Your carry is spotted in a restaurant. What would you do?

[vytoland]

tip my hat and reply, "oooops, my bad". then get back to my fried catfish and mac n cheese.

 

[srgvaz]

It depends, but most likely I'd say thank you cover it up and continue with my meal. If the person kept standing there I'd look back at them a few seconds and give them the opportunity to walk away. If I had to mention this gun hasn't killed anybody yet and what more I can do for you. As long as there is no law against a gun at that establishment I'd try and call the manager before I had to defend myself from that psychotic person...

 

[iamde3]

I would ask him if his Son got shot for being nosey or stupid.

 

[Butchbird]

In Texas you may carry in a restruant that has 51% of it's business in food (even if it has a bar)-- If an establishment serves more alchol than food it must post a sign in the form of a circle with "51" with a line across it (this is enforced by the TABC) -- you may not carry in such an establishment (that means bars) -- For a business to forbid the carry of firearms they must post a sign stating so by quoting the section of the law that permits this -- in both English and Spainish with letters at least one inch high (This makes a sign about 4ft by six ft) before you enter the business (I've only seen one legal sign -- ever) -- Since I don't go to bars and I don't drink I'm not bothered by this -- It is never a good idea to drink while using a gun but if you are not drunk it is not illegal -- but -- It is frowned upon and you might have to tell it to the judge -- In this situation I would thank the person for informing me and state I have a legal right to carry -- If pressed I would just leave -- If pressed futher -- I would ask him to call the Police and deal with it as best I could

 

[writerinmo]

A friend of mine is the DARE officer for the sheriff's office here in town. After checking with the CLEO's I started OC'ing while working outside and in my shop. He occasionally stops by on his way home to shoot the breeze, and the first time he stopped that I was carrying, he asked me "Why are you carrying that thing?" I replied "Why do you?" He said, "Well, it's part of my job." To which I replied, "Hey, mine too...protecting my family." He laughed and said "That's true." Then he went on to tell me how he preferred his Glock... which was ok by me, I would probably buy one if it felt right and I had $150.00 or more extra than what my 40VE ran, to spend on one just to have it.

 

[RobertJ.]

Years ago, in Idaho, my friend Nolan was giving an ice carving demonstation at the mall in Pocatello. While he was in the middle of it, his chef's coat rode up and exposed his Ruger SP-101 in an IWB holster. He didn't even realize it until he was finished, as no one in the crowd said anything. Gotta love Idaho!

 

[calward]

Everyone probably knows the rules in their own state; good to find out the basics in states you are traveling through as well. Law in VA is that you can't carry in any place that serves alcohol. Some places have laws against 'brandishing' as well; I am not sure what that consists of except that if you carry nobody should know about it.

 

[cmort666]

Everyone probably knows the rules in their own state; good to find out the basics in states you are traveling through as well. Law in VA is that you can't carry in any place that serves alcohol. Some places have laws against 'brandishing' as well; I am not sure what that consists of except that if you carry nobody should know about it.

You can't carry CONCEALED in any place that serves alcohol. It's perfectly legal to open carry.

You might want to check out the Virginia forum of OCDO and vcdl.org.

 

[cshoff]

Here's a stumper for me here in Missouri. Law states that I am not allowed to CC in an establishment that derives 51% of it's business from the sale of alcohol... so should I call up the owner and ask him? From my experience, I would say it is a close call as they serve some excellent food and are always busy, but then so is the bar portion, which is not totally separated from the restaurant, you have to pass through the edge of the bar to get into the food area.

It's pretty easy to determine in Missouri, really. If they serve alcohol on Sundays, you can rest assured that they are a bonafide restaurant. Places like Applebees, TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, etc, all qualify as restaurants. The corner tavern, on the other hand, would be a bar. Furthermore, even if you DO carry a concealed firearm into a tavern or bar in Missouri, as long as you have a valid CCW permit, it is not a criminal offense. At most, you can be asked to leave or denied access to the building. So you really don't have much to worry about here.

 

[cshoff]

I carry everywhere, if it's posted then I either send someone else in or go to a similar establishment. In my area, for home improvement I have four choices, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, and Buckheits. Buckheits has a "No Firearms" sign on the front door. Guess which one I don't go to at all? I do my banking business at the driveup, haven't had any business to conduct at the Courthouse since my divorce was final a couple of years ago, I go to Cabela's instead of Bass Pro because Bass Pro wants me to "check" my carry at Customer Service.

