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Open Carry in Rural Northern California 2010

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
It is 8 days after SCOTUS has ruled on McDonald, and I have concluded the stand down that was requested by CalGuns leadership. As in the past, I will be memorializing my activities in brief anecdotes under an annual thread. You may notice that I include boring accounts where there is no police interaction; this is to offset the erroneous impression that only 'bad things' happen during open carry activities. My prior stories can be found in the links below.

2007 http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?37264-Open-Carry-in-Rural-Northern-California-2007
2008 http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?45863-Open-Carry-in-Northern-California-Summer-2008
2009 http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?52552-Open-Carry-in-Northern-California-2009


July 6th 2010

About 8 weeks ago I had visited a walk-in clinic with symptoms of fatigue and lack of mental focus. Ordinarily, I would have let the symptoms pass, but this was about a week after a co-worker collapsed on the job and suffered a heart-attack. He was 47.

Being diagnosed with 'mild' type two diabetes necessitates a change in diet and exercise or I will face being on medication for the rest of my life. With this in mind, I have been taking semi-regular evening walks in my neighborhood.

I live in an unincorporated area in rural Shasta county. The street that I live on is a two lane road dotted with residences and has frequent traffic. I carried two 2 pound weights in my previous walks. This evening I carried a loaded Ruger P-89 in a Blackhawk Serpa carbon fiber holster, additional magazines in a pouch, a running Sony digital recorder, and no identification. My route this evening, took me past two or three dozen homes. I was passed by numerous vehicles and a Mom, Dad and son on bicycles. Only the Dad's eyes seemed to drop to my waistline as he passed. No apparent double-take. Nothing was said other than greetings. My two mile walk was uninterrupted and without confrontation.

July 7th 2010

Carried loaded and exposed on my walk after dinner. Took an alternate route through a development that was built at the height of the housing boom. The area has less traffic, but was hotter and more exposed than yesterday's route. Enjoyed the view of thunderclouds over Mount Lassen. A few cars and a bicyclist passed me. No double takes. No interaction at all.


July 10th 2010

On my walk this evening I took the tree-lined route as Redding temperatures topped 103. I carried loaded and exposed with digital recorder running. I saw a passenger do a double take as the truck they were riding in passed me. I extended my walk out to the bridge this time, making the total distance walked about 2.25 miles. On the return leg, a passing bicyclist made her presence known as she approached from behind on the opposite side of the road. There wasnt any other notable contact.
 
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bigtoe416

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Messages
1,747
Location
Oregon
Good to see you back on the horse good sir. I used to love reading about the non-events on this forum, I look forward to reading more of your (and perhaps other people's) non-events.
 

wewd

Regular Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
664
Location
Oregon
I would have to drive an hour to Kern county to carry loaded "in town". Enjoy it for the both of us.
 

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
Open Carry in Rural Northern California 2010 - Continued

July 11th 2010

Took my evening walk carrying loaded and exposed. Walked to the bridge at a fairly brisk clip and on the way back a passing SUV drifted across the double yellow and reflectors. I'm not sure if it was because they were rubber-necking at my sidearm or if the sun was in their eyes. No interaction to report.

July 13th 2010

Set out for my lap to the bridge and back, carrying loaded and exposed. The first half-mile there was no activity at all, but rounding the bend I encountered a woman, a man, and two school-aged boys with fliers in hand. They approached me and told me that they were looking for their lost Pomeranian and handed me a flyer. I told them I would keep a lookout as I'm up and down this stretch all the time. The man affrimed that he had seen me several times. None acknowledged the holstered firearm. We went opposite directions. I continued toward the bridge and a motorist passed me going the same direction waving his hand out the window- I responded in kind. On the return leg I encountered the bicyclist that passed me on July 10th- she said 'Hello again', and moved on. I encountered a trio of bicyclist as well as the family looking for the lost dog. It seems that the family of bicyclists had found the dog and they were all returning home to reunite the dog to their owners.

It is reassuring knowing that my neighbors have taken note and are not so averse to an armed person that they would refuse to interact or prefer to immediately call the police. Perhaps it is the community- or perhaps it is the fact that they understand a priority law enforcement response would likely take 20 to 30 minutes or more.
 
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camsoup

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
167
Location
Red Bluff, California, USA
Glad to hear of you being out there again after the stand down.

I would like to join you for a walk on your route sometime. It just feels good to be able to carry loaded and exposed.
 

AyatollahGondola

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
328
Location
Sacramento, California, USA
ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

ZZZzzzzzz....uh...sorry, did I drift off?

Sorry to hear the pancreas is weakening. I've been under the same constraints since the 70's. You'll get used to it though. Kinda like all the rights you have lost.

Enjoy your walks, and glad to see your still with us
 

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
Open Carry in Rural Northern California 2010 - Continued

July 19th 2010

Solo UOC'd on foot into and out of incorporated Redding City limits tonight. I decided to walk to the nearest store which as it turns out is about as far away as my previous round trip walks- one way. Double checking Google maps, it appears I walked 5 miles in a circuit and it took about an hour and a half. Of the many cars (60-70+) that passed, only one passenger looked over their shoulder at me. Once I arrived at the store, I made my way to the cooler section and selected a bottled water. I placed my purchase and money on the counter. While the cashier did not acknowledge my state of being armed, a visual sweep of the aisle behind me revealed two teen girls and a male seemingly huddled together as if discussing something. I couldnt hear what they were saying and there was nothing to really indicate they were talking about me. I made my way home and arrived shortly before it got dark. There was no interaction with anyone other than the cashier.
 

