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Somewhat negative OC encounter

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old dog

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Pace, you infer incorrectly or perhaps I misled you. I almost never open-carry and don't think much of the practice although several close friends do so regularly.

Also, I am not inclined to conduct seminars on constitutional law for strangers -- most of whom are just looking for an opportunity to ridicule us anyway. (You must have seen the smirks.) There are many people able and even eager to engage on the issue. I am not among them.

I truly enjoy the give-and-take on this site but users need to remind themselves that not everyone marches to the same drummer. So step to the beat that serves you and accept that we can do the same.
 
Sonora Rebel

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VNVet52 wrote:
Someone asked me why I carry,am I expecting trouble. I replied "I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy,and I may not have 10 minutes if something does happen.
Click to expand...

The best response to that is: "If I was expecting trouble, I'd carry a shotgun." :)

'Nuther one I've use whan somebody asked "Why do you carry that (gun)?":

"My machine gun's in the shop" :(

"'Cause myregular gun is stillbeing held for evidence" :what:

"It's the only oneI can afford." :cry:

"In accordance with the prophecy..." :uhoh:
 
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JesseL

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"Why do you need a gun to walk down the street?" The old snowbird asked with a voice dripping scorn and hostility.

"Just in case I need to shoot something" I said with a smile.
 
Sonora Rebel

Sonora Rebel

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JesseL wrote:
"Why do you need a gun to walk down the street?" The old snowbird asked with a voice dripping scorn and hostility.
Click to expand...
'Counter ballast for my wallet!' (Prevents listing...)
 
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Pistol Pete Utah

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protector84 wrote:
I then gave him "the look"
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Ocing is a time to introduce people to the joy of being free to protect yourself. Next time give them "the look" of a happy gun owner and invite them to go shooting with you at the local range! Tell them how fun it is to shoot a gun, and offer to pay for them.

I remember the first time I saw a guy OCing I thought what a Macho Jerk, because that is how he came off! If he wasn't such a jerk, I might have gotten invovled in Firearms over 12 years ago instead of just 2 years ago, if the guy hadinvited me to the range to shoot and get me familiar with handguns I would have loved it then as I do now.

Gun owners should look like this:), and not like this!:XAnd diffina
 
AZkopper

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JesseL wrote:
"Why do you need a gun to walk down the street?" The old snowbird asked with a voice dripping scorn and hostility.

"Just in case I need to shoot something" I said with a smile.
Click to expand...

:lol:

+100.
 
SpringerXDacp

SpringerXDacp

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old dog wrote:
Surely Springer doesn't mean to suggest we should merely lower our eyes and perhaps tug our forelocks.

I have a right to go about my life without being called upon to explain myself. Half the world's problems could be avoided if busybodies would simply tend to their own affairs. With deference to the social contract I have some right to be left alone and that includes old ladies and cop wannabes.
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Yes Sir I couldn't agree more. I just don't agree that a person walking around with a gun on his or her hip should be telling people to Fk Off just because theywere askedabout the gun and why do you have it.
 
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protector84

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Here is my philosophy: You have two types of people wanting to know about your gun. The first type are those who are genuinely curious and have a neutral to positive attitude. The other type are those who wish to impose their personal opinion on you and have a negative attitude. The first type I encounter more than the second type and I expect that it should be that way in Arizona in general. For instance, someone who may be CCing or who simply owns some guns may casually say "Excuse me" and ask me what I'm carrying, curious why I carry, etc. and may discuss makes, models, calibers, shooting ranges, and other gun topics. I am more than happy to discuss these things with people who are truly interested.

