First time OCing...Feels good...but why?

Ok hey all! First time here...this will be my 3rd day of OCing and it feels good...really good. Why is this? I feel like people are just overly nice because they're semi-terrified that I have a weapon on me and are fixated on my satisfaction and not doing anything that could even remotely piss me off...? Sometimes I feel like a bad guy when a little kid looks up at my gun and says something to mommy or daddy about it- and then the parents have to mask their explaination to their children. Is it not uncommon to have these feelings? I've literally had people fail to aknowledge on purpose because they just don't care untill !!!WOAH!!! they notice my 9mm and smile and kiss my a$$. How does one go about their day (or in my case, night since that's only when I OC)? What is the common feeling after a while? I also find myself being overly nice back since the gun makes my presence awkward as it is...said and done, I like the way it feels. I hope I haven't asked too many questions here. Thank you very much to those who make me feel a little less guilty about OCing. I'm sure you all can shed plenty of light on the subject! Thanks again!

well Heinlein did say "an armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."

Zastavarian, it sounds like to me you feel your intimidating your fellow man. That is not the point of OC. Our point is to make carrying a firearm a social norm, such as it was up until around the 1970's.

Try talking to these people, once they realize your a "nice" guy, then things will go from there.

Daylen said:

well Heinlein did say "an armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."

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Excellent point! Goes well with.....

A government that fears its people will respect its people. A government that does not fear its people simply enslaves its people. (this is called taxation!)

There was a time in this country when people understood the need to protect ones self and adult men carried a sidearm everywhere they went. Somewhere along the lines it became unfashionable and we have allowed the government and the media to change our view of handguns to something fearful, violent and ugly.

By wearing yours proudly, legally and in a friendly manner you help to counter that taboo image and remind people you meet that good guys carry guns too.

Yes and there also was a time when people respected other people and their property.

Zastavarian,

The response of people to your firearm isn't so much a commentary on your firearm (or the perceived threat that some feel from it), but rather is a commentary on the wholesale rudeness, dehumanization, and abusive behavior that has become acceptable in today's society.

People treat each other like trash these days. There is no civility in most of our culture--people working for slave wages in dead-end jobs under sadistic power-hungry petty tyrants tend to take out their frustrations on their customers because they can get away with it.

The public has become so beaten-down that they put up with abuse from service workers, government officials, and bureaucrats as a matter of course. There is no mechanism by which we may counter such abuse, and so people tend to just meet like with like--rude people cause EVERYONE to be generally rude.

Road rage... the DMV... Drive-throughs... government officials who lie, cheat, steal, and are corrupt beyond imagination without apology or shame... Thugs roam the streets preying on whomever they wish, and do not fear the police, the courts, or the citizenry. There is no accountability in our culture, and everyone seems to think that EVERYONE is as helpless, battered, abused, and powerless as they feel.

Carrying a firearm is a MAJOR break from the status quo. It is a statement that you have claimed PERSONAL responsibility for your own safety and security.

It tells the thugs that you are NOT the person they want to mug.

It tells the government that you understand the TRUE power dynamic of a Republic--the PEOPLE hold the power because there are a LOT more of us than them, and MOST of us are armed, trained, and are passionately jealous about guarding our freedom and liberty.

It tells petty commercial tyrants and spiteful wage-slaves that you are a strong, self-assured, and aware citizen, and NOT just another brow-beaten sheeple to be trifled with or abused.

If others feel threatened by your firearm, then that's their problem. If they feel upset, then it's most likely NOT because of the gun itself, but rather because it reminds them that they have relinquished their own freedom and safety to an "authority" that has neither the duty or the legal obligation to provide that for them.

Be cordial, polite, and friendly when you carry. Hold doors for people. Say "sir" and "ma'am". Say "please" and "thank you". Smile at people.

Don;t talk about crime statistics, or recent robberies and muggings, or other negative events. Speak of love--love of your own life, love of family, love of a peaceful community--when people ask why you carry.

Because it's AWFULLY difficult for even the most frothing, anti-gun sheeple to argue with love.

Eventually, the Public will come around...

My first post here after joining this morning....

Zas,

Some of the reasons people stare is because there are people and organizations out there that have done everything they can over the past 40 years or so to associate handguns with criminals and criminal activity. This country and state have been flooded with "information" designed to saturate your thinking in a manner which would create images of handguns to be associated with bad behavior, with the only "legitimate" carrying being that of law enforcement agencies and individuals. It's hard to change that imagery and thinking if the general public shrinks into the shadows and perpetuates the myths. In other words, if the general public allows this thinking to grow by not carrying in a open, lawful manner (if they so desire), then the misconception can only be reconfirmed.

I will not speculate nor pretend to speak for others, but personally, I carry for several reasons, the most important being that I can. I don't carry to prove a point, to stand out in the crowd, or to make any political statements whatsoever. I simply do it because it gives me an extra measure of protection for myself and my family that is legal and intelligent.

Once you get over the feelings of somehow being different from others, as well as being somehow singled out amongst the crowd, you come to realize that there's nothing really special about it. Although carrying in public is a somewhat new feeling at first, you should try to never act that way. In many cases, over-anticipation of unwanted remarks and reactions can actually breed them.

Although you are under no moral obligation to present yourself in a manner that would help to shatter the myths of false perceptions held by many concerning those that carry handguns, there are moments when a simple smile or kind word to those who ask about it will go a long way with helping to change their perceptions.

Again, due to a heavy media saturation and decades of legal wrangling by those who would rather not see handguns and believe we should somehow learn to rely on others for our protection, the basic premise out there is that only law enforcement personnel and criminals carry handguns. By carrying in public, you have a unique chance to change that perception in a small way, which could lead to big changes over time in the minds of those who never really thought of the issue in an intelligent manner.

Take care.

While people may be overly nicer to an armed person because of some perceived threat, I try to be little nicer, friendlier, a little less "hardass" if you will. I think it's the little things that count and it could be the difference between someone becoming an anti (or more anti ) and someone thinking " Well, that wasn't too bad, and they seemed decent..."

Then again, I dont care if they like it or not, I didnt ask for or need their approval

I very seldom have people staring at me, but I have startled a couple of them when they finally noticed my pistol... after talking to me for 5 minutes. See, i have a way of disarming people. I smile at them. That's right. I smile at friends and strangers alike. as I go about my business. It has a way of enabling them to confidently ask questions without the fear of being told where to get off. My smile tells them I'm not going to be rude to them. To them I'm just a nice guy who wears a gun.


BTW - I finally figured out exactly what to say to start a conversation when asked if I'm a LEO. I tell them, "Nope. I'm just your neighbor down the street." The questions follow soon after.

Firstly, welcome aboard. You can see from my sig that we are not that far away from each other so we no doubt carry into the same areas from time to time. You comment about treating people nicer is, in fact, a residual of OC'ing that many experience. I was just thinking of this yesterday. I suspect it has to do with an unconscious desire to project a positive front for those around us who are in the company of an armed person.

Congrats on your entry into the OC world here in Virginia!

Bookman said:

SNIP
BTW - I finally figured out exactly what to say to start a conversation when asked if I'm a LEO. I tell them, "Nope. I'm just your neighbor down the street." The questions follow soon after.

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Reminds me of Spiderman-"I'm just your friendly neighborhood gun carrier.":lol:

I have had the same sorts of reactions. Although sometimes I find it prudent to conceal, I prefere to be open with it. Proactive if you will