I get a notice in from the TN Department of Homeland Security. It was to notify me that I needed to renew my carry permit.
Now, to their credit, it was months in advance of the expiration date, and they included an envelope, and the form that I needed to fill out. So far, all good.
The letter also told me that I could renew in person. Thats where everything got goofy today.
In my hometown, we dont have an office where I can renew. But, as luck would have it, I had a seminar in Nashville today, and would be driving through a town that did have one, on my way home.
After putting my "Big Brain" on it, (something I say to indicate Oh Boy, something went wrong), I got to wondering if the office I needed to go to was a non carry building.
I couldnt remember off the top of my head. I mean, its a place one never really goes.
On one hand, it seemed reasonable to think that "OF COURSE YOU CAN CARRY AT THE PLACE YOU RENEW. ITS OBVIOUS, ISNT IT?". