TexasCHLforum.com

WOW! I was gone for a few days and not able to keep up. Man, it builds up quick and I had a ton of posts to skim through to catch up!

It was a good encounter. I can't complain at all. And, yes, it is proof that alot of police are very supportive of CHL. I was talking to my brother just the other day, and he wants to start taking some NRA instructor classes, and the CHL instructor class. A couple of officers he works with really think he should, and have already asked if their wives can take his class if he ever does it.

I usually try to buy a meal for officers if I can. I started this a few years ago. My brother, and two of our friends were having lunch during a break from a training class one day. All 3 of them were in uniform. When they sat down, there was a group of guys who were making comments and being generally obnoxious. They were talking about how crimes were happening and these "cops" (not really what they said, but not 10 y/o daughter friendly) were just sitting there eating, and comments like that. They just ignored them. When they got up to leave and pay, an old guy about 70 got up from a nearby table and took their ticket and paid for my brother and friends. He then went over to the obnoxious table and proceded to give an old school style rebuke to the young guys about respect and the hard job that our officers do. My brother told me about it later that day, and how much they appreciated it. I decided then that a little support goes along way, and now, I try to do the same when I can.

You still coming up this way on Thursday?

Yeah. We'll probably leave fairly early so we can play a little bit. We want to hit Cheaper Than Dirt, Cabela's, and Bass Pro before we have to pick up the wife. Her plane lands in DFW at 7:35, so we should have plenty of time if we leave Odessa early. I've got you cell number. I'll make sure I call you. Maybe we can get together, at least for a little while.

Rok, I'm suprised anyone remembers that! That guy was nutty as squirrel poop! Actually, I always try to pay for their lunch or dinner if I can. My brother and friends always told me that community support means alot to officers. In Odessa, unfortunately, they don't get much of that. There's unbelievable animosity towards our police department, and police in general here. You should see any article in our news paper, or responses online on the Odessa American's website to officer related stories. It's very disturbing sometimes.

I just ran out to grab lunch from the office. I was in line in front of a trooper and didn't really even think twice about it. All of a sudden, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You have a little problem there, buddy. You have a little hole in your shirt." It took a minute for anything to register, and I stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Then something dawned on me, and my eyes got GIANORMOUS! I'm not sure how it happened, but I must have torn a hole in my shirt, and he could see my gun. Just a little bit of the butt of my Kimber was poking out of the hole. He said, "I assume you have a CHL? I can see the clips for your holster." I told him yes, I had a CHL, and asked if he wanted to see it. He told me no, not at the moment, and asked if I wanted to sit with him. Then I ordered my meal and told the lady at the counter I'd get the troopers also. We both got our meals and sat down. I sat with my right side against the wall to hide my hole. He asked to see my CHL at the table and told me that he hadn't wanted to make a scene, and it obviously looked like a accident. So we talked about guns and holsters and all kinds of stuff for about half an hour. He asked about the holster I was wearing and how it works with a tucked in shirt. I told him, "Works great without any holes in my shirt!" Turns out, he knew my brother from when he was with OPD. We talked about him for awhile and I told him he'd moved to a new department near Austin and was enjoying the PD there. After lunch, we walked outside. He stayed on my right and hid my little problem. He headed back off to work and I ran home and changed shirts! All is well now and lunch was interesting to say the least!