POLL: Ever been spotted?

[Jason K]

Never been spotted. I used to worry about the "bulge" until I realized that I have plenty of bulges without the handgun....

[CHLLady]

I've not been carrying on my person very long. I'm getting used to it and am not as paranoid about being spotted anymore.

Since I've heard you all talk about it, I've tried to spot others but never have. All I know is that I know I'm the least likely suspect to be carrying and I like it that way.

[iom]

Never spotted, that I'm aware of. Been carrying since '96.

[mgood]

Not sure if I was spotted. But maybe.

My boss carries every day. He's a retired Special Forces type, so he's spent some time around firearms. He and I are both into guns and discuss guns frequently. Sometimes when I get a new blaster, I take it in and show it to him.

The first day I tried carrying my LCP on-body at work, I had it in my front pocket in a pocket holster. It made a noticeable bulge, but looked like a wallet in my front pocket.
Boss man was handing me a key and dropped it on the floor. He retrieved it and swung his hand around as to hand it to me, backhanding me on that pocket without looking at me. I later wondered if that was an accident or if he did that to confirm something he already suspected.

Another time I was carrying IWB. Within three seconds of walking into the boss's office, his eyes zeroed in on the bulge on my belt.
I thought "What the heck? Can he smell the gun oil or something?"

No one else has EVER given any indication that they spotted me. But if this guy doesn't know, then he strongly suspects. But he's never said a word about it. And he has told me that he carries every day, but I can rarely spot it. I sometimes see a bulge that could be anything, and know it's his pistol, but if he hadn't told me I'd never suspect.

Since then, we've gotten flame resistant uniforms. The things are heavy and hot and don't fit near as well as our old uniforms. I started wearing mine untucked for better ventilation during the summer. Then I figured I could conceal just about anything under that heavy shirt. I've been carrying a 3" 1911 pretty much every day. I've carried OWB with an untucked shirt and IWB tucked and never had him even glance at it. The heavier material and looser shirt hides bulges better.

[03Lightningrocks]

So if we subtract all the yes answers that were actually speculation and not based on the words, "is that a gun you have there? ", I bet we have zero. A person nodding at you DOES NOT mean it is about your gun. A person bumping you and saying excuse me is normal, gun or not. But it seems when we are carrying a gun, we tend to think it is about the gun. Not one single person said a total stranger saw their gun and said the words "gun" . I have been known to smile, nod, wink... Heck ... even say howdy to strangers all the time. I wonder if any of them thought I saw a gun on them?

That sure tells us all something about actually being spotted vs thinking we have been spotted.

[mgood]

So if we subtract all the yes answers that were actually speculation and not based on the words, "is that a gun you have there? ", I bet we have zero. A person nodding at you DOES NOT mean it is about your gun. A person bumping you and saying excuse me is normal, gun or not. But it seems when we are carrying a gun, we tend to think it is about the gun. Not one single person said a total stranger saw their gun and said the words "gun" . I have been known to smile, nod, wink... Heck ... even say howdy to strangers all the time. I wonder if any of them thought I saw a gun on them?

That sure tell us all something about actually being spotted vs thinking we have been spotted.

[03Lightningrocks]

So if we subtract all the yes answers that were actually speculation and not based on the words, "is that a gun you have there? ", I bet we have zero. A person nodding at you DOES NOT mean it is about your gun. A person bumping you and saying excuse me is normal, gun or not. But it seems when we are carrying a gun, we tend to think it is about the gun. Not one single person said a total stranger saw their gun and said the words "gun" . I have been known to smile, nod, wink... Heck ... even say howdy to strangers all the time. I wonder if any of them thought I saw a gun on them?

That sure tell us all something about actually being spotted vs thinking we have been spotted.

I bet it is similar to a person having three beers at lunch and then thinking the cop they see in the car next to them while driving home knows about the beers. I also notice folks newer to carry tend to think they are spotted more often than folks who have been carrying awhile. I bet there is also more guilt associated with carrying a gun for a new carrier or even a person newer to guns. This may be why a person might assume its the gun getting the "re-assuring nod" rather than a simple gesture of hello.

[JSThane]

I said "yes," because while I can't -prove- it, I'm fair certain that was the reason I got pulled over on a felony stop a few years back. Not that the cops knew anything about a gun; someone (I suspect) saw it while in a store, knew the cops wouldn't do anything over "man with a concealed gun who is doing nothing but buying something," and made up a story that I'd just smashed car windows and stole license plates in the parking lot of the store. The officers were a bit taken aback when they found out I was carrying (although not startled; I WAS in Texas after all) and truly surprised when they found I had done nothing at all, other than buy Gatorade.

The employee that made the bogus call was NOT pleased when the cops went back after finding everything was kosher and "chided" him for making a false report. Nor was he pleased when he found out I had called his corporate offices to complain. I don't believe he works for that corporation any more as a result, which is probably the reason behind his bogus complaint to my department several days later (the kind officers informed him not only had he made a false report, but that it was against another LEO, and from which department ).

That is not a yes to the question. Wondering if you were outed because someone thought you were breaking into cars is not a yes for these purposes but does help to make the point that most folks are not actually outed but are a bit paranoid about being outed when they don't know for sure that it happened.

The "breaking into cars" story was what the dude told the cops when he called 911. However, while he very specifically described me, my car, and my mother (who was with me), he did NOT actually see anything at all when he "looked into the parking lot" and "saw" me breaking into vehicles. He admitted this to me, later, and presumably to the responding officers. All he saw, period, was that I was in the store, and then I was leaning against my own car, and that's what he told me when I saw him later. However, "there's a dude leaning on his car in the parking lot, and I think he might have a gun" won't get the cops to come screaming up with gumball lights and woo-woo box blaring. However, "there's a dude smashing car windows and stealing license plates and stereos, and he has a gun" will. He needed -something- to get the cops out there, and quickly. It's all inference, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me.

