Aaron1124
Regular Member
"You can't take the law into your own hands, cowboy!" Were the words I heard from some sheeple of a man yesterday. I had a real "idiot encounter" at Target. I had just got done grabbing some Christmas gifts for my immediate family, and was approaching the check out line, when a man coming from the clothing area approached. The conversation went as follows:
Man - "Hey partner, are you a cop?"
Me - "Nope!"
Man - "Is that a real gun you have?"
Me - "Yep! It is.." (As if I were carrying around a toy gun?)
Man - "Do you carry it loaded?" (Again - another stupid question)
Me - "Yes, I do!"
Man - "Why do you carry it?"
Me - "I respect the job of the police force, but I am aware that police officers can not be everywhere at every minute of the day. Police officers also have no duty to protect lives, so I believe in personal responsibility and taking initiative to protect myself and my family. I also open carry to provide as a physical deterrent to crime."
Man - "Well you can't take the law into your own hands, cowboy! Besides, carrying openly does not make for more of a deterrent. It makes you a target."
Me - "I'm not sure how it has anything to do with "taking the law into my own hands", as I am taking safety precautions to protect myself. In fact, I have some small brochures and pamphlets about the open carry of firearms. I'd be glad to share one with ya if you're interested." (At this point, I pulled one out of my pocket.)
Man - "When we have cowboys like yourself running around, it gives the impression that we're in the wild wild west! What kind of example do you think that sets for the young generations growing up in this world?"
Me - "A realistic example."
At this point, I knew which direction the man was taking this conversation, and rather than continuing to engage with him, I excused myself, and told him that I would now be checking out.
He then replied with a "Careful not to shoot anyone on the way out!" which was completely stupid of him to say. You don't say that kind of crap to someone who is visibly armed, as you don't know what a random passer by would think, not knowing the situation. The man was obviously fishing for trouble, and I wasn't about to fall for it.
Note that I am a very clean cut guy who dresses nice. This was the first "awkward" type of encounter that I have had in a long time.
Edited to add details that I forgot to include.
Man - "Hey partner, are you a cop?"
Me - "Nope!"
Man - "Is that a real gun you have?"
Me - "Yep! It is.." (As if I were carrying around a toy gun?)
Man - "Do you carry it loaded?" (Again - another stupid question)
Me - "Yes, I do!"
Man - "Why do you carry it?"
Me - "I respect the job of the police force, but I am aware that police officers can not be everywhere at every minute of the day. Police officers also have no duty to protect lives, so I believe in personal responsibility and taking initiative to protect myself and my family. I also open carry to provide as a physical deterrent to crime."
Man - "Well you can't take the law into your own hands, cowboy! Besides, carrying openly does not make for more of a deterrent. It makes you a target."
Me - "I'm not sure how it has anything to do with "taking the law into my own hands", as I am taking safety precautions to protect myself. In fact, I have some small brochures and pamphlets about the open carry of firearms. I'd be glad to share one with ya if you're interested." (At this point, I pulled one out of my pocket.)
Man - "When we have cowboys like yourself running around, it gives the impression that we're in the wild wild west! What kind of example do you think that sets for the young generations growing up in this world?"
Me - "A realistic example."
At this point, I knew which direction the man was taking this conversation, and rather than continuing to engage with him, I excused myself, and told him that I would now be checking out.
He then replied with a "Careful not to shoot anyone on the way out!" which was completely stupid of him to say. You don't say that kind of crap to someone who is visibly armed, as you don't know what a random passer by would think, not knowing the situation. The man was obviously fishing for trouble, and I wasn't about to fall for it.
Note that I am a very clean cut guy who dresses nice. This was the first "awkward" type of encounter that I have had in a long time.
Edited to add details that I forgot to include.
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