brent1865
New member
imported post
I have been an avid shooter and hunter for years but only after becoming a father have i found the importance of protecting not only me, but my family. I never thought about open carrying until i saw someone at a Walgreen's in civilian attire who was armed. It must have been a detective because i saw the badge later from a different angle. It got me thinking about OC'ing and my rights a a citizen. I did some research online and found this site which has been instrumental in turning me into a open carrying participant. Before i go into my experience i want to thank all for all the information i learned from this site, i enjoy reading your stories, with both good and bad experiences, as we can only learn and growin the process of bringing open carry into the mainstream.
After some research and reading ofalot of posts on here i decided to take the leap. Ihad some errands to run yesterday so it was the perfect timefor my first OC.I strapped on my S&W M&P9 and headed out. First stop, gas station. Paid at the pump so no need to go inside but was uneventful even though it was busy. I don't even know if anyone noticed or not. Either they did notice and didn't care, or like the average person, is totally unaware of their environment and surroundings. Next headed to Winn Dixie to geta few things,again nothing eventful as i walked around the store. As i proceeded to the checkout the cashier, a maybe 17 y/o female, noticed but did not say anything, and we had aconversation on how tore up my rewards card was. At that point the manager came over andwe talked about how they are switching programs and so on, he definitely noticed but did not seem to care one way or another that i was carrying. After a couple minutes chat i left and started to feel really good that at least in this partof the state, nobody seemed to care. By the way i am in Ascension Parish, in the Prairieville area. Next and final stop wasat CVS to pick up a prescription for the little one, and again not even a second look that i am aware of. The 16 year old kid behind the counter did seem a bit taken back when he noticed but i just engaged him inconversation and he seemedfine.I got in my truck and headed home with good feelings of my first OC experience.
After some thinking i wonder how muchof the experience dependson a couple social factors. I believe that being in a more rural setting than either BR, NOLA, or Shrev/Bossier, thata more familiarity with firearms makes people more comfortable with seeing someoneOC. Also, being a 33 y/o male who was dressed in khaki shorts and a nice polo (read "preppy looking"..lol) probably helped me not draw as much attention as someone in more relaxed or more casual clothing. All in all a great experience and look forward to my next experience as i slowly but surely enter the world of OC.
I have been an avid shooter and hunter for years but only after becoming a father have i found the importance of protecting not only me, but my family. I never thought about open carrying until i saw someone at a Walgreen's in civilian attire who was armed. It must have been a detective because i saw the badge later from a different angle. It got me thinking about OC'ing and my rights a a citizen. I did some research online and found this site which has been instrumental in turning me into a open carrying participant. Before i go into my experience i want to thank all for all the information i learned from this site, i enjoy reading your stories, with both good and bad experiences, as we can only learn and growin the process of bringing open carry into the mainstream.
After some research and reading ofalot of posts on here i decided to take the leap. Ihad some errands to run yesterday so it was the perfect timefor my first OC.I strapped on my S&W M&P9 and headed out. First stop, gas station. Paid at the pump so no need to go inside but was uneventful even though it was busy. I don't even know if anyone noticed or not. Either they did notice and didn't care, or like the average person, is totally unaware of their environment and surroundings. Next headed to Winn Dixie to geta few things,again nothing eventful as i walked around the store. As i proceeded to the checkout the cashier, a maybe 17 y/o female, noticed but did not say anything, and we had aconversation on how tore up my rewards card was. At that point the manager came over andwe talked about how they are switching programs and so on, he definitely noticed but did not seem to care one way or another that i was carrying. After a couple minutes chat i left and started to feel really good that at least in this partof the state, nobody seemed to care. By the way i am in Ascension Parish, in the Prairieville area. Next and final stop wasat CVS to pick up a prescription for the little one, and again not even a second look that i am aware of. The 16 year old kid behind the counter did seem a bit taken back when he noticed but i just engaged him inconversation and he seemedfine.I got in my truck and headed home with good feelings of my first OC experience.
After some thinking i wonder how muchof the experience dependson a couple social factors. I believe that being in a more rural setting than either BR, NOLA, or Shrev/Bossier, thata more familiarity with firearms makes people more comfortable with seeing someoneOC. Also, being a 33 y/o male who was dressed in khaki shorts and a nice polo (read "preppy looking"..lol) probably helped me not draw as much attention as someone in more relaxed or more casual clothing. All in all a great experience and look forward to my next experience as i slowly but surely enter the world of OC.
