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IP (Ignorant Person) contact in Bellingham

heresolong

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
1,318
Location
Blaine, WA, ,
IP: Are you a police officer?

OP (original poster, ie me): No, sir.

IP: You can't just carry your gun out in the open like that.

OP: Yes, you can. Washington is an open carry state.

IP: But only if it's unloaded. (Note, the IP has already contradicted himself three sentences into the conversation)

OP: No, sir. Washington is an unrestricted open carry state. This is perfectly legal.

IP: No, it was all over the news with the Starbucks thing. It has to be unloaded. (Note: the IP is now confusing the Tully's thing with the Starbucks thing)

OP: No sir. Carrying loaded is perfectly legal in Washington.

IP: You need to do a little more research on the law before you get in trouble.

OP: I am very familiar with the laws actually and am carrying in a legal manner.

IP: (Changing the subject) Well you are going to be the first person taken out if a crazy person is around. Crazy people aren't that crazy, you know (As he walks away)

OP: (What I didn't say because I didn't want to be shouting across the store) Right. So maybe he will be just as likely to walk away because he doesn't want to get shot by me.

A woman standing a few feet away made the comment that she liked seeing a man with a gun and we had a nice talk about how I deal with ignorant people when I am out and carrying openly.

I thought it went well other than for the IP who is just as ignorant as he was. Maybe he'll actually go look it up. I also didn't have any flyers with me so couldn't offer him one of those. Oh well.
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
When he mentioned unloaded carry you should have told him that unloaded carry was in reference to California Law and that Washington Law allowed for Loaded Open Carry.
 

amlevin

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
5,937
Location
North of Seattle, Washington, USA
Sound like you had a battle of wits with an unarmed person and I'm not talking firearms.

BTW, what do you expect in a town that is home to the state's "1 Liberal Factory" (WWU and their Fairhaven College)
 
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skiingislife725

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2009
Messages
400
Location
Lake Stevens, WA
Sound like you had a battle of wits with an unarmed person and I'm not talking firearms.

BTW, what do you expect in a town that is home to the state's "1 Liberal Factory" (WWU and their Fairhaven College)

You'd be surprised. The most negative encounter I had wasn't even from someone living in Bellingham, they were from Connecticut. I'm sure it'll come though...just like in every town with someone OCing. And Evergreen has got to beat my alma mater...there's just no comparison.
 

March Hare

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
351
Location
Arridzona - Flatlander
Sounds like that went about as well as could be expected, in B'ham.
I like running into people like that, it's a great opportunity to educate and correct misconceptions about firearms law.

We get a lot of people from California visiting here and I get reactions ranging from 'nice gun, what kind is it?' to 'Oh my god, he's got a gun!'.

If the person asks, I'm happy to explain the AZ gun laws.
Sometimes all we can do is attempt to educate.

Keep up the good work!

-MH
 

maclean

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
378
Location
, ,
Was he Canadian?

I ask, because they get a weird combination of news stories from all over the US, depending on which cable company they have.
 

heresolong

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
1,318
Location
Blaine, WA, ,
No idea where he was from. He never said "eh" during the conversation though. :)

As far as B'ham being liberal, although true, I have only had two negative encounters and I have been openly carrying for a couple years now so doesn't seem to affect the gun issue much.
 

Wolfebane

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2010
Messages
113
Location
Whidbey Island
Sound like you had a battle of wits with an unarmed person and I'm not talking firearms.

BTW, what do you expect in a town that is home to the state's "1 Liberal Factory" (WWU and their Fairhaven College)

I would just like to interject here that not everyone who goes to WWU is a liberal or is being turned into one. I am currently attending WWU and consider myself to be a staunch conservative.

I chose to attend here because it was the best mix of away from home (but in state for the tuition) and close enough to home in case I needed to return (but now that everyone else is dead the need to go back isn't really a factor anymore, but I digress). And also because I didn't want to attend UW because of personal issues with the school's medical department policies and because I didn't want to deal with downtown Seattle.

Just my .02 cents.

Wolfebane
 

amlevin

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
5,937
Location
North of Seattle, Washington, USA
I would just like to interject here that not everyone who goes to WWU is a liberal or is being turned into one. I am currently attending WWU and consider myself to be a staunch conservative.

I chose to attend here because it was the best mix of away from home (but in state for the tuition) and close enough to home in case I needed to return (but now that everyone else is dead the need to go back isn't really a factor anymore, but I digress). And also because I didn't want to attend UW because of personal issues with the school's medical department policies and because I didn't want to deal with downtown Seattle.

Just my .02 cents.

Wolfebane
While YOU are a conservative I'd bet you would agree that the majority, including staff are not.
 

Wolfebane

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2010
Messages
113
Location
Whidbey Island
While YOU are a conservative I'd bet you would agree that the majority, including staff are not.

Unfortunately that is the case...even to the extreme with the "socialist alternative" group that's on campus - that really disgusts me. But let's not ruin the intent of the OP's thread with too much digression.

-Wolfebane
 

White_russian5

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Messages
28
Location
Blaine, Washington, USA
I've only had two negative experiences like that but one guy found me later on and apologized the other was starting to get too close to my friend and I felt the need to leave the situation before it got too far.
 
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