OC encounters are rare

[Shisno]

Time and time again I see people who are hesitant about OC saying that they don't want all the attention and they don't want to try and convert people. While confrontations do happen, they are rare. For instance, I barely ever get anybody to comment on it at all. And either, its neutral or positive. Only twice have I had anything that could be considered a negative experience. The first was when a northern York regional cop took it upon himself to educated this lowly citizen that I should conceal like "everybody else". The other was me finding out my bank had a no guns policy. And the negative part came in the way they told me (a phone call from their corporate office 30 min after I left their store). The moral of the story is that it's rare to have someone even comment on it. At least it is for me. And I'm pretty sure that to most people, I'm not intimidating at all. No reason for me to scare off possible encounters. So if you don't count the one today, my last conversation about my OC was probably in September time frame.

Today's encounter:
I was getting a small coffee at a Rutter's that I've been going to for years. They know me there but I'm not the kind of person to be on first name basis with all the cashiers. But they know me and what I get. Anyways after I swipe my card and key my pin, the cashier asks me...

Cashier: why do you have a gun? (She asked it about as neutral as one could ask a question like that)
Me: Huh? Oh, well I always have one.
(I wasn't expecting any sort of conversation other than the usual. Plus I'm still groggy so it took me a second. After that answer, she still seemed kind of confused, so I followed it up with...)
Me: Can't be too careful nowadays.
Cashier: Yea you're right about that.
We then said goodbye and that was it.

That has been the majority of my encounters. That or it's really positive where another CCer comes up to me and we strike up a conversation.

I just want to reinforce that these negative encounters that we hear about so much here are the extreme minority. The only reason they are so prevalent here is because they are big major things when they happen. In other words, they are a big deal, so we make a big deal out of them and probably blow them out of proportion. So if you're on the edge of OC and are only held back by the thought of a negative encounter, then I hope you remember, that most people don't notice, and those that do, most don't care. It's not a big deal.

[heatheroo]

Finally had my first "OC encounter" last night.........and it was another PAFOA member. He spotted my IWB holstered SP101 while I was walking my dog and stopped to inquire whether anyone ever gave me a hard time about carrying. I have been carrying for a few years now....pretty much all the time that I am out and he's the first person who ever noticed/remarked.

Ironically, I get comments often on my NRA hat. Usually its positive but occasionally I get the "look".