Three nights ago, I was about half an hour into a conversation with with the gas/convenience-store clerk who has, over the last six months, become a friend. He loves it when I show up at midnight and walk past the 16 to 25 crowd of dozens usually hanging around the store, and says he's noticed two things happen. The first is that most don't notice I'm carrying at all, but of the ones that do, they quickly start talking about it, though the conversation returns rapidly to whatever they were talking about before.
The point is, they do notice, and I've no doubt that word has gotten out amoung that crowd that the store is "patrolled," and that's not a bad thing at all. If just three OCers visited each convenience store in town randomly throughout the night, I'm sure the armed robbery rate would be cut in half.
Any, so he and I are in the middle of our conversation when a couple of his friends walk in. They're obviously hammered, but not to the point of stumbling. I take a step back from the counter as they approach it with their goods, and they start talking to our mutual friend, when one of them spots my firearm and says, "Woah! Do you have a license for that thing?"
Me: [chuckling] "Not required in the state of Colorado."
Him: [incredulous] "Really? You don't need a concealed weapons permit or something?"
Me: "Only if it's concealed."
Him: "Oh, yeah. I suppose if I can see it then it's not concealed, huh?"
Me: "You are correct."
Him: "You mean I could carry a gun like that if I wanted to?"
Me: "Well, you do have to be sober, as it's illegal to carry while under the influence."
Him: "Dang! What about if you wanted to conceal it?"
Me: "Then you would need a concealed handgun permit, and the restriction about being sober still applies."
Him: "Ok, well I think I'm sobering up pretty fast! Thanks for the information."
The point of my sharing the above is that if I'd given any sort of snide or smug remark other than simply answering his questions in a straightforward manner, this could have gone down much differently. While I may like responding to "why are you carrying a gun" with "because I can't carry a cop," the more I think about it the less I think that its an appropriate response, as it indicates some degree of flippancy on the part of someone who is (gulp) carrying deadly weapon.
When we're out there among the general public, we are ambassadors of our cause. We are the face of those who care enough about ourselves and others to exercise our 2A rights in response to the threats against us. But that's not how many people see us. Instead, they see "gun nut." Therefore, it is important to ensure we don't reinforce that with comments which, though they may be funny to those of us on this side of the fence, simply reinforce the "gun nut" perception of those on the other side.
Instead, let's put our best foot foward and help others realize we're human beings the same as they are, with our own families, hopes and dreams.
I like the comment about "for personal protection" being a good response. I think it's a great response, as it's neither confrontational, flippant, glib, or snide. In fact, it conveys the fact that I care enough about personal protection to take the next step and shoulder the responsibility of doing so.
It may also open the door to further discussion along the lines of "isn't that what the police are for?" to which we can explain that while "to serve and protect" is their motto, their response times range between two and twenty minutes, while the need for personal protection is usually over between two and twenty seconds, often with less than desirable results if we're not ready to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
Ambassadors. I like the sound of that word.
Three nights ago, I was about half an hour into a conversation with with the gas/convenience-store clerk who has, over the last six months, become a friend. He loves it when I show up at midnight and walk past the 16 to 25 crowd of dozens usually hanging around the store, and says he's noticed two things happen. The first is that most don't notice I'm carrying at all, but of the ones that do, they quickly start talking about it, though the conversation returns rapidly to whatever they were talking about before.
The point is, they do notice, and I've no doubt that word has gotten out amoung that crowd that the store is "patrolled," and that's not a bad thing at all. If just three OCers visited each convenience store in town randomly throughout the night, I'm sure the armed robbery rate would be cut in half.
Any, so he and I are in the middle of our conversation when a couple of his friends walk in. They're obviously hammered, but not to the point of stumbling. I take a step back from the counter as they approach it with their goods, and they start talking to our mutual friend, when one of them spots my firearm and says, "Woah! Do you have a license for that thing?"
Me: [chuckling] "Not required in the state of Colorado."
Him: [incredulous] "Really? You don't need a concealed weapons permit or something?"
Me: "Only if it's concealed."
Him: "Oh, yeah. I suppose if I can see it then it's not concealed, huh?"
Me: "You are correct."
Him: "You mean I could carry a gun like that if I wanted to?"
Me: "Well, you do have to be sober, as it's illegal to carry while under the influence."
Him: "Dang! What about if you wanted to conceal it?"
Me: "Then you would need a concealed handgun permit, and the restriction about being sober still applies."
Him: "Ok, well I think I'm sobering up pretty fast! Thanks for the information."
The point of my sharing the above is that if I'd given any sort of snide or smug remark other than simply answering his questions in a straightforward manner, this could have gone down much differently. While I may like responding to "why are you carrying a gun" with "because I can't carry a cop," the more I think about it the less I think that its an appropriate response, as it indicates some degree of flippancy on the part of someone who is (gulp) carrying deadly weapon.
When we're out there among the general public, we are ambassadors of our cause. We are the face of those who care enough about ourselves and others to exercise our 2A rights in response to the threats against us. But that's not how many people see us. Instead, they see "gun nut." Therefore, it is important to ensure we don't reinforce that with comments which, though they may be funny to those of us on this side of the fence, simply reinforce the "gun nut" perception of those on the other side.
Instead, let's put our best foot foward and help others realize we're human beings the same as they are, with our own families, hopes and dreams.
I like the comment about "for personal protection" being a good response. I think it's a great response, as it's neither confrontational, flippant, glib, or snide. In fact, it conveys the fact that I care enough about personal protection to take the next step and shoulder the responsibility of doing so.
It may also open the door to further discussion along the lines of "isn't that what the police are for?" to which we can explain that while "to serve and protect" is their motto, their response times range between two and twenty minutes, while the need for personal protection is usually over between two and twenty seconds, often with less than desirable results if we're not ready to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
Ambassadors. I like the sound of that word.
