My encounter with a whack-job!

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Roger that on encountering weirdos even when not carrying. I once had some nutjob call 911 to report me for not turning off my vehicle while fueling it at a gas station.
Nevermind that his cell phone could as easily ignite fumes as my still running Jeep....

Oddly, he wasn't on the phone very long but continued giving me "go to hell" looks which only intensified as I smiled and waved while driving away.

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Is she irrelevant or is the cranky old lady a threat worth preparing to draw on?

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Having a relevant argument and getting close enough to grasp my firearm are two different things.

There is both mental and physical relevance. Even though they are two different things, one can influence the perception of the other. If a person makes a strong and valid argument that mentally "disarms" an opponent in an argument, it is possible to perceive this person as physically stronger, even though it may not be the case.

I can completely ignore an individual as a threat. I'm sure an eight year old girl is no match to me in physical strength, cannot match my logic in a complex argument, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I validate them as a worthyopponent in a serious situation by acknowledging themwith even the appearance of being threatened. (Very similar to how I treated the nut-job.) By visibly appearing to dismiss her by my physical reaction, I hope (to the people watching) I also dismissed her argument. I WAS NOT THREATENED by her tone, volume, boldness, or her argument, point, or whatever she was trying to convey. It did not "rattle" me. I wasn't embarrased, hot headed, angry, put off, or affected in any manner (or at least this is how I hoped to appear. I was pretty offended, but I wasn't about to validate her argument by showing a physical reaction.)

I can completely ignore an individual as a threat. I'm sure an eight year old girl is no match to me in physical strength, cannot match my logic in a complex argument, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I validate them as a worthyopponent in a serious situation by acknowledging themwith even the appearance of being threatened. (Very similar to how I treated the nut-job.)

But I'm still not going to completely dismiss an eight year old girl when she's within reach of my .40 caliber pistol. We now enter the physical realm.

Situational awareness is situational awareness.

Right now I'm situationally aware of your attempt to provoke an argument by searching for discrepancies in the relation of my encounter. There are none. Your attempt to find one does, however, cause me to wonder about your motives.

Why are you looking for discrepancies?

What is your motivation to find one?

Why would you focus on this particular aspect of the encounter rather than note the odd behavior of the woman who started it?

Since I previously dismissed her point of view, (not her physical person) should I have not been cautious when she entered my personal space?

Hmmmm. I will gladly listen to your point of view.I guess,if you do convince me that your point is valid, I could do the one thing that might possibly achieve the goal you appear to be striving for.

I guess I'm a hypocrite. There. You win! Happy?

(Unless you care to inform me of another goal I might be unaware of. I am, of course, fallible. My situational awareness might not be without a chink.)

I'm still not going to let you within arms length of my physical self without inconspicuously guarding my firearm.

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TFred wrote:

SouthernBoy wrote:

[snip quite a bit]

Incidentally, the reason I mentioned the armored truck man was because he was armed. And what if a police officer had stopped in for a bite to eat? What's the difference between those people being armed and a citizen being armed? They do it as a factor of their job. We do it because it is a right in Virginia.

[snip quite a bit more]

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So maybe it's our "job" to inform and educate the public by exercising our Second Amendment!? One does not have to be paid to have a job.

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Now that doesn't educate the person, but if they're that nutty, nothing on Earth will do that anyway.

TFred

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Or perhaps you could say this.

"Yes, it is my job. My job to my family to arrive home safely at the end of the day."

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markand wrote:

Yep. Nearly three years ago (Jan 2007) in a restaurant in Manassas, VA (Tony's). A self-described ex-Marine got upset at the sight of seven men openly carrying handguns. We had met at the restaurant to discuss, among other things, the Virginia legislative session, which was currently in progress. After some heated words with several of our party, the ex-Marine sat a few feet away and ate his dinner with a female companion and left after about an hour.

In the parking lot, he called 911 and reported "men with guns" in the restaurant. His call to 911, released via FOIA request, strongly suggested to me that he was trying to goad police into responding in the most forceful manner possible. Indeed, what was probably the entire on-duty contingent of Manassas police responded, and at least one officer from neighboring Manassas Park. They didn't know the law, were verbally abusive and insulting and eventually twisted the restaurant owner's arm to kick us out.

Posts about the incident on OCDO and in VCDLs' VA Alert brought about 400 gun owners out to the next Manassas city council meeting. An "investigation" by the police essentially whitewashed abusive police behavior, but at least they got an education about open carry. A subsequent Manassas city council meeting attracted about 200 gun owners.

