About to OC for the first time today

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The Sportsman's Warehouse (or whatever it is now) in Kennewick is OC friendly... well, I haven't been bothered, anyway.

Grigg's (an Ace Hardware) in Pasco is OC friendly too. I shop there quite a bit for ammo and such.

And of course, Hole in the Wall in Kennewick. I shop there quite a bit too. Straight forward shop, good people. Let you fondle the used rifles and shotguns as much as you want.

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Alrighty, gonna OC for the first time today for sure.
First going to a restaurant near my old high school for lunch; I've known the owner for many years and she gives LEO's steep discounts, its a feat that I admire greatly.
Then going to Bi-mart to return a few things, then onto Wholesale Sports (formerly Sportsman's Warehouse) to get a few more things.
Finally, probably going to Starbucks to meet up with a female friend whom I have NOT seen for 5 years; would be interesting to see her reactions, then to Target to get a few other things.
Sounds pretty busy, I know. I've checked through the forum and most of the places I'm going to sound like they're OC friendly. I also have a jacket, my CPL, and a few OCDO pamphlets handy in case any situation arises. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

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Just got back from a day of OCing and running errands. Couldn't have gone better. Here's the report:

Went to a Chinese food restaurant near my old high school; the Vancouver City Police Department East Precinct sits right across the street. I've known the owner for the past 6 years and she was very glad to see me today. Walked in, took my jacket off, and before I got in line to order my food, I offered to help a Hispanic woman with a baby in her hand in moving a child safety seat to the table they were sitting at. She smiled and thanked me, and the sight of my gun obviously did not phase her. Chatted with the owner of the restaurant while getting my food and she asked the classic question "Ooh did you become a cop? I thought you wanted to be a doctor!" I smiled and answered "no ma'am, just exercising my rights". She asked me if it's legal, how do people react to it, where is OC not allowed, etc. The chat was very pleasant and I ended up giving her one of the pamphlets so she can have it as reference. She thanked me and told me that she was not surprised to see someone carrying since she sees police officers in there all the time.

There were 2 undercover police officers in the restaurant when I first walked in; IDed them by the car parked in front of the restaurant and the fact that one of them had his shirt partially rode up on his back and I could see his pistol both of them looked at me and nodded when I first walked in; I smiled and nodded right back. The one facing the door watched me leave when I was done with my food. Nothing said or done. That was the end of that.

Next went to Bi-mart to return a gun case that I got and to pick up a lock. No problems there either. The gal at the return counter didn't even bat an eye; the workers and customers in the store just smiled at me and chit-chatted; the lady at the checkout counter didn't even miss a beat. Wished me a good day and I was on my way.

Went to Wholesale Sports to get a new gun case and check out some of their guns. Again, friendly smiles and nods all around. I took 2 gun cases up to the gun counter and asked the guy if he'd mind that I try the cases with my pistol; he said of course, but he recommended that I remove the magazine and unload the pistol for safety reasons. Since he wasn't telling me to conceal it or get out, and I could understand his reasoning, I went ahead and removed the mag and unloaded the pistol. Him and I then chatted a bit about different cases and I ended up handling a Bernelli semi-auto shotgun (man that was a nice one!)

Finally, went to a Petco that was in the same plaza as Wholesale Sports. Wandered around for a bit in there, made eye contacts with quite a few employees and no one batted an eye, until an employee approached me and asked if I'm a police officer. Here's the conversation:

Him: excuse me, are you a police officer?
Me: no sir, just OCing and exercising my rights.
Him: oh wow, is that legal here?
Me: yes sir, OCing is perfectly legal in the state of Washington, with the exception of a few places.
Him: so a police officer can't get you into trouble if they see you OCing?
Me: most officers around here are well updated on the legality of OCing, and long as you handle yourself in a professional manner, you most likely won't get into any trouble. Do you own a pistol?
Him: yes I do! Also, can you drive with that?
Me: well you need a CPL to carry the pistol loaded into your car; otherwise you'd have to unload and secure it when you enter your vehicle.

The conversation went on for a bit there; he does not have his CPL so I recommended him to get one (just in case some stubborn persons tell him to cover it up and also so he could carry in his car), and ran through the CPL application with him for a bit. I offered him an OC pamphlet which he gladly accepted and thanked me for the info. We then chatted more about birds (we were in the birds isles lol), and I took off afterwards. He thanked me for a pleasant chat, and I said hope to see you on OCDO soon!

Overall, a VERY successful day of OCing, hopefully educated a few people along the way. Thank you ALL for encouraging me to finally take on this cause; I'll definitely try to OC as much as I can now.

