• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Flintlock Tom goes UOC in San Diego

F

flintlock tom

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Messages
405
Location
San Diego, California, USA
imported post

This evening we all went out to dinner; Flintlock Tom, Flintlock Virginia and Flintlock Philip.
We went to T.G.I. Friday in Mission Valley. All the staff were very friendly and professional. No one said a thing about the gun. I sat with my strong side out so anyone who walked past our table had an unobstructed view.
A family with kids took the table next to us. Not even the kids noticed.
This is getting easier all the time. My anxiety level is much lower and my heart was not pounding like the first time.
(The Jack Daniels steak is great)

Hi, Sarah, Happy Birthday!

Carry on.
 
P

pullnshoot25

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
1,139
Location
Escondido, California, USA
imported post

flintlock tom wrote:
American Rattlesnake wrote:
flintlock tom wrote:
I think I will just post if something significant happens like police contact, asked to leave a store, etc.
Click to expand...
Actually, with all due respect, it is probably helpful for others to hear of the uneventful outings. Helps folks who are on the fence about carrying, themselves, to remember that not everyone freaks out.

I know that I enjoy reading of your "boring" outings! Means y'all are making progress down there.

Best,
AR
Click to expand...
Well, thank you, Rattlesnake, I appreciate the encouragement. And the comments of Theseus and Bigtoe have convinced me to continue boring you guys.

This is so new to me that it's still really distracting. I find myself continually conscious of who is around me, if they can see my sidearm, which way I turn and how exposed the firearm is.
In Fry's I had to ask an associate where the cable was that I needed. He made eye contact and walked with me over to the right area. We stood and talked for a minute then he walked away. He didn't notice the sidearm.
In line, checking out, the guy behind me could not have missed it but he didn't say anything. The associate, who stands at the head of the line and directs you to the next checker, stared at my belt as I walked by, but, again, no screaming or fainting. ;) I also saw the cashier look at the holster but I don't think she realized what it was.
At SoCal guns, it was really busy. Remember this is early Friday afternoon. I was really surprised that so many men were out of work. I looked carefully around the front door for any notices about how to carry a gun in the store but saw nothing.
They always have a great selection of used guns and MilSurp. Several people noticed I was carrying but said nothing.
Yesterday I was by myself, but usually my wife is with me. I'm thinking that people tend to see an older couple holding hands as being very non-threatening. This may be one reason they do not notice or if they do notice consider it non-threatening.
Also, I carry a leather folio with the UOC Brochures and the SDPD training memo. It has been my experience that people are programmed to see a person with a clipboard as someone in authority. So this visual cue may lead them to, subconsciously, assume that I am more than simply a law-abiding citizen exercise his rights.
Last night Mrs. Flintlock and I went into Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Sears Essentials and had the same result. I had to thank and praise my wife for being willing to put up with my "political activism". She pointed out that we had been married almost 30 years and she trusts that I am doing the right thing.
I am truly blessed.
As Pullnshoot likes to say:

Carry on.
Click to expand...
WOO HOO for notoriety!

I am planning on coming down to your location tomorrow Tom, I need to unwind a bit!
 
P

pullnshoot25

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
1,139
Location
Escondido, California, USA
F

flintlock tom

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Messages
405
Location
San Diego, California, USA
imported post

N8,
I don't think it's a matter of courage. For me, if I'm there to worship God, I want my entire mind to be on worship. If I'm wearing a gun, my mind is on: "I wonder if anyone noticed", "I hope this isn't distracting for anyone", "I hope the ushers don't ask me to leave".
"Okay, let's stand for the closing prayer."
What? Did I miss the service?

That's just me.

I'll be at Starbucks about 7:00. Hope to see you.
 
F

flintlock tom

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Messages
405
Location
San Diego, California, USA
imported post

Okay, I took my son up to Rancho Bernardo for his Wednesday bible study and I adjourned to the Starbucks up the street. I met up with PullnShoot and had coffee. We sat and talked about our experiences with open carry for more than an hour and no one had a heart attack. We talked about "GUNS", "Police", being arrested/detained, and GUN laws and not always in quiet tones. Amazingly we didn't disturb the peace or cause anyone any concern (that I could tell).

Overall, very positive. This is getting to be more and more comfortable.

