A Girl and Her Gun: A Girl and Her Gun and Open Carry

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Girl and Her Gun and Open Carry

My son is 19, almost 20 and in our state he is allowed to have a gun. Our law is open carry at 18, no permit needed and conceal carry with permit at 21. So, he always open carries. My husband and I have not always been comfortable with this, so many times if he is with us, we ask him to leave his gun in the car.

You may or may not have noticed that my husband and I are very NO DRAMA people. I would not say we are chicken, but we really live our lives to be calm and happy. We do not surround ourselves with gossips or people who love to argue or are grumpy all the time. We like peace. Doesn't mean we won't stand up and fight for what we believe in, but if we can avoid the fight, we will. Most especially me.

It took a while to just get comfortable with a gun at all, let alone dealing with people who might have an issue with it.

Recently, I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone, so while I have continued to conceal, I have stopped asking my son to take his gun off when he is out and about with me.

Yesterday, he asked me to open carry with him. My first reaction was no, but then I said, what the heck, sure.

I do not have a great OWB(outside the waistband holster), so I wore my Crossbreed IWB(inside the waistband holster), but since my shorts and shirt were pretty small and tight, it showed like a beacon.

It was me, with my Glock 27, my son with my husband's Glock 23(my man was on a military base and could not carry) and my daughter-in-law with my Ruger LCP. We also had my new grandbaby with us, who was open carrying a pacifier.

I will admit, I was not super comfortable and quite nervous. I knew what I was doing was legal, but I was afraid I was inviting a problem. It is one thing to deal with a problem that arises, but this was one I was potentially manufacturing. Nonetheless, I felt the main reason I do not open carry is fear and we all know how I feel about fear...DO NOT LIKE IT!!

So off we went...

The first place we went to was Party America for birthday supplies for our daughter who turns 8 tomorrow. Only a few people in the store, but no one said a thing. No one seemed to even notice. I left there feeling a little more confident.

Next was Target. I was actually a little sick to my tummy going in there, but I did it. We did get a few more stares and one young lady tapped her boyfriend and whispered, "she has a gun." It seemed to me that she was at the very least surprised, but I have no idea. Maybe she is a big gun nut and thought wow, she has a gun. Regardless, she didn't make an issue and off they went. We left there also without issue. I can't tell you about the next place we went because it is connected to a surprise and a later post, but absolutely no issue there. Then we can home and for the rest of the day I did not carry, conceal or otherwise.

All in all a good experience. I didn't get any pictures of me, but I will leave you with one of my daughter-in-law, the gun toting mama.

12 Comments:

At July 14, 2011 at 6:14 AM , That Texas Lady said...: I prayed that you would have an uneventful day. I know you are as anxious as I am and wanted for there to be no problems. I am glad your outing went well!!
At July 14, 2011 at 6:30 AM , Andrea said...: I was interested to read this today. We can also open carry here, but I don't think I will for awhile. I'm sure you heard about Congresswoman Gabby Giffords being shot and 6 people killed in January. Well, that's where I live. That's why I decided I needed to learn how to use a gun. Because I never, ever want to be in a situation where I cannot protect myself, my husband, or my child. Having said that, the climate here in Tucson is still pretty anti-gun, especially since the accused gunman used a Glock with a high capacity magazine. It would definitely invite drama if I walked around open carrying, even though it would be a .38 special revolver. My husband will be wearing the Steyr .40 cal, more than likely. Looks VERY similar to a Glock. Many of the stores here have posted "No Gun" signs, and many of the people we meet at the range have stories of being kicked out of stores, restaurants, or other places of business because they are open carrying. My best friend is a huge open carry advocate in CA, so he's been pushing us both to do it, but I think my hubby will probably do it before me. Although conceal carry still feels a bit naughty to me, like you said I avoid drama as much as possible, so I'd rather deal with that than the stares or awkward confrontations.

I am so glad your day went off without a hitch!
At July 14, 2011 at 8:59 AM , agirlandhergun said...: That Texas Lady, thank you so much for your prayers and good thoughts!

Andrea, yes I did hear about the shooting and followed the happenings since. It is so crazy that people get scared and then make decisions that have no hope of changing the outcome. Unfortunately, I was one of those people for a long time. I was afraid of guns and violence and I came to all the wrong conclusions.

I wrestle a lot with where my personal rights to privacy and safety end and my greater responsibility to gun owners starts. Part of me wants to be out there blazing trails and covering my car in pro gun bumper stickers and another part of me just wants to sink in the background, do my thing and be active with my money and votes.

