Sharp as a Marble - Gun owner goes to Apple store, openly carrying

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Gun owner goes to Apple store, openly carrying

Open Carry

That’s right – by the end of my extremely nerve racking foray the entire Apple Store was discussing my gun range, two guys had asked me about ARs and another about leagues. As the right person with the right attitude in the right setting I managed to take open carry and turn it into advertising for West Coast Armory.

When you OC, you’re going to be an ambassador for the gun community. I have a LOT to write about this later, but suffice it to say Shelly managed to be a great one. While I’ll fight for your right to be a @^%#&, please don’t be.

posted @ 3/22/2011 12:53:22 PM

Comments

mike w. says:

on 3/22/2011 12:59:04 PM

Appearance helps. Being an attractive young woman and not a grungy old fat guy with a beard definitely changes the perception of the OC'er.

Great job Shelley!

markofafreeman says:

on 3/22/2011 2:09:32 PM

Hey! Grungy old fat guys with beards can be friendly, too!

;-)

Well, I don't have a beard.

At one Triagle Open Carry dinner at Five Guys, we had one guy turn to us and say, "Let me guess, an NRA convention?" And we engaged in friendly banter with him.

There's also a small cafe a few of us go to after our weekly shoot at the range where I've been the lone open carrier for several months now.

No one has ever said anything directly, but there was a time when, as usual, we'd stayed beyond closing time as the staff was closing up. As we got up to leave, I said something like, thanks for putting up with us staying past closing. Her comment was, "Oh, no, don't worry, you guys are my favorite."

Now, to the best of my knowledge, we've never really had much of a conversation with her beyond, "I'll have a cappuccino." And most of us have faces for radio. So the only thing I can figure is that:

* Two or three young women working late
* ...in a cafe in a rather isolated location
* ...at night, closing up around 9:00pm
* ...likely an anti-self-defense policy

and seeing a regular customer who's not a jerk with a gun on his hip is somewhat comforting.

Caleb says:

on 3/22/2011 4:13:16 PM

Appearance really, really does help. So does attitude. Being attractive scores you points right away, and not being a dick closes the deal.

markofafreeman says:

on 3/22/2011 4:25:17 PM

Okay, fine...I'll shave before going to the range and the cafe tonight.

;-)

Chad says:

on 3/22/2011 4:27:11 PM

Our Apple store in Colorado Springs is also an FFL. You walk in and are greeted nicely with a "Hi, are you here for an Apple computer or a firearm?"

Linoge says:

on 3/22/2011 4:50:00 PM

Open carry, when executed in a non-confrontational, polite fashion, is probably one of the most powerful tools available to us as pro-rights advocates.

Of course, as with all powerful tools, the potential for misuse is substantial.

Speakertweaker says:

on 3/23/2011 10:21:13 AM

I'mma OC my shotgun at the Apple Store tonight!!! ;)

Good on Shelley for being a good ambassador. That post should be required reading for all OC activists.

tweaker

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