[rilkil23]

I live in Colorado Springs where open carry is legal though I do not see that many people opting to display their firearm. I was driving to my LGS to have my G22 fitted for XS Big Dot Night Sights with my gun in a belt holster. I have been having back problems for a few weeks so I decided to remove my holster from my belt while at a red light. I wiggled and wormed until the holster could be removed from my belt and went about my way. I never removed the gun from the holster as it has a thumb snap to keep it secure. While setting the holster, and gun, in the passenger seat I noticed the lady next to me was watching my every move, I kindly waved to her and she didn't wave back. I arrived at work about an hour later and my wife calls saying the police were at my house to investigate a report that I was waving the gun around and acting suicidal. I told her that everything was fine and the officer told her to have a nice day and left.

I am 39 years old and wearing a polo shirt and black dress pants. My car is completely stock, 1998 Toyota Corolla, and my radio was tuned to the morning news. I had the windows slightly cracked as it is warm and sunny today.

I feel bad that I alarmed the lady by removing my holster from my belt and appreciate the police checking on my well being.

My wife thought the whole thing was really funny since I called her to meet me in the driveway with my G22 because the stairs are painful with my back and having to bend down to mess with the safe is no better.

Not sure what to take from todays events but I will certainly be more aware of my perceived actions when carrying a sidearm. I am 6'3 and weigh 180lbs, I have a large tattoo on my left forearm and have a beard and shaved head. I am not the friendliest face you will ever come across so I genuinely understand why the lady was alarmed.

Not arguing for or against open carry I am just sharing my experience today.

[CA Escapee]

Originally Posted by rilkil23

I live in Colorado Springs and open carry is legal though I do not see that many people opting to display their firearm. I was driving to my LGS to have my G22 fitted for XS Big Dot Night Sights with my gun in a belt holster. I have been having back problems for a few weeks so I decided to remove my holster from my belt while at a red light. I wiggled and wormed until the holster could be removed from my belt and went about my way. I never removed the gun from the holster as it has a thumb snap to keep it secure. While setting the holster, and gun, in the passenger seat I noticed the lady next to me was watching my every move, I kindly waved to her and she didn't wave back. I arrived at work about an hour later and my wife calls saying the police are there and had a report that I was waving the gun around and acting suicidal so they were concerned for my safety. I told her that everything was fine and the officer told her to have a nice day and left.

I am 39 years old and wearing a polo shirt and black dress pants. My car is completely stock and my radio was tuned to the morning news, I don't listen to loud music anymore. I had the windows slightly cracked as it is warm and sunny today.

I feel bad that I alarmed the lady by removing my holster from my belt and appreciate the police checking on my well being.

My wife thought the whole thing was really funny since I called her to meet me in the driveway with my G22 because the stairs are painful with my back and having to bend down to mess with the safe is no better.

Not sure what to take from todays events but I will certainly be more aware of my perceived actions when carrying a sidearm. I am 6'3 and weigh 180lbs, I have a large tattoo on my left forearm and have a beard and shaved head. I am not the friendliest face you will ever come across so I genuinely understand why the lady was alarmed.

Not arguing for or against open carry I am just sharing my experience today.

When I was taking my Personal Protection In The Home class in Boulder a couple of months ago I asked the Boulder Deputy who was teaching a segment of the class about someone who calls the police when they suspect you've got a gun. He said their dispatchers will ask the caller if the person is waving the gun around, robbing someone, or some place, etc. If the answer is no, the dispatcher will inform the caller that open carry and concealed carry is legal in CO and kind of "educate" the caller. In other words the dispatcher trys to determine if it's an emergency or not.

It sounds like the police were sure you were ok and that the caller was uninformed as to what they saw.

Next time don't wiggle!

Bill

[uhlawpup]

Well, at least she was worried about you. That is a good thing. She was alert.

Remember the old saying, " Be alert! The world needs more lerts..."

[Rodman24]

The fact that she didn't wave back to you when you were making an effort to allay her concerns, makes me think she was less worried and more interested in engaging in a little daily drama.

[FL Airedale]

We had someone place a call about a suicidal man in a car at WalMart. She said she saw him holding a gun to his head.

The police arrived and the man was talking on his cell phone. He gave police permission to search his car and no gun was found.

Sometimes witnesses like to dramatize what they really saw.

Or maybe she was worried that holding the cell phone to his head would cause a brain tumor.

[SJ 40]

A friend and I were visiting another friend for lunch,This friend is a State investigator.a State LEO and works downtown in a office building with underground parking garage.
Anyway he is also a FFL and had over the weekend picked up a nice old Parker SxS shotgun.
When we got back to his building he said let me show you guys what I picked up,so he opens his trunk and shows us the Parker he had bought then puts it back in his trunk and closes it ,heads up to his office.