I think for me it has become complicated because something that I never expected to happen, happened...I love guns. I love to shoot. It really is a 2 fold thing, protection, but also sport and hobby. I want to share that love of sport, but people think it is strange to love guns. They seemed to understand when it was about self protection, but not fun. I had one of my best friends tell me yesterday that she still loves me, but doesn't understand me. While I completely respect her right to feel how she feels, it kind of hurt my feelings a bit and I wondered if I was strong enough to face a bigger more aggressive anti gun crowd.

California is a mess. I think it is amazing there are people willing to stand up and fight for the rights of American Citizens out there.

Guess we still have a long way to go, but at least we are on the journey.
At July 14, 2011 at 12:30 PM , Andrea said...: I swear we are Bizarro World twins. You described a lot of what I have been experiencing. I get such a rush from shooting and shooting well. My family will not be pleased when they learn about my new found love. I have to be prepared for the backlash, I know. Especially the inevitable "But you're a Christian!" I am prepared for that, I think. In the end, it is my right to carry and I am almost 40, dangit. I can make these choices, thank you very much! :)
At July 14, 2011 at 12:49 PM , poniegirl004 said...: I wish I could open carry here in TX - it would aleiviate the need of updating my entire wardrobe!!
At July 15, 2011 at 6:10 AM , agirlandhergun said...: poniegirl004, maybe Texas will stop being so restrictive someday...lol

So nice that we all can come together and share experiences! Very cool!!
At July 16, 2011 at 10:16 PM , Blackhawk rising said...: NA Arms 22mag derringer with the extension grips that fold over the bottom of the frame, or the ruger lcp are great little carry guns. The 22 mag is a 5 shot revolver the size of a little derringer and is quite accurate to 15 yards or so - lcp is 380 and similar accuracy. Both will drop into a pocket as long as the clothes aren't skin tight.
At July 17, 2011 at 8:20 AM , poniegirl004 said...: On the topic of getting involved - this has been on my mind, there are a couple of "hot button" topics, that I feel I could easily get in the middle of. Gun control/right to carry only being one of them.
After much prayer (ongoing!!!!) and consideration I feel it is best for my family if I take the lay low - support from behind the scenes approach.
I like the pro- carry, pro-gun t- shirts, has, ect...but I won't wear it outside the confines of my property. Same goes for open carry - while I would like for my state to allow it - I think it has the possibility of drawing to much attention and right now that is not what I want. I support those who do open carry , I feel this is covered in our second amendment right - it does say "bear arms only if well concealed". And who knows in a few months or years we may all be open carrying - you never know what will happen.
At July 19, 2011 at 5:59 AM , agirlandhergun said...: poniegirl004, I can totally understand and respect that. I have been leaning that way myself, but I think I am starting to go in the other direction a bit. It is a fine line for sure, but I am seriously concerned for this country and the current administration. I am concerned about them in every area, but specifically as it pertains to this blog...gun rights. I feel like I need to be more out spoken and more of an advocate for people who carry and shoot not only for self defense, but for fun. I don't want to put a target on my family, but I also do want to live in fear, so I am going to be testing my personal boundaries and see where I land. I did order a t-shirt and I am open carrying from time to time and I am not so nervous and secretive about who knows I have a gun. I assume I am going to change my mind a fair amount as I traverse this issue, but you knwo wht they say...it's a woman's prerogative!
At April 28, 2012 at 8:59 PM , g125 said...: sad that the congress person got shot by a monster. but why didnt the law pick up on the clues that he was problematic in school as well as in other situations. When a person like that starts saying things hes advertising that hes going to go that way & probably kill someone. If the law had followed up on this maybe the problem would have been nipped in the bud. Anyhow i live in NYC where its illegal to carry any which way & the criminals get there way. I can only carry when at work since i'm an armed guard, but after that i become stripped of my rights due to the left media an the anti gun tyrants.
At April 29, 2012 at 4:07 AM , agirlandhergun said...: I can understand your frustration. The folks working to take a way the rights of American citizens is maddening!
At June 5, 2012 at 1:54 PM , Granny D said...: Fully understand how you feel, I live just up the road from you (about 60 miles) and the signs have gone up here also. Making it harder and harder to carry and not break the rules.

A Girl and Her Gun and Open Carry

A Girl and Her Gun

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Girl and Her Gun and Open Carry

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