Lynchburg Area - OC reports

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Welcome and glad to have your input!

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I had my first interaction with an anti (maybe) gun person. I qualified it with a maybe because I was OC at Krogers on Boonsboro. I was in the meat department when some older gentleman said in a foreign accent "Do you really expect anyone to start shooting at you?" I replied, "No, I certainly hope not." He shook his head in apparent disgust and stormed off.

I continued shopping and eventually he rounded a corner, upon which I said to him that there was a base of highly trained armed forces [sic] who didn't expect anyone to be shooting at them either. There was also a college not far from here where no one expected any shooting either. To which he replied that the law should take away all guns. I stated that the people on base and at college were following the law and that they were slaughtered because of the law. He then started talking about the gun show loophole, and New York. It actually turned into an hour long conversation and I listened to his opinions and told him mine. I then asked where he was from (France) and I said that not long ago and not so far away from France a man in Germany had instituted gun control and slaughtered a fair number of a certain religious group.

Then the conversation turned to what he was really about. Universal health care and the scary gun nuts at Lobby Day (and you all thought I was rambling). It turns out that he was at Lobby Day last year advocating for mental health patients and he was with a group of mentally deficient (in my less PC days I would have said retarded, but note please that I did not) individuals and crowded in an elevator with gun nuts that looked the part with stringy greasy hair, unshaven, thin, dark and tall. Scary too him. I apologized and said that some people don't think they look scary but that impressions do make a difference. In closing I agreed to think about universal health care and google for a video about "sick in the world" although I did allow that I thought the less government had to do with anything especially business and health the better off people would be. He agreed to do some googling about gun control, and gun rights in VA.

His name was Fred, he would like to see more reasonable, well fed, less scary individuals (lol) if he sees armed OCers. He also said it was crazy that he had a can of coke on Lobby day and got stopped and searched but the gun carriers walked right in. I told him about the law, and that in order to carry there that one had to have a CHP permit so no criminals or others could just carry as they pleased.

Interesting that I thought it was going to be a negative experience and steeled myself but it turns out he really just wanted to talk and tell his story.

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Great job nuc65

That is how it is done - being reasonable and listening will get you to the truth of their objection. You planted some seeds and hopefully they will grow.

I've always maintained that our "image" (public persona) is important - it is a public awareness/relations campaign we are waging.

Yata hey

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OCed at Milano's for dinner in Boonsboro and then headed over to Wally World on Ward's Rd to get some salt for the driveway to help offset the supposed 10 - 18" of snow we're supposed to get tomorrow. No problems as usual.

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Great work nuc!

Sounds like you had a good impression on him and hopefully he will educate himself on gun rights.

"crowded in an elevator with gun nuts that looked the part with stringy greasy hair, unshaven, thin, dark and tall"

- Hey I resemble that remark!

lol
James

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Jero1987 wrote:

"crowded in an elevator with gun nuts that looked the part with stringy greasy hair, unshaven, thin, dark and tall"

- Hey I resemble that remark!

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Hey.... me too. It must be why no one seems to want to bother me while OC.

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In yours and Jero's defense I will say that your hair didn't appear greasy or stringy, and you weren't very scary.

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nuc65, I ran across one of the French gentlemen (and his family) who works back in my area while at lunch this past Saturday. I, of course was open carrying, and although we didn't get to say hi, I'm fully confident that he saw me sitting down armed eating my lunch. Since that casual encounter, he's made a pont to say "hello" and be friendly each time we see each other, even though he previously was the quiet type that may have only nodded in recognition when he walked past previously. It'd be interesting to know his thoughts, it would, it would.

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nuc65 wrote:

crowded in an elevator with gun nuts that looked the part with stringy greasy hair, unshaven, thin, dark and tall. Scary too him.

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Did he really say he was scared by people who were "dark"?? If so, I might have suggested such a racially motivated remark wouldn't have been acceptable to us. I would have agreed that people who looked scraggly and unkempt are bad examples. *** For this year's Lobby Day, we all need to keep this in mind, and dress respectably in our General Assembly. ***

It appears that nuc65 handled himself very well. Well enough that a man who initially had very negative first impression ended up having a civil conversation with him for an hour. One assumes the man stopped feeling intimidated or angry if he spent that much time talking to a stranger. Nicely done!!

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Dutch Uncle wrote:

nuc65 wrote:

crowded in an elevator with gun nuts that looked the part with stringy greasy hair, unshaven, thin, dark and tall. Scary too him.

