Quick chat with four officers.

[chp1911]

I went to the local Township building to pick up an application for a temporary sign permit. I stopped at the bulletin board to check out the minutes of the local Supervisors meeting for about 3 minutes and then headed upstairs to the zoning office to pick up my application.

I had to wait about 5 minutes for the lady at the counter to finish helping the person ahead of me and then asked for the permit application. She handed me the application, I thanked her and I headed down the hall to leave, as I turned the corner of the hallway I see a police officer walking down the hall toward me. As I got closer to him he stopped and asked if I was conducting business. I replied that I was and he stated that I had alarmed one of the ladies in the building for open carrying. I told him that I had done several times in the past and not startled anyone.

At this time 3 more officers came around the corner and stopped in front of me. I asked the first officer if there was a problem and he restated that my open carrying had alarmed a lady and I replied that Pa. is an open carry state and that I was not doing anything illegal and that It was not my intention to startle the lady. He replied that he knew that it was legal but that I had startled the lady. At this point I laughed and asked if there was anything else, he said no and started walking down the hall and made my way to the exit. Total time about 15 minutes.

All in all I found it rather amusing that the police took the time to dispatch 4 officers to the township building for something that they know was legal. One other thing that I found interesting was the different attitudes of the four officers during this encounter. The officer that engaged me verbally seemed a bit aggressive, the second officer looked like he was angry, the third looked like he was just there to observe because he had to be and the fourth was smiling the whole time.

[KEQ]

[poconojoe]

Read my MWAG in restaurant post. Police were laughing that some knit wit in the restaurant went nuts on my open carry. Both cops were like, Damn we were just heading for dinner.

[Deleted]

All in all I found it rather amusing that the police took the time to dispatch 4 officers to the township building for something that they know was legal. One other thing that I found interesting was the different attitudes of the four officers during this encounter. The officer that engaged me verbally seemed a bit aggressive, the second officer looked like he was angry, the third looked like he was just there to observe because he had to be and the fourth was smiling the whole time.

The "police" don't take the time to dispatch 4 officers... 911 does.. based on what they are told over the phone by the ninny that called them. This may also play a large role into the anger, smiles, and aggressive looks you saw. A call of "crazed killer armed with a gun in the zoning office" can get you pissy when you find out it's nothing more than a goofy clerk that overreacted and risked your life responding to nothing.

[streaker69]

The "police" don't take the time to dispatch 4 officers... 911 does.. based on what they are told over the phone by the ninny that called them. This may also play a large role into the anger, smiles, and aggressive looks you saw. A call of "crazed killer armed with a gun in the zoning office" can get you pissy when you find out it's nothing more than a goofy clerk that overreacted and risked your life responding to nothing.

Maybe they should go and voice their displeasure with the ninny that called them?

[Deleted]

Maybe they should go and voice their displeasure with the ninny that called them?

Perhaps he did.

[Champagne Lady]

This is exactly why I conceal carry. It only takes one frightened, uninformed citizen to make a mess. I prefer to keep mine hidden so as to avoid any trouble or idiocy like this.

[Manxdriver]

This is exactly why I conceal carry. It only takes one frightened, uninformed citizen to make a mess. I prefer to keep mine hidden so as to avoid any trouble or idiocy like this.

Yeah, I know what you mean. that's why I never say what I really think, and NEVER read my Bible in public, or assemble with like-minded folks for a picnic to celebrate our gun rights, or anything else 'revolutionary' like that. Wouldn't want to offend anyone by EXERCISING MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHTS!!!!

[chp1911]

The "police" don't take the time to dispatch 4 officers... 911 does.. based on what they are told over the phone by the ninny that called them. This may also play a large role into the anger, smiles, and aggressive looks you saw. A call of "crazed killer armed with a gun in the zoning office" can get you pissy when you find out it's nothing more than a goofy clerk that overreacted and risked your life responding to nothing.

The sad thing about this whole affair is that the police dept. is in the same building and I have been in the zoning office many times in the past and I have OC'd to a township supervisors meeting with no issues before so I am fairly certain that it was a township employee that started the event. I guess that the next time I am at a meeting I could suggest that the supervisors notify all township employees of the laws regarding OC.

[chp1911]

Maybe they should go and voice their displeasure with the ninny that called them?

I thought about that after I had left the building.