More detailed links:
http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=1486&forum_id=54&highlight=tony%27s+seven

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=1891&forum_id=54&highlight=tony%27s+seven

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=1834&forum_id=54&highlight=tony%27s+seven

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Around a year ago, I met a Manassas police officer who was off duty and had stopped in the local Wendy's with his lady before they both headed out for some shooting. The three of us had a great conversation as we ate our lunch. He told me he was familiar with the "Manassas 7" incident at Tony's and that the female officer who was "in charge" was not known for her tact - she was a bit full of herself.

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Psychotics: Psychotics are always looking & scanning for ANYTHING to feed the emotional monster in them that has displaced their true self, this monster lives off of resentment , this ultra unhealthy type of person lives off the life force emanation from those of us who over react to them as they tempt you to feed them with anger.

Most of them were beat down as children and attempt to use you as a replacement parent trying to put you in the roll of the person who broke them and upset them , its crazy but they do it all day long to everyone, they are never happy only emotionaly compensated crazy nay , every day "evil" people

These people are broken people who have lost there own inner life sustaining effervescence and now need yours and your anger to bolster there own flagging sense of lost esteem, like psychic vampires the do what was done unto them.

When you over react they get a pump up for there own deflated ego, sad but every were you go there is another one, like zombies they are "pod people" human look-a-likes who are an empty vacume of displaced humanity, replaced with zero intuition and zero logic only a spirit of anger & regurgitated resentments.

Christians call them "possessed" or "replaced", if it wasn't your gun it would be your cologne, or the color of your clothes or the type of food you are eating.


Some of them are very dangerous because they seek power, but they are ALL cowards so most of them that are functional & cunning are in politics and government.

(( I'm not a psychologist but I did read a book about one at the Holliday Inn I slept at last night , lol ))

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suntzu wrote:

You want to talk "whack job"--try rationally discussing the failure of gun control with certain "enlightened" individuals from the UK--now they really are whack jobs"...Some of them simply don't even seem capable of understanding simple English.

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You mean like the piece of crap in usenet who told me that women shouldn't be allowed to carry guns for self-defense because he was afraid that he'd be "mistaken for a rapist and shot"? My reply:

"How is it that you act around women that you'd be mistaken for a rapist? Put down that butcher knife, pull up your pants and you'll be just fine."

He REALLY didn't like me... especially when I thereafter referred to him as "the rapists' pal".

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Deanimator wrote:

suntzu wrote:

You want to talk "whack job"--try rationally discussing the failure of gun control with certain "enlightened" individuals from the UK--now they really are whack jobs"...Some of them simply don't even seem capable of understanding simple English.

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You mean like the piece of crap in usenet who told me that women shouldn't be allowed to carry guns for self-defense because he was afraid that he'd be "mistaken for a rapist and shot"? My reply:

"How is it that you act around women that you'd be mistaken for a rapist? Put down that butcher knife, pull up your pants and you'll be just fine."

He REALLY didn't like me... especially when I thereafter referred to him as "the rapists' pal".

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LOL, too funny,lol.

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SouthernBoy wrote:

Around a year ago, I met a Manassas police officer who was off duty and had stopped in the local Wendy's with his lady before they both headed out for some shooting. The three of us had a great conversation as we ate our lunch. He told me he was familiar with the "Manassas 7" incident at Tony's and that the female officer who was "in charge" was not known for her tact - she was a bit full of herself.

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Tact was most certainly not her strong point. One of the male officers was cursing me out and acting aggressive as I tried to talk to this "supervisor." She showed utterly no interest in restraining her nearly out of control colleague. I've survived an armed robbery attempt, 2 home invasion burglaries and 2 car jacking attempts, but I've never been as concerned about my safety as I was in the presence of those so-called officers. I couldn't sleep until sometime during the following day.

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Wow. Manassas was once about a southern as you could get, not much more to the place than a feed store, a general store, and a railroad station. Back in 1974 a jaunt out to Manassas qualified as a "trip to the country". Not anymore. (Heck, Front Royal has even become all overgrown, and Shenandoah National Park?? Like rush hour traffic on Richmond Highway.)

Still I am a bit surprised that the Manassas Police seem to have forgotten Virginia laws and traditions. But more and more even the "outer suburbs" are becoming more and more like the inner 'burbs: with practically no one having actually grown up there, but carrying the understanding of firearms laws from wherever they were raised into their new territory.

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I think the "Tony's 7" incident was probably the high water mark for the Manassas Police and the mayor and council. The resulting flak it created seemed to have put them all in their place and served to remind them for whom they really work and serve.

I don't think they want any more encounters like that one drawing negative attention to their department. This is a good thing and the way it should be. They are our servants.. not the other way around.

