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OC stories good and bad or even boring

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
Stole this idea from a couple of other state threads.

Just a place to throw up your recent OC tales, dont have to be exciting or confrontational. could just be going to Circle K. or target. if you OC'd and want to share. please do :)

our state seems to be half in-active haha liven up people! :)
 
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carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
ill even start

today i OC'ed to work in OOB.-nothing
Hannaford in Saco-nothing.
Irving in Scarborough-woman thought i was an LEO, corrected her that i was not
outside my apartment for a smoke-Nothing.

:)
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
ill even start

today i OC'ed to work in OOB.-nothing
Hannaford in Saco-nothing.
Irving in Scarborough-woman thought i was an LEO, corrected her that i was not
outside my apartment for a smoke-Nothing.

:)

Awesome job. Tomorrow I plan to go for a walk in the Old Port in Portland. My first walk of the year.
 

Claytron

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
402
Location
Maine
everyone should go buy a honda Ruckus and then we can ride around open carrying on 49cc scooters
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
Went on about an hour long walk in Portland today. No one called on me. I was noticed by an officer and over the radio he said "be aware that guy that carries a firearm is walking around the Old Port." Thank you PPD for acting appropriately.
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
wow and they didnt swarm you? that surprises me lol good job :) i may be going to cabelas later. depending on whos at the door will let me know how it goes. need more ammo :-D
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
went to cabelas. Picked up 400 Rnds of 9mm win white box. no issues

went to scarborough walmart. was stopped at door by greeter, then an odd thing happened. apperently there was a Scarborough PD officer right behind me who looked at the greeter and said "Open carry is legal in maine, he's fine" and the greeter let me through :) got a pack of bulk patches and a blackhawk cheapo holster to go on my camping pack :-D

was overall pleasant experience :banana:
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
went to cabelas. Picked up 400 Rnds of 9mm win white box. no issues

went to scarborough walmart. was stopped at door by greeter, then an odd thing happened. apperently there was a Scarborough PD officer right behind me who looked at the greeter and said "Open carry is legal in maine, he's fine" and the greeter let me through :) got a pack of bulk patches and a blackhawk cheapo holster to go on my camping pack :-D

was overall pleasant experience :banana:

That is the best kind of report. I will take the liberty of cross posting that one. :D
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...-encounters-interaction&p=1529648#post1529648
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
just got home AGAIN. didnt have such a great encounter this time. Oc'ed up the road here in biddeford to the 7-11. bought a pack of smokes, soda and a slim jim. got outside. packed my smokes, light one and a large toothless woman about to get in her car stops in her tracks. Followed as this.


Her: HEY YOU!
Me: uhhhhh yeah?
Her: you a cop!?
Me: Uhhhh nope, certainly not.
Her: is that gun REAL!???
Me: yep. certainly is. In maine its legal to open carry firearms. i carry mine for self defense.
Her: so you think your a tough guy gangster eh?
Me: no Ma'am just look out for my own safety. have a nice day


at that point i start to walk away *back towards my apartment*

she follows.

Her: hey DUDE. Got a permit?
Me: no permit required ma'am , headed home, have a good night.
Her: I want to see your permit right now!!!
Me: i do not have one ma'am, goodnight

still walking

Her: im gonna call the cops! your gonna get busted punk!
Me: by all means. be my guest. have a good night
Her: LET ME SEE YOUR $*&%ING PERMIT KID!

at this point i was just fed up.

Her: do you have a permit!?? hmmm?

so i decided to quote Trace adkins.........

Me: NO!........do you have a permit to ask stupid questions?

walking uphill. shes losing ground. turn the corner. cutt through the park, hop the fence. in my backyard. now im home.

the never some people think they have to harass others.........oh well. she proved herself to be an uneducated twit :-D

but this slim jim is GREAT :-D
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
No cell phone to report being followed/stalked by a crazy lady?