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
Open Carry in Rural Northern California 2010 - Continued

July 24th 2010

I am roughly half-way to my goal of losing 50 pounds. The combination of watching what food I chose to put in my face and including some calorie burning activity in my lifestyle has proven effective. Tonight I walked while UOC to the nearest restaurant, which shall be unnamed as I do not wish to advertise to those who would like to triangulate my activities.

Its not my favorite restaurant and I do have to pick through their menu in order to find healthy fare, but my alternative would be too far to walk to.

As I walked up to the restaurant, there were two men in the parking lot chatting. I walked by without notice. A trio of adults with a toddler were walking up to the entrance immediately behind me, I opened the door for them and allowed them ahead of me. They thanked me for holding the door. No suspicious looks or commentary about my firearm. It was pretty much seat yourself service- the waitress handed me a menu and I took a table sitting strong side to the window/wall. I ate my meal, paid my tab and walked home. Traffic was light on the way back. No interaction to report.


July 25th 2010

I must be doing something wrong; because all the things that anti-gunners and Zumboites say about those who open carry, don't seem to apply to me. For instance, anti-gunners and Zumboites assert that those who carry firearms openly are doing it for egotistical reasons, or are compensating for some genital deficiency.

The odd thing is, that even while shopping for groceries in the Anderson Walmart Supercenter, there were no overt reactions to my openly displayed hardware. I walked in, collected a shopping cart and circled the interior of the store passing the greeter (who failed to wish me a hearty welcome), passing the check out stands where cashiers were awaiting customers to check out, and dozens of shoppers and a man named Tim, who I am certain was the store manager. I gathered my groceries, took them to the check out stand, paid for my purchase and left.

All during this exersize, I made a special effort to not only be discrete, but also be aware of my surroundings and any negative attention. The attention for which I allegedly go whoring for, was not observed. The fact is, few people present 'see' the firearm secured in my holster even when they are standing next to me. It's possible that they could engage me in conversation without being aware of it. And in most cases, those who do 'see' it and are aware of my armed state, mind their own business. (Call into APD confirms that there were no reports of a man with a gun today.) I believe it is only a very small but very vocal minority that has any problem with people being openly armed; Lori Saldana, LCAV, and the Brady Campaign are not representative of the majority of Californians and should not rule as such.
 
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ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
Open Carry in Rural Northern California 2010 - Continued

July 26th 2010

I had a small lapse in situational awareness. After cleaning the Ruger yesterday, I wasn't very thorough in testing functionality, and before loading up to go on my walk this evening, I had to spend a few moments to correct the problem. When I pulled back the slide, something was not allowing it to fully travel; so when the slide was retracted, it wouldnt go back far enough to collect a round from the magazine and properly chamber it.

Having correctly reassembled my firearm, I set out for my usual goal- to the bridge and back. During the walk, I had only one interaction- Greeting a man in his yard from across his fence. He had two pugs who were very excited about a stranger passing by. Traffic was moderate, no noticable looks.

July 27th 2010

Carried loaded and exposed. Digital recorder running. Walked my 2 mile circuit to the bridge and back. Two dozen cars passed me. No one offered to give me a ride. (I wonder why?) No interaction, no encounters.


July 28th 2010

Carried loaded and exposed. Digital recorder running. Walked my usual circuit. More than thirty cars passed me on the roadside. In passing one home a barking dog summoned its owner. The lady of the house called her Golden Retriever back. His name? "Ruger"...

Since I began carrying on my ritual walks, I have clocked in around 25 miles with a pistol strapped to my hip. I will also point out, that I have seen zero law enforcement on patrol in this area, let alone the kind that would be responding to any MWAG call.

July 29th 2010

Carried loaded and exposed. This marks the sixth consecutive day of open carry activity. No interaction. Traffic was consistant with prior experiences. Where is this alleged undue burden on police resources? If one of my neighbors were going to call 911 on me, they certainly would have already done so. All they had to do is see me plodding by and dial.
 
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ryanburbridge

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
299
Location
Long beach ca, , USA
I like this. It's nice to hear absolutely nothing bad going on. Do you save all of your audio? I have a little over 40 recordings of every day UOC. Now that I am recording myself most of the time. I find myself being more aware of what and how I say things. Keep up the good work.
 

ConditionThree

State Pioneer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
2,231
Location
Shasta County, California, USA
I like this. It's nice to hear absolutely nothing bad going on. Do you save all of your audio? I have a little over 40 recordings of every day UOC. Now that I am recording myself most of the time. I find myself being more aware of what and how I say things. Keep up the good work.

While I have undeleted recordings from prior non-events, I am not making a point of saving them. The only audio that really needs to be archived is with police encounters or other interaction. I too am aware of what comes out of my mouth and discovered that I have a habit of occasional soliloquy-particularly while driving.
 

CA_Libertarian

State Researcher
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
2,585
Location
Stanislaus County, California, USA
Reading this thread makes me really want to start having daily walks around my rural "neighborhood." Though, I could probably walk a 2-mile circuit and only pass 8 houses (half of which you can barely see from the street.

But probably no LOC due to county ordinance (distance from dwellings).

ETA: just measured it on Google; not including walking to the street up my driveway, around the rural "block" is exactly 2 miles. I would pass exactly eighteen homes and two commercial building. Despite being rural, this area has high traffic, and is commonly known for gang-related activity (graffiti, stolen cars burned in orchards (after being stripped, of course), meth manufacturing byproducts dumped on the side of the road, etc).
 
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bigtoe416

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Messages
1,747
Location
Oregon
But probably no LOC due to county ordinance (distance from dwellings).


i thought that only had to do with restriction of shooting?
not the legally of LOC v. UOC.

In CA we can't LOC where we can't legally discharge a firearm. So lame.
 
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