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Alexcabbie wrote:

Wow. Manassas was once about a southern as you could get, not much more to the place than a feed store, a general store, and a railroad station. Back in 1974 a jaunt out to Manassas qualified as a "trip to the country". Not anymore. (Heck, Front Royal has even become all overgrown, and Shenandoah National Park?? Like rush hour traffic on Richmond Highway.)

Still I am a bit surprised that the Manassas Police seem to have forgotten Virginia laws and traditions. But more and more even the "outer suburbs" are becoming more and more like the inner 'burbs: with practically no one having actually grown up there, but carrying the understanding of firearms laws from wherever they were raised into their new territory.

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You mentioned 1974. I remember going to the Manassas drag strip in 1962 and 1965 when I was going up in Falls Church (now there's a city that's changed dramatically). What was really interesting was driving south on route 29 (Lee Highway). You'd go through little town and village, and then there was pretty much nothing until the next town or village. Falls Church, nothing, Fairfax, nothing, Centreville, nothing, Manassas. There were distinct separations between locales back then.

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markand wrote:

SouthernBoy wrote:

Around a year ago, I met a Manassas police officer who was off duty and had stopped in the local Wendy's with his lady before they both headed out for some shooting. The three of us had a great conversation as we ate our lunch. He told me he was familiar with the "Manassas 7" incident at Tony's and that the female officer who was "in charge" was not known for her tact - she was a bit full of herself.

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Tact was most certainly not her strong point. One of the male officers was cursing me out and acting aggressive as I tried to talk to this "supervisor." She showed utterly no interest in restraining her nearly out of control colleague. I've survived an armed robbery attempt, 2 home invasion burglaries and 2 car jacking attempts, but I've never been as concerned about my safety as I was in the presence of those so-called officers. I couldn't sleep until sometime during the following day.

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You, sir, are someone to whom I would seriously listen to and to whom I would pay attention after having survived all of that. Good for you!

Incidentally, the Manassas officer I met at the Wendy's? It was the one at Bulloch across from the Golden Corral. I had just received my order and was getting stuff from the fixin's table. He was standing about 5 or 6 feet to my strong side and suddenly pointed at my gun and said, "Now there's a real American". He and his lady (she was a PI), sat across an isle from me and we all talked the entire time we ate. He is 100% in favor of citizens carrying firearms for personal protection. He even mentioned that who knows, he might have to rely on an armed citizen one day. He also told me that most of the weapons they take away from BG's in Manassas are bladed.

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Agreed on the danger of cell phone use while fueling. I've seen videos of people igniting the fumes outside their tanks with their cell phones. They scare me when I see them more than any Open Carrier viewed ever would!

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McX wrote:

Agreed on the danger of cell phone use while fueling. I've seen videos of people igniting the fumes outside their tanks with their cell phones. They scare me when I see them more than any Open Carrier viewed ever would!

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Myth busters busted that.

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Dealing with wackjobs is one of the pitfalls of OC. You just never know where you'll run into one, and it sucks when you're just trying to eat your lunch and some nimrod is dialing their cellphone while giving you the stink-eye, or worse, is getting in your face about it.

And if the wackjob is a cop, you could get danbusted.Or worse, if he's a real wackjob, you could get bro-tazed or shot!

But the fact that this rarely happens is not only pleasant but also a good sign that OC does not upset the average person.

It is a good argument for Alaska-style carry, though, so you can just CC when you want to avoid the hassle.

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sudden valley gunner wrote:

McX wrote:

Agreed on the danger of cell phone use while fueling. I've seen videos of people igniting the fumes outside their tanks with their cell phones. They scare me when I see them more than any Open Carrier viewed ever would!

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Myth busters busted that.

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Yep. I think they even used one of those brick cellphones from the 80s and early 90s.

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She has some sort of bipolar or scitzophrenia probably. I know a lady with bipolar who can really get rediculous and in your face over stupid things. However she is aware of her condition and does try to not get out of control if she has an episode. She thanked me one time for pointing out her behavior to her, she wants people who know her to let her know when she is getting too out there. Her behavior has never bothered me though, she would get all nutty and I'd do it right back and then we would both laugh. But she has changed . I don't see or hear from her too often anymore, soI think she either keeps herself rediculously busy, or she gets alot of withdrawn depressive episodes and doesn't want to see/talk to anyone. Meds don't seem to do much for her I guess.

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Superlite27 wrote:

Woman: "ARE YOU A POLICE OFFICER?" (still loud enough for the whole restaraunt)

Me: "No, ma'am." (I turn to walk away)

Woman: "THEN WHY ARE YOU CARRYING A GUN?"

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You're more civil than I am. My response would have gone something like this:

Me: "Are you a prostitute?"

Woman (deeply offended): "Of course not!"

Me: "Then why are you wearing lipstick and high heels?" :lol: