As requested, I will share with you all some of the negative carrying experience I have been privy to.
The most awful experience would have to be in a McDonalds back in 2002. This particular McDonalds is located in Carrollton right smack next to West GA University. Well within the 1000ft zero common sense school safety zone. Of course none of this mattered since I was not on actual school property, conducting lawful business within the zone and had a license to carry.
I have open carried in this McDonalds numerous times before with no problems from anyone. This particular time I had been out all day shooting my new Ruger P89 9mm pistol. I had gotten hungry and decided to go get something to eat. I didn't feel like going home and changing clothes or putting away my new gun. Since I had a license to carry and a uncle mikes IWB holster I just bought for the gun, I decided to try it out and carry concealed to get something to eat. I wasn't looking trashy or anything, but I wasn't well dressed either. I was wearing blue jeans and a worn green t-shirt. While I was driving to McDonalds, my pistol was very uncomfortable IWB. So I unholstered it and placed in the passenger seat next to me.
When I arrived at the McDonalds, I decided to re-holster the pistol as I didn't want to leave in the seat in my car while I was inside, nor did I have any place to lock it up in my car. The only way I could securely holster the pistol was to get out of my car and holster it standing up. I turned my backside towards the inside of my car so noone would hopefully not see and holstered my pistol. I went ahead and pulled my shirt over my pistol to conceal it as it was busy and didn't want to draw any attention and just to get in and get out. As I was walking towards the entrance, I noticed a couple of guys in a car in the drive through eyeballing me. I didn't think nothing of it, so I continued inside. When I got inside, I immediately noticed that there was a Carrollton PD officer inside just standing around watching people. This was the weekend, so I assumed that it was normal for the restuarant to hire security because of rowdy college kids.
I got to the counter and purchased my order and I heard the door of the entrance open and saw the same guys that were eyeballing me in the drive though now walking through the door. I again didn't think too much of it, as the drive through was pretty backed up and they probably got tired of waiting and decided to come in and get their food. My food was ready and I took it and left. As I was leaving I could see out of the corner of my eye, the Carrollton PD officer had taken interest in me and was watching me. I horrdily thought that maybe I was printing or showing, but after checking myself by looking at the refelction of myself in the windows of the door as I walked out could not confirm this. I was still concealing.
I got into my car and unholstered my pistol, as it is uncomfortable to sit down with it IWB, and placed it in the passenger seat. As I was getting my food secured, I was watching my rear view mirror at the entrance to the building just waiting for someone to come out after me. My worst fears came true when 4 Carrollton PD cruisers came tearing ass into the parking lot and surrounded my car. At this time the officer inside that was watching me came walking out of the building towards my car. I immediately knew what was coming. So I just sat there and watched in my rear view mirror as this officer approached me while I kept both my hands on the steering wheel. As the officer got to my car, two other officers on bike and another on foot approached my car from behind as well.
The officer came up to my window and said, " How are you doing?" I said I was fine. "Sir, do you have a weapon on your person?" I replied yes. "Did you have it with you when you were in the restuarant"? Yes, I said. "Well how come I didn't see it?" "Because I was carrying it concealed IWB holster." I said. "May I see your I.D.?" "Ofcourse" I replied. I told him that I would have to reach for my back pocket to get my wallet and ID. He said that was fine and that he could see the gun in the seat next to me and as long as I didn't reach for the gun, we wouldn't have a problem. I handed him my ID and my firearms license. He tooked my ID and looked at my firearms license as if I had given him a piece of paper from an alien planet. He said just sit tight for a moment. He walked back to the bike officers that were behind my car and proceeded to talk with them. As I was watching them, I noticed in the windows of the restuarant, I could see the faces of the guys that I saw came walking in from the drive through that had been eyeballing me previously, watching the whole commotion.
