I had someone last night tell me, "You know, that(pointing to my gun), doesn't make you a man!" I said, I know that. Then he went on to say, "You know, you will get in trouble, and they will put you in jail if you don't have a concealed carry permit for that." I say, "I have three." He says, "Can I see them?" I ask him, "Are you a cop?" He says, "No." Then I ignore him. This just got me thinking about some of the dumb things I've heard people say concerning guns. And old friend I hadn't seen in years saw me carrying a few weeks ago and he asked me why I was carrying a gun. I told him that you never know what can happen, it's a dangerous world, you never know if you will get attacked. Again, we were in DeKalb County at the time. Then he says, "Nobody is going to attack you!" It is amazing how confident people are that "it" isn't going to happen to them. It is irrational. Nobody on the nightly news thought "it" was going to happen to them either. I tell him,"You can get a permit to carry." He says, "Never!" Dumb phrases I hate: "Is that legal?" "Are you a cop?" "Don't shoot me!" "That doesn't make you a man!" "That is going to get you into trouble." Legally carrying a gun might not make you a man but it does mean that you are willing to take responsibility for your own safety, and the safety of your friends and family.
I have yet to receive any stupid comments when open carrying. Well...except for my Dad, but that doesn't count.
Exactly why I carry. The police can't keep me safe. All they can do, is respond after the fact. If I'm carrying I can respond directly to a threat.
I get that one sometimes, but I do not see it as hostile. Usually people are genuinely curious, and I do my best to educate them. So far, it has been very positive. I do not go around looking to get offended. People do not see open carry very often, and they are genuinely curious. Do I then make an enemy out of a voter or a friend? Their vote counts as much as yours, and I want them to have a good memory of a good encounter when they go into the polls to cast a vote on restricting my liberty. It is easy to cast a vote in favor of disarming the a-hole.
I sometimes wonder if people think my OD Glock is just a toy. That is why I am the friendliest person around when I open carry.
I haven't received a comment yet but if i do i will simply say "well this is my constitutional 2nd amendment right; i choose to protect my self and my family I will not be a victim; I also will not put my life and my families life in the hands of police officers who actually don't have to protect me" I try and be polite person in my everyday life but also if question as MP and others have said want to educate people and hopefully leave them with a good experience of someone who exercises their 2nd amendment rights.
My serious comment is usually something to the effect of, You can get a firearms license, too, you know. Really? They brighten up a bit. Well, I am assuming you are not a criminal . . . No, how do I do it? And I direct them to their local probate court and explain the process and ask them to visit GPDO and GCO.
Great reply to "why do you carry a gun" that I saw on packing.org a few weeks ago: "Well, I tried carrying a cop. But, they're heavy, wiggle too much, and it annoys them..." I've pretty much stolen that line for future use...!
I've fallen out of the Graphics Communications department's good graces, but I'll stop by and talk to Armel tomorrow to see what he can do for me. If I can do it, I'll post a topic, and y'all can give your ideas as to what goes on them.
hmmm, a date told me this this weekend.... "pistols are for lazy people" I say "well yes... I would rather shoot them than run away." Note to self give date gun questionaire at beginning of date... and yes ramm and dan h this is the same guy I was telling you about.