NotTwoShure
Well-known member
Nice to see we are all playing nice nice with each other. In AZ open carry is common. Paragrfing and spilling wrds korectly be an option, too close to the boaurder I guess.
Open Carry Question (Complete With Pragraphs)
- Thread starter Treo
- Start date
golddigger14s
SFC At Fort Lewis, WA
What part of WA are you in? Our OC group has get togethers almost every weekend around the state. Here is a link for a big BBQ in July in Kitsap County.
Link Removed
Tricolor Dad:
You hit it out of the park. Your right sadly there are plenty of people that do not even know the Bill of Rights exist or its meaning.
The Walmart thing again your right. People shop where they can stretch their dollar. Doesn't make them beneath anyone.
My wife and I shop there saving money helps when you make choices to be a single income family.
Also you know that trashy Walnart that really stepped up to help those in need in Oaklahoma. Oh yeah there are other trashy retailers like Home Depot that set up make shift animal clinic to treat pets after the devistation there.
You hit it out of the park. Your right sadly there are plenty of people that do not even know the Bill of Rights exist or its meaning.
The Walmart thing again your right. People shop where they can stretch their dollar. Doesn't make them beneath anyone.
My wife and I shop there saving money helps when you make choices to be a single income family.
Also you know that trashy Walnart that really stepped up to help those in need in Oaklahoma. Oh yeah there are other trashy retailers like Home Depot that set up make shift animal clinic to treat pets after the devistation there.
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golddigger14s
SFC At Fort Lewis, WA
OK, here is an event that happened down in your area.
Link Removed
Remember anybody can suggest a meet and greet. Just pick a day, time, location, and post it. Don't ask on the forum what day, because you will get a dozen answers. Just post it, and the people that can make it will come. You can create your own Vancouver/Portland area BBQ. The knowledge you can gain by getting together with some like minded people can be priceless. Also most people on OCDO don't rag on people for every little thing as much as they do on here.
BuddhaKat
The Big Happy Fat Kat
Treo, I think the difference between you and I is that when I go out in public, doing my thing, I refuse to do anything other than live life to the fullest. I refuse to live every second in the belief that a threat is imminent. If I were to do so, I would probably turn into a paranoid and unfriendly guy. I've got better things to do with my life.
Do you know what's different about me when I'm armed in public? Not a damn thing from when I'm unarmed in public. The alias BuddhaKat came about when I ran into the avatar somewhere on the internet. A happy, fat cat. Yah, that could be me. In public you'll almost always find me smiling or laughing, just the same as when I'm at home. In public, I'm outgoing and communicative. I'm the guy that says hi to everyone. I almost always get a hi back. I can't begin to count the times I've come home and told my wife "I met the nicest person today". Do you have those stories? I rather doubt it. You strike me as someone who's life is nothing more than living in the shadows, afraid to immerse yourself in the wonders of everyday life. God forbid you should have to actually talk to anyone.
That's not to say for one second that I'm not aware of my surroundings. I guarantee my SA is just as good as yours. Very little goes on around me that I'm not aware of. I am not oblivious to any threats. But I also have to merge my security concerns with the truth that the guy stand behind me in line at Burger King has just as much right to be there as I do. If I'm unwilling to let a stranger inside my bubble, I shouldn't go out in public. I'm concerned for my safety. The fact that I carry a gun is proof that I'm more concerned than most people. But I'm not willing to change my demeanor without reason. I'm a happy, fat kat until the SHTF. Then I become more capable of defending myself than most people. I don't give any more thought to wearing my gun than I do my watch. It's just something I go out with.
I bet at the end, I'll have died a much happier man than you. I'd rather go out that way.
Do you know what's different about me when I'm armed in public? Not a damn thing from when I'm unarmed in public. The alias BuddhaKat came about when I ran into the avatar somewhere on the internet. A happy, fat cat. Yah, that could be me. In public you'll almost always find me smiling or laughing, just the same as when I'm at home. In public, I'm outgoing and communicative. I'm the guy that says hi to everyone. I almost always get a hi back. I can't begin to count the times I've come home and told my wife "I met the nicest person today". Do you have those stories? I rather doubt it. You strike me as someone who's life is nothing more than living in the shadows, afraid to immerse yourself in the wonders of everyday life. God forbid you should have to actually talk to anyone.
That's not to say for one second that I'm not aware of my surroundings. I guarantee my SA is just as good as yours. Very little goes on around me that I'm not aware of. I am not oblivious to any threats. But I also have to merge my security concerns with the truth that the guy stand behind me in line at Burger King has just as much right to be there as I do. If I'm unwilling to let a stranger inside my bubble, I shouldn't go out in public. I'm concerned for my safety. The fact that I carry a gun is proof that I'm more concerned than most people. But I'm not willing to change my demeanor without reason. I'm a happy, fat kat until the SHTF. Then I become more capable of defending myself than most people. I don't give any more thought to wearing my gun than I do my watch. It's just something I go out with.
I bet at the end, I'll have died a much happier man than you. I'd rather go out that way.
Treo
Bullet Proof
There's no doubt in my mind that you've completely missed my point the only question is have you deliberately missed it. I've made myself quite clear
BuddhaKat
The Big Happy Fat Kat
I got your point. I'm not sure you got mine.
In my experience, 99.999% of the people that see me in public, in possession of my gun, pay it no attention whatsoever. I do see people glancing at the gun, but most folk just keep going. Occasionally, someone will ask about it. Most of the time I get asked if I'm a cop. Sometimes I get asked if it's legal to carry openly. I look at these encounters as education opportunities and I make full use of them. Can you say the same? I have to wonder, (but not a lot).
Body language is a huge part of SA. What does yours say?
I was walking out of the grocery store the other day and a guy stopped me. Actually, he touched my arm as I was walking by. That action put me into an immediate threat assessment mode, especially since the guy was a 'biker' type. We made eye contact and he blurts out "Thank you". "For what?" I said. (I swear to Gawd, I had no idea what he was talking about. I didn't know this guy from Adam.) "For openly carrying a gun in public" he quipped.
The instant he touched me I turned my body to put him on my left side and my gun on the right. I didn't grab the handle but I did put my arm straight down, in back of the handle, palm facing inward. I didn't touch the gun, but I was ready to draw. So here we are in (your) worst nightmare scenario, having to talk to a stranger. (Just kidding). But in all seriousness, I'm sure our mindsets would be miles apart on how to handle this. I didn't perceive an actual threat, but I did perceive a situation requiring a threat assessment. I turned to protect my weapon and I positioned for a quick draw. I did this is a split second. Then came the threat assessment. His "Thank you" wasn't enough for me to relax my posture, but good enough to hold me from drawing. (It was just a simple touch after all). My question, "For what" was to gather more info for the threat assessment. His answer was sincere enough to take me all the way back to DEFCON 5. We chatted for a couple of minutes and went on our way. No harm, no foul. One thing for sure, he had no idea he had elevated my defense condition.
When I'm carrying I tend not to fixate on the gun. I never lose focus that it's there, but I don't let its presence own me. It's just one of the many accessories I wear during the course of my day. If I'm going to be in public, the public is going to be in close proximity to me. It's just the way it is. The public shouldn't have to step out of their way just because I'm walking through. Conversely, I have a SUPREME responsibility to not endanger anyone that isn't an immediate threat to my life. While I obviously support a person's right to defend themselves, I also support the public's right to be safe from an idiot with a gun. It is a complicated dance to be sure.
