VERY Positive PSP Encounter

**PennsyPlinker** · September 11th, 2008, 01:54 PM

I go for weeks, months even, with no reaction or comment on my OC, even when I go into completely new places or meet new people. Now I have had two in three days. As I mentioned in another thread, I was on business when I went to Best Buy. Today was a pure pleasure trip to the Handgunner in Topton.

I have a suppressor scheduled to arrive sometime in the next couple of weeks, and I am eagerly preparing for its advent. So after getting some actual work done this morning, I went to the Handgunner with a handful of pistols and a handful of suppressor adapters to get things, well, adapted.

As is my custom, I was openly carrying my Sig Sauer SP 2022 in a Blackhawk Serpa. The shop had two other people in it ahead of me, so I was wandering around, lusting after some of the items in the case or on the wall. A few minutes after I arrived, the door opened, and in stepped a State Police officer.

I backed away from the counter and flexed the fingers on my drawin' hand.

Well, not really.

He said hello, and I said hello back. He was there to lust after a rifle that is being sold on consignment. So we both stood there waiting to be taken care of, exchanged a few superficial comments, and then it was my turn. I got all my stuff taken care of, and then asked if I could look at the gun I currently have on layaway to check the fit of the suppressor adapter. While I was doing so, the owner got a phone call, and from the looks of things, he was going to be on it for a while. So I walked my layaway gun over to where he was standing so he would see I was done with it. As I passed the officer, I said that I wanted to be sure he (the owner) saw me give it back to him so that he (the officer) would not have to chase me down the street. I got the expected laugh, deposited the gun, and walked out the door. As I was getting truck started, the officer appeared in the parking lot right next to me.

"Here it comes", I thought. I figured I would have to give him ID since I was already sitting in the truck with the engine running. But he did not even ask. He waved as he was getting into his patrol car, and so I spoke up. I told him I would wait to move until he got out of the parking lot, since his vehicle was between mine and the entrance, and mine doesn't do very well in tight places with lots of other vehicles around it. He responded that he had not even been sure about parking when he arrived, but he really wanted that rifle. So we talked for a few minutes about guns and wives, and how the two don't always mix very well when it comes to spending money. After a few minutes of very pleasant conversation, he got in his car and drove away. I was not proned out (it would have been hard for him), I was not ordered to produce any ID, and we had a real nice exchange. And he would have had to have the visual acuity of Stevie Wonder to not have seen my Sig the whole time we were in the store.

Once again, a very good experience, but not without just a little adrenaline to go with it.

**kevindsingleton** · September 11th, 2008, 02:09 PM

Good story, well told.

Where's this "Handgunner" of which you speak?

**bigdog02** · September 11th, 2008, 02:13 PM

Good story!
I wonder what the outcome would have been if you had been in McDonalds instead of a gun shop?

**PennsyPlinker** · September 11th, 2008, 02:34 PM

Kevin, the Handgunner is a little shop in downtown Topton - just a little bit of a drive from Beaver County! Our middle daughter went to college in Beaver Falls, so I know.

But it is a very nice place, friendly, knowledgeable people, good selection, etc. His main focus is on handguns, but he has a small selection of rifles and shotguns as well.

Bigdog02, the outcome might have been very different. And maybe not. If he thinks a crime is being committed, he is responsible for addressing that regardless of the location. But what makes this good news in my book is the guy got a chance to interact with a regular citizen openly carrying. And that news might spread. Or if I get into it with another citizen who is an anti, he might be the responding officer. This is just one more building block in normalizing OC for people here in PA.

**P-11 shooter** · September 11th, 2008, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by bigdog02

Good story!
I wonder what the outcome would have been if you had been in McDonalds instead of a gun shop?

He'd be lusting over a burger instead of a rifle.

**bigdog02** · September 11th, 2008, 02:45 PM

I could go for some chicken nuggets.

I guess a lot of factors come into play into the equation such as location in the state, peoples reactions around the OC, etc.
Would be curious to see if it plyaed out any differently with the same people, same general conversation in a McDonalds waiting in line.
Go forth and partake of cheeseburgers until a cop comes in!

In all seriousness, thanks for sharing though and a good encounter it was!