What I have zero tolerance for are busybodies who are not interested in learning a thing about guns but instead want to impose their (often anti-gun) opinion on you, pry into your private affairs, and create an often confrontational one-sided conversation. I can easily tell who these people are from the beginning and I have no reason to try to "educate" them as they don't want to be educated. They will tend to ask stupid questions and interrupt in a rude manner. Instead of saying, "Excuse me, may I ask why you carry a gun?" they might say rather loudly in a rude tone "What are you carrying a gun for?" right when you are in the middle of talking to someone else or doing something. I was brought up with certain social skills. If you want to get someone's attention, you politely say "Excuse me" and phrase your wording appropriately to avoid creating a confrontation. Instead of hollering, "Why are you carryinga gun?" one should say in a healthier tone, "If you don't mind my asking, I am curious as to why you are carrying a gun?" Depending on how poor their social skills are depends on how I respond. I may just abruptly answer the question with a short answer and immediately look away, I may roll my eyes at them expressing disapproval with their inappropriate interruption, or in extreme cases I may simply tell them to mind their own business, leave me alone, get out of my space, and stop talking to me.

I welcome opportunites to discuss these topics with the public but only if the time and place is appropriate and it is done in a healthy and non-intrusive manner. At the same time, I don't tolerate busybodies or rude social behavior. If someone hollers "Hey" across a room to get my attention (which has happened) to talk about my gun, I will state "I'm busy right now, give me a moment, or come over here if you want to talk." If people can't learn simple decency and social skills, it is their problem not mine.
 
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Task Force 16

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protector84 wrote:
Here is my philosophy: You have two types of people wanting to know about your gun. The first type are those who are genuinely curious and have a neutral to positive attitude. The other type are those who wish to impose their personal opinion on you and have a negative attitude. The first type I encounter more than the second type and I expect that it should be that way in Arizona in general. For instance, someone who may be CCing or who simply owns some guns may casually say "Excuse me" and ask me what I'm carrying, curious why I carry, etc. and may discuss makes, models, calibers, shooting ranges, and other gun topics. I am more than happy to discuss these things with people who are truly interested.

What I have zero tolerance for are busybodies who are not interested in learning a thing about guns but instead want to impose their (often anti-gun) opinion on you, pry into your private affairs, and create an often confrontational one-sided conversation. I can easily tell who these people are from the beginning and I have no reason to try to "educate" them as they don't want to be educated. They will tend to ask stupid questions and interrupt in a rude manner. Instead of saying, "Excuse me, may I ask why you carry a gun?" they might say rather loudly in a rude tone "What are you carrying a gun for?" right when you are in the middle of talking to someone else or doing something. I was brought up with certain social skills. If you want to get someone's attention, you politely say "Excuse me" and phrase your wording appropriately to avoid creating a confrontation. Instead of hollering, "Why are you carryinga gun?" one should say in a healthier tone, "If you don't mind my asking, I am curious as to why you are carrying a gun?" Depending on how poor their social skills are depends on how I respond. I may just abruptly answer the question with a short answer and immediately look away, I may roll my eyes at them expressing disapproval with their inappropriate interruption, or in extreme cases I may simply tell them to mind their own business, leave me alone, get out of my space, and stop talking to me.

I welcome opportunites to discuss these topics with the public but only if the time and place is appropriate and it is done in a healthy and non-intrusive manner. At the same time, I don't tolerate busybodies or rude social behavior. If someone hollers "Hey" across a room to get my attention (which has happened) to talk about my gun, I will state "I'm busy right now, give me a moment, or come over here if you want to talk." If people can't learn simple decency and social skills, it is their problem not mine.
Click to expand...

I understand you frustration with the ones that are irrate narrow minded anti-gunners. If you don't want to be bothered by them, that's fine. But I suggest you politely excuse yourself from their presence, rather than be rude towards them. Especially if their are other people around. Bystanders (the open minded ones)that observe you as the curteous and civilized one of the engagement will come away with a better impression of gun carriers than they will of the anti-gunner.

We have to think about the calateral affect of how we deal with the negative encounters. I believe it helps tremendously, against the rhetorical accussations that we are the uncivilized, rude, out of control neanderthols.
 
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Pace

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I know very few "anti-gunners" -- just uneducated normal people who believe what they hear. As my mother said one "why do you need a SEMI AUTO firearm?" I had to tell her most pistols are semi-auto now, she didn't know. Now she's educated.
 
