Well, I got into an accident a few weeks back and today, I had to pick up my car, so I decided to open carry while dropping off my rental at Enterprise. I spent about 15 minutes in the store waiting, signing papers and getting all the stuff out of my car and no one said anything about it. One customer looked at me for a bit while standing to my strong side but wasn't visibly alarmed about it. I almost thought the guy behind the counter was calling the cops on me since the change from my payment took longer than normal but it went just fine.
The Enterprise shuttle took me over to Autoart (about 2mi at the most) and the shuttle driver didn't say anything about it, nor did the guys at Autoart.
So 5 places in one day, all blissful.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Express Tire, Donuts and Rite Aid
I followed my sister this morning to drop off her vehicle for an oil change at Express Tire and while there I packed the Tracker. As I walked into the building after holstering (strong-side to the trunk) there was one mechanic that pointed it out but didn't make a fuss.
After arranging for her oil change, my sister and I went over to the donut shop about 30' away (as I always do when in that area) and I picked out a normal sugar glazed donut. No issues there.
My sister and I then talked into Rite-Aid to get some stuff for her and I had no issues there either. Then again, there was literally no one there.
After walking back to the car to go home, we decided to get Mexican food at Pacific Taco (other end of the shopping center) so we walked the whole way there, only to find that they were not open yet. We left jaded and had eggs and potatoes at home.
As usual, uneventful, just how I like it...
After arranging for her oil change, my sister and I went over to the donut shop about 30' away (as I always do when in that area) and I picked out a normal sugar glazed donut. No issues there.
My sister and I then talked into Rite-Aid to get some stuff for her and I had no issues there either. Then again, there was literally no one there.
After walking back to the car to go home, we decided to get Mexican food at Pacific Taco (other end of the shopping center) so we walked the whole way there, only to find that they were not open yet. We left jaded and had eggs and potatoes at home.
As usual, uneventful, just how I like it...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
To all the San Diego Deputy Sheriffs accessing my blog...
Don't be shy, drop me an email! I've been trying to get a hold of you guys for a little bit but there are no email addresses listed and the head honchos seem to be incommunicado for the weekend. After hitting my blog 4 times and keeping it open for 10 hours 35 minutes and 22 seconds you MUST have SOME questions or concerns!
Email is pullnshoot25@hotmail.com.
CARRY ON!
-N8
Email is pullnshoot25@hotmail.com.
CARRY ON!
-N8
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Del Mar Gun Show, mixed responses
So I went to the Del Mar Gun Show today to buy some ammo, mags and other accessories and while there I open carried my Tracker, sans ammunition so that I didn't commit any felonies while there.
After picking up a nice block of 9x18 Makarov ammo (Miwall bastards didn't tell me there was a $3 charge for using a credit card...), I saw the Cold War Shooters sign and table and decided to pay them a visit. As I approached the table, I noticed that a fellow Calgunner, grammaton76 (crap! don't know your first name!), was working there! After I introduced myself (not a celebrity yet ;) ) we talked about the meeting coming up on the 28th and about the Westfield UTC open carry outing. As it turns out, grammaton76 knows some of the security guys at Westfield UTC had sent them an email via the Westfield UTC comment box on how what we were doing was legal and that there should be no worry. (This explains all the "Westfield Corporation" hits I was receiving shortly aftwerwards :) ) He apologized for not PMing me that tibit of information (forgot to) but I was pretty glad that he sent them that since he has experience with them and I don't!
While we were talking about this topic, I was approached by SD Sheriff R.R. Silva and questioned about my Tracker. Here is how the conversation went (grammaton76, correct me if I am wrong!)
-Excuse me. I know that you are allowed to open carry a gun as long as it is unloaded, but is that unloaded?
-Um, I checked it in at the door and it was cleared so yeah, it is unloaded.
-Well, you could have loaded it after getting into the show
-That would be a felony.
(Sheriff's friend with a little more common sense chimes in) - It is unloaded, there is a ziptag on it.
-OK, have a nice day.
Oh Sheriff Silva, lets look over your thought process, or lack thereof...
1) If I were a person that wanted to carry a gun into a gun show that was loaded, I would probably conceal it and not tell the officers at the door about it.
2) If I were to conceal the gun coming in, why would I expose it while in the show? I didn't even bring a jacket with me and I am using an OWB pancake holster with a decently sized .44mag revolver so there is no way I could have concealed it anyways.
3) Why would there be a GIGANTIC ZIP TIE around the hammer and frame of my gun and a BLUE TAG deeming the gun loaded if it were loaded? It is exposed with NO retention so he could totally see the unloaded indicators.
4) Why harass a guy about his gun maybe being loaded if that guy is talking about doing unloaded open carry?
As one can see, there are several logical hurdles that he had to overcome before he could have even asked the question but he managed to bulldoze (emphasis on "doze") through them in a matter of seconds.
While I understand that cops have a job to do, they put their lives on the line everyday, etc, it still is lame to be confronted as being a criminal when you are obviously doing nothing wrong and there is no real compulsion to engage in yet ANOTHER 12031 unloaded check, especially at a gun show.
