OC again

I guess the whole point of doing something outside our comfort zone is to try to get to the point where you are comfortable doing it. That, or you just love misery. The whole OC thing has pretty much become a non-issue for me. Either the sight of a six foot tall, middle-aged mom openly wearing a pistol and teasing her daughter by threatening to rip off her am and beat her with the wet end if she doesn’t shape up doesn’t cause any raised eyebrows in my neck of the woods, or I’m just totally oblivious to it. (So much for SA, eh?)

 No problems at the mall, the big box home improvement store, the fabric store, or the cheeseburger place or the donut shop. My local hardware store doesn’t bat an eye, but maybe that’s because I took my matchlock musket in to show them one day. My favorite local pizza place seems to greet me even more enthusiastically than they used to. One thing I have noticed, though, is that I’m much more cognizant of my behavior when I wearing my pistol. I can’t pretend that I’m invisible and that nobody is paying attention to me, like in high school . I realize that everything I do and say is being judged (consciously or not) in context of the gun. So, while I’d much rather glare at salespeople, ignore attempts at pointless conversation while standing in line, or start ranting when I’m asked if I’ve found everything I need, I find myself being polite. Engaging, even. Sometimes actually downright helpful.

Proof in my mind that  being armed in society is making me more polite, at least. And that's a start.

Magazine Maintenance

I won't go into the care a feeding of magazines here, because what do I know about it, anyway other than you need to keep the lint and dirt out of them, and clean them thoroughly from time to time? What I do know is this ... you're supposed to label them. This is so you can tells yours apart from all the rest when shooting with friends. This is so you can narrow it down in case there is one magazine that is causing problems with your firearm.

I hadn't gotten around to it because, well, I don't have that many magazines, and I knew I'd spend way too much time obsessing about some sort of obscure code that would indicate if that mag was for my defensive ammo or my plinking ammo, the date I purchased the it, etc. I'd research the best labeling method, and select the best font for readability. Basically, I was over-thinking the whole thing. Sweet Daughter solved the problem for me today. What do you think?

Two of them sit on the right side of my shoulder rig to balance the weight of the pistol on the other side. Yup. They sit there right along my ribcage, bottoms facing out. So much for staying "low key".

Another OC update

I’ve got a dark brown t-shirt that sort of blends in with the leather on my shoulder rig. It’s got a floral/leafy design on the front so it looks kind of feminine, and I wear it when I’m trying to stay low-key. I wore it to dinner out last week, and I ran into a co-worker who didn’t even notice the gun. A few days later, the nice young man behind the counter at Chick-Fil-A certainly did, saying that he wished he could carry like that.  (WIN!)

The shirt didn’t seem to help much with the low-key part when Sweet Daughter, Shorter Half and I went to the Large Sporting Goods Store last weekend and the staff commented on the shoulder rig. And all the extra ammo. Can someone please tell me what it is about shoulder rigs? I know I’m a n00b, and don’t yet get all the nuances and inside jokes, but I feel like someone stuck a sign on my back that says “HEY, LOOK! I think I’m a bad-ass! And don’t forget, I’m bristling with ammo, too!”

So much for staying low key.

Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

Sweet Daughter was the C.O.W. at Y-camp today. (That’s Camper of the Week. I was confused at first when I picked her up today and she started exclaiming “I’m the COW! I’m the COW!”) So, to celebrate, we decided to pick up a pizza and go to the park for a pizza picnic and some play time. I decided to OC.

There were some kids running around (with no close adult supervision that I could see) while we ate. When we were done, the other kids seemed to evaporate, and I pushed SD on the swings for a bit. When we migrated over to the slides and climbing stuff, the other kids materialized again. SD was sliding down the fireman’s pole, and I was standing under her slowing her descent when a little urchin of about 4 ½ quite earnestly told me he wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers. I told him that was a good idea, and did he realize I was a stranger? He then told me if he was caught talking to a stranger, he’d be beat with a belt. He then asked if I’d help him down the pole. I politely declined, explaining that I was a stranger, and maybe his momma wouldn’t approve.

Then … the question I wasn’t prepared for. Because while I am not comfortable talking to strange adults, I sure as heck don’t like talking to Other People’s Kids. Especially ones traveling in packs and reenacting The Lord of the Flies. Even if they’re only about 4 ½ years old.

“Is that a gun?”

“Yes.”

“A REAL gun?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a cop?”

“No.”

“I can tell you’re not a cop, because you’re not wearing a cop suit.”

“That’s right.”

“So why do you have a gun?”

“To keep her, and the rest of you safe from bad guys.”

I could tell he was thinking that over. And then the 8-year-girl saw the magazines.

“What are those?”

“Magazines.”

“Magazines?” (I could tell she was only familiar with the kind you buy in the checkout line.)

“OMG! IS THAT A GUN?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a cop?”

(Sigh.) “No.”

“A Marine?”

“No.” (But that was kind of cool. When I was her age, women couldn’t be Marines. At least not with guns.)

“Can I see it?”

