"Open Carry Is Illegal!"

[jahwarrior72]

earlier today, took my lady and our son to a doctor's appt in Dunmore, on Meade St. my boy gets allergy shots every two weeks or so there. when we got there, i got out of the van, and walked around to the other side. my son had brought one of rats along for the ride, so i decided to take him and stay in the van with him. the nurses don't care about the gun, but rats are another story. on the scene were 2 Lackawanna sheriff's deputies; they were responding to another call. i saw them stop anna, and ask her some questions. they were pointing to me, and anna was nodding her head, smiling. i walked on over. "what's up, babe?"

"what are you doing?" said one.

"with him? he's a rat."

"no, with that gun?"

"oh. uh, nothing." anna shook her head and continued on her way, leaving me to deal with it.

"you can't do that. that illegal!" said the other deputy.

"no, it isn't."

"uh, yeah, it is."

"uh, no it isn't."

"you have a license to carry a gun?"

"yes."

"through our office?"

"yuppers."

"and what does it say on it?" said the first.

"it says: license to carry a firearm. L-T-C-F."

"to carry it concealed! you better cover that up, kid."

"i'm not a kid, i'm a 36 year old with lots of gray. and as far as covering up, is that your opinion, or is that the law?"

"it's the law!"

"no, it isn't. actually, i only need it if i want to carry it concealed. i don't need it to carry openly, except in Philly. and this ain't Philly, thank G*D."

"no, if you have a license, you have to conceal it!"

"not if i choose not to, officer."

"so you're not going to cover that up?"

"sir, if it was illegal, you would have arrested me by now."

the first one gave up. he threw up his hands in frustration, and said, "well, good luck with that! when you get pinched for that, don't say i didn't warn you!" he opened the door for me to enter the building.

"oh, no thanks. i can't go in there. the girls freak out about the rat."

"but they're okay with the gun?!?"

"yeah."

"jeez..."

i walked back to the van, and watched them. one of them called it in. i was close enough to hear: "when can you get someone down here?....how long?......he's walking around with a gun!.......yeah, i'll wait......alright, fine...."

i sat in my van, for another 15 minutes, playing with mercutio (the rat), waiting to see if someone showed. no one did. when anna returned, she asked, "so, are you arrested?"

"no. what did he ask you?"

"if you carried like that all the time, and if you had a license through their office, and if you knew it was illegal to open carry. what he ask you?"

"pretty much the same thing. whatever. they were full of shit. if it what illegal, they would have arrested me."

"do you have any of those flyers?"

"nah, shit. i gotta print some up when we get home."

[headcase]

earlier today, took my lady and our son to a doctor's appt in Dunmore, on Meade St. my boy gets allergy shots every two weeks or so there. when we got there, i got out of the van, and walked around to the other side. my son had brought one of rats along for the ride, so i decided to take him and stay in the van with him. the nurses don't care about the gun, but rats are another story. on the scene were 2 Lackawanna sheriff's deputies; they were responding to another call. i saw them stop anna, and ask her some questions. they were pointing to me, and anna was nodding her head, smiling. i walked on over. "what's up, babe?"

"what are you doing?" said one.

"with him? he's a rat."

"no, with that gun?"

"oh. uh, nothing." anna shook her head and continued on her way, leaving me to deal with it.

"you can't do that. that illegal!" said the other deputy.

"no, it isn't."

"uh, yeah, it is."

"uh, no it isn't."

"you have a license to carry a gun?"

"yes."

"through our office?"

"yuppers."

"and what does it say on it?" said the first.

"it says: license to carry a firearm. L-T-C-F."

"to carry it concealed! you better cover that up, kid."

"i'm not a kid, i'm a 36 year old with lots of gray. and as far as covering up, is that your opinion, or is that the law?"

"it's the law!"

"no, it isn't. actually, i only need it if i want to carry it concealed. i don't need it to carry openly, except in Philly. and this ain't Philly, thank G*D."

"no, if you have a license, you have to conceal it!"

"not if i choose not to, officer."

"so you're not going to cover that up?"

"sir, if it was illegal, you would have arrested me by now."

the first one gave up. he threw up his hands in frustration, and said, "well, good luck with that! when you get pinched for that, don't say i didn't warn you!" he opened the door for me to enter the building.

"oh, no thanks. i can't go in there. the girls freak out about the rat."

"but they're okay with the gun?!?"

"yeah."

"jeez..."

i walked back to the van, and watched them. one of them called it in. i was close enough to hear: "when can you get someone down here?....how long?......he's walking around with a gun!.......yeah, i'll wait......alright, fine...."

i sat in my van, for another 15 minutes, playing with mercutio (the rat), waiting to see if someone showed. no one did. when anna returned, she asked, "so, are you arrested?"

"no. what did he ask you?"

"if you carried like that all the time, and if you had a license through their office, and if you knew it was illegal to open carry. what he ask you?"

"pretty much the same thing. whatever. they were full of shit. if it what illegal, they would have arrested me."

"do you have any of those flyers?"

"nah, shit. i gotta print some up when we get home."

I am curious what call they could have been responding to, as responding to calls is not within their power, AFAIK. I would laugh at the absurdity of the whole encounter if there hadn't been a real danger of it costing you money over nothing. Glad it went the way it did bro.

[xddan]

I have to say one thing the law enforcement community needs to be educated. because every story i read the cops dont know the law and they enforce it! WTF. plus if im not mistaken the sheriffs in pa have no arrest authority. Dan (please do not quote me on this)

[bige64]

LOL... Thats exactly how I wouldve handled that situation....

[jahwarrior72]

I am curious what call they could have been responding to, as responding to calls is not within their power, AFAIK. I would laugh at the absurdity of the whole encounter if there hadn't been a real danger of it costing you money over nothing. Glad it went the way it did bro.

i don't know why they were there. they apparently were there for something else; they were there before i was, and they were waiting outside for someone. i saw them detain and question a younger guy after my encounter with them, and they were yelling at him at one point. they eventually let him go, and he looked rather pale. who knows.....

[Statkowski]

Now you know, the next time you carry a rat it had better be concealed!

[LittleRedToyota]

Now you know, the next time you carry a rat it had better be concealed!

only if you have an LTCR, though.

[LittleRedToyota]

Ibecause every story i read the cops dont know the law and they enforce it!

just remember that there are many more stories you don't read (because they do not get written up and posted) where a cop sees someone OCing, knows it is legal, and doesn't interact with the person at all.

[normanvin]

Now you know, the next time you carry a rat it had better be concealed!

He could be arrested for brandishing a rat.

[mythaeus]

"oh, no thanks. i can't go in there. the girls freak out about the rat."

"but they're okay with the gun?!?"

"yeah."

"jeez..."

Hahahaha ...that's funny!!!

Al