imported post
SpringerXDacp wrote:
EM87 wrote:
I've open carried in Kalamazoo past quite a few police officers and have not had a problem, but that's not so say you shouldn't be prepared for one. If you haven't already, check out the stickied thread called 'wash, rinse, repeat'.
So far I've had two people get really nervous/freak out at the sight of my gun, but other than that OCing in Kalamazoo has been fine.
EM87, what was the circumstances surrounding the outcome of their response? Location, in a store, outside, etc?
I'm not going to post the long versions of the stories since I'm rather tired, but I'll include all the relevant details.
First story:
I was biking with a friend the other day and had to stop at a gas station to get some WD-40 for my chain. We rode up and parked the bikes outside. I was OCing and my friend wasn't carrying. Inside I went straight to the auto shelves with my strong side away from the cashier. I grabbed what I needed and went up to the counter with my arm tight to my strong side so the cashier (young middle eastern guy) couldn't see it. (I wanted to give myself some time to be extra friendly before he saw that I was packing so that when he did notice, hopefully he would not be alarmed.) I paid with my debit card (so as to give him more reason to not think I was robbing the place - I was leaving identity information) and walked outside with my friend to fix the rusty chain on my bike. We had taken probably 5 minutes just outside the door to lube the chain (with my strong side towards the store window the whole time) and were standing over our bikes while we discussed where we wanted to ride to. It was then that the cashier poked his head out the door.
"Are you waiting for someone?"
"No, we were just WD-40ing my bike chain. We're about to leave."
*Pause* Cashier looks uncomfortable.
With a worried look he says, "... Can you leave fast?"
"We're just about to leave right now."
"Can you leave fast?"
"Uhh, ok."
We rode away.
Second story:
I was OCing in the mall (Crossroads in Kalamazoo) with a friend who was wearing an empty holster (he's not comfortable with public OC yet - I jumped right into it as soon as I could!) Nothing was out of the ordinary (we even walked past a security guard, but she was on my weak side and didn't notice a thing... so oblivious) until we walked out of the bookstore and to a kiosk in the hall. I wasn't aware of what happened until after we left when my friend told me about it. From what he said, this is what happened:
We walked out of the bookstore and past a cell phone kiosk to another kiosk just out of sight of the first one. At the cell phone kiosk was an employee on a cell phone. He glanced at me then noticed my Glock holstered in my Serpa on my hip. He had been pacing but immediately stopped with a panicked look on his face while he simultaneously took two or three steps back as if recoiling from a heavy blow, and then said (with fear) to whoever he was on the phone with (and I quote) "There's a guy with a gun, he's going to shoot someone!" Thankfully he didn't yell it, because there probably would have been a commotion, police, and a long day for me.
When he saw me I was holding a bag containing items I'd bought from another store and was dressed normally (jeans and a hoodie, hood not up). Obviously robbing and not shopping... (sarcasm) We left within 5 minutes because we had what we needed. There were no police that I saw there, or on the way home. They may have been called for all I know, but didn't get there before I left.
I wish I would have heard this comment because I would have approached the guy and showed him how friendly OCers can be. This kind of thing is frustrating but hopefully he'll see what didn't happen and conclude that maybe I really wasn't there to harm anyone, but instead just there to shop with the knowledge that I could save lives had there been a mall shooting.