What Bass Pro is that? Ive been to the one in Springfield, the one in Columbia, and the one in St. Charles, and none of them have that policy.

 

[writerinmo]

It was the one in St Charles awhile back... oh, maybe 6-8 months ago or so. I emailed the head office and got this reply back...

Dear (Me)
Thanks for the heads up-let me clear up your concerns.

We do have what we call as Greeters both at entry and exit.
As a conceal and carry customer all we ask is that you notify and show your permit to do so. That's it.
Any other firearms brought in to the store must be checked in at the front end-tagged-and noted per policy. Hope this clears any concerns you may have. Thanks
Bob Brownlee-GM

 

[oldman45]

The local area Bass Pro asks that all guns be unloaded before entering the store and the sign says at the entrance says to check your guns at the desk.

But then I have never been in a pawn shop that did not have a "All guns must be unloaded before entering" sign on their door.

An unloaded gun does not shoot. A gun that does not shoot is worthless. Why would one want an unloaded gun?

 

[scooter123]

Be careful. In Michigan, flashing while possessing a CCW can be grounds to revoke the permit.

I'm an IWB carrier, myself, generally. I'd hate to flash and I'm nuts about imprinting. We are, after all, responsible enough to keep the peace, eh?

This was only true when Michigan was still May Issue and Open Carry wasn't recognized as a Right under both the State and Federal Constitution. Now that Open Carry is recognized state wide under Pre-Emption, the concern for printing or exposing a concealed firearm no longer exists for those with a permit to carry concealed. However, some Police Officers hate responding to MWAG calls so it's still a good idea to keep your concealed carry well concealed. However, there is no penalty for flashing as long as you have your CPL, just a lecture from a PO'd Cop. BTW, those caught carrying concealed without a Permit, that's another story, in Michigan that's a 5 year Felony.

Note, I am not a fan of Open Carry in a City or Township, I think that currently it just adds fuel to the anti gun fire. So, when not in the woods my handguns are well concealed. However, the Open Carry movement has provided one benefit in that printing or flashing due to a sudden wind gust is no longer a concern.

As for the resturant scenerio, it won't happen to me. I rarely eat out and when I do it's IWB in a tuckable holster. I would have to be blind drunk to allow my gun to be exposed and I'm not a drinker.

 

[cshoff]

It was the one in St Charles awhile back... oh, maybe 6-8 months ago or so. I emailed the head office and got this reply back...

Dear (Me)
Thanks for the heads up-let me clear up your concerns.

We do have what we call as Greeters both at entry and exit.
As a conceal and carry customer all we ask is that you notify and show your permit to do so. That's it.
Any other firearms brought in to the store must be checked in at the front end-tagged-and noted per policy. Hope this clears any concerns you may have. Thanks
Bob Brownlee-GM

When I was there in April, they didn't have any signs posted anywhere on the doors regarding CCW guns. I would NEVER show them my permit or "notify" them that I was carrying. That is none of their business.

 

[Justin251]

I would ask him if his Son got shot for being nosey or stupid.

I would tell them that my grandpa lived to be a hundred years old and say, "did you know what his secret was?"

"minding his own business"

 

[Lew Archer]

After covering up the exposed weapon, were I a private citizen, legally armed (not LE) I might respond to this hypothetical with something like:

"I am sorry for the loss of your son. I can only imagine how painful that must be. I can understand why you would hate guns. If the sight of my gun was upsetting to you, I apologize. However, I can assure you that I am legally authorized to be armed and am law abiding."

Acknowledging (not agreeing with) his emotion-based view may help de-escalate things. The above statement deflects his aggressive verbal challenge and would probably be something unexpected.

And, simply stating that you are legally armed and law abiding offers a simple, matter of fact, unemotional, and truthful "reality check".

I wouldn't go into my justification for being armed. It's not his business and I have no duty to explain myself to him. Don't let him put you on the defensive about being armed, if you are within your legal rights. Don't say anything that could be construed as impersonating LE. Assume everything you say could wind up in a police report at this point.

The person in the hypothetical is driven by powerful emotions which cloud judgment and make listening to reason next to impossible. Here we have a presumably unarmed man challenging an armed man. Clearly, not rational behavior. Rationality (and the ability to respond to reason) won't return to him until his emotional levels lower. The above statement is geared to lowering those emotions.

