CCW at the range, or "I don't try hard enough"

[Pax Jordana]

Went to the range with dad, bro and two of dad's friends yesterday. Boy, was that humbling. Not the shooting, me being young and invincible has secured my top ranking spot among us.

But when the BSing turned to CCW, I was VERY humbled by the things I then saw. There was an older guy next to us (yes, his vest screamed gun to me.) who I'd anticipated was a CCWer. He pulled out a HUGE (by carry standards) revolver from said vest. Then he let me shoot his XD, which I thought was great but would be hard to conceal. At which point he showed me how it disappeared in his IWB holster. I left him my contact info, as he said his Desert Eagle was in the shop so he couldn't carry it that day

One of dad's friends is a retired cop.. boy, I shoulda seen that one coming. He was helping me troubleshoot my P11 (they take a bit longer than the prescribed 200 rds to break in if you ask me) and when I got too confused he pulled out his own (iwb) and showed me how one OUGHT to work.

At this point things get dicey. I'm not a racist, but I am guilty here of prejudging. Prejudice isn't very High Road, but realizing I am dead wrong and admitting it ought to be.

Because the two latino kids with backwards hats shooting a brand new Beretta Storm, and the three black fellows who I assumed were just shooting Vest Guy's glocks, ALL had their own rigs. And all were very well informed and willing to share. And the girl with the three black guys shot circles around me.

Getting back into the car, I remarked to my brother how many people were carrying. He told me that something like one in twenty PA residents is a CCW.


Good for us.



Lessons learned..
1) The gut feeling only goes so far, and prejudging is only valid until actual contact and interaction take place.
2) Never underestimate how great gun people can be. (I brought three guns to the range and probably shot a total of 10.)




(I don't know if this warrants discussion. Frankly, I just wanted to share.)

 

[michiganfan]

Nice post. It is remarkable how the a love of shooting sports crosses all ethnic and economic lines.

 

[WinchesterAA]

the backwards hats aren't what you have to look out for, man, it's the sideways hats or upsidedown hats that are the bad ones..


lol, I wear my hat backwards when I shoot to keep the bill from limiting FOV.

 

[trickyasafox]

glad you had a good experience.

everyone makes mistakes, you realized you were wrong to judge and owned up to it. thats more than a lot of people would have done

 

[loumarch]

Pax jordana,

I assume you were at French Creek?

I've learned more on range trips than anywhere else. For some really helpful people try joining a local gun club.

 

[XD Fan]

I have been amazed at how many cool guns I have gotten to shoot after striking up a conversation with someone at the range. On more than one occassion, the person has looked somewhat off at first and turned out to be a really great person.

 

[Rezin]

M0st folks I know in PA carry almost all the time......... Some you would never expect.........

 

[cloudcroft]

trickyasafox,

Well, that's a nice thought, and I can recall ONE time I was wrong in the last 25 years, but 99% of the time reality is much different.

Part of anticipating trouble IS profiling people and that's usually done by the way they dress and act -- and their race, like it or not -- if they look like/act like gangster/street-punks, 9 out of 10 times (or more) they are. And most are "minorities" who are disproportionally represented in street-crime...that's no news to anyone here I'm sure.

So I'd rather go with the odds...the rule rather than the exception.

I can afford to be wrong figuring the 1 (maybe) in 10 who looks like trouble IS a threat but it turns out later he/she isn't -- with no ill consequences to anyone or that individual even knowing how he/she was perceived -- but if I'm wrong about the other 9, thinking any of them are NOT a threat but they sure are, I'm in trouble.

Point is, most trouble out there LOOKS like trouble...it always has. They look like street punks/gansters...few are good guys, undercover cops, etc. Said punks don't mind at all broadcasting their gangster affiliations and DO want you and everyone else to know it. Part of their intimidation factor.

So to me, someone who LOOKS like a criminal/punk IS one...until proven otherwise, or until I or they leave the area and there's no likely chance of any further encounter.

Oh, BTW, most cops will tell you that LOTS of criminals are VERY polite...so that tells you nothing.

-- John D.

 

[Majic]

if they look like/act like gangster/street-punks, 9 out of 10 times (or more) they are.

Go to a lot of the high schools today and you may changed that statement. There is a large group of "Wannabes".

 

[Lupinus]

the "wannabes" in the right instances are jsut as or more dangerous.

The "real" ones have nothing to prove, the wannabes want to prove something.

 

[The Drew]

There is a reason I like looking like a militant redneck SOB.... It's part of my anti gangsta intimidation factor...

IMO if you look like prey, you will most likely be preyed upon.

 

[cloudcroft]

Majic,

Been there. I was a teacher. You can have the Public Zoos...I got out before someone got hurt. Them or me (and I couldn't care less if *I* did).

If wannabes want to wear the street-punk/ganster "uniform" and talk the talk, then they get treated just like the real ones, which may include getting shot. No time for in-depth investigations, psychoanalysis, social work, whatever...face-value assessments only.

Moral?

Don't dress and act like street trash...you may not have a very long life.

Besides, even if a shooting is a mistake (hard to do because it would actually take an assualt by wannabe(s) in question to result in lethal force being used, not just how the wannabe looks), the shooter becomes the criminal -- with all the rights, privileges, liberal judges who give short sentences, easy parole, etc., accorded a criminal nowadays -- but the gangster wannabe is dead. Shooter will be out on the street in no time, just like real criminals who've done worse. Wannabe gangster will still be dead.

Civil suit against shooter? Probably, but they can't get blood from a turnip so they can sue all they want to.

All in all, it doesn't sound like a good idea to look like/act like a 2-bit street punk/gangster.

-- John D.