Anglin_AZ
01-02-2013, 23:57
My boys and I spent New Year's Day out in the desert engaging in various firearm related activities. Toward the evening we packed up put everything back in the truck and headed for our usual post shooting activity, a cheeseburger at In n Out. Mind you we were a bit scruffy and dusty from being in the desert all day but that didn't stop our hunger.
I mostly carry concealed and was doing so this day, while my son(19) had a Glock 21 on a Blackhawk holster in open carry position on his hip. We walked in and I didn't notice he still had the gun on his hip until he got back up to refill his drink. When he got back and sat down I told him he should have not have open carried and he gave me a, "dad puhlease!" look. I have to admit I'm not used to him carrying in public although he is very educated with firearm safety and protocols. I have no qualms about it but it just caught me by surprise. No big deal, in my mind they are still little boys but in reality they are young men.
The placed was packed with people waiting for people to get up so they could grab a table. All finished we put all the trash on the trays and get up to leave. I'm about 3 people behind my son as we walk over to the trash can and I hear a older man ask my son, "hey do you need a license to carry that?". My son replied "no sir, in Az you can open carry as long as your older than 18". The man then asks what kind of gun it is with my son replying it being a Glock 21. The man then said "I got scared when I saw you walk in with that". Without skipping a beat my son said "you shouldn't feel scared, you should feel safe". I don't think the man was expecting that response because he paused for a second and then smiled.
I thought about that evening and realized he's figured it out. He could have been cocky and that man might think differently about people gun owners. He could have been over the top about his rights and that man might have created stereotypes about gun owners. I appreciated him being low key and personable and I think that guy appreciated it to. And I know other people in the place where watching and listening to.
I mostly carry concealed and was doing so this day, while my son(19) had a Glock 21 on a Blackhawk holster in open carry position on his hip. We walked in and I didn't notice he still had the gun on his hip until he got back up to refill his drink. When he got back and sat down I told him he should have not have open carried and he gave me a, "dad puhlease!" look. I have to admit I'm not used to him carrying in public although he is very educated with firearm safety and protocols. I have no qualms about it but it just caught me by surprise. No big deal, in my mind they are still little boys but in reality they are young men.
The placed was packed with people waiting for people to get up so they could grab a table. All finished we put all the trash on the trays and get up to leave. I'm about 3 people behind my son as we walk over to the trash can and I hear a older man ask my son, "hey do you need a license to carry that?". My son replied "no sir, in Az you can open carry as long as your older than 18". The man then asks what kind of gun it is with my son replying it being a Glock 21. The man then said "I got scared when I saw you walk in with that". Without skipping a beat my son said "you shouldn't feel scared, you should feel safe". I don't think the man was expecting that response because he paused for a second and then smiled.
I thought about that evening and realized he's figured it out. He could have been cocky and that man might think differently about people gun owners. He could have been over the top about his rights and that man might have created stereotypes about gun owners. I appreciated him being low key and personable and I think that guy appreciated it to. And I know other people in the place where watching and listening to.