Never again tell anyone that you carry.....

[stevie_d_64]

And for him to grumble??? I hope if you're not at that company anymore, and you left on your own terms...Not just because of the "gun" thing, but just that it doesn't appear to be condusive to your personality and personal beliefs, which I figure you are way above the curve at that place...

I still work there. I'm slowly working on the boss. I'm taking him and his daughter shooting this week, actually. I think there's a gun owner in him just waiting to come out, once he learns that if he touches one, he won't automatically become an evil mass murderer, and the gun won't blow up in his hands or anything.

EDIT: Since I grew up an Anti, from an anti family, I have a lot of experience with them. I've found most Anti's arent staunchly anti-gun, they are just ignorant, and a little afraid of guns. Once they get some exposure, 95% of the time their attitudes do a 180. I know mine did about 10 years ago, when I first was exposed to a real, live, gun and shot it for the first time.

That's good...I think you'll do fine in removing the boogey man out of their feelings about these things...

Make sure you make the experience fun, but safe...And thats the easy part...

Let us know how it goes...

[revjen45]

While eating at a restaurant in the company of my mother she made some remark about my being absurdly solicituous of my leather jacket. I explained that I had a gun in the pocket and she almost wigged out- called me weird.

[stevie_d_64]

While eating at a restaurant in the company of my mother she made some remark about my being absurdly solicituous of my leather jacket. I explained that I had a gun in the pocket and she almost wigged out- called me weird.

Thats ok...Mom's are allowed to do that...

She'll warm up to the idea, like mine "eventually" did, when she saw how committed I was to the idea, and how professional I was if the subject ever came up in conversation...

I'll never convince her to learn to shoot, nor carry one for protection...

But she will be the most protected person in my presense as far as I am concerned...

[jclif1995]

Interesting post. I found from working my last job, a temporary position where there were lots of temps, that after a breaking in period, all the pro gunners were able to "spot" each other. just strange that way. we had one Canuck that was freaky about it but everyone else seemed to be armed to the gills. "as it should be".

[nitrogen]

Yet another reason to keep it to yourself:
It's pretty well known to my coworkers that I'm pro-gun. I've got some political cartoons up around my work area, as well as an NRA poster.
I've never discussed carrying, or showed anyone my carry gun, but I guess they just assume I carry.

We're going out to lunch last Friday. There's 4 of us in one car (not mine, i'm not driving btw). Someone cuts us off in the middle of the parking lot. The driver opens his window and begins yelling some creative obscenities at the driver in front of us. The driver in front of us sticks his middle finger out the window, and it ends there.

The following conversation ensued afterward:
Passenger: "Chill out! Just let that guy be! you never know what he'll do! He might have a gun and shoot us!"
Driver: "Yeah, but we've got [Nitrogen] with us, i'm sure he's got a gun stashed away somewhere!"

Lovely. So now my coworkers think i'm Rambo; and will help them shoot our way out of trouble.

if that guy had come out with a gun, i'd have been the first out of the door running in the opposite direction if possible.

[BobCat]

nitrogen,

Just out of curiosity, did you tell them that? When someone said they "had" you, and you must have a gun stashed somewhere, did you point out that you would not shoot someone to protect the loudmouth?

Your tale is one of the nightmares I have thought of... my wife knows I carry, but very few other people know. If someone I'm with gets into an altercation, especially if it is their fault in the sense that they escalated / failed to walk away - I feel no responsibility to save their bacon.

So far this has not come up, partly because I'm real picky about whose company I keep. Still, if an "acquaintance" gets into a potentially serious jam, I hope to be calm enough to let that person take his lumps and not interfere / intervene - putting myself between the rock and hard place.

Regards,
Andrew

[seadawg221]

Here at my office, when somebody feels like someone may go postal they always ask..."Terry, do you have your gun with you". My co-workers like me having guns at work. :)

[gigag04]

All my close friends know I carry - i make it a habbit of not telling them if I am, they can figure it out. I also have really cool friends that aren't idiots and I trust them.

[nitrogen]

nitrogen,

Just out of curiosity, did you tell them that? When someone said they "had" you, and you must have a gun stashed somewhere, did you point out that you would not shoot someone to protect the loudmouth?

I decided not to say anything, and here's why:
our company got acquired a while ago. The company that acquired us has a clause in their policy stating that "dangerous, illegal weapons are strictly prohibited on company property."
Since my weapon is not illegal, I carry, but do so quietly. I decided then to never speak about the fact that I carry for ANY reason. The entire current office staff is pro-gun, including my newly-converted boss, so I'm not too worried about freaking somebody out, but it's just a habit I feel I need to be in while at work.

