First (kinda) Bad OC incident

[blankexistance]

Place: Wal-mart
Time: about 30 mins ago.

So, my buddy was picking out yogurt cause he's trying to be healthy, when I see this older guy and I'm assuming his grandson walking over to us. "Let's see how this goes" I thought. He didn't look angry or anything, he actually looked inquisitive. He had his right hand out in front of him as if he was going to shake my hand, so I started to offer mine, but then he went slack and got real close to me. Within a good 6", I could feel his breath on me. Anywho, it goes:

Him: Why are you carrying a gun like that? (still don't really know how far this is going to go, but startin to feel the adrenalin kick in since he is in my face)
Me: Because PA state law allows me to, sir. (Showing respect for my elders, and said it with a smile in case this turned out to be an old guy messin with me)
Him: Why do you have to carry it in a grocery store?
Me: You'll never know when you'll need it.

My buddy apparently said right away "Do you know him?" but my total focus was on this guy at the time. My friend also got to my left side, between me and the man, my back was to the yogurt. Anywho, I realized how close he was, so I took a step back and braced myself in case SHTF.

Him: You got a permit for that?
Me: No sir, I have a LTCF.
Him: So do I, but I....(he finished his sentence as he was walking away, and after talking to my friend, we can't piece together what was said.)
Me: Thanks for violating my space, by the way, that was real nice! (I said it with a nice voice, but the intent was to show that he was harassing me, NOT to "get the last word" or anything like that).

Later, as we were checking out, my friend who was ringing us up told us that the guy went to complain to the manager. It went something like this:

Him: There's a kid, smaller build, and he has a pistol!
Manager: Well, did he have it in his hands and pointing at you?
Him: No, but...
Manager: Then he hasn't done anything wrong.

That was the story that was told to us. Since there were no LEO, I'm assuming that's all that came of it. So kudos to Wal-mart for being awesome and doing their jobs correctly. Most likely will be calling to say GJ to the manager. (though, I really don't want that convo to stray and turn into a lecture about why I shouldn't carry, blah blah blah)

I should have got out my voice recorder to record the event, or cellphone to videotape it. Had he looked pissed, I probably would have (and probably should have anyways), but like I said, he didn't give off that vibe, so I didn't.

I shouldn't have let him get so close, I know. However, if it turned out to be an good/average encounter rather than a "bad" one, I would have felt like an ass. Oh well.

In retrospect, I did have some auditory exclusion (not hearing my friend). Also tunnel vision, and visual clarity. I didn't notice my friend got very close to me and the guy, but I could count the hairs on his face from his 5 o'clock shadow. Despite knowing what can happen during a sympathetic response to the nervous system (thanks to reading On Killing and specifically On Combat) I obviously have little experience in stepping back mentally (to break tunnel vision, and hopefully auditory exclusion).

I feel I did well, for just wanting to dissolve the situation. Again, I know I shouldn't have let him get that close, but if he did anything, my friend was right there, and we would have been on camera, and I would have sued .

That's all!

[GlockedAndLoaded]

Those Grandfathers sure are scary.

[uniballin]

WTF is wrong with people???

[t1m0thy]

WTF is wrong with people???

They wake up in the morning.

[grandmaterkathy]

Those Grandfathers sure are scary.

Hay my husband carries as does my son, son-in-law and myself.
We all open and cc carry depending on where we are going. So not all grandfathers OR grandmothers, for that matter, are scary unless you cross us LOL.

[ScaredOnce]

The grandad might have been of the, "You're going to ruin it for the rest of us mentality...".

I have to admit, I used to feel the same. Go back and look at some of my posts circa 2007.5 arguing this in the OC threads. But, I came around after reading things on PAFOa and the PAOpenCarry site.

Sometimes, it's best to be overtly polite and civil if there's even the slightest chance that you could educate someone else or at least "do no harm" regarding their opinions of pro-2A issues.

[Franky4Fingers]

I'll never understand the 0.5% of people who actually approach people with guns and give them shit.

[Statkowski]

Those Grandfathers sure are scary.

My wife says that every now and then. Of course, she could be talking about me.

Old man had a problem, you didn't. That's the way it should be.

[ScaredOnce]

I'll never understand the 0.5% of people who actually approach people with guns and give them shit.

That's the underlying part that always makes me cock my head to the side also... lol

"Hey, I don't like seeing "regular" people with firearms, because they might do something violent. Ohh, I know... I'll go start a confrontation with them." Eventually maybe the hoplophobe will approach a truly violent bad person. Maybe that's proof of evolution and natural selection at work...?

(not in reference to the OP's encounter or grandpa)

[electronics]

That's the underlying part that always makes me cock my head to the side also... lol

"Hey, I don't like seeing "regular" people with firearms, because they might do something violent. Ohh, I know... I'll go start a confrontation with them." Eventually maybe the hoplophobe will approach a truly violent bad person. Maybe that's proof of evolution and natural selection at work...?

(not in reference to the OP's encounter or grandpa)

I wonder what happens when they do this to a cop who is OCing in plainclothes. I think the disconnect here is that somewhere in the reptile part of our brain we realize that bad guys never open carry because they are trying to hide things, being that in a lot of cases they are breaking the law. People who do "the approach" may not even realize that's why they feel safe starting shit.