Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Disgruntled woman enters grocery store with a gun ...

… in plain sight and 49 rounds of ammunition and nothing happened. Well, except that she walked out in a better mood than when she walked in.

On some level, I felt obligated. I have often said I feel like such a poseur in the gun community – my knowledge consists little more than The Four Rules, knowing which end of the gun is the most dangerous, and that a .45 is bigger than a .38. I know to roll my eyes when my coworker tells me that if the caliber doesn’t start with a “.4”, it’s not worth carrying. (Especially when I ask what he carries and he tells me he doesn’t have a pistol.) And I know that January 23rd should be a national holiday.

While in Pittsburgh, I open carried for the first time. It was cool, but when you’re surrounded by 69,999 like-minded people, it’s not such a big deal. When we got back home, JayG posted his thoughts.

And Mike W., who open carries regularly chimed in.

And then Breda goes and knocks one out of the park, summed up with “You can create the future while securing your own.”

Then Alan piles on with a plea to contact Texas representatives to get an open carry bill pushed along. Here in VA, open carry is legal, and I’m not taking advantage of it.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

And I realized I have a responsibility as a role model for Sweet Daughter to push the envelope of my comfort zone in order to support those freedoms, because

I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. ~James Madison, speech, Virginia Convention, 1788

Last weekend, Michael W. took my Miami Vice II shoulder rig from Galco orange to a beautiful dark brown. And tonight, I wore it to the grocery store, unconcealed, and nobody cared. One gentleman did look at me a little funny, but that’s not unusual even when I’m not wearing a gun. And the cashier was especially friendly, reminding me that if I bought my wine in quantity, I’d get 10% off AND a free wine bag.



I’m not an evangelist of any sort. I don’t particularly like talking to strangers, but I do feel like this is a way in which I can make some small contribution back to the gunnie community. I can help desensitize John Q. Public to the sight of a regular person with a gun. And Sweet Daughter will be right there helping. When someone asks me why I’m carrying, I’ll ask SD “What’s the best defense against a bad guy with a gun?” And she’ll answer “A good guy with a gun!”

You can create the future while securing your own.

Thank you for pointing that out, Breda. Because, really – how many people have that opportunity?

18 comments:

  1. I admit, I'm a little bit inspired...

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  2. Outstanding. I need to OC more. It's legal in Kentucky too.

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  3. I view it as normalizing the sight of good guys with guns.

    Good for you!

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  4. Well done Lady, well done :-)

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  5. Here Here, great post and even better actions.

    Thank you Nancy. Sincerely and deeply thank you.

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  6. I've heard all good things about the Miami Vice shoulder holsters. I think you've got a winning combination with that one!

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  7. Maybe you should get a little more ungruntled...
    ;^)

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  8. As Borepatch is fond of saying, this post is in danger of collapsing into a black hole of awesome...

    I am very proud of my blogdfaughter today (and every day!)

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  9. I'm not trying to be sexist, I'm really not, but I think that it is more Socially Acceptable for a Women to OC than Males. Please, hear me out Ladies before you stone me! When I see a Women carrying a gun, and she's in Civilian Attire (i.e, not a Cop or Military), the Primitive part of my Brain activates its Caveman Hard Wiring and says "Mother Protecting Children! Good for Tribe's Future to not have Children be eaten by Tigers!". When I see a Male OC, that same part of my Brain goes into Condition Orange, saying "Possible Threat! Be ready!"

    So, on that basis, if MORE Women would OC (where Legal), this might aid in breaking down the Propaganda smeared across the Gunnie Community by the Antis since the days of JFK's Assassination, whether they have Children with them or not. This should help the Cause to strengthen the RKBA among those Citizens who have been Brain Washed over the last few Decades to be Disarmed.

    One last thought: I see that you like to carry a Horizontal Shoulder Holster. I know some in the Gunnie Community think that's a Bad Thing because it sweeps those behind you. BUT, if you are a Mom with a Child in one hand, and the Bag of Many Things in the other (your purse, diaper bag, etc.), then it does tell any Goblins who think that you might be a Soft Target that it might not be in his best interest to attack this particular She-Wolf from Behind. It's amazing how much that barrel opening grows and grows as one gets closer to it.

    So you OC as much as you can, Laura, and show the World what REAL Women's Liberation is. Meanwhile, I'll be heading behind some cover and practice my Rock Dodging...

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  10. That's a nice looking holster! Well done!

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  11. I recently bought my first gun. My guy had bought for me before but being a guy he thought caliber over needs and so my left handed fibromyalgia self had a hard time with the very obviously not made for a lefty .40 that kicked like crazy. So he let me go and test fire and chose for myself. I got the ambidextrous HK p2000 and am in love. I live in the great Nevada and we are an OC state. I would love to OC more than when we are in the desert but husband is worried that our high crime area (IE southern Nevada) would see that as a "look at the tiny white girl - kick her trash" type invitation. Any advice on helping my stubborn protective guy see things my way? I am getting my CCW very soon and he is all behind that but I honestly feel very passionately about raising awareness of our rights and removing the stigma and would much prefer to open carry.

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  12. Lila: I certainly understand your desire to raise awareness and open carry. (There are a lot of gun people pro-open and a lot against) If you feel that raising awareness is important, then you should.

    But: You might want to decide what battle to pick. Is open carry and awareness important? Is concealed carry and personal protection more important? Perhaps you can achieve the later and then work on the former being a goal.

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  13. North: Thanks! I am not going to push because obviously safety is first. If he feels my safety is better served with CC then obviously I will hit a brick wall, lol. I just don't think that OC raises my risk level while he does. That is our conundrum. Trying to get wider input on the topic.

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  14. I think you've got the perfect mindset for it and I think you need to do this. Why? Because YOU think you need to do it and that's it. Open Carry is ALL about sticking out like a sore thumb... and then nothing happening. It's about making it commonplace and no longer shocking. Keep up the great work!

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  15. Excels at Nothing

    I beg to differ.



    tweaker

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  16. That inspires me with the idea of inventing the ".4-32", which is exactly the same as .32 ACP, but starts with 4.

    So it's worth carrying.

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  17. I don't know how it works as a woman, but as a man I find that if I dress professionaly, have a calm and assertive posture, people just assume I am an off duty or plain clothes cop.

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