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old dog

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I must concede a valid point to TF16. We should avoid as much as possible letting these people goad us into incivility.

My possible responses would of course be dictated by circumstances, especially the attitude of the person accosting me.

While we must never back down, neither should we make enemies needlessly. So I modify my earlier stance.
 
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protector84

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I'm not too worried as these incidents are rare. I'm not somewhat to yell, scream, or make a wild scene in a public place. If it happens, someone else already started the yelling, screaming, etc. In the extreme case where someone gets loud and starts yelling about my gun, I know how to tell them off in a direct normal tone without unnecessary language. I usually am the one who appears to be the calm, normal one in any argument which generally works in my favor. That doesn't mean I will back down. A simple, "Leave me alone and mind your business" in a standardbut loud-enoughtone is sufficient. If the person continues to bother me, I can simply ask the manager of the establishment to deal with them. Again, these incidents are extremely rare. The worst I generally get is a quick nasty remark or annoying comment but it stops as fast as it started. I suppose the worst possible case scenario is someone screaming and yelling and then trying to forcibly take my gun out of my holster. Should anyone be that insane over guns that they try to take it away from me, I will simply use that gun to eliminate them permanently from the gene pool. Again, these incidents are so extremely rare I'm not that concerned but these days anything is possible.

On another note, I was at Starbucks again recently and a man seated in the distance with a woman (perhaps his wife or GF) pointed his finger at me but in a neutral manner. I nodded his direction and then went on with my purchase. I then got a phone call and had to leave so I don't really know what he wanted but I gather that he was positively acknowledging my bearing arms and approving of it. I was polite by acknowleding his notice but at the same time if he was serious about a discussion he could have gotten up from his seat and talked about it. I think he approved of it but it still was kind of bizarre to just be pointing at me. Again, strange social skills. Personally, I would have gotten up and walked over and talked vs. this across-the-room behavior. Whatever, though.
 
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protector84

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I have noticed more of these negative OC encounters ever since I started growing my hair out and now have long hair. While personal appearance is important, everything is relative. First, part of the American Dream is "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." Nobody has any business telling me not to carry a firearm nor do they have any business telling me what kind of hairstyle I need to have. The former is protected by the Second Amendment while the latter is protected by the First Amendment. Second, if people think I'm some weirdo because I'm a guy with long hair carrying a gun, they should do two things. The first thing they should do is pull out their wallet, take the cash out, and view the images of our Founding Fathers and other respected Presidents and others. George Washington on the $1 bill had rather long hair and so did Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill. The second thingthese busybodiesneed to do is take a look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves why they weigh 200, 300, or even 400 pounds. The point is that none of us are perfect and people should refrain from judging others they don't know when they themselves are often no better if not worse. I live my life as I see fit and will not live a certain way just to please strangers who really don't care about me in the first place.
 
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mintaka

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i ...feel that perhaps SHAME may work on these overly critical folks...something like this scene...."you should be ashamed of yourself carrying a gun in public" answered by something like this...." it is my constitutional right to do so..millions of young americans died defending my constitutional right to keep and bear arms, i dont want to feel like they may have died in vain,...do you???"
 
T

Task Force 16

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mintaka wrote:
i ...feel that perhaps SHAME may work on these overly critical folks...something like this scene...."you should be ashamed of yourself carrying a gun in public" answered by something like this...." it is my constitutional right to do so..millions of young americans died defending my constitutional right to keep and bear arms, i dont want to feel like they may have died in vain,...do you???"
Click to expand...

Not a bad argument, however, there are some folks that don't believe the Constitution is worth fightingfor and dieing over.

hmmm..... Now if you could et those people to admit that they feel that way, infront of witnesses (bystanders) that would be major calateral effect. Kind of like dropping a stink bomb right on the anti-gunners head. The bystanders won't have any trouble distinguishing who the stinker is. :lol:
 
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