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New Member - One story.

Arizona-Eric

New member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
4
Location
Southern Arizona
Well hello everyone- New to becoming a member of this wonderful forum but not new to the site.

I am 26 year's old- Served in the Army- Born and raised in Alaska.. Been living in Arizona going on three months now...

I fully support the U.S. constitution - Do not support business's with sign's and believe any law abiding citizen, law-educated American should do what they NEED to support the flag and our freedoms.

I ride with/for a local Sober/Clean (No drugs or booze) MC and usually only ride a motorcycle and always "FLY" my MC cut.


Funny and short story:

I was standing in line at a In-N-Out burger wearing my normal get-up.. Shorts, Chucks (shoes), Motorcycle jacket and MC cut and of course my 1911 champion in my Galco International holster.

I get to the front of the line, Order. Cashier ask's me if im on duty.

I say: "No I am not "On Duty "." - he smiles and asks me "Are you sure your not On Duty.?"

I say: " I am not a cop, what part of my outfit looks like im in law enforcement."

he replys " I don't know, if you said your on duty you would get a discount".

End of Story.

Bottom line- I am not a cop, I don't have any " Resentment's" or "hate" towards any public figures or law enforcements as I am apart of a MC and all the laws in the works trying to stop Bike MC's as they are trying to say they are "Street gangs"..

Anyways... Lieing about being a cop.. Felony.. and bottom line I would never say I was a cop for anything or to anyone period..

This kid thought I should get a discount because I open carry and he supports the local laws.. Well how about not saying anything and giving me a discount??

Cheers all..

-Eric
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
A number of local establishment do give discounts in Virginia to members of VCDL (http://www.vcdl.org/). Since many of us OC 24/7, I guess you could say that they give discounts to OCers. :D
 

Arizona-Eric

New member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
4
Location
Southern Arizona
That would be really cool to see here in Arizona. I open-carry daily as well..

I get alot of looks, alot of questions- mostly "What kind of gun is that" and " Is that a .45?" - and surprisingly

"Do you have a permit?" - law crap yada yada..

a lady at a dog park told me weapons weren't allowed- I told her No. There is no Sign stating etc.. and after that new State/City and Event thing passed.. Unless there is someone to stop me there is gonna be no sign...

Needless to say.. Just a gun hating activist - Is there a Term / Acronym for them here ?? ;)
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
Needless to say.. Just a gun hating activist - Is there a Term / Acronym for them here ?? ;)

Some people use the Jeff Cooper word "hoplaphobic" meaning having a fear guns - I don't like it as it doesn't have a ring to it and doesn't roll off my tongue easily.

Others refer to the Brady Bunchers or just simply the "antis."

Problem is, I think, that there are three separate and distinct categories.

You have the Brady Bunch that will lie, distort facts and do anything they can to take away your guns and your rights. They are the professional agents of distortion.

Then you have those that for reasons of education by liberal schools and peers just haven't been exposed to the truth of that OC is legal OC and is OCers are by and large the most honest and safe people they will ever meet. They are redeemable with patience and good communication skills.

There is a sub-group of people that just won't listen to us because their minds and hearts are made of concrete - maybe poured by someone else - but they are the ones whose brains solidified.

So to answer your question, no there is not one single term that applies equally to all that would oppose us. Maybe we need to work on that. It just is not in our collective nature to speak harshly of our less fortunate friends. :lol:
 
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rickc1962

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2010
Messages
192
Location
Battle Mountain, NV.
That gains no converts though - it just further alienates people.

I think better to be polite and smile a lot. That's very effective in dealing with both elements.

Maybe its age, or maybe its the fact I open carry, I don't know, but I have noticed that in the 20 plus years Ive done so, ( more boldly each year, as more and more laws that have restored our 2nd amendment rights have been pasted. ) I have become more polite, more tolerant, and find myself opening doors for others, helping them in need, picking up that trash instead of walking past it, I have come to respect the law more, and have even become more patriotic, I served this Great Nation in the Army and over the years have come to a new understanding of why most of us served. This is not to pat myself on the back, because I am not alone, I think most open carriers can say the same thing and I think this does a great justice for the movement. Just my thoughts.
 

markm

New member
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
487
Location
, ,
Maybe its age, or maybe its the fact I open carry, I don't know, but I have noticed that in the 20 plus years Ive done so, ( more boldly each year, as more and more laws that have restored our 2nd amendment rights have been pasted. ) I have become more polite, more tolerant, and find myself opening doors for others, helping them in need, picking up that trash instead of walking past it, I have come to respect the law more, and have even become more patriotic, I served this Great Nation in the Army and over the years have come to a new understanding of why most of us served. This is not to pat myself on the back, because I am not alone, I think most open carriers can say the same thing and I think this does a great justice for the movement. Just my thoughts.

+1
Right on!

markm
 

Thoreau

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
315
Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
In N Out must attract a 'differen't kind of mindset from a lot of places around town. I had a semi-related experience at the one located off of I-17 and the 101 not long ago.

Suffice it to say that I am *NOT* any type of law enforcement, and I was wearing tan boots, multicam pants, multicam shirt and I had my HK in a leg rig, and was sitting with someone dressed the same.

Two people approached us during our meal. One of them asked 'what agency are you with' and wehn told 'non', he simply walked away. The other one asked the same question, chatted a bit about not 'recognizing the uniform' (the only 'identifier' I had on me was an AZ flag patch on my arm) and then asked us to 'keep doing what youre doing!'

Admittedly I think the OC'ed firearms only played a small part in the attention we got, although being right next to a Sportsmans Warehouse it's not uncommon to see folks there in camo clothing, so who knows. Eitehr way, that's the closest I've ever come to someone thinking I was a cop of some sort.
 
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March Hare

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
351
Location
Arridzona - Flatlander
First off, thank you for your service to our country and welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your stay!
There's a ton of great information here and people are always happy to answer any questions you might have.

I've had several people ask if I'm in law enforcement, I answer "no, just an ordinary citizen" and they usually respond with "Oh, okay " and that's the end of it.

Most of the time people won't notice that you're carrying, or ignore it if they do notice.

I did have one interesting encounter at a burger place, two kids around 8 or 9 years old came to my table and asked if I was a Police Officer, I told them no and they said their mom told them that I was because I had a gun.
After they returned to their table, their mom came over to my table and asked why I had a gun if I wasn't in law enforcement.

I gave the usual explanations about Arizona law, self defense and 2nd amendment rights, all in a very friendly, non defensive manner.
I was stunned when she asked if they could join me at my table, she had some questions and thought that now would be an opportunity to get some answers.

I said yes, she moved the kids and we talked for about an hour about firearms, safety, laws and responsibility.
They were visiting from California and were thinking about relocating to Arizona.
She was amazed by the difference between what she had heard 'back home' and what she saw and heard here!

I always try to present a positive image and sometimes it pays off in an educational opportunity.

-MH
 
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