Rule 3.5 - first one to call is the victim and usually wins. :lol:
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
noo :( sadly i left it on the kitchen counter. sevies is about a block and a half away, so its usually a 3 minute trip. from now on it comes with me. this woman was a little , how should we say in a politically correct sense. a freaking nutjob haha
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
noo :( sadly i left it on the kitchen counter. sevies is about a block and a half away, so its usually a 3 minute trip. from now on it comes with me. this woman was a little , how should we say in a politically correct sense. a freaking nutjob haha

definitely why you want to carry a phone and a recording device.
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
open carried to cabelas........dicks sporting goods than frank galos chevrolet today to look at a new avalanche. all was good. no encounters even got a high five from one of the sales girls saying "yay open carry" :)
 

PiercedMaineOC

Regular Member
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
35
Location
Portland, Maine, United States
A (not so) brief summary of my OC experiences in the Portland area

Long time reader, first time poster!

Moved to Portland in September after graduating from up north last May. Sorry that this won't be a short post.

Places that I frequently OC:
Cabela's - Zero issues
Rite-Aid Forest Ave - No issues, and a number of positive conversations with the bulk of their employees. A few of them even notice when I'm not carrying and ask what's up (usually it's after I've had a couple and am in search of more beer).
Shaws on Congress St - Zero issues
Hannaford on Forest - Zero issues
Regular walks around the Upper Forest Ave area - some issues, details to follow.
Bangor Savings Bank - Questions about it once, but otherwise, zero issues
Gas Station in Scarborough - received praise from the cashier about supporting my right to carry.
RSVP - No Issues, and one lengthy, very positive conversation with a gentleman who worked in the redemption center

Have had two encounters with the Portland PD while OCing. The second one was fairly positive. Someone called me in as I was on my way to Photo Mart. Once I was in the store, and talking with the owner, an officer came through the door, followed shortly by another. He came right up to me, introduced himself, explained that someone had called me in, and that they just wanted to look into it. As his partner was running my ID (yes I just handed it over, I really was not looking to cause a scene by refusing to without just cause, etc etc) we had a really good talk about OC, where we grew up in Maine, and the like. During this time a 3rd officer came and in the officer i was talking with looks at the new guy, and back at me and says "oh, wow, sorry. you can tell it's a real busy day!" we both chuckled. After I came back clean, he shook my hand, gave me his card and off they went, and I went back to my conversation with the shop owner.

My first encounter...oh how it was not that pleasant. The following is what I sent to PPD immediately following the incident:

At approximately *time and date removed* I was walking (I would like to stress walking) up Forest Avenue with my girlfriend and our dog, opposite a single car accident at the corner of Forest and Vannah that had one cruiser on scene. As we walked by, heading for our apartment I was summoned across the street by the male officer who was seated in the cruiser when he said “Hey. Hey you. Come over here.” After confirming that he was referring to me in such a nonchalant way, I crossed the street as he exited the vehicle. I was asked why I was openly carrying a sidearm, which I replied “for personal protection.” The officer then proceeded to tell me it was “illegal to carry in a public place,” that I “had to have a permit to carry,” that I “needed to cover my weapon” and that I shouldn’t be open carrying because people will become extremely alarmed and worried, and that he was worried when he saw me “running down the street, gun flapping around all over the place”.

As I stated and stressed earlier, I was walking, not running, and my sidearm (Springfield XD-9 4” carried in a Blackhawk SERPA Level 2 Holster on my right hip) was very firmly affixed to my person, with absolutely no movement of any kind; so there was no way the officer saw my gun “flapping around” . After cutting me off numerous times with statements such as “what do you think people are going to think when they see a guy with a ******* gun on his hip” as I politely tried to inform him that open carry is not illegal, nor did the community around me have a problem with me openly carrying, he asked for my ID, told me to put my hands on the hood of his cruiser, and proceeded to remove my gun from the holster and clear it (there was a full magazine and a round in the chamber). I was left standing there for multiple minutes as he called in to dispatch, looked around the cab of the cruiser with his flashlight for something and continued talking to dispatch before a second officer (female) arrived, asking if he had “patted me down yet,” which he had not. The female officer was very polite, asking my name, and actually talking to me about why I chose to carry, and that yes, this was bound to happen at some point, the politics of the state on guns, and other such things, seemingly very understanding, while she patted me down and removed my pocket knife and multi-tool (she seemed appreciative that I informed her of these and their location before she came to them).

After what seemed to be a number of minutes of talking with dispatch on the radio and what appeared to be by cell phone (all the while my hand hands were still, per his instructions, on the hood, exposed to the cold), he returned to the female officer and myself, and began lecturing me on how, and (I’m paraphrasing now) that by legally and in no way threateningly carrying a holstered firearm on my hip while out in public I would be causing panic and alarm in “people on the streets, stores, hair salons”, that, and this I quote “one day, you’re going to be out and we’re going to ******* come in, lights and sirens, lay you out face down on the ground and you won’t even know why, because someone called and told us there was a guy with a gun.” Again I politely tried to inform him that I frequently patronize numerous local businesses while openly carrying and that never once has there been any issue, but I was repeatedly cut off and he appeared genuinely disinterested in hearing anything come out of my mouth.

Eventually I was allowed to re-holster my firearm, place my ammunition in my left jacket pocket, and the female officer, after handing me back my ID, placed my multi-tool and knife into my right pocket. After confirming with both officers that I was not incorrect about open carry being within my right as a law abiding Maine citizen, I was allowed to return my apartment.

While I fully understand his (and any police officers’ for that matter) duty/desire to inquire with an individual as to why they are carrying a weapon in public, I am in no way impressed with how the male officer handled this situation. His clearly false statement about how I was carrying, his uneducated and very false statement of it being illegal to open carry, his blatant disregard and disrespect for what I had to say and his extremely unnecessary use of profanity while talking with me showed, in my opinion as an upstanding, educated member of this community, a great lack of professionalism. I know that not all police officers act in this way, as exemplified by the female officers understanding of where I was coming from, and the professional manner in which she handled the situation.

Thank you for taking time to read this, for taking corrective actions where you see they should be, and for commending the exemplary service, polite attitude, and professional manner of the second officer. I would greatly appreciate a response of any nature on this matter. Thank you again and have a good evening.

I didn't have high hopes of hearing anything back, so much to my surprise, I received an email followed by a phone call from a Lt. at the station. We talked for nearly half an hour about what happened and what would be happening on their end (we decided at the minimum there would be mandatory education for that officer about how to deal with OC and how to deal with the pubic, and if the chief felt it necessary, more serious consequences). I felt quite good about our talk and was happy they took my complaint seriously.

So. That's the (not so brief) story of my OC time here in Portland. Will keep folks updated with any new stories in the future!

X
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
Long time reader, first time poster!

Moved to Portland in September after graduating from up north last May. Sorry that this won't be a short post.

X

Pierced, I'm glad you got that officer some much needed education. Portland has changed a lot in the last three years and is much more pro Open Carry than it was before, but there are still some of the old school guys who refuse to accept the new reality. We're here to stay.
 

PiercedMaineOC

Regular Member
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
35
Location
Portland, Maine, United States
Thanks for the welcome, everyone! Glad to be part of the family.

Sadly, the officer who gave me all the grief couldn't have been much older, if any older than I am (25 at the time of the incident, 26 now) so age and being old school wasn't the issue. I bumped into him at my work a few months after it happened, and given his body language and inability to look me in the eye, pretty sure the education got through to him.

As far as the recorder goes, I recently upgraded to a smart phone and one of the first apps I downloaded was a quick and easy voice recorder, so I have that base covered.
 

carry for myself

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
544
Location
Maine
good to know and welcome aboard :-D portland down, biddeford down. now we just need to educate brunswick. buddy of mine went pit shooting with a few pistols and a rifle, OC'ed them to and from the pit.

while exiting the pit he was approached by 5 brunswick PD officers who had armed themselves with AR's. took him and his friend down at gunpoint in the mud, stripped them of their weapons, harassed them, threatened them. told them to not go shooting in the woods because they were infact "hunting" if they had guns in the woods and it was not hunting season yada yada. trying to get my buddy to file a FOIA request. if so ill post it on here.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
good to know and welcome aboard :-D portland down, biddeford down. now we just need to educate brunswick. buddy of mine went pit shooting with a few pistols and a rifle, OC'ed them to and from the pit.

while exiting the pit he was approached by 5 brunswick PD officers who had armed themselves with AR's. took him and his friend down at gunpoint in the mud, stripped them of their weapons, harassed them, threatened them. told them to not go shooting in the woods because they were infact "hunting" if they had guns in the woods and it was not hunting season yada yada. trying to get my buddy to file a FOIA request. if so ill post it on here.

Should be no free ride for such conduct. Give the date of the incident and any other known particulars - anyone can file a FOIA request.
 
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