I'm thinking about what might happen if someone calls in a Man-with-a-gun (MWAG) complaint and claims that I was waving a gun around and pointing it at people. It would pretty much be my word against theirs.
What if I were to tie a yellow ribbon around the barrel that would be concealed while the gun is in the holster, but very obvious if the gun is drawn. All the responding officer would have to do is ask the person making the call: "What color is the barrel?"
If the guy claims to have seen the gun but not noticed the bright yellow ribbon around the barrel, his credibility would take a significant nose-dive.

Any merit to this idea?
 
C

CA_Libertarian

State Researcher
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
2,585
Location
Stanislaus County, California, USA
imported post

flintlock tom wrote:
I'm thinking about what might happen if someone calls in a Man-with-a-gun (MWAG) complaint and claims that I was waving a gun around and pointing it at people. It would pretty much be my word against theirs.
What if I were to tie a yellow ribbon around the barrel that would be concealed while the gun is in the holster, but very obvious if the gun is drawn. All the responding officer would have to do is ask the person making the call: "What color is the barrel?"
If the guy claims to have seen the gun but not noticed the bright yellow ribbon around the barrel, his credibility would take a significant nose-dive.

Any merit to this idea?
Click to expand...
+1 for thinking outside the box, but I gotta say this wouldn't help much.

The cops will most likely take you down at gun point and confiscate your weapon - likely in front of the 'victim' - thereby revealing the ribbon and foiling your plan.

It's actually very unlikely that there would be only 1 witness... especially if you have one along with you.
 
A

Army

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
289
Location
San Luis Obispo, California, USA
imported post

IIRC, painting the muzzle of a real gun to make it look like a toy, is illegal. In "legaleese", it might not be too much of a stretch to say the same about a bright ribbon.
 
F

flintlock tom

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Messages
405
Location
San Diego, California, USA
imported post

This week I shared my experiences and the open carry flier with two ladies at work that I know to be gun owners. They were very excited about the potential to exercise their liberty.
Last night I went to the Starbucks again. (Philip had a youth group movie night.) It was rainy and cold and when I put my flannel shirt on, it covered my gun so I left the gun in the car.
Today I went out to Game Empire to return a game. The clerk saw the gun but didn't raise an eyebrow. I guess he gets all kinds of open carriers in there. :D
Wal-Mart is just around the corner from Game Empire, so I stepped in there to check the ammo situation.
I went back to sporting goods and was checking out the selection in the locked case. The sporting goods clerk asked if I needed some ammo and opened the case. He originally approached on my strong side so he could not have missed my full-sized 1911. I commented on how bare the shelves were and he said that, actually, this is much better than it's been for the last couple months.
I took two boxes of 16 ga shells and 1000 rounds of Winchester .22. I really wanted some .45 ACP JHP, but all he had was 4 or 5 boxes of Winchester White Box FMJ and I already have plenty of FMJ.
Some people have reported being escorted to the door (after the sale) or denied the sale because they were armed, but there was no problem today.
On the way home I stopped into Quisno's Subs for lunch. The store I went to is in Hillcrest and, if you're familier with San Diego, you know this is Moonbat Central. I purposely parked up the street, instead of in the underground parking, so I could walk a little.
My presence, in Quisno's did not cause anyone to duck-and-cover, so I decided to push my luck. I walked across the street to Trader Joe's to see what was on sale and ended up buying some choclate raisens. I made eye contact with several customers, because it was crowded, but no screaming and fainting. The checker made cheerful chit-chat and wished me a nice day.
I tested out my recorder to see how it captures conversation at normal volumes and found that it picks up everything around me just fine. My conversation with the checker was perfectly understandable. It even picked up conversations around me that weren't directed towards me and were hardly noticable at the time but were very clear on the recording.
Later my wife and I went down to Lowes to get some paint brushes and bulbs (Renuculas?). It was fairly crowded because they share a parking lot with Costco and Ikea. We parked in the middle of the lot and had to walk a ways to get to the store. Cars and people passing on both sides but no alarmed looks. Once again, my wife and I are middle aged (55) and holding hands so, I speculate, that we look harmless.
Walked around looking at stuff, got our brushes and bulbs and checked out. Neither the older couple behind us nor the husky young man checking us out, seemed to notice or care about the gun.
I guess the reputation that Californians are shrill, reactionary tree-huggers is over-blown.

"Carry on". (©Pullnshoot25)
 
T

Theseus

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
964
Location
Lamma Island, HK
imported post

flintlock tom wrote:
Well, if y'all are carrying guns too, I'll have to put a carnation in my button hole. :D
Click to expand...
At first I read that wrong. . . Now I can't get the image out of my head!!! :banghead:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top