So I left work and headed over to the Shane Co. location in Duluth near Gwinnett Place mall. There is always a Gwinnett County officer in the store, and since MP has been ignored by Chief Walters, I decided to leave mine in the car. Left my Blackhawk Serpa belt holster on however in plain view. When I walked in, he saw it and did a double take, but said nothing. The staff in there knows me on a first name basis, and he really seemed at ease hearing this. On my way out I stopped and asked if I could ask him a question. He said "sure." I asked if Gwinnett County had any policy on how they deal with people who chose to OC. He asked what my permit said. I pulled it out and showed him, and he said he hadn't seen one in quite a while and thanked me. He said he understood why I was asking since it really didn't say much. He also was very honest and said "You probably know the law more than I do since you're asking. The only thing I know is a no-no is carrying at a public gathering." I asked what he would classify that as, and he said that it would be "any event specifically advertised as such whether they charged admission or not, or any sporting event or such like Braves, Falcons games, etc." He did agree that the law was vague and that it needs to be rewritten or repealed entirely. I gave him the info as to where he could look up the code, and he thanked me. I also discussed Georgia Carry with him, and he said that it was a good thing that [GCO] is choosing to take legislative action and get it changed once the right way so there is no question or vagueness. He asked where my gun was and I told him that I left it in the car since I hadn't had any LEO experiences in Gwinnett and that I wasn't worried about where I would be since there is an officer on duty during business hours. He asked what my choice was, and I told him it was a G23. "Nice choice" he said. I thanked him for his time and went on my way. Then it was off to Bullseye in Lawrenceville to look for some stuff. While there, I spoke with a guy who was purchasing his first firearm - ended up buying a Taurus PT145. He was asking about carry permits, and the guy working there told him it would take 3-6 months per probate. I informed him that it took me 51 days, and everyone in earshot who worked there looked like they saw a ghost. While inside, I was carrying my G23 holstered with the mag in my pocket and the slide locked back. The guy asked if I carried that way without concealing it, and I gave him some of the legal citations to look up, as well as the info for GCO and GPDO. He was very eager to learn about what is accepted, what's not, etc. All in all, a good day and an educational one.
You're having lots of good open carry experiences. Man...we really need to get some cards rolling for GCO and GPDO. So, I'll relate one of mine from a while back. When it was getting near to Mother's day, my brother and I decided to hit the mall and see what struck us. I was open carrying my OD Glock19 at the time, with a tucked in polo and jeans. We walk around the outlet mall for a bit and nothing really jumped out at us until we saw a jewelry store and decided to see what they have. We both walk in and a gentleman from behind the counter greets us. I start looking at some of the earring/necklace combo things and the manager and I start to talk about the different stones. When we finally made the decision on what we wanted to get our Mom, the guy took it over to the counter and started ringing it up. He even reduced the price for us! So if you need to get some jewelry for your wife/gf and you are in the North Georgia area, check out Ultra Diamonds and ask for John Spitzner, the manager. He was very helpful and does not have a problem with open carry.
I was wishing I had some today for both instances. I always try to shed the best light possible for all of us while carrying. It's the only way we're going to change public perception. Grassroots efforts have always been successful. The only thing that scares me is that they've all been good for the 6 days I've had my GFL but I know that at some point my luck will run out and the harrassment will kick in. I'll handle it the same way I've handled everything else though. Is this the day you OCd at North Point Mall without an incident?
If the 50 feet from my car to the door going into Shane is when I get popped, then it was just my time. Agreed, however every time I have been in there it has been the same officer I have seen - must be dumb luck on my part. He did a double take on the holster when I walked in until one of the sales people greeted me by first name. And I didn't feel like I was putting myself in a bad situation considering there weren't any other cars in the parking lot other than employees and there was a cop there. I think I had a subconscious fear of Gwinnett PD after the conversation MP had, but I'll take my chances now. All in all, it was positive though, and that's all I could ask for.
Should I get an ankle holster for a BUG and leave that empty so I can watch their faces when they find 2 empty holsters as a result of an illegal search?
Yep. And then you gotta say: [Al Capone voice]You'll never find the third one coppers! Nevers! Ya here?! nnyyaaaa![/Al Capone] (or did I make that sound too much like the Penguin?)
Good Job spreading the word. I was wondering if the officer did a double take wondering if your gun jumped out of your holster and ran off with some bad folks.