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Did he really say he was scared by people who were "dark"?? If so, I might have suggested such a racially motivated remark wouldn't have been acceptable to us. I would have agreed that people who looked scraggly and unkempt are bad examples. *** For this year's Lobby Day, we all need to keep this in mind, and dress respectably in our General Assembly. ***

It appears that nuc65 handled himself very well. Well enough that a man who initially had very negative first impression ended up having a civil conversation with him for an hour. One assumes the man stopped feeling intimidated or angry if he spent that much time talking to a stranger. Nicely done!!

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In speaking with this man for an hour I believe he meant 'dark' as in as in personality, intent or purpose as garnered from the discussion. The subject of race did not come up.

I imagine someday I will see him again and maybe our cordiality can continue. Even if our opinions differ it will be nice to be able to discuss our opposing viewpoints some more.

On another note, I carried at Best Buy, Barnes and Noble and lunched at Olive Garden. Dicks had some ammo (38 sp.) so I picked up a box and then went over to WalMart and came home to enjoy the snow . Did speak to a person in Dick's who allowed that his piece in his car wouldn't do much good if he really needed it, he wasn't aware that open carry was legal. I really need to print or ask for some of those OC cards :banghead:.

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nuc65 wrote: I really need to print or ask for some of those OC cards :banghead:.
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Contact ed by PM or email (see his profile), give him a mailing address and he will send you some to get you started.

Also the VCDL info card indicates that OC is legal most places.

Yata hey

Weird things happening tonight trying to quote and link. Clicking on the line which appears green will take you to Dutch Uncle who is not correct. You want "Ed"

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OCed at the local Lowe's then to the Kroger and Original Italian Pizza on Waterlick. No issues at all as usual.

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OCed tonight at Neighbor's Place for dinner with friends and then at the Walgreen's on Timberlake. After leaving Walgreen's we headed over to WalMart where we did a bit of shopping and I got a blow up bed for our trip this weekend. Also got myself a new RC helicopter and happened to notice another OCer back in the electronics area. I let him know it was good to see someone else carrying openly, he agreed and we headed out with no issues, just as expected.

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jmelvin wrote:

OCed tonight at Neighbor's Place for dinner with friends and then at the Walgreen's on Timberlake. After leaving Walgreen's we headed over to WalMart where we did a bit of shopping and I got a blow up bed for our trip this weekend. Also got myself a new RC helicopter and happened to notice another OCer back in the electronics area. I let him know it was good to see someone else carrying openly, he agreed and we headed out with no issues, just as expected.

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But did you tell him about OCDO, VCDL & Lobby Day?

Was a great opportunity to add to the numbers via information cards.

Yata hey

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Nope, I thought about it and I passed it up. I've seen him out and about before so I'm sure I'll see him again. I was full from dinner, fading to tired and grumpy quickly and wanted to get home.

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Lowes in Madison Heights, one of my favorite places... can take my dog and OC and don't have any issues. (Well the dog is wild but the people are good, and it really is the only place to 'shop'. )

I found a box on 38 sp at Dicks. Dug somebody out of the snow and they insisted on calling me sir, and staring at my sidearm the entire time.

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If I knew you were in need of .38 Special ammo I'd have bought some in your stead yesterday at Wallly World. Oh well.

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OCed tonight at the local Olive Garden where the wife tells me that I got some HUGE Geico eyes as we walked out of the back dining room. My guess is it was a table of non-natives as none of the people at the table were folks that I'd ever seen out and about here in Lynchburg. Afterward we headed over to Kroger on Timberlake and did some shopping. I think the security guard there recognizes me now and knows I'm no threat to anyone who's not harming me, as he doesn't even bother to follow me around the store anymore. I had no issues at either of the places we went. Good stuff!

By the way, where are all of my other Lynchburg pals here? No one OCing other than me this week (other than nuc65) ?

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Busy shoveling snow, OCd today to Kroger's. Saw one of my neighbors giving me the eye but I'm not sure if that is for OCing or for refusing her advances.

I'm going to look for a new sidearm this next year so I probably will upgrade to either a .45ACP or a 9mm but I plan on a couple with one chambered for .22 for practice. We'll see how the new year goes. I had been to Wally World a few times but they have always been light on the ammo this last year.

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Merry Christmas, carried yesterday at Kroger's and Lowe's. Not planning on any trips today but will CC if I do because of the rain.