[JSThane]

I said "yes," because while I can't -prove- it, I'm fair certain that was the reason I got pulled over on a felony stop a few years back. Not that the cops knew anything about a gun; someone (I suspect) saw it while in a store, knew the cops wouldn't do anything over "man with a concealed gun who is doing nothing but buying something," and made up a story that I'd just smashed car windows and stole license plates in the parking lot of the store. The officers were a bit taken aback when they found out I was carrying (although not startled; I WAS in Texas after all) and truly surprised when they found I had done nothing at all, other than buy Gatorade.

The employee that made the bogus call was NOT pleased when the cops went back after finding everything was kosher and "chided" him for making a false report. Nor was he pleased when he found out I had called his corporate offices to complain. I don't believe he works for that corporation any more as a result, which is probably the reason behind his bogus complaint to my department several days later (the kind officers informed him not only had he made a false report, but that it was against another LEO, and from which department ).

Could it be he knew you were a cop and was trying to hassle you because of it?

No, I'd never met the man before. However, I -did- know the officers that responded; they had helped out my folks several years back, when we had a rash of vandalism and burglaries in the neighborhood. I think that's partly why they were open to me about what the caller told dispatch; we knew each other, and I was LEO.

[03Lightningrocks]

I said "yes," because while I can't -prove- it, I'm fair certain that was the reason I got pulled over on a felony stop a few years back. Not that the cops knew anything about a gun; someone (I suspect) saw it while in a store, knew the cops wouldn't do anything over "man with a concealed gun who is doing nothing but buying something," and made up a story that I'd just smashed car windows and stole license plates in the parking lot of the store. The officers were a bit taken aback when they found out I was carrying (although not startled; I WAS in Texas after all) and truly surprised when they found I had done nothing at all, other than buy Gatorade.

The employee that made the bogus call was NOT pleased when the cops went back after finding everything was kosher and "chided" him for making a false report. Nor was he pleased when he found out I had called his corporate offices to complain. I don't believe he works for that corporation any more as a result, which is probably the reason behind his bogus complaint to my department several days later (the kind officers informed him not only had he made a false report, but that it was against another LEO, and from which department ).

That is not a yes to the question. Wondering if you were outed because someone thought you were breaking into cars is not a yes for these purposes but does help to make the point that most folks are not actually outed but are a bit paranoid about being outed when they don't know for sure that it happened.

The "breaking into cars" story was what the dude told the cops when he called 911. However, while he very specifically described me, my car, and my mother (who was with me), he did NOT actually see anything at all when he "looked into the parking lot" and "saw" me breaking into vehicles. He admitted this to me, later, and presumably to the responding officers. All he saw, period, was that I was in the store, and then I was leaning against my own car, and that's what he told me when I saw him later. However, "there's a dude leaning on his car in the parking lot, and I think he might have a gun" won't get the cops to come screaming up with gumball lights and woo-woo box blaring. However, "there's a dude smashing car windows and stealing license plates and stereos, and he has a gun" will. He needed -something- to get the cops out there, and quickly. It's all inference, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me.

Then your answer is no.

[JSThane]

Then your answer is no.

I'm simply erring on the side of pessimism, is all.

[stroo]

I was shopping in Cheaper than Dirt carrying in my Wilderness Safepacker. Another customer who knew about Safepackers asked how I liked carrying using the Safepacker. He never saw my gun; he just knew the Safepacker holster.

[estes9294]

I was at a political action committee dinner party at a local restaurant awaiting election results last month. I was carrying my Beretta Nano IWB at 3:30 with a tucked in polo shirt loosely bloused over the belt line. The election results were delayed due to court house buffoonery and the restaurant was set to close. So we moved the party to a nearby hotel bar. I left my weapon in the car due to the “red 51%” sign. A school board member approached me after I had been there a few minutes and asked me where my weapon had gone. He told me he saw the IWB clips at the restaurant and wanted to find out how I got it comfortable. He had been trying to wear one but could not get it comfortable. As a general rule, people are not nearly as observant as you fear they will be when you start CC. Relax, be safe and be comfortable with your weapon. Isn’t that the reason most of us carry.

[PSTL*PAKR]

Yes, I get outed regularly. I love the thought of everybody knowing that I carry. I went out and bought me new wardrobe that is skin tight. I love printing..... .....Just a joke. Never

[jmra]

I was at a political action committee dinner party at a local restaurant awaiting election results last month. I was carrying my Beretta Nano IWB at 3:30 with a tucked in polo shirt loosely bloused over the belt line. The election results were delayed due to court house buffoonery and the restaurant was set to close. So we moved the party to a nearby hotel bar. I left my weapon in the car due to the “red 51%” sign. A school board member approached me after I had been there a few minutes and asked me where my weapon had gone. He told me he saw the IWB clips at the restaurant and wanted to find out how I got it comfortable. He had been trying to wear one but could not get it comfortable. As a general rule, people are not nearly as observant as you fear they will be when you start CC. Relax, be safe and be comfortable with your weapon. Isn’t that the reason most of us carry.

Welcome to the forum.
I think most people observant enough to notice and informed enough to know what they are looking at are going to be like minded. As long as someone isn't carrying somewhere they shouldn't, exposed clips is no big deal at all.