I could hear the officers talking behind me. One asked if I was a cop and if I wasn't, then what the hell was I doing carrying a gun. The other officer said that he has got a license so he can carry a gun almost like we can. The officer with my license and ID came walking back to my window. As he did, he waved off the other officers and said outloud that everything was ok, he got a permit! When the officer came back to my window, I asked him if he saw me carrying. He said no, that someone had call 911 and he got the call on the radio of a guy putting a gun in his pants and walking into the mcdonalds where I was. I said it wasn't them that called 911 was it? pointing over at the windows were the guys were still watching. He just kinda chuckled and said I don't know. I just a call on the radio that someone was carrying a gun into McDonalds and I saw you. The officer then said that he should take me in for carrying a concealed weapon :shock: since he didn't see it on me when I was in the restuarant. I said "That is why I have a firearms license, so I can carry a firearm, open or concealed." "You are wrong sir, the license onlygives you the right to carry openly, like you how you got it in the seat there, not concealed." he said. "You've got to be kidding me!, the probate court and the copy of the law says that I may conceal a firearm provided that it is in a holster and that I have a license." I said. The officer continued to say that I was wrong, that yes the gun has to be carried in a holster but not concealed. As he was telling me this, his eyes was reading the back of my license. He said, "Sir, not only do you need to go home and re-read the law, but you need to re-read the back of your license. It says here that you cannot carry into any public place where the public is gathered. As I see it, you broke 2 laws." I decided not to keep talking with this guy, as I could see that it wasn't going to be an intelligent conversation from this point on. I said, "Well then I need to go back to the probate court and tell them that they told me wrong". Even though I knew they didn't, this officer was the one who was wrong. The officer then said that since he didn't see the gun on me nor had any evidence that I actually had the pistol on me when I was inside the McDonalds that he was going to let me go with a warning :roll: He said that I need to go re-read the laws before I decide to carry in public again. I said I would do that and that I would visit the probate court again to request the correct information about my license. I also asked for his name incase they wanted to know which officer I spoke with. He said his name was Jeff Vaughn and that he is a bicycle cop for Carrollton P.D. here around the college campus. I said thank you and wished him a good day and left.
The next day I went to the probate court and re-canted my story. The clerks I spoke with said that the officer was very mistaken about carrying concealed and carrying inside a public place. The clerks asked me if the officer gave me a ticket. I said no, but that this guy could be a problem for any other law abiding citizen who is carrying lawfully. They said that the understood and that my next stop should be the Carrollton P.D. to file a complaint about the officer. I said I didn't want to get him into serious trouble, but he is the one who needs to re-read the laws. I went to the Carrollton P.D. and filled out a statement and never heard anything else about it.
Sorry for the long post, but that by far is the worst experience I have had while carrying... Concealed nonetheless!
The most awful experience would have to be in a McDonalds back in 2002. This particular McDonalds is located in Carrollton right smack next to West GA University. Well within the 1000ft zero common sense school safety zone. Of course none of this mattered since I was not on actual school property, conducting lawful business within the zone and had a license to carry.
I have open carried in this McDonalds numerous times before with no problems from anyone. This particular time I had been out all day shooting my new Ruger P89 9mm pistol. I had gotten hungry and decided to go get something to eat. I didn't feel like going home and changing clothes or putting away my new gun. Since I had a license to carry and a uncle mikes IWB holster I just bought for the gun, I decided to try it out and carry concealed to get something to eat. I wasn't looking trashy or anything, but I wasn't well dressed either. I was wearing blue jeans and a worn green t-shirt. While I was driving to McDonalds, my pistol was very uncomfortable IWB. So I unholstered it and placed in the passenger seat next to me.
When I arrived at the McDonalds, I decided to re-holster the pistol as I didn't want to leave in the seat in my car while I was inside, nor did I have any place to lock it up in my car. The only way I could securely holster the pistol was to get out of my car and holster it standing up. I turned my backside towards the inside of my car so noone would hopefully not see and holstered my pistol. I went ahead and pulled my shirt over my pistol to conceal it as it was busy and didn't want to draw any attention and just to get in and get out. As I was walking towards the entrance, I noticed a couple of guys in a car in the drive through eyeballing me. I didn't think nothing of it, so I continued inside. When I got inside, I immediately noticed that there was a Carrollton PD officer inside just standing around watching people. This was the weekend, so I assumed that it was normal for the restuarant to hire security because of rowdy college kids.
I got to the counter and purchased my order and I heard the door of the entrance open and saw the same guys that were eyeballing me in the drive though now walking through the door. I again didn't think too much of it, as the drive through was pretty backed up and they probably got tired of waiting and decided to come in and get their food. My food was ready and I took it and left. As I was leaving I could see out of the corner of my eye, the Carrollton PD officer had taken interest in me and was watching me. I horrdily thought that maybe I was printing or showing, but after checking myself by looking at the refelction of myself in the windows of the door as I walked out could not confirm this. I was still concealing.
