We-the-People
Regular Member
imported post
Had dinner with a couple and their 16 year old son at a local restaurant while OCing my big black FN 5.7 and wearing my white "One Big Assed Mistake America" "T" shirt.
As the wife and I pulled into the parking lot we were checking out 3 nice looking Goldwings parked in front of the restaurant while the riders (visiting after dinner before mounting their bikes) gawked at our SLK 280K with the top down as we pulled into the lot and then watched in awe as the hard top appeared out of the trunk.
Wife went in to see if our guests had arrived and I started talking bikes (I have an 83 Goldwing). One of the ladies asked if many people gave me hell about my Obama shirt and I simply turned about 30 degrees left, raised my arm, looked at my weapon, and said "NOPE" (she was the only one that was out of position to see it). She was surprised but not startled and said "Didn't even see it". At this point the wife called that our friends were inside.
After dinner the men folk stepped outside for a cigarette (the adults) and conversation, leaving the women folk inside to chit chat (and pay the bill). A woman comes out of the restaurant and approaches saying "I've never seen anyone carrying a gun, can I take your picture?". I ask "are you from California?" but she's from Eugene. So she tries to take the pic but it's her friends camera and conversation ensues while she's working on it. Then the friend comes out, she's from Austria, and more conversation.
Finally the pictures get taken, apparently I'll be a big hit in Austria in a few days, and then the lady from Eugene and I talked some more. Apparently she's "read about it" but never seen it and doesn't own or like guns but had to ask about it. She was very supportive of lawful carry for those that chose to do so.
Bottom line, no one ran screaming in fear on our way into the restaurant, in the restaurant, our while we were outside for probably half an hour. Lot's of people driving past the us in the parking lot looked per the friend I was talking with (some gawking even according to him) yet no cops showed up either. The word is getting out folks and Open Carry is becoming NORMAL.
Had dinner with a couple and their 16 year old son at a local restaurant while OCing my big black FN 5.7 and wearing my white "One Big Assed Mistake America" "T" shirt.
As the wife and I pulled into the parking lot we were checking out 3 nice looking Goldwings parked in front of the restaurant while the riders (visiting after dinner before mounting their bikes) gawked at our SLK 280K with the top down as we pulled into the lot and then watched in awe as the hard top appeared out of the trunk.
Wife went in to see if our guests had arrived and I started talking bikes (I have an 83 Goldwing). One of the ladies asked if many people gave me hell about my Obama shirt and I simply turned about 30 degrees left, raised my arm, looked at my weapon, and said "NOPE" (she was the only one that was out of position to see it). She was surprised but not startled and said "Didn't even see it". At this point the wife called that our friends were inside.
After dinner the men folk stepped outside for a cigarette (the adults) and conversation, leaving the women folk inside to chit chat (and pay the bill). A woman comes out of the restaurant and approaches saying "I've never seen anyone carrying a gun, can I take your picture?". I ask "are you from California?" but she's from Eugene. So she tries to take the pic but it's her friends camera and conversation ensues while she's working on it. Then the friend comes out, she's from Austria, and more conversation.
Finally the pictures get taken, apparently I'll be a big hit in Austria in a few days, and then the lady from Eugene and I talked some more. Apparently she's "read about it" but never seen it and doesn't own or like guns but had to ask about it. She was very supportive of lawful carry for those that chose to do so.
Bottom line, no one ran screaming in fear on our way into the restaurant, in the restaurant, our while we were outside for probably half an hour. Lot's of people driving past the us in the parking lot looked per the friend I was talking with (some gawking even according to him) yet no cops showed up either. The word is getting out folks and Open Carry is becoming NORMAL.