We go to my friends truck and proceed to drive out of the underground garage,when we turn and head to the exit there are two cruisers blocking the exit with officers behind them with their guns drawn and pointing at us.

We are both carrying and do as instructed,they check us out and ask if we have a rifle in the truck,we didn't have a rifle or shotgun.
We explain what we were doing and they call up to our friends office and he comes down.
One of the officers knows him and he tells them the same explanation that we had just stated. The officer tells our friend a woman called about three men and a rifle.

Now the one detail that I need to state this took place a couple of months after 911. when the three of us see each other we still get a chuckle out of Three Men and a Rifle,let alone a SxS shotgun SJ 40

[HarleyGuy]

Those "alert" women can sure get you into trouble.

I live in a very small (as in 1 traffic light) wher little goes on except for drugs in the HS occasionally.

A few years ago, a friend of mine, who BTW has a carry license, was out doing errands in his car when he noticed a town police cruiser right behind him.
As he came to the traffic light, he got into the left turn lane and shortly thereafter the cop hits the overheads and pulls him over.
He noticed that another car had pulled over right in front of him but he was more concerned about the possibility of getting a ticket than anything else.
The cop remained in his cruiser for a few minutes and then another cruise pulls in behind him and the Police Chief gets out of that cruiser.
So the two cops walk up to my friend's car (the Police Chief recognizes him) and says to him "why are you following this woman Jerry" (pointing the the car that had pulled over in front of him)?
The patrolman interrupts and asks him if he's carrying a firearm, to which he replies "yes" but I'm not following anyone!
Turns out that both parties were simply sharing the same route but the "alert" woman thought that he was suspicious and called the cops.

[Teej]

Another reason for tinted windows.........

[smokeross]

I would not have attempted to remove the belt, holster, or firearm without first making sure no one was looking. People freak out way too easy. Lucky she didn't call you in for attempted car jacking.

[eaglefrq]

This is one of the reasons my OWB holsters can be removed without having to take off/undo my belt.

[FireForged]

I am happy to live in the "South" were people are not alarmed by such things.

[fuzzy03cls]

The woman needs to mind her own damn business IMHO.

[cowboywannabe]

and the one time the police dont check out a man with a gun call and said man walks in to a resurant or school and kills some people the cops will be the bad guys for not checking him out, just as they are the bad guy for checking him out.

[Bren]

Originally Posted by CA Escapee

When I was taking my Personal Protection In The Home class in Boulder a couple of months ago I asked the Boulder Deputy who was teaching a segment of the class about someone who calls the police when they suspect you've got a gun. He said their dispatchers will ask the caller if the person is waving the gun around, robbing someone, or some place, etc. If the answer is no, the dispatcher will inform the caller that open carry and concealed carry is legal in CO and kind of "educate" the caller. In other words the dispatcher trys to determine if it's an emergency or not.

The opposite side of that conversation is that callers often exaggerate the story to get a faster response or to get the police to take them more seriously. Common ones I've seen are things like claiming a person in a fight is armed when they aren't, or saying they have a gun when they really have a knife, or saying someone has been shot or stabbed when it has only been threatened, etc. Saying a person handling a gun is "waiving it around" or acting crazy/suspicious/suicidal is also one I've seen before.

The police assume most people are lying...because they are.

[ScottieG59]

Police get called about all sorts of things. In the 1980's, I was in a Sporting store that also sold firearms. I was there looking closely a Chinese AK-47 on sale. It seems one of the customers, possibly a New Yorker visiting our resort town, became very alarmed and called the police.

The police went to the store after I left. The police had been told by the customer that an man who looked like an Arab was looking at an AK-47. The store owner assured the police that there was no need to be alarmed. He had known me since I was a little kid.

I thought it was strange. I am fair skinned, have blue eyes and light brown hair. I had a beard back then and I guess it made me look like a middle eastern terrorist.

Anyway, in very little time, the police knew there was no threat.

[FL Airedale]

A man in a store that sells firearms, looking at a firearm?

The caller must have expected SWAT to respond to something that horrifying!

[CA Escapee]

Originally Posted by Bren

The opposite side of that conversation is that callers often exaggerate the story to get a faster response or to get the police to take them more seriously. Common ones I've seen are things like claiming a person in a fight is armed when they aren't, or saying they have a gun when they really have a knife, or saying someone has been shot or stabbed when it has only been threatened, etc. Saying a person handling a gun is "waiving it around" or acting crazy/suspicious/suicidal is also one I've seen before.

The police assume most people are lying...because they are.

Agreed!

I was able to talk to the Boulder County Deputy more about different topics concerning concealed carry. The vibe I got from him is that callers are very poor witnesses, (not surprising, studies show most people are,) or the caller is trying to spice up the situation to get a response from the police. That's why the dispatcher questions the caller more thoroughly, to find out what's really going on. They don't want to waste their resources needlessly.

