"If you're gonna cause a public hysteria in there..." (encounter at the market)

[chauncey]

I would think anyone carrying a gun in this state/country would not be of the "predator" mindset when they strap one on. I prefer to think of just adding a tool to my tool box for dealing with a situation. My first and always first would be to walk away, second would be to run, and third would be to fight.

That being said, I don't think I need to see a gun on your hip to know if you are the lamb or the wolf. I size up everyone I come in contact with, everywhere I go. I pick seating in places I go based on this, just habit. I generally know if someone is packing but their body language, and the OCers help that alot because I am none to bright now and then : ).

I truly do not believe in predatory behavior, or carrying a gun to say I am a bad ass. If you OC for the tactical advantages bravo, if you carry to extend your unit, I would really prefer you sell your weapons, this will lead to bad things for all of us at some point.

Anyone carrying a weapon should have an added level of respect for everyone. No one wants undue attention (i hope). This will get rid of a lot of the problems you encounter. Having a good knowledge of the laws will also help you alot too, when coupled with the respect for others idea you may actually make friends.

After a few messages with the OP, I can tell you he may be a little too cock sure, but he knows his laws, and I think can be a great asset to many of us on here. Though I am still amazed with the utter lack of respect and intellience by a few on here. Attacking your own kind instead of educating will just hurt us all.

i think you may be misunderstanding the point of my post.

in both the circumstances i discussed, i was not carrying a weapon of any kind. my point had nothing to do with being a predator, but it had everything to do with carrying yourself in a manner that does not provoke an attack. to be sure, anyone who is a true predator is a sociopath and will not be concerned with the legalities of carrying or staying out of jail.

the only allowance in modern society where predatory behavior is permitted is by soldiers in time of war. and, as we can see with recent circumstances especially, our nation's morals require our soldiers and Marines to walk a razor's edge between the sanity of civilization and the madness of war. i think as a society are expectaions are sometimes too high. i see a distinct difference between crimes against the innocent or living, and crimes against the dead. i digress.

be clear, man in his most primal state is an animal. this topic is discussed in famous books and stories such as The Most Dangerous Game and Lord of the Flies, to name a few. a more practical observation of this is a recent book i read, entitled The Gift of Fear.

i have not developed my philosophies from a desire to do harm. i have developed them by working around and with people from a wide swath of society, as a (non-combat, to be clear) Marine infantryman, and as a civilian in a career field where i must be able to converse intelligently with an educated professional one minute, and possibly a three-time violent felon the next.

i work in construction, which means everyone i am around, is in possession of a perfectly legal improvised weapon At All Times. truthfully, i am most concerned with being attacked not by a firearm, but by a claw hammer.

i am not only expected to work on different levels with different types of people, but to also get them to do what i need to get done. this requires the application of a wide variety of methods and techniques. many are cooperative but confrontation does occur also. i can tell you that if i avoided any and all confrontation i could never do my job. and if i did not have the willingness to look another individual in the eye, not knowing his background, intent or capabilities, and to tell him to go do what i want done, i would be incapable of completing my work.

the most important tool in the box is your brain.

given the choice between foolishly behaving like prey while being armed, or intelligently exhibiting the behavior that dissuades a predator from attacking me, i will take the latter every time. i can almost guarantee that if you find yourself in a confrontation or dangerous situation and behave like a scared mouse, you will almost certainly be attacked or at least significantly increase the odds of the attack taking place.

the psychology you use may be modified slightly based on whether you OC, CC or don't carry at all, but the basic concepts are the same. i have many friend in the Law Enforcement field, everything from Federal to state and local LEO's, to corrections officers and probation officers. some perfrom their duties extremely well armed, some minimally armed and some not armed at all. some are well-supported by colleages and some need to work on their own. when i have discussed these techniques with them, many describe using the techniques discussed in my post, without even realizing it.

sowhatever you do or don't do, do it intentionally and intelligently. consider the consequences of your behavior, plan the way you are going to act, then project the correct image, accordingly.