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Excellent report from the 'Couv! I grew up and went to HS down that way and still travel from time to time to visit family and friends (including a couple of CCSD)

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thanks gogodawgs Which high school did you attend, if you don't mind me asking?

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Evergreen '87

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Ah ok. I'm Fort Vancouver '06

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I spent 2 hours in Cabelas Post Falls Idaho yesterday no problems, OCed the entire time.

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Thats an aweseom report, Mech.

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I think it's awesome that you're getting out and exercising this right and obviously getting more comfortable with it.

Mech wrote:

Went to Wholesale Sports to get a new gun case and check out some of their guns. Again, friendly smiles and nods all around. I took 2 gun cases up to the gun counter and asked the guy if he'd mind that I try the cases with my pistol; he said of course, but he recommended that I remove the magazine and unload the pistol for safety reasons. Since he wasn't telling me to conceal it or get out, and I could understand his reasoning, I went ahead and removed the mag and unloaded the pistol.

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Please don't ever do this. The pistol on your hip is for protection, it has a job and it's working...like a service dog that you shouldn't distract or it's blind owner will get hit by a vehicle.

Trying out the case is fine but bring another gun to do it or wear another gun for that trip so that you can try out your main weapon, et cetera. Also, a gun that you bring in for this purpose should be unloaded and not have a magazine in it, and it would be plus to have it in a case of some sort as well.

I'm not trying to be critical, just wanted to point out what I think is proper etiquette for these types of things.They are the rules most placesas well, it might save you from looking foolish.

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NavyLT wrote:

kito109654 wrote:

I think it's awesome that you're getting out and exercising this right and obviously getting more comfortable with it.

Mech wrote:

Went to Wholesale Sports to get a new gun case and check out some of their guns. Again, friendly smiles and nods all around. I took 2 gun cases up to the gun counter and asked the guy if he'd mind that I try the cases with my pistol; he said of course, but he recommended that I remove the magazine and unload the pistol for safety reasons. Since he wasn't telling me to conceal it or get out, and I could understand his reasoning, I went ahead and removed the mag and unloaded the pistol.

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Please don't ever do this. The pistol on your hip is for protection, it has a job and it's working...like a service dog that you shouldn't distract or it's blind owner will get hit by a vehicle.

Trying out the case is fine but bring another gun to do it or wear another gun for that trip so that you can try out your main weapon, et cetera. Also, a gun that you bring in for this purpose should be unloaded and not have a magazine in it, and it would be plus to have it in a case of some sort as well.

I'm not trying to be critical, just wanted to point out what I think is proper etiquette for these types of things.They are the rules most placesas well, it might save you from looking foolish.

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Did you happen to see the sign at the front entrance to Wholsesale Sports regarding their firearms policy? Any firearm that you take into the store, ESPECIALLY one that you are going to be handling in the store, by store policy, is required to be checked at the customer service counter, UNLOADED, and tagged by customer service.

They tend to not enforce the rules if you are just carrying in the store, but handling a loaded firearm in a store is a serious no-no to me personally.

Additionally, any customer that sees you handling the gun and calls the cops, you have a very good chance of getting arrested for RCW 9.41.270. AND if you actually swept anyone with the muzzle of a loaded gun would actually have a chance of it sticking in court.

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BTW Cabelas has the same rule. Any store that requires all guns to be unloaded before they are handled has my full support.

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kito, thanks for the heads up; yeah this was my first experience in bringing a firearm into a sporting store to try out accessories for it. Do you think I should have just asked the guy to give me a gun of the same model to try the case out with, or simply tell him no I won't unload my gun? My reasons for complying with him at the time were 1) he asked me very nicely, and I really didn't want to cause a scene especially at the gun counter, and 2) I can also understand how other customers might get nervous at the sight of me drawing a loaded pistol and trying out a case, although I tried to decrease the chances of that by bringing the cases up to the gun counter (instead of trying them in the middle of the store). If you could, please advise me on what to do in situations like these in the future so I'd be better prepared, thank you

NavyLT, I checked the entrance of the store before I walked in and did not see any signs in regards to firearms; all they had were signs about "No shoes, no shirt, no service" and their business hours. I'm pretty sure I did not blatantly miss the sign (if it was there), but I'll double check next time I go back there. Also, I spoke to 2~3 employees about a few other products before I made my way to the gun counter, and all of them (separately) have surely seen my pistol, but no one mentioned anything about checking the firearm upon entering (in fact, they didn't even seem to bat an eye); and the gentlemen (3 of them) all saw me approach the counter and didn't say anything in regards to the store policy, except for what I've already told ya. Please advice? Thanks

EDIT: also, I removed the magazine while the gun was still in my holster, then drew my gun and removed the round from the chamber, then kept the slide locked back. I did keep in mind where the muzzle was pointing at the whole time and at no times did it point at any person. Thanks for the reminder.