Also, Boulder is known as the Peoples Republic Of Boulder. So, ya think some of the residents may have an agenda against gun owners?

Bill

[ZO6Vettever]

I retired before my wife and took on cookin' and food shoppin' detail. Shirt blew up while pushin' the shoppin' cart thru the parkin' lot and a woman looked like "MAN WITH A GUN" was coming! I just said, "sorry to alarm you, job requires I carry it". It worked like a charm.

[smokeross]

Originally Posted by Teej

Another reason for tinted windows.........

Keep a blanket in the car so you can perform whatever it is you need to do in traffic, in complete anonymity.

[janice6]

Originally Posted by rilkil23

I live in Colorado Springs where open carry is legal though I do not see that many people opting to display their firearm. I was driving to my LGS to have my G22 fitted for XS Big Dot Night Sights with my gun in a belt holster. I have been having back problems for a few weeks so I decided to remove my holster from my belt while at a red light. I wiggled and wormed until the holster could be removed from my belt and went about my way. I never removed the gun from the holster as it has a thumb snap to keep it secure. While setting the holster, and gun, in the passenger seat I noticed the lady next to me was watching my every move, I kindly waved to her and she didn't wave back. I arrived at work about an hour later and my wife calls saying the police were at my house to investigate a report that I was waving the gun around and acting suicidal. I told her that everything was fine and the officer told her to have a nice day and left.

I am 39 years old and wearing a polo shirt and black dress pants. My car is completely stock, 1998 Toyota Corolla, and my radio was tuned to the morning news. I had the windows slightly cracked as it is warm and sunny today.

I feel bad that I alarmed the lady by removing my holster from my belt and appreciate the police checking on my well being.

My wife thought the whole thing was really funny since I called her to meet me in the driveway with my G22 because the stairs are painful with my back and having to bend down to mess with the safe is no better.

Not sure what to take from todays events but I will certainly be more aware of my perceived actions when carrying a sidearm. I am 6'3 and weigh 180lbs, I have a large tattoo on my left forearm and have a beard and shaved head. I am not the friendliest face you will ever come across so I genuinely understand why the lady was alarmed.

Not arguing for or against open carry I am just sharing my experience today.

I do my best to ignore people that are distressed that others do not conform to their interpretation of "proper".

Technically, screw them.

[janice6]

Originally Posted by CA Escapee

Agreed!

I was able to talk to the Boulder County Deputy more about different topics concerning concealed carry. The vibe I got from him is that callers are very poor witnesses, (not surprising, studies show most people are,) or the caller is trying to spice up the situation to get a response from the police. That's why the dispatcher questions the caller more thoroughly, to find out what's really going on. They don't want to waste their resources needlessly.

Also, Boulder is known as the Peoples Republic Of Boulder. So, ya think some of the residents may have an agenda against gun owners?


Bill

While in Bolder on business, I was told that all the Old School Hippies went to Bolder and now own most of the big companies; but still are hippies at heart.

[rilkil23]

Originally Posted by ZO6Vettever

I retired before my wife and took on cookin' and food shoppin' detail. Shirt blew up while pushin' the shoppin' cart thru the parkin' lot and a woman looked like "MAN WITH A GUN" was coming! I just said, "sorry to alarm you, job requires I carry it". It worked like a charm.

Nicely done. I openend carried into a pharmacy once and the poor girl by the exit about passed out from fear when she saw my gun. I didn't say a word and just kept walking, my son was convinced she was going to call the police and we expected to be pulled over on the way home. No contact from the police that day.

[F350]

Originally Posted by rilkil23

Nicely done. I openend carried into a pharmacy once and the poor girl by the exit about passed out from fear when she saw my gun. I didn't say a word and just kept walking, my son was convinced she was going to call the police and we expected to be pulled over on the way home. No contact from the police that day.

I open carried in a pharmacy the day after a druggie tried to get drugs with a knife; the pharmacist looked at my pistol and said "Why couldn't you have been here yesterday"!

[racer88]

I'm having trouble picturing this (OP). The lady was in the next car over? And, she could see you put your holstered gun on the passenger seat? Unless she was in a jacked-up 4x4 truck (or you have a transparent or open passenger door), I don't see how her line of sight would be able to spot your actions.

[rilkil23]

Originally Posted by racer88

I'm having trouble picturing this (OP). The lady was in the next car over? And, she could see you put your holstered gun on the passenger seat? Unless she was in a jacked-up 4x4 truck (or you have a transparent or open passenger door), I don't see how her line of sight would be able to spot your actions.

She was in the lane to my right and driving a ford explorer 4x4, she had a good view apparently.