PHEW! Well, on with my story.
After buying some .44mag and .44spl, MREs and some Ruger MKII magazines, I had to go to my car to secure the Tracker so I could go back in and pick up the .44mag and spl ammunition (again, trying not to get caught on a felony). On the way out, I stopped by the San Diego County Gun Rights Committee booth to talk with them about Calguns.net, the upcoming open carry meet and other topics of general firearms interest and my stories were well-accepted. I was invited to attend some NRA meeting in the Santee/El Cajon area tonight for a show-and-tell but I declined as I have homework to accomplish (totally sucks, as Chuck Michel is going to be there tonight!). I do hope to attend some of the other functions put on by the San Diego County Gun Rights Committee in the near future.
With that, I am going to email them and get the word about Feb 28th and then bust out some O-Chem. Adios for now and Carry On!
Sincerely,
N8
After picking up a nice block of 9x18 Makarov ammo (Miwall bastards didn't tell me there was a $3 charge for using a credit card...), I saw the Cold War Shooters sign and table and decided to pay them a visit. As I approached the table, I noticed that a fellow Calgunner, grammaton76 (crap! don't know your first name!), was working there! After I introduced myself (not a celebrity yet ;) ) we talked about the meeting coming up on the 28th and about the Westfield UTC open carry outing. As it turns out, grammaton76 knows some of the security guys at Westfield UTC had sent them an email via the Westfield UTC comment box on how what we were doing was legal and that there should be no worry. (This explains all the "Westfield Corporation" hits I was receiving shortly aftwerwards :) ) He apologized for not PMing me that tibit of information (forgot to) but I was pretty glad that he sent them that since he has experience with them and I don't!
While we were talking about this topic, I was approached by SD Sheriff R.R. Silva and questioned about my Tracker. Here is how the conversation went (grammaton76, correct me if I am wrong!)
-Excuse me. I know that you are allowed to open carry a gun as long as it is unloaded, but is that unloaded?
-Um, I checked it in at the door and it was cleared so yeah, it is unloaded.
-Well, you could have loaded it after getting into the show
-That would be a felony.
(Sheriff's friend with a little more common sense chimes in) - It is unloaded, there is a ziptag on it.
-OK, have a nice day.
Oh Sheriff Silva, lets look over your thought process, or lack thereof...
1) If I were a person that wanted to carry a gun into a gun show that was loaded, I would probably conceal it and not tell the officers at the door about it.
2) If I were to conceal the gun coming in, why would I expose it while in the show? I didn't even bring a jacket with me and I am using an OWB pancake holster with a decently sized .44mag revolver so there is no way I could have concealed it anyways.
3) Why would there be a GIGANTIC ZIP TIE around the hammer and frame of my gun and a BLUE TAG deeming the gun loaded if it were loaded? It is exposed with NO retention so he could totally see the unloaded indicators.
4) Why harass a guy about his gun maybe being loaded if that guy is talking about doing unloaded open carry?
As one can see, there are several logical hurdles that he had to overcome before he could have even asked the question but he managed to bulldoze (emphasis on "doze") through them in a matter of seconds.
While I understand that cops have a job to do, they put their lives on the line everyday, etc, it still is lame to be confronted as being a criminal when you are obviously doing nothing wrong and there is no real compulsion to engage in yet ANOTHER 12031 unloaded check, especially at a gun show.
PHEW! Well, on with my story.
After buying some .44mag and .44spl, MREs and some Ruger MKII magazines, I had to go to my car to secure the Tracker so I could go back in and pick up the .44mag and spl ammunition (again, trying not to get caught on a felony). On the way out, I stopped by the San Diego County Gun Rights Committee booth to talk with them about Calguns.net, the upcoming open carry meet and other topics of general firearms interest and my stories were well-accepted. I was invited to attend some NRA meeting in the Santee/El Cajon area tonight for a show-and-tell but I declined as I have homework to accomplish (totally sucks, as Chuck Michel is going to be there tonight!). I do hope to attend some of the other functions put on by the San Diego County Gun Rights Committee in the near future.
With that, I am going to email them and get the word about Feb 28th and then bust out some O-Chem. Adios for now and Carry On!
Sincerely,
N8
Friday, February 6, 2009
Washington Mutual Check Cash
After picking up my ticket for tomorrow's gun show from a family friend, I headed over to Washington Mutual on W. Valley Parkway (main branch) to cash a paycheck. From the time I holstered my Tracker until the time I was back in the car was about 4.5 minutes and I had no issues. One woman in the back of the bank looked a little leery but nothing else.
Off to O-Chem!
-N8
Off to O-Chem!
-N8
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Starbucks, Chili's and TGI Fridays
So after my fairly wretched week and studying for most of Wednesday, I decided to unwind for a little bit by meeting up with Flintlock Tom from Opencarry.org for coffee at Starbucks. I got there a little bit early after picking up my Tracker from a friend so while waiting I sat in my car with my gun on the front seat and looking over my organic chemistry notes (anyone up for making gunpowder? :) )
At about 6:55 I holstered my gun and sat in front of Starbucks, searching the waistlines of everyone around to single out Tom. He showed up as planned, he bought us coffee (Thank you, Mr. Flintlock Tom!), sat down and spoke of guns, politics, odd life experiences, etc. for about an hour and a half, most of it in a normal, unhushed tone, like free men should. We were both joking about how the cops might get called since I was sitting strong side to the door but nothing happened, despite the 15 or so people that came in for coffee from the assorted karate and dance studios in the area. All in all, a very nice experience.
Eventually, Tom had to leave to pick up his son from a Bible study and I was about to head home myself when I got the inkling to go see my old workplace (Chili's) and see if anyone was on break in the parking lot to talk with. I ended up talking to one of my coworkers there about certain past events and I was informed that the "manager non grata" wasn't there and that I should come in and say HI. As usual, I holstered my Tracker and was at the bar for about an hour and a half, talking and reading a book (friend there needed help analyzing a particularly painful play) while waiting for everyone to get off work to hang out at TGI Friday's for a bit.
After checking for potential 626.9 violations, I headed over to TGI Friday's in Carmel Mountain and again holstered my Tracker. Heading in the manager was sweeping up the host stand and I went in right to one of the barside tables to sit with my friends. Right after sitting down, the following conversation ensued.
-Hey, are you a cop?
-No, I'm a normal citizen.
-Well, could you please take your gun out of here, like lock it in your car or something?
-OK, not a problem. Is there a sign out front that says no guns or something?
-No, it is just just store policy here in California not to allow guns in the bar.
-Alrighty then.
After I walked out, secured my weapon and came back in, the manager shook my hand and thanked me. The rest of the night was eventless, just how I like it. I will be checking, however, to see if there really is such a policy on the books at TGI Friday's. That should prove interesting.
Well, off to study some O-chem and Genetics. Adios for now!
CARRY ON!
-N8
At about 6:55 I holstered my gun and sat in front of Starbucks, searching the waistlines of everyone around to single out Tom. He showed up as planned, he bought us coffee (Thank you, Mr. Flintlock Tom!), sat down and spoke of guns, politics, odd life experiences, etc. for about an hour and a half, most of it in a normal, unhushed tone, like free men should. We were both joking about how the cops might get called since I was sitting strong side to the door but nothing happened, despite the 15 or so people that came in for coffee from the assorted karate and dance studios in the area. All in all, a very nice experience.
Eventually, Tom had to leave to pick up his son from a Bible study and I was about to head home myself when I got the inkling to go see my old workplace (Chili's) and see if anyone was on break in the parking lot to talk with. I ended up talking to one of my coworkers there about certain past events and I was informed that the "manager non grata" wasn't there and that I should come in and say HI. As usual, I holstered my Tracker and was at the bar for about an hour and a half, talking and reading a book (friend there needed help analyzing a particularly painful play) while waiting for everyone to get off work to hang out at TGI Friday's for a bit.
After checking for potential 626.9 violations, I headed over to TGI Friday's in Carmel Mountain and again holstered my Tracker. Heading in the manager was sweeping up the host stand and I went in right to one of the barside tables to sit with my friends. Right after sitting down, the following conversation ensued.
-Hey, are you a cop?
-No, I'm a normal citizen.
-Well, could you please take your gun out of here, like lock it in your car or something?
-OK, not a problem. Is there a sign out front that says no guns or something?
-No, it is just just store policy here in California not to allow guns in the bar.
-Alrighty then.
After I walked out, secured my weapon and came back in, the manager shook my hand and thanked me. The rest of the night was eventless, just how I like it. I will be checking, however, to see if there really is such a policy on the books at TGI Friday's. That should prove interesting.
Well, off to study some O-chem and Genetics. Adios for now!
CARRY ON!
-N8
Monday, February 2, 2009
To all the people reading this blog
Hey everyone, just a PSA that I would like to put out there for you for your own information.
I have posted the SD Open Carry Outing invite on multiple forums to get the word out there and in those forums there seems to be some confusion on laws, most of it from old FUD. All that I ask of you is please PLEASE read some, if not all, of the documents listed in the "Essential Open Carry Documents" sidebar of this blog, most importantly the California Open Carry Flier and the California Open Carry FAQ. If you have any questions that you would like answered, I would be more than happy to answer them for you via email or blog comments.
This event is going to be great and I want to make sure that all those that attend are within the legal boundaries and that everything goes smoothly for all.
This is going to be a fun outing and I am looking forward to a really good turnout!
CARRY ON!
-N8
I have posted the SD Open Carry Outing invite on multiple forums to get the word out there and in those forums there seems to be some confusion on laws, most of it from old FUD. All that I ask of you is please PLEASE read some, if not all, of the documents listed in the "Essential Open Carry Documents" sidebar of this blog, most importantly the California Open Carry Flier and the California Open Carry FAQ. If you have any questions that you would like answered, I would be more than happy to answer them for you via email or blog comments.
This event is going to be great and I want to make sure that all those that attend are within the legal boundaries and that everything goes smoothly for all.
This is going to be a fun outing and I am looking forward to a really good turnout!
CARRY ON!
-N8
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