Ratt402 wrote:
......I may run into is that one person, being a man or a woman who sees my gun on my side and suddenly screams out they feel threatened and calls the police. I may be just simply standing in line waiting to pay for a purchase, getting gas or whatever. The point is, I am not doing a thing that would be a threat just by having the gun carried. My question is, am I quilty as far as leos are concerned just by that one person complaining?
You aren't doing anything wrong and he cops can't do much about it. But here's the problem and I've dealt with it myself.
You are OCing within the law. No problems. You are friendly and not threatening anyone. Yet some jerkwad feels nervous and calls the police or the manager of the establishment.
Now remember, you are there spending your dollars just like everyone esle. But the cops show up to investigate and/or the manager is involved.
Do they kick the nervous nelly out the door and tell them that if they can't face living in the real world they should just stay home? No. More than likely the police or manager will put the burden on you.
YOU are making that poor guy over there Nervous. It's not his fault. It'sYOURS for displaying your bangstick. Your money is just as green as his but we want to be a good manager and look like we are doing something to give our customers a safe and pleasent shopping experiance.
So, you mister gunnut, should leave the premises. Yes, we noticed you standing in line with cash in hand paying your bill just like everyone else but you and your gun are just too scary. So please go away so that our other customers can live secure in their minds that nobody will hurt them because as long as they don't ever see a gun, handle a gun or hang around anyone who knows anything about guns they will be safe.
All it takes is one person, one asshat, who makes just one subtle complaint to have you removed and interfere with what would otherwise be a normal consumer transaction.
I've often wondered if an effective anti-gun tactic would be to follow an OCer around from place to place and each time the Law Abiding Citizen goes into a place of business the Anti calls management and issues a strong complaint.
For instance, OCer drops by Radio Shack for a pack of batteries and to check out the new GPS they have on the shelf. Antigun jerk sees the OCer and complaines to the manager. Manager tells OC guy that he'd like him to leave the Radio Shack. OC guy leaves. Antiguy, smirks and having nothing else to do since it's his day off from work, follows the OCer at a distance.
OCer walks over across the street to a Walgreens for his batteries. A couple of minutes Antigun guy walks in, points out OCguy to a store employee and makes a nervous complaint and says something along the lines of "You let anyone just walk in with a gun? What if he trys to kill all of us? There are kids shopping here." Before OCguy can find the batteries he wants the manager is on the phone with the cops. By the time OCguy is heading for the checkout line the cops are there talking to the manager and OCguy is getting hasseled. OCguy is asked to leave the store because the manager says that he's getting complaints from other customers. OC guy leaves without his batteries. Again. Antiguy smirks. This is getting fun. He'll show this gun nut about displaying a dangerous weapon to the kids and socer moms of this peaceful town.
OCguy decides to go over to the McDonalds on the corner. He doesn't see Mr Anti watching him from the checkout line at the Walgreens. OCguy is tired, frustrated and now his blood sugar is falling. He places his order and gets his tray and sits down to eat his greasy fast food. Mr Anti enters the McDonalds, orders a coffee and sits across the dinning room. He makes small talk to a senior citizen sitingat the next table, a lovely grey haired lady.It's not a minute later before he points OCguy out to the lady. "That guy has a gun on. I don't see a badge. I don't think he's a cop. He's probably a nutcase. We should tell someone." The lady, now nervously looking around replies witha worried "Oh My." Mr Anti goes up to thecounter, finds the manager and tells him that he and the lady at a nearby table noticed athe guy carrying the gun. It's very scary and the little lady mentioned that she has a heart condition. Could someone please talk tothe guy and get him to leave?The manager looks over a the little old lady who is now visiblily nervous looking at him, at OCguy and back at him. Mr Manager goes over to OCguy and talksto him. OCguys asks if he's done anything wrong and the manager assures him that he's not broken any rules but that "several" of the customers are nervous and he should leave. OCguy gets up, leaves his tray with a half eatten burger and most of his fries and walks out.
On and on the day goes. A stop by Home Depot and within miuntes he's asked to leave because Mr Anti followedhim to the store and complained to the manager. A trip to the local grocery store to pick up some bread and he can't even make it past the produce section before Mr Anti has an employee asking him to "take the gun outside".
By the time he heads home, OCguy is no longer a fan of OC. It's been a day of nonstophassles and he's been banned from half the stores in town. Unknown to him, Mr Anti has had a fun filled and productive day. He goes home knowing that he has likely ridsociety of another OCnut and made his world a bitsafer.
It could hapen.