I got into my car and unholstered my pistol, as it is uncomfortable to sit down with it IWB, and placed it in the passenger seat. As I was getting my food secured, I was watching my rear view mirror at the entrance to the building just waiting for someone to come out after me. My worst fears came true when 4 Carrollton PD cruisers came tearing ass into the parking lot and surrounded my car. At this time the officer inside that was watching me came walking out of the building towards my car. I immediately knew what was coming. So I just sat there and watched in my rear view mirror as this officer approached me while I kept both my hands on the steering wheel. As the officer got to my car, two other officers on bike and another on foot approached my car from behind as well.
The officer came up to my window and said, " How are you doing?" I said I was fine. "Sir, do you have a weapon on your person?" I replied yes. "Did you have it with you when you were in the restuarant"? Yes, I said. "Well how come I didn't see it?" "Because I was carrying it concealed IWB holster." I said. "May I see your I.D.?" "Ofcourse" I replied. I told him that I would have to reach for my back pocket to get my wallet and ID. He said that was fine and that he could see the gun in the seat next to me and as long as I didn't reach for the gun, we wouldn't have a problem. I handed him my ID and my firearms license. He tooked my ID and looked at my firearms license as if I had given him a piece of paper from an alien planet. He said just sit tight for a moment. He walked back to the bike officers that were behind my car and proceeded to talk with them. As I was watching them, I noticed in the windows of the restuarant, I could see the faces of the guys that I saw came walking in from the drive through that had been eyeballing me previously, watching the whole commotion.
I could hear the officers talking behind me. One asked if I was a cop and if I wasn't, then what the hell was I doing carrying a gun. The other officer said that he has got a license so he can carry a gun almost like we can. The officer with my license and ID came walking back to my window. As he did, he waved off the other officers and said outloud that everything was ok, he got a permit! When the officer came back to my window, I asked him if he saw me carrying. He said no, that someone had call 911 and he got the call on the radio of a guy putting a gun in his pants and walking into the mcdonalds where I was. I said it wasn't them that called 911 was it? pointing over at the windows were the guys were still watching. He just kinda chuckled and said I don't know. I just a call on the radio that someone was carrying a gun into McDonalds and I saw you. The officer then said that he should take me in for carrying a concealed weapon :shock: since he didn't see it on me when I was in the restuarant. I said "That is why I have a firearms license, so I can carry a firearm, open or concealed." "You are wrong sir, the license onlygives you the right to carry openly, like you how you got it in the seat there, not concealed." he said. "You've got to be kidding me!, the probate court and the copy of the law says that I may conceal a firearm provided that it is in a holster and that I have a license." I said. The officer continued to say that I was wrong, that yes the gun has to be carried in a holster but not concealed. As he was telling me this, his eyes was reading the back of my license. He said, "Sir, not only do you need to go home and re-read the law, but you need to re-read the back of your license. It says here that you cannot carry into any public place where the public is gathered. As I see it, you broke 2 laws." I decided not to keep talking with this guy, as I could see that it wasn't going to be an intelligent conversation from this point on. I said, "Well then I need to go back to the probate court and tell them that they told me wrong". Even though I knew they didn't, this officer was the one who was wrong. The officer then said that since he didn't see the gun on me nor had any evidence that I actually had the pistol on me when I was inside the McDonalds that he was going to let me go with a warning :roll: He said that I need to go re-read the laws before I decide to carry in public again. I said I would do that and that I would visit the probate court again to request the correct information about my license. I also asked for his name incase they wanted to know which officer I spoke with. He said his name was Jeff Vaughn and that he is a bicycle cop for Carrollton P.D. here around the college campus. I said thank you and wished him a good day and left.
The next day I went to the probate court and re-canted my story. The clerks I spoke with said that the officer was very mistaken about carrying concealed and carrying inside a public place. The clerks asked me if the officer gave me a ticket. I said no, but that this guy could be a problem for any other law abiding citizen who is carrying lawfully. They said that the understood and that my next stop should be the Carrollton P.D. to file a complaint about the officer. I said I didn't want to get him into serious trouble, but he is the one who needs to re-read the laws. I went to the Carrollton P.D. and filled out a statement and never heard anything else about it.
Sorry for the long post, but that by far is the worst experience I have had while carrying... Concealed nonetheless!