Dick's Sporting Goods, Dickson City

[jahwarrior72]

it's my last day off of work, so i've been running around, trying to finish any little errand i can, while i can. i've been wanting some of those electronic ear plugs, the ones that are good for 85db, but will still let me hear normal conversation. those would be great for my job, and for shooting. Walmart used to carry them, but no longer. Gander Mountain is asking over $30 for them. i figured i could try Dick's, and see if they have them.

luck! and for less than $30, too. i walked around for a bit, and figured i'd give the clerk there my '21 Questions About the Marlin 336' routine.

as we spoke, an older gentleman walked over, and watched us for a minute. when the clerk was done talking, the other man approached me.

"i just wanted to ask: how much of a hassle do you get for open carrying around here?"

i was caught off guard by how polite he was. "uh, well, it depends. i don't hassled by police too much; it's normally busy body people."

"and where you are," the clerk chimed in. "if you're having dinner at the Old Country Buffet, for example. just some folks minding their business, and the cops came and yanked 'em outta there."

"yeah, i was one of those guys."

the clerk laughed, and the older man smiled. i went on. "i think that my ethnic background may have something to do with how much i get hassled, too. like, i'm more likely to get hassled, i think, than either of you, because people see a Puerto Rican with a gun."

the older man got visibly upset. "jeez, some people. act like Puerto Ricans aren't Americans or something."

"well," the clerk added, "like i said, it depends where you are. around here, a guy like you's gonna get hassled more, than if you were somewhere else."

i nodded in agreement. "still, most days, it's not really an issue. once in awhile, some busybody will walk up to me and tell me what an asshole i am, or how inappropriate it is, or something else rude."

"well," the clerk said, "they can't exactly blame their rudeness on you, can they? some people just can't mind their own business. to be honest, though, i'm surprised they didn't ask you to check that, or cover it up, when you walked in."

"i've never had a problem in here," i said.

"no? good."

"where do i pay for these?"

"up the front."

i walked towards the front of the store, with Tom, the older man. we continued talking about things. he served in Vietnam, was thinking about starting to open carry, and thought maybe that people were just scared of people who were OCing. that's when i thought back to something PennsyPlinker said, in another thread:

"Frightened people do not confront armed people to harangue them about their gun.

Frightened people call the police quietly. They sneak out the back door. They make themselves as small and as quiet as they can. They do not walk right up and initiate a hostile dialogue."

we spoke for another few minutes, as i paid for my ear plugs. i wrote down the website, and gave him my handle here.

"i'll be sure to stop by. just look for Redeye!" we shook hands, and parted. hopefully, i'll get to talk to him some more, here.

thanks, Pennsy, for the quote.

[hkg3]

Awesome story, it is always nice to hear about the good experiences and not just the bad.

Best regards,

Mike

[kurt 10/22]

Post removed by me, because after reading it today, it served no good purpose.

[Falcon118]

Another fine Job Jah. Thank you!!