“Absolutely not. It doesn’t come out of the holster unless I need to use it.”

“Why do you have it?”

And SW piped up with a grin: “To keep me safe!!”

Amazingly, nobody ran screaming back to an adult. Even me.

Lost in the translation

Apparently my OC post got linked to. A lot. (Thanks, everybody!) Including a LiveJournal in Russia that at last count has 71 comments or links, or something. I’m not sure how the translation went from my blog to that one, but I ran the Russian post through Google Translate and got the following, which cracked me up.  (I can only wonder what they think of the living history, knitting and shoe posts ...)

Sketches from life ...
July 14th, 16:51

A woman with two children, 4 and 6 years. Bear arms openly (I would not say that it is reasonable, but it is her choice). And then, somehow taking the child from the children's camp she hopped into the store. And there is seller-consultant squinted squinted at her and finally asked:
- You do not cop an hour?
- No.
- FBI?
- No.
- Neshto CIA?
smile:
- No.
- Yes, I asked what is there just something you have ... - Tyknuv finger at the two stores on the side.
- They came bundled with it. - Turned the other side.
- E. .. and why are you wearing?
Thrusting his finger in the child of:
- That she was safe. The second dealer, hmyknuv:
- I'd probably steal your car poosteregsya ...
- Well, it's also part of the purpose of ...
There are already number 1 seller of thought, and gave:
- Probably should go on courses ...

And the comments? Here’s a smattering. It even appears to my untrained eye that Markley's Law might have made an appearance at the end.

dead_sergeant
2011-07-14 01:02 pm
Hoplofoby, come, fall in piles around with heart attacks - the children and guns, just a dream.

kontiky
2011-07-14 02:45 pm
I'm more surprised by the reaction of the seller - even in the U.S. is not all obvious utility of weapons.

hyperprapor
2011-07-14 02:55 pm

Duc girl? When they are generally interested in the weapons??
And since learned - was filled with ... Common sense, then there.

glockoholic
2011-07-14 05:42 pm

Baba fool! Not because of silly, but because a woman!
Weapons, as well as to wear covert dick and show only when absolutely necessary.

More thoughts on OC

The irony when being an OC "ambassador" is that I don't like talking to strangers. I was talking to SH about the perfect OC ambassador being someone who doesn't look like a cop, or look military, or look like your typical high-speed, low drag, uber tactical mall ninja, and I realized I had to shut up or start OCing myself. I won't wear a branded t-shirt when I carry. And I won't wear a ball cap or even wear my hair in a pony-tail as it gives off a cop-vibe, for some reason. The only tactical black thing I wear is mascara and, if I'm working, high heels. OCing puts me way out of my comfort zone, but not because of the gun for some reason. It’s because when I OC I have to be open and friendly to strangers and that really makes this introvert feel rather awkward.

OC Update

I’ve been OCing a bit more lately. Mostly, if I’m out with my pistol, I’m open carrying unless the venue is so air conditioned I want a jacket. And then I don’t worry about concealment.

I’ve OC’d at CVS a half dozen times, now. That seemed was odd at first, but it’s not a problem now. I’ve OC’d in Kohl’s  and Target a handful of times, and I added Old Navy to the list this weekend. I REALLY wish we had a Trader Joe’s or Whole Paycheck Foods less than an hour away so I could have that experience.

I had left work early one day a week or so ago and was grubbing around at home before picking Sweet Daughter up from camp at the YMCA. I had thrown on my shoulder rig and was heading out the door before I remembered the whole OC Ambassador mindset. I went back and changed out of the oversized shirt with stuff all over the front into a plain red fitted t-shirt. When I got to the pick-up spot, one of the counselors looked at me and said, “Are you a cop?”

“No.”

“FBI?”

“No.”

“CIA?”

Smiling, “No.”

“I was wondering because I saw those.” (Pointing to the two magazines on my right side.)

“They go with this”, I said, turning and showing her the holstered pistol. She looked a little surprised.

“So what do you do?”

II gave her a general idea.

“So why do you carry that?”

(Pointing at SD) “To keep her safe.”

Counselor #2 chimes in with “Yeah. I wouldn’t want to carjack your car.”

I said “That’s pretty much the point.”

I saw the light bulb go off over the head of Counselor #1. And she said she’d like to learn how to shoot. I told her I’d be happy to help point her in the right direction and the next time Michael W. came to visit we could maybe set something up.  

That’s a conversation that never would have happened if I’d been carrying concealed.  We’re winning -- one at a time.

OC Lunch tomorrow

UPDATE: Time changed to 1:00.

The instigator behind lunch tomorrow has been OBE, so I guess I'm the default cruise director.

The Globe & Laurel, and Dougherty's are both closed on Sundays, and so the next on the list was Jimmy The Greek Family Restaurant. Unless you've got a better idea, let's meet at noon 1:00. E-mail me by 10:30 11:30 or so tomorrow morning at dethosp at Gee mail dot com if you think you can make it (bring the whole family! Sweet Daughter will be there with me) so I know how big a table to get.

Hope to see some of you there!