Just today, we were discussing the Texas legislature's tax revamping. Being a subject i'm not that familliar with, I asked my other coworkers about. My boss made a comment to the effect of, "The problem is all the liberals. Sorry if that offends you, but thats how I feel". The "Loudmouth" said, "He can't be a democrat, he carries a gun!"

If I say something to him, it'll confirm the fact that I carry. The loudmouth can then say, "He told me he carries" and it could come back to bite me.

I'll let the loudmouth do and say whatever he wants, and I don't feel the need to correct him. People like that can get themselves, and others, in trouble. Like the old saying goes, "Don't write checks your body can't cash." If he feels like floating checks, that's his business.

It's working with a bunch of loutmouthed "Rednecks" that makes me carry at work. Not that i'm afraid of them, but I'm afraid of the crap that they might get me into.

Take the above example. The loudmouth could have gotten all four of us killed. When people say, "The office should be a safe place, you don't need to carry there!" I can point to incidents like the one I described above as proof that that is not always the case.

As the user "Longtooth" has in his sig, "Carry 24/7 or guess right." I take that to heart, and will carry wherever I LEGALLY can.

And yes, I over-analyze everything. Its one of the curses of being Jewish

[DaveT]

No one except my wife and son know that I carry.

My son is waiting for his CHL, we share a lot of information and range time together. Once he receives his CHL, he has free access to my guns for CHL purpose. He has his own, but I have a little more, ahem, shall we say.... variety !

Unless my wife is in the room when I am dressing,
she usually never even knows if I am carrying.

When we go to the Air Force Base in Abilene for shopping, etc., we have to go by my son's duplex first so I can leave my carry weapon there. It's a big no-no to carry on a military base and I'm not willing to take a chance.

[BobCat]

nitrogen,

Mazel Tov, I've got the same - proclivity to over-analyze and so forth.

I was thinking something on the order of, "Hey, you kick the fire ant mound, I ain't gonna stick around and pick them off ya!" - or something to that effect. You are absolutely right, confirming you are carrying is a bad idea - but misdirection works sometimes. Failing to deny you are carrying could be construed as an affirmation... did you say something about over analyzing things?

Anyway, I keep remembering a saying about not going to stupid places, not doing stupid things, and not hanging around with stupid people - as a good way to stay out of trouble.

There has got to be a tactful way of saying, "Even if I were packing, which I will neither confirm or deny, I would not involve myself in a fight that you precipitated by your rude behavior. You pick it, you finish it, leave me out!" I don't have the chutzpa to say it quite that directly though. Maybe that's being less than honest...

Have a great rest-of-the-weekend.

Regards,
Andrew

[Annie]

The boss asks me, "Can you bring your gun in in case he comes back to start something?"

Get it in writing/email/etc...cover your butt.

"Have you ever shot anybody?"

I always answer that question with "not anyone who didn't really need it" or, if it's a REALLY annoying person "not before today".

THAT is priceless!

[KinnyLee]

The following conversation ensued afterward:
Passenger: "Chill out! Just let that guy be! you never know what he'll do! He might have a gun and shoot us!"
Driver: "Yeah, but we've got [Nitrogen] with us, i'm sure he's got a gun stashed away somewhere!"

Lovely. So now my coworkers think i'm Rambo; and will help them shoot our way out of trouble.

if that guy had come out with a gun, i'd have been the first out of the door running in the opposite direction if possible.

I hate that! Some of my friends know that I carry, and they automatically think I'm their savior if they started up some crap with a stranger. I don't think so. All of my co-workers know I'm pro-gun. One always joke about me being on a watch tower going postal one day with a sniper rifle. One is a lifetime member of the NRA. One is fairly interested about them. The others don't really care. Or at least I think they don't.

[Annie]

My boss thinks it's a "My Store Won't Get Robbed" card.

[sparx]

I'm slowly working on the boss. I'm taking him and his daughter shooting this week, actually. I think there's a gun owner in him just waiting to come out, once he learns that if he touches one, he won't automatically become an evil mass murderer, and the gun won't blow up in his hands or anything.

So, how did it turn out? Did he have a good time, and is he now a little more relaxed in his opinion of guns and the people that have or carry them? Is he asking you questions on which gun/caliber he's saving up for yet? Did his daughter have a fun time and out-shoot him? You just gotta tell us... inquiring minds want to know!