Ooops. Failed to conceal.
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:45 pm
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!
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!
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.