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Mech wrote:

Do you think I should have just asked the guy to give me a gun of the same model to try the case out with, or simply tell him no I won't unload my gun?

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Every time I get something for my gun(s) I always either 1) take a twin with (unloaded and locked) or 2) ask the counter for a twin to try out the new accessories. The place I get my accessories from sells most of my guns so they almost always have a twin handy for fitting.

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thanks tyguy808 for the quick response; I'll be sure to do that from now on to decrease the chances of any accidents from happening.

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NavyLT wrote:

kito109654 wrote:

I think it's awesome that you're getting out and exercising this right and obviously getting more comfortable with it.

Mech wrote:

Went to Wholesale Sports to get a new gun case and check out some of their guns. Again, friendly smiles and nods all around. I took 2 gun cases up to the gun counter and asked the guy if he'd mind that I try the cases with my pistol; he said of course, but he recommended that I remove the magazine and unload the pistol for safety reasons. Since he wasn't telling me to conceal it or get out, and I could understand his reasoning, I went ahead and removed the mag and unloaded the pistol.

Click to expand...

Please don't ever do this. The pistol on your hip is for protection, it has a job and it's working...like a service dog that you shouldn't distract or it's blind owner will get hit by a vehicle.

Trying out the case is fine but bring another gun to do it or wear another gun for that trip so that you can try out your main weapon, et cetera. Also, a gun that you bring in for this purpose should be unloaded and not have a magazine in it, and it would be plus to have it in a case of some sort as well.

I'm not trying to be critical, just wanted to point out what I think is proper etiquette for these types of things.They are the rules most placesas well, it might save you from looking foolish.

Click to expand...

Did you happen to see the sign at the front entrance to Wholsesale Sports regarding their firearms policy? Any firearm that you take into the store, ESPECIALLY one that you are going to be handling in the store, by store policy, is required to be checked at the customer service counter, UNLOADED, and tagged by customer service.

They tend to not enforce the rules if you are just carrying in the store, but handling a loaded firearm in a store is a serious no-no to me personally.

Additionally, any customer that sees you handling the gun and calls the cops, you have a very good chance of getting arrested for RCW 9.41.270. AND if you actually swept anyone with the muzzle of a loaded gun would actually have a chance of it sticking in court.

Click to expand...

At least one store that I have been to doesn't really care if you unload the firearm to try a new holster or case. They deal with a lot of law enforcement, so most of the time, they don't unload anyways. Just test out the holster while loaded. And keep your finger off of the trigger :exclaim:

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swatspyder wrote:

At least one store that I have been to doesn't really care if you unload the firearm to try a new holster or case. They deal with a lot of law enforcement, so most of the time, they don't unload anyways. Just test out the holster while loaded. And keep your finger off of the trigger :exclaim:

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I have heard that in some places they will let you handle your weapon in the store. This would likely be firearm shops, not in stores like Cabela's or Sportsmans Warehouse. These are usually smaller shops where the keepers are right there in front of you, are dealing with you one on one and the workers are armed as well.

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=34099&forum_id=55

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Ah yes, there IS a double door at the store here in Vancouver too. I'll be sure to take a closer look next time I'm there. Thanks for the heads up

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I handled my loaded weapon in Allegiance Firearms, because they didn't have my model and someone wanted to buy it. They had me point it in a safe direction, empty the chamber and drop the mag.

The customer ended up buying the exact same model.

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When Bookman and I went into SportCo a month or so back, the man behind the counter had worked under me as a cop. I was looking for a holster and he said just take it out and try it. I went to the rest room, cleared the gun and then came back and tried the fit.

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Trigger Dr wrote:

When Bookman and I went into SportCo a month or so back, the man behind the counter had worked under me as a cop. I was looking for a holster and he said just take it out and try it. I went to the rest room, cleared the gun and then came back and tried the fit.

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If it's gonna be done, this would be the way that would be okay with me. If it's a big place, don't be clearing your weapon on the floor of the store. Bathroom sounds good and another option I think might work is the store room escorted by an employee. Just thinking out loud.

It's always best to think ahead. There are times when I have made an impulse stop for an accessory. What I did was go to my car to unload and return with my pistol empty.