ShooterMcGavin
Regular Member
imported post
I have wanted to OC for a long time. The main attraction to OC is comfort. A secondary benefit might be less hassle from beggars (hopefully)- yes, I have been hassled when I refuse to give change to a beggar. There are certainly other benefits, but those are the ones I am looking for most of the time.
Ever since I started carrying, just less than 2 years ago, I have done as much reading as possible on the state laws and pertinent court rulings. I do not think I know all the answers - and I do still have the fear that the right combination of frightful-citizen, cop-with-an-attitude, and liberal-judge-with-an-agenda can leave me broke and locked up. I fear that there is always the possibility of an extreme, outlandishinterpretation of the law which I may one day have to battle. ...but, I do think things are getting better.
Thank you, to the many folks at this site who have given great advice and shared their experiences. Your information gives the rest of us the insight to know when and where the law is being pushed too far.
I took the advice of another member here and bought a voice recorder. I have owned a retention holster for a long time, but never really used it until now. I rode my motorcycle to a friend's place in Seattle, meeting up with some girls who would be riding with us (3 girls - whom I had not met, 3 guys, 3 bikes). I did not make a point of walking around with my jacket off or otherwise showing that I was carrying, at first. When I had to take my jacket off to carry something underneath, one of the girls exclaimed "oh my god, you're packing heat!":lol: That was as good an ice-breaker as any. In the usual shocked/upset tone she asked, "why do you carry that?". I held back the urge to offer a "smart" remark and replied, "for the same reason I wear a seatbelt in my car and have a smoke alarm in my house - just in case". Right after I said that, one of the girls somewhat proudly said that she owned a gun, but did not carry. I think that greatly helped the first girl's attitude, butI knew she was not happy about it. We went out to eat and I OCed at the restaurant on pier 56 (outdoors seating, but inside to order). I felt like there were a few people who looked at me, but I was not going to stare back at them to make sure they were looking at my gun. One of my friends remarked a couple times that he was surprised that I would carry out in the open like that. He actually said "that is so cool". The girl who was uncomfortable with my gun sat beside me for part of the meal. She told me she was uncomfortable with my gun being right near her and asked that I put my T-shirt over it. I said that I do not want to cover it because the metal gun is not comfortable against my skin, and she let it go. When we all got on the bikes, the gun-fearing-girl was on the back of my bike. I did not hear any other comments about the gun from her for the rest of the day - she was pleasant, but maybe she was just more afraid of riding on a motorcycle.
At the end of the ride, one friend and I ended up at Alki after dropping the girls off. We sat in front of one of the shops and my jacket was off. Nobody noticed as they walked by. Some of the friends that I saw (who know that I carry regularly) were a little surprised that I was OCing. I had a pleasant conversation with another guy who rides. He did not notice my gun for a long time, until I turned my strong side towards him and leaned to talk to a friend. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him makea pointing gesture towards my hip and his jaw kinda dropped. He was about to talk, but never said anything. He seemed like the ex-military type. I do not think he was scared or upset, just very shocked that someone could do that.
That was all that happened. I know it's not that news-worthy, nor was I really OCing for most of the day since my riding jacket conceals the gun completely (yes, I have my CPL too). I just wanted to contribute my experience.
If anyone cares to comment on how I handled the conversations, I will gladly accept criticism.
I have wanted to OC for a long time. The main attraction to OC is comfort. A secondary benefit might be less hassle from beggars (hopefully)- yes, I have been hassled when I refuse to give change to a beggar. There are certainly other benefits, but those are the ones I am looking for most of the time.
Ever since I started carrying, just less than 2 years ago, I have done as much reading as possible on the state laws and pertinent court rulings. I do not think I know all the answers - and I do still have the fear that the right combination of frightful-citizen, cop-with-an-attitude, and liberal-judge-with-an-agenda can leave me broke and locked up. I fear that there is always the possibility of an extreme, outlandishinterpretation of the law which I may one day have to battle. ...but, I do think things are getting better.
Thank you, to the many folks at this site who have given great advice and shared their experiences. Your information gives the rest of us the insight to know when and where the law is being pushed too far.
I took the advice of another member here and bought a voice recorder. I have owned a retention holster for a long time, but never really used it until now. I rode my motorcycle to a friend's place in Seattle, meeting up with some girls who would be riding with us (3 girls - whom I had not met, 3 guys, 3 bikes). I did not make a point of walking around with my jacket off or otherwise showing that I was carrying, at first. When I had to take my jacket off to carry something underneath, one of the girls exclaimed "oh my god, you're packing heat!":lol: That was as good an ice-breaker as any. In the usual shocked/upset tone she asked, "why do you carry that?". I held back the urge to offer a "smart" remark and replied, "for the same reason I wear a seatbelt in my car and have a smoke alarm in my house - just in case". Right after I said that, one of the girls somewhat proudly said that she owned a gun, but did not carry. I think that greatly helped the first girl's attitude, butI knew she was not happy about it. We went out to eat and I OCed at the restaurant on pier 56 (outdoors seating, but inside to order). I felt like there were a few people who looked at me, but I was not going to stare back at them to make sure they were looking at my gun. One of my friends remarked a couple times that he was surprised that I would carry out in the open like that. He actually said "that is so cool". The girl who was uncomfortable with my gun sat beside me for part of the meal. She told me she was uncomfortable with my gun being right near her and asked that I put my T-shirt over it. I said that I do not want to cover it because the metal gun is not comfortable against my skin, and she let it go. When we all got on the bikes, the gun-fearing-girl was on the back of my bike. I did not hear any other comments about the gun from her for the rest of the day - she was pleasant, but maybe she was just more afraid of riding on a motorcycle.
At the end of the ride, one friend and I ended up at Alki after dropping the girls off. We sat in front of one of the shops and my jacket was off. Nobody noticed as they walked by. Some of the friends that I saw (who know that I carry regularly) were a little surprised that I was OCing. I had a pleasant conversation with another guy who rides. He did not notice my gun for a long time, until I turned my strong side towards him and leaned to talk to a friend. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him makea pointing gesture towards my hip and his jaw kinda dropped. He was about to talk, but never said anything. He seemed like the ex-military type. I do not think he was scared or upset, just very shocked that someone could do that.
That was all that happened. I know it's not that news-worthy, nor was I really OCing for most of the day since my riding jacket conceals the gun completely (yes, I have my CPL too). I just wanted to contribute my experience.
If anyone cares to comment on how I handled the conversations, I will gladly accept criticism.