TexasCHLforum.com

This has probably come up before but I'm not positive what to search for so I figured I'll just ask.

Say your waking to your vehicle and the wind blows your shirt up and somebody sees your gun and yells "he's got a gun" or something to that effect. And a group of people outside eating proceed to freak out.

What would be the best course of action?

I would guess I'd calmely let them know I have a CHL and it's ok?

Or just sit down and wait for the police to arrive (I'd be surprised if nobody called the cops)

What do ya'll think would be the best course of action?

-Laurence

Tacomaoffroader wrote:Say your walking to your vehicle

I'm assuming you're done eating, right? so that's why you're walking to your car, right?

just get in and leave. forget'em for being so jumpy!!

Sure your done eating or you got your food to go either or.

You don't think if somebody notified the police they might give a vehicle description?

I can only see that ending up as bad getting pulled over on a felony type stop, and having to explain.

Just my thoughts though.

I would leave, unless stoped by a police officer on my way out of the parking lot. As I have done nothing wrong.

This exact thing happend back when CHLs were relatively new.
Watauga TX (suburb of Ft Worth) police handled themselves shamefully, arresting a lawful CHL holder under the exact scenario you describe. This was a worst-case scenario that did not go well for the CHLer.
I want to think things have changed now that CHLs have been around for about 10 years. But you never know.
I tried to find a link to the full story but could not find it. Anyone else?

A lot has changed over the years and people have generally gotten used to the idea that there may be someone out there that carries under this law...

There is no brandishing issue in Texas...

If you make a reasonable effort to remain concealed, I don't think too many take issue if they do see one...

I know a lot of people talk about it here, but I don't think it happenes too much...

Rex B wrote:I tried to find a link to the full story but could not find it. Anyone else?

Here.

The story is way too long to copy into a forum message. Guy accidentally flashed and the cops went after him like gangbusters. Arrested, charges eventually dropped.

- Jim

Tacomaoffroader wrote:Sure your done eating or you got your food to go either or.

You don't think if somebody notified the police they might give a vehicle description?

I can only see that ending up as bad getting pulled over on a felony type stop, and having to explain.

Just my thoughts though.

I wouldn't worry about it. LEO in Austin are not all that "spooky", they have met plenty of people with CHL's.

Scary. Good thing this was only 3 years after it became law. I hope he got something for all the trouble. Here we are 12 years after the law was passed and there is a guy at my work that said he would be scared to think that people around him might have a CW. I had to tell him that there are 250k+ licenses active in Texas now and that it is very likely that people he has come in contact with carried.

fadlan12 wrote:Scary. Good thing this was only 3 years after it became law. I hope he got something for all the trouble. Here we are 12 years after the law was passed and there is a guy at my work that said he would be scared to think that people around him might have a CW. I had to tell him that there are 250k+ licenses active in Texas now and that it is very likely that people he has come in contact with carried.

Anybody got the stats for how many people the average person is within "contact distance" (supposedly close enough to start a conversation comfortably, probably about 5yds or so) of in a given day?

ISTR seeing a study posted somewhere that was based on CCTV observation, and assumes the person doesn't work in a field with direct public contact. The number was rather impressive until you stop to think about all the people in line with you, at the next couple of tables in a restaurant, etc.

If 1% of them have a CHL, the math is pretty easy.

Tacomaoffroader wrote:You don't think if somebody notified the police they might give a vehicle description?

So? Do you have pink ground effects and a chartreuse-and-plaid flame job on your vehicle? I'm pretty sure the cops aren't going to do a full felony stop on every silver sedan in the area, so I'm not real worried about that.

If they describe *me* OTOH, most of the cops around here will just hand the screamer a copy of Murphy's Laws of Combat, with the bit about not drawing armed people's attention to yourself highlighted.

If the person will not let it go I would call a LEO. I would, at least, connect my report to 911 with the "man with a gun call". Most people will not be dumb enough to scream that someone has a gun and make themselves a target but, it could happen I guess.

stevie_d_64 wrote:There is no brandishing issue in Texas...

Could you expound on this? It seems like brandishing is intentionally not making an effort to conceal, and would therefore get you in a heap of trouble. (granted, this is not the scenario that started this thread)

Keith

Tacomaoffroader wrote:This has probably come up before but I'm not positive what to search for so I figured I'll just ask.

Say your waking to your vehicle and the wind blows your shirt up and somebody sees your gun and yells "he's got a gun" or something to that effect. And a group of people outside eating proceed to freak out.

What would be the best course of action?

I would guess I'd calmely let them know I have a CHL and it's ok?

Or just sit down and wait for the police to arrive (I'd be surprised if nobody called the cops)

What do ya'll think would be the best course of action?

-Laurence

This is why you should always have your CHL badge next to your gun, like the cops do, so when the sheep see it, they think "good guy".



That is a joke, I am not serious.

Seriously, the best course of action is to get in your vehicle, and drive off. like normal.

flintknapper wrote:

Tacomaoffroader wrote:Sure your done eating or you got your food to go either or.

You don't think if somebody notified the police they might give a vehicle description?

I can only see that ending up as bad getting pulled over on a felony type stop, and having to explain.

Just my thoughts though.

I wouldn't worry about it. LEO in Austin are not all that "spooky", they have met plenty of people with CHL's.

Yep. I've had 2 encounters with LEO's in Austin since I got my license a month ago. Both were pleasant interactions.

The first was with APD, where I called in a suspicious person at my workplace who offered me the "services" of his girlfriend in exchange for a ride, then later asked me into a dark alleyway. He ended up hauled off under multiple charges.

The second was only a few days ago... got pulled over downtown by DPS, got off with a warning.