Busy

One of our neighbors took pity on me this morning. He saw me mowing the front yard on Thursday with a (gasp!) push mower, and inquired as to the status of our riding mowers. Neither one was working. So he came over this morning and did some troubleshooting and gave me a first rate lesson in mower maintenance. First he charged up the battery. The mower started, and died. We commented on the age of the gasoline and poked around a bit. The air filter look okay, but I cleaned it anyway. Then the neighbor noticed a stray piece of fuzz, or something else suspicious, and popped the cover off. We found this:

The critter nest covering the air-cooled engine might have had something to do with it not running. We put in fresh gas and changed the oil, and low and behold, it seems to be working great. I'll find out for sure tomorrow afternoon.

This afternoon was spent doing errands in town, and I OC'd. Kohl's, Target, the mall (from one end to the other (including JCPenney and Chick-fil-A) and Lowes. The only comment I got was from the cashier at Target.

Her: "Nice gun."
Me: "Thanks!"
Her: "Are you a cop?"
Me: "No. SD, what's the best defense against a bad guy with a gun?"
SD: "A GOOD guy with a gun!"
Me : "Cops can't be everywhere all the time, and it's my job to keep her safe."
Her: "You can do that?"
Me: "Yes. Open carry is legal here without a permit. I also have a permit so I can carry concealed."

So, yay. A positive experience and maybe someone new is considering options she didn't know she had.

UPDATE: Lunch on Sunday?

The Unofficial "Hey, Look! Nobody is Running Away Screaming When I Open Carry Day" is this Sunday. A couple of us located in the DC/Fredericksburg area are planning on getting together for lunch in the Stafford/Quantico area. Anybody want to join us?

Any input on time and place? I know nothing about the area, but found these:

Dougherty's Tavern

Globe & Laurel Restaurant

Jimmy The Greek Family Restaurant

County Fare

I know nothing about any of these places ... I just did a search on "Stafford VA dining" and these came up. Let me know if you have any preferences, otherwise I'll draw a name from a hat.

Open Carry Day

I was congratulating Breda last weekend on her open carry experience and said “Hey! We should have an open carry day and see how many people we can get to do it!” And so we touched base with Mike W., who has been OCing for a while, now. And I know there are a lot of others out there that just do it and don’t blog about it, because it’s just not a big deal once you get over that feeling that everyone is staring at you like they did in high school when you had that giant Cyclops zit on your forehead that popped up after your Algebra class and nobody told you about it. (Don’t tell me I was the only one. We didn’t have Pro-Active back in the old days.)

ANYHOW. June 5th (the first Sunday in June) has hereby been declared the first annual Open Carry Day for those that can do it. That's it. Just wear a gun, and go about your normal daily routine. The sight of regular people wearing a gun shouldn't be a big deal, and who better to normalize it than reasonably normal people? Report back with what happens. I’m hoping there will be a lot observations that “Person goes about their normal day with a gun and nothing happened!” It will turn into a non-event, which is exactly what open carrying should be.

Identify Friend or Foe

For anyone out there whose initial reaction to seeing someone with a gun is "ZOMG! That person has a HANDGUN!!!1eleventy!, here's a handy guide to help you tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Is the weapon properly holstered or not?

If the answer is yes, he or she is most likely a good guy. It really is that simple.

I'm not saying an unholstered gun is unsafe, I'm saying that will cause me to reevaluate the situation. Unsafe gun handling is guaranteed to get my attention and I will react accordingly.

Sweet Daughter has even been taught that, in an emergency, a grown-up using a gun responsibly is a pretty good bet to keep her safe and get her help.

So, if you see me out and about with my tactical Tupperware and all those extra magazines to keep the darn rig somewhat balanced, I'm doing it to keep my family safe. I'm not doing it to draw attention to myself, or to get in your face. I just want to get my errands done and go home. And remember that if you're a good guy, I'm on your side.

Woman with a gun in plain sight and a child in tow …

… enter a grocery store and pick up some milk. And had a very nice conversation with a gentleman with a “Waste Management” t-shirt whose accent indicated that he originated way north of the “Sweet Tea Line”* about the different types of flavored coffee creamer that are available. Sweet Daughter selected some discounted Easter stickers to buy with her allowance and only fussed when she realized that I carry her on the same side as my pistol (uncomfortable for her), and so insisted on riding in a cart. The rather flamboyant cashier with the multi-colored star tattoos on his neck and the multiple facial piercings didn’t even bat an eye. But then, I don’t think I was his type.

I just wonder how long it will be until I have the guts to do this while shopping for shoes or clothes in the city.


*The Mason-Dixon line has nothing to do with where the South begins. When you go to your localnon-chain eatery and ask for sweetea (all one word) and they don’t bring regular iced tea and sugar packets, but have a separate pitcher of tea-flavored simple-syrup, you know you’re in the south. I was in a restaurant near Annapolis and asked for sweet tea. I was informed that they didn’t have any, but they had regular tea and sugar. “That’s not a solution” I said. “That’s a precipitate.”


I’m such a geek.