The ball is now in his court. He will either escalate or de-escalate.

If he escalates (verbally), I might respond with silence. Silence makes all of us uncomfortable. He may grow frustrated and walk away.

If that fails to work, I might say something like, "You have come over to my table. I did not invite you. I've listened to your concerns and acknowledged your point of view. I don't wish to discuss this further. Please leave me alone. I am in the middle of dinner. "

If that fails to work, then get up and ask the manager to call the police (but keep a visual on the man).

Why bring in the police? Your suggestion of it may make him go away. If not, you want the police to respond and deal with his behavior, which is disturbing the peace.

Importantly, if the police do get involved, it's best if their involvement was at your request. That way, in the report, you are listed as the "person reporting", which is better than being listed as the "suspect".

This hypothetical conversation could develop into a confrontation. Since you are armed, by definition it would be an armed confrontation. You want to do everything to convey to all that YOU are trying to de-escalate.

And you want people around you to see you as trying to de-escalate. Those people are called witnesses...and you want their statements to police (if it all goes to hell and turns into a physical altercation) to paint a picture of a law abiding, responsible citizen trying to de-escalate a situation he did not initiate.

So, to sum up, I would attempt to use verbal tactics to de-escalate. If that failed, I would request that police respond to keep the peace.

 

[old bear]

bk43's

bk43's

+1

 

[Skeeziks]

A man walks up to you and says something like this:

"You're carrying a gun. I hate guns. A gun killed my son. What in the world do you think you're doing in here with that?"

What would be your response to this beginning of what could be a heated exchange?

...it is never good to engage in an argument on the merits of carrying a weapon. The man is obviously emotional - he believes his son was killed by a gun rather than a human being. He will not be reasoned with nor should one try.

Now, what would YOU do or say in this situation?

I highlighted these particular paragraphs to reveal what the best thing is to do:

Since he went out of his way to come over to my table and say "You're carrying a gun...I HATE guns." and "What do you think you're doing in here with that?" it's obvious to me that he's trying to start something (maybe, even so sly as to be trying to goad me into a fight so he could say to the police that I attacked him and/or threatened him while brandishing my gun.) His goal, of course, would be to try to get my CWP revoked so, in his mind, there would be 1 less "gun-toting" citizen out there.

The (small) price I pay for exercising my right to carry is I have to behave myself.

Me? I would be the bigger man and, as politely as I could, say as little as possible to the jerk.

My parents brought me up with this advice: "The less ya' say, the better."

 

[cmort666]

I highlighted these particular paragraphs to reveal what the best thing is to do:

Since he went out of his way to come over to my table and say "You're carrying a gun...I HATE guns." and "What do you think you're doing in here with that?" it's obvious to me that he's trying to start something (maybe, even so sly as to be trying to goad me into a fight so he could say to the police that I attacked him and/or threatened him while brandishing my gun.) His goal, of course, would be to try to get my CWP revoked so, in his mind, there would be 1 less "gun-toting" citizen out there.

Last year I had a couple of people protesting a Planned Parenthood clinic try that with me. I was doing a lawyer friend a favor by photographing a small minority of the protesters who were illegally blocking the view of a busy street from a hidden driveway, creating a very real danger of a traffic accident. And have no doubt it was intentional, because they'd been warned of the danger and explicitly stated that causing a death in a traffic accident was worth what they were trying to accomplish.

First one came over and started taunting me. I met him with total silence. I just continued to read Hogg's book on machine guns, while taking pictures whenever they intentionally blocked the view. He went on and on and on, and I completely ignored him. He finally gave up and wandered off.

Next came an easily 500lb. morbidly obese psychotic who proceeded to verbally abuse and try to goad me into a fight. I just ignored him too until, frustrated, he waddled away. He videorecorded the whole thing with his phone and put it on YouTube. I'm sure he has no idea in the world what a lunatic he looks like. I was also voice recording him at the same time.

During a meeting with them (at which the troublemakers were expelled from the main body of protesters), my friend asked Jabba the Hut, "Do you REALLY think it's smart to try and start a fight with a guy wearing an NRA instructor's ballcap and reading a book on machine guns"? Jabba turned white and asked, "Was he carrying a GUN???" My friend just smiled a little smile.

 

[CQB27]

Him - "What in the world do you think you're doing in here with that?"

Me - "Because an unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not easily defeated by fleeing from it."