outed for carrying

I open carried for years and have had my conceal permit for awhile now. Every once in awhile you get some looks and a few minor conversations but nothing big. Until the other day....

I went to my Dr's appointment which had just moved to a new location, I was going to lock my gun in the car but was kinda unsure of the area and figured I am concealed anyway shouldn't be a big deal.

While waiting to be called back I was speaking to an older gentlemen who was a little out there to begin with, noticed when I reached for a pen off the front desk, the bottom of my holster (my jacket rose just about a half inch). He starred at me and kept acting even more weird. So I decided to go out for a smoke while waiting to keep from dealing with this nut. When I opened up the door to go back in the office, this nut job threw his hands up in the air and screamed "Don't go Postal !!!!" "Please don't shoot us all!" he repeated those phrases a handful of times as well as some other BS. I kinda of just looked at him and just politely said, sir you surely don't have to worry about me. I am not the one causing a scene. I was called back to see the doctor as he was screaming so it helped get me away from this dude.

When I got back to the doctor, he comes in and said "was there an issue about your gun out there?" I politely so nope, I have a permit and never acted in anyway shape or form that would have been threatening or unbecoming. He laughed it off and said that the nut job flipped out on the nurses and staff saying he was scared for his life because I was an rather large gentleman with a gun. Apparently he showed his *** the entire time I was out smoking. The doctor told the nut job that I was his favorite patient and that I was surely no threat to him.

The doctor asked me to not bring in my gun again because a patient may feel uncomfortable. But he was not demanding it was more like I am just telling you this because I have to but really seemed like it was no big deal but the nut job was just that a nut job.

After I left the doctor office, the more pissed I got. I know I should have probably been concealing a little better but if the dude wasn't starring me down the entire time he would have never noticed it.

Anybody else have any BS like this? After carrying for this long I guess the law of averages I was gonna to run into someone who was going to act like this.

Concealed means concealed.

Since I'm retired I sometimes grocery shop on weekdays around the
middle of the day. I've noticed that the store has lots of older
shoppers at those times compared to evening or late night hours,
probably for the same reason I'm there, no job. I carry concealed, well
concealed. I've looked at these older shoppers and tried to imagine
the reactions I might get if I were to be open carrying. No thanks.

No, I've yet to have anything like that happen and hope I never do. At least you have a level headed doctor.

The pressure allegedly put on doctors regarding guns and children these days makes me a little nervous. I treat doctor visits like going to the hospital, (no guns allowed here in Michigan). I've got a lock box cabled to my truck seat frame. I lock up the gun and also leave my holster and any spare mags or ammo secured separately. I haven't been asked about guns at recent doctor trips, but I figure why give him a reason to ask.

I never open carry for a variety of reasons and conceal well enough that I've never been outed. When going to the doctor or dentist (they don't know I'm carrying) I do not disarm b/c a problem might occur when going to or from my car.

Hi:
I would conceil better (IWB or pocket) at the Doctor's office or find another Doctor. The "Nut Job" was trying to be "Center Stage".

Thanks for posting this. I will be even more careful abou the way I conceal after reading this.

Trolley

I see a few doctors and am in someone's office at least once every 4-6 weeks. Doctor visits are one place I don't carry. The reason is that either the doctor or nurse will know I'm carrying (even concealed) most of the time because of the nature of the exam. I do conceal carry when going for just blood work.

bunkshaner said:

...While waiting to be called back I was speaking to an older gentlemen who was a little out there to begin with, noticed when I reached for a pen off the front desk, the bottom of my holster (my jacket rose just about a half inch)...

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If you allowed the guy to get close enough and let him get into a situation where he was looking at your waistline enough to see a half inch rise in your jacket, and identify your holster...you were too close, talking to the wrong kind of person and not exercising good conceilment.

Your actions made the least stable and the most stable person in the office nervous (the old guy and the doctor, and probably a bunch of the rest of the staff) to the point that the doc asked you not to carry there again.

Figure out how to "reach for a pen" and do other movements in a way that will not cause your disclosure.

Then find another doctor.

And quit smoking.

Carrying conceiled is like your health. It's YOUR responsibility, nobody elses.


Sgt Lumpy

I fully understand that it's my responsibility 2 fully conceal. And pretty sure I usually do a hellava job of concealing and never try 2 draw attention 2 myself. I would never open carry there but when I use to open carry I never got a reaction as I did during this incident. Yes I'm sorry it happened but it will make me even more aware now. Lesson learned

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There's always one,......... IWB is a good start to being concealed and remaining that way.

I carry IWB most of the time and sometimes I just forget it is the when I get home....I went to the neighbors one night to give them some salmon and didn't have my jacket on....I got a funny look, but they didn't say anything...then when I got home my wife asked me why I had my gun on and I realized why I got the funny look

My doctors are all gun guys, but I still lock my pistol in the car.

Like Donn said, concealed carry is not allowed in Michigan hospitals. The big problem with that is a lot of doctor offices are owned by hospitals, so you may be in violation of law and not even know it. Our open carry law allows you to carry in hospitals, but it really freaks them out when you do.

Just about every medical facility here is Cleveland Clinic, and all Clinic facilities are posted.

Mostly a moot point now anyway, since I no longer have insurance, have no vacation or sick leave, and am driving sixty miles one way to my temporary job. I couldn't go to the doctor if I wanted to. Just have to figure out how to get my prescriptions refilled...

bunkshaner said:

I fully understand that it's my responsibility 2 fully conceal.

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If applicable LAW doesn't REQUIRE it, it's a CHOICE, not a "responsibility".

First, I'd like to point out that open carry has nothing to do with this discussion.

Every so often someone on my site will make some stupid remark about "Here comes the guard, be careful or he'll shoot you." Yeah, that was funny (mildly) the first 500 times I heard it but the customer is always right so I just keep my mouth shut.

In this case if the Dr. asked me not to carry in his office I'd respect his wishes but I would definitely point out that the other guy was the one that caused the rukus. I might even switch physicians over that.

Don't know what you carry, but I've pocket-carried for years and never been outed or, as far as I could tell, even made by anyone except an occasional LEO, and they never asked.

Might be time for a J-frame or small autoloader in a pocket when you go to your doctor's office. But if he doesn't want you to carry at all on his turf, and you have a good working relationship with him, it may be worth leaving the piece in your car.

cmort666 said:

If applicable LAW doesn't REQUIRE it, it's a CHOICE, not a "responsibility".

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I agree. Open carry is legal here, I often half way conceal carry in an OWB. I like to think of it as open carry, but not worrying about my jacket / shirt covering it.

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MichiganScott said:

concealed carry is not allowed in Michigan hospitals. The big problem with that is a lot of doctor offices are owned by hospitals, so you may be in violation of law and not even know it.

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IMO, a building owned by a hospital does not make it a hospital.

We are around guns so much, we don't think it unusual. But we are in the minority, and a lot of average citizens freak out with the thought of "Man with a gun."
So, best to stay concealed.