I am a member of the AK-47.net forums. They were having a "shoot" for all the members to come out to somewhere near College Station and blast away at junkyard cars, explosive targets, and anything else worth a bullet. Lot's of people ended up going, but I never made it as you'll see.
I started the morning early, probably around 6am or so (considering I was 19 at the time, that was really early). I loaded up my Toyota Corolla with my SAR-1 (a Semi-Automatic Rifle that "looks" like an AK-47
) plenty of ammo, food, and drinks. Off to the gas station I went to fill up for the drive. I was departing from Kyle, just north of San Marcos.While at the gas station I bought some ice for my drinks. I set my keys down while I emptied out the ice into my cooler in the trunk. Closed the trunk and was ready to go, except... "where are my keys?"
After checking all the doors and finding they were all locked, I called up AAA which I was fortunate enough to have a policy with. About an hour later the locksmith shows up and gets my driver's side door open. He said he wanted to stay until I had my keys out of my trunk. I started to get worried because I was familiar with Texas law that it was not ok for me to have my rifle in my trunk at the gas station (I have since learned that there could be exceptions, such as in my case, where one would be traveling). I had to lie to the locksmith that the trunk release was broken (because I did not want to expose my gun) and crawled into the trunk from the fold down rear seats. After about a minute of feeling around (it was too dark to see anything) I found my keys. The locksmith was now satisfied and drove off. I thankfully got in my car and was finally on the road.
I was heading up I-35 just a little behind schedule but happy to be on my way. No more that 5 minutes after leaving the gas station my car started shaking and died. I was able to make it over to the right hand shoulder so I wasn't blocking traffic. I couldn't get the car to start up. Once again I called AAA and requested a tow truck.
I was sitting in my car for a few minutes when a Hays County cop pulls up behind me. He asked if everything was ok and I explained the situation. Knowing I had everything under control, he drove off.
Maybe 10 minutes after he left another Hays County cop pulls up and asks the same question. Although this time he asks if I had any firearms in the car. I think I had left the paper that said "Directions to the shoot" exposed on the passenger seat, so maybe that tipped him off. I didn't know any better and wasn't about to lie to a LEO, so I told him I did. I was very discrete about my rifle, calling it a "SAR-1" and that it was a semi-automatic rifle, really avoiding the name for it's "evil" fully automatic version.
He asked me to step out of my car and asked if he could take a look. Before I knew it, I was standing on the side of I-35 with three cop cars behind me, all with their lights on. One cop stood with me and tried making some small talk and such. The other two opened my trunk up and inspected my gun. They held it up in the air and were looking at it like they've never seen such a thing before. I can only imagine what the traffic passing by just a few feet away were thinking. I was actually able to crack a smile about this while I watched them. They called in the serial numbers to make sure it wasn't stolen I guess.
One of the cops noticed the Miller Lite styrofoam beer cooler I had my drinks in. He asked if they could look inside. Being that I was 19 I think they were hoping to find all sorts of alcohol in there. They opened it up and found... Country Time lemonade (I don't drink alcohol, and yes, I like lemonade). I obliged to that search just to see their reaction.
They eventually took off and gave me a warning as proof to show any other LEO's that my civil liberties had already been trampled on.About another hour after I called the tow truck finally arrives. I didn't know where to have it towed to so I had him take it to the closest mechanic. My girlfriend's dad (now father-in-law) showed up to help me with my car and see if there was any way to revive it. Turns out it was completely dry of oil. And I do mean completely dry, four quarts went it and it barely showed up on the stick. Thinking back I'm amazed the car ran for as long as it did. It was a nice little car.
By now it was only about 10am and it felt like I had already been through an entire day. I went back to my girlfriend's house and took a nap, then spent the rest of the day looking at eBay and AutoTrader for a new car. I didn't end up buying one until seven months later. I was living in a dorm and didn't need transportation until summer and I started working again.
My father-in-law will never let me hear the end of this one. I now check my oil religiously, usually several times a week.
Now that I've gotten it all out, I guess there are two things I learned. Always check and change your oil. Cars are expensive. Second, never consent to any kind of search by a LEO. I now know that I could have declined to answer the cop's question about having guns in the car, make him wait around to get a warrant, only to find nothing illegal. I'm sure he would have made it a pretty long day for me, too. Small town cops have nothing to keep them busy.
Anyway, just thought I'd share one of my stories here. I hope everyone can find some humor in reading it.
