplaces that are pro-gun to get things moving.

Click to expand...

Your in the K-zoo area?

Please see this thread:
http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum30/18406.html

Someone is trying to plan a M&G in Kalamazoo.

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I always found that the best way to LOAD/UNLOAD and placeor removeyour firearm in the trunk is to do it in the trunk!(not out in the open)and casually place your pistol in the holster. Less nerve wrecking to others, After a while it does get a lot easier and becomes normal (I do it every day). I don't have a cpl and commute to my business in East Lansing from Farmington Hills. So congrats on your first time OCing and definitely memorize WASH,RINSE,REPEAT...

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Well done... it does get easier. Now I find that I don't even think about it while shopping, at the movies, or out to dinner. My significant other has even claimed that SHE doesn't even think about it... now that IS saying something, considering her initial opposition. She still won't carry though. (I'm trying )

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It gets easier every time. If you practice good gun safety, If you are polite, nod and smile to every one you see or pass. and learn/memorize what you will say, if confronted by Leo's, management, and common citizens you will be fine. If you can get copies of MOC pamphlets to hand out to people who ask you about what you are doing, so as to educate them. this will help us all too. Congrats!