You are gonna cause trouble for all of us....

[ReconLdr]

I was home in Allentown today for my daughters birthday party. I needed to pick up the cake and some food from Wegmans on 512, so I clipped on my pistol and off we went. My son and I were waiting at the Bakery counter and an older guy approaches me:

OG: Excuse me, your pistol is showing.

Me: I know, thank you.

OG: You are carrying like that on purpose?

Me: Yes

OG: You can't do that, it's against the law.

Me: No, it isn't. OC is completely legal and my choice to carry like this.

OG: My neighbor is a cop, I am gonna call him.

Me: Ok, call him

OG: He will come down here and arrest you.

Me: For what? I didn't break any laws.

I gave him a copy of the OC flyer, he looked at it and threw it in my cart.

OG: I have MS Office too, you can't risk your freedom to something you downloaded from the internet. I am calling my neighbor.

He called his neighbor the "COP" who must have informed him that he was wrong. I could only hear his side of the conversation but I did hear a lot of "No shit, really?" and "your department had training on this?"

OG: Well I guess I was wrong but, you shouldn't carry like that. I have had a "Concealed Carry Permit" for years and have never thought OC would be a good thing to do. You are gonna scare some old lady in the grocery store, you should be a little more responsible. You are gonna cause trouble for all of us [gunowners].

Me: I know I should be more responsible, but the 15 round mags keep getting caught up on my seatbelt, so the 13 rounders will have to do. I know quite a few people who OC all the time. This is my choice, I don't expect you to understand it, just understand that it is my right to carry this way. BTW it is a LTCF, not a CCP.

My order came and I went to the catering counter. The guy followed me around the store while talking on his cell phone. Once I got in line to check out, he seemed to go on about his business. When we got out in the truck my son finally commented on the encounter.

Son: Dad, why was that guy so mad at you? He said he is a gun owner too. I can't understand why someone who has guns wouldn't like others to have them.

Me: I don't know kid, I guess he just didn't know the laws.

Son: He should look them up on the internet then, right dad? I think we should go shooting for fathers day, I think Pop would like it if we went to his house to shoot.

Me: I am sure he would.

[YllwFvr]

I think I would have gotten a bit irritated with him when he threw the flier down.
You handled it superbly. I can only hope to do the same if it comes to having a conversation with someone who is uninformed.

[Curmudgeon]

I think I would have gotten a bit irritated with him when he threw the flier down.
You handled it superbly. I can only hope to do the same if it comes to having a conversation with someone who is uninformed.

+1

I'm afraid I do not suffer fools gladly. Something I am working on currently. Although I have yet to have an encounter like this, I'm certain one is looming on my horizon.



So, yet another enlightenment has been added to the books, good for you.

"The problem isn't what they don't know. It's what they know that just ain't so."

I still can't believe he said that.

[soberbyker]

~snip~

So, yet another enlightenment has been added to the books, good for you.

"The problem isn't what they don't know. It's what they know that just ain't so."

I still can't believe he said that.

Even more impressive was the "cop" on the other end of the phone knowing what the real deal is. "No Shit, really?"

[cigarmanpa]

I don't think I could ever OC daily. I have no tolerance for stupid people, I'd flip out on someone. you did quite well though

[Curmudgeon]

Even more impressive was the "cop" on the other end of the phone knowing what the real deal is. "No Shit, really?"

LOL! No shit. That *was* a bit of a coin-toss, wasn't it?

[jcabin]

I don't think I could ever OC daily. I have no tolerance for stupid people, I'd flip out on someone. you did quite well though

For me, and I've seen others express this feeling as well, OC'ing is a humbling thing.

[ReconLdr]

I don't think I could ever OC daily. I have no tolerance for stupid people, I'd flip out on someone. you did quite well though

I don't OC every time. I OC most of the time. There are times when I would not want an encounter with an ass clown like this guy today. If I am going to a ball game, I want to watch the ball game and not be bothered. I prefer to OC, I guess the years in the Army are the cause. If I know I am in a bad mood I don't OC because I don't want to have an arguement with someone then they say I scared them with my pistol. This is my arguement for why I need so many pistols. I like having options on what to carry and how to carry it.

[Paradigm]

Well played, sir.

The best part of the story is that you were a good role model for your son. You could have become a mean jerk to the old guy, but you handled it well and with respect, even if the old guy didn't.

+rep for the Father's Day lesson.

[lildobe]

I gave him a copy of the OC flyer, he looked at it and threw it in my cart.

OG: I have MS Office too, you can't risk your freedom to something you downloaded from the internet. I am calling my neighbor.

This is why I've started carrying around the OC pages from the 2009 MPOTEC training manual

http://forum.pafoa.org/open-carry-14...tml#post782693

For the people who think the flier is BS - it's kind of hard for them to shoot down something from the Commonwealth

ETA, you did a good job handling it - there are some people who just don't WANT to be educated by a peer.