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Who Notices You Open Carrying? List your experiences.

SFCRetired

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
1,764
Location
Montgomery, Alabama, USA
I was in Sam's Club, carrying a Ruger P89. Not one single adult in the entire store noticed, or if they did, did not run screaming for the exit. However, one little boy, I would guess not more than two, glanced in my direction, looked away, and then snapped his head back! His eyes looked like a couple of saucers! I laughed and told him, "Yes, it is a gun. I wear it to keep myself, my wife, and children like you safe from bad guys." Cutest grin you ever saw on a little fellow. His mother laughed at his reaction and thanked me for speaking to him.
 

EMNofSeattle

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,670
Location
S. Kitsap, Washington state
Every so often I will be standing somewhere, and someone will look at me, then start walking away very fast......

Which puzzles me because I always dress in a button shirt, tucked in, belt jeans or khakis, I am clean shaven with almost military regulation hair, so I don't think I look outwardly threatening......

Like a few weeks ago I was in a grocery store and some young woman with a baby in arms is in the bread aisle, and I'm picking up bagels, and so I turn to go to another aisle, she looks at me, then turns around and starts walking fast........ Don't understand it....
 

MontanaResident

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
160
Location
Montana
I've had all positive experiences from those that notice that I see looking or those that say something.
 
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Bikenut

Guest
I've had folks in stores, parking lots, and eateries, walk up and thank me for exercising the right to bear arms, including restaurant managers.

I've had somewhat unsavory folks suddenly decide there is somewhere else they really need to be... immediately!

I've had an irate woman in a local park call the police and become incensed when the cop stood at my side and told her she was wrong and she had no right to tell me to leave or to put my gun away... but if it bothered her so much she had the freedom to leave if she wanted.

And I've had untold many folks who noticed and just went on their way with nothing more than a glance at my sidearm. The unfortunate folks who's health requires using those motorized buggies in stores ALWAYS notice since the gun is at their eye level... yet there has never been any problems.

But the best part is when folks come up and ask about open carry wanting to know if they can do it too. I like those "teachable moments".
 

wimwag

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
1,049
Location
Doug
Yesterday two women at a tattoo shop that asked me if I was a cop. I told them no and they just said "Cool. You can just carry a gun like that?" I affirmed it and the skinny one said she wanted to. Positive.
 

Primus

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2013
Messages
3,939
Location
United States
Yesterday two women at a tattoo shop that asked me if I was a cop. I told them no and they just said "Cool. You can just carry a gun like that?" I affirmed it and the skinny one said she wanted to. Positive.

Were they good looking? Photos or it didn't happen...

:D

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk
 

stealthyeliminator

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
3,100
Location
Texas
Were they good looking? Photos or it didn't happen...

:D

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

Seconded :p

I can't say for regular day to day handgun OC of course, being a Texan. Might go OC in Arkansas or Oklahoma of perhaps even Louisiana if I can. Hopefully Arkansas can clear up the matter of OC for their less intellectual DAs soon so everyone can do it without having to worry about a rouge prosecutor
 

1245A Defender

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,365
Location
north mason county, Washington, USA
Ohhh,, fun..

Seconded :p

I can't say for regular day to day handgun OC of course, being a Texan. Might go OC in Arkansas or Oklahoma of perhaps even Louisiana if I can. Hopefully Arkansas can clear up the matter of OC for their less intellectual DAs soon so everyone can do it without having to worry about a rouge prosecutor

I dont want to worry about a prosecutor either,,, but
A "rouge" one may be nicer to look at than a "rogue" one...
Look it up.... Its in the book.
 

EMNofSeattle

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,670
Location
S. Kitsap, Washington state
Seconded :p

I can't say for regular day to day handgun OC of course, being a Texan. Might go OC in Arkansas or Oklahoma of perhaps even Louisiana if I can. Hopefully Arkansas can clear up the matter of OC for their less intellectual DAs soon so everyone can do it without having to worry about a rouge prosecutor

Move to Washington, the weathers nicer, we have open carry, and if you establish residency with all deliberate speed you can vote in time against the gun control initiative on the ballot.
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
Every so often I will be standing somewhere, and someone will look at me, then start walking away very fast......

Which puzzles me because I always dress in a button shirt, tucked in, belt jeans or khakis, I am clean shaven with almost military regulation hair, so I don't think I look outwardly threatening......

Like a few weeks ago I was in a grocery store and some young woman with a baby in arms is in the bread aisle, and I'm picking up bagels, and so I turn to go to another aisle, she looks at me, then turns around and starts walking fast........ Don't understand it....


You dress like Ted Bundy?.......;)
 

MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
I've had all positive experiences from those that notice that I see looking or those that say something.

What he said. One old man and one disguntled LEO were my only negs in the last five years of OC.

Were they good looking? Photos or it didn't happen...:D

Primus, positives are so common here why take pics?


1245A defender, you may need one of these.
 

JamesCanby

Activist Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
1,480
Location
Alexandria, VA at www.NoVA-MDSelfDefense.com
In the years since I managed to escape from TPR of Maryland into the Commonwealth of Virginia, I have been an OCer. In all of my experiences, I have not had one negative comment, even though I am in Northern Virginia (affectionately called NoVA) which is populated with more liberals than real Virginians want to tolerate. (Most real Virginians believe that the 'real' Virginia goes no further north than Fredericksburg.)

Still, I labor in the OC vineyard in NoVA, sharing the image of a rather clean-cut 'oldster' that has a firearm on his hip. Here is what strikes me: Of all of the people who have commented on my firearm, all but one was a fellow gun owner who simply wanted to know about what I was carrying. The VAST majority of people are so situationally UNaware of their surroundings that they never see it. And that, my friends, is a striking difference between the sheep and the sheepdogs. The sheep pay no attention to their surroundings and are taken by surprise when something bad happens. The sheepdogs are VERY aware of everything that is going on around them, especially who is carrying what.
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
Many of the state fora have threads devoted to the OC experience. Seems to me (and I'm not keeping score) that most of the posts are reports of "I went X and nobody noticed/nobody freaked out" or "I went Y and soeone recognized the brand and model of handgun I was carrying and tried to tell me everything about it".

Some of us (me especially) have given up posting OC experiences unless it was to a place nobody else has been, or there was an exceptional (positive or negative) experience. Seriously, how many times do you want to read that I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant and the staff said - for the umpteenth time - that they feel safe because I am carryinging my gun? Or that I went grocery shopping and nobody noticed I was carrying?

The absence of blood overflowing the gutters, horses fainting and the women stampeding is absolutely deafening, innit?

stay safe.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
Every so often I will be standing somewhere, and someone will look at me, then start walking away very fast......

Which puzzles me because I always dress in a button shirt, tucked in, belt jeans or khakis, I am clean shaven with almost military regulation hair, so I don't think I look outwardly threatening......

Like a few weeks ago I was in a grocery store and some young woman with a baby in arms is in the bread aisle, and I'm picking up bagels, and so I turn to go to another aisle, she looks at me, then turns around and starts walking fast........ Don't understand it....

Maybe it has nothing to do with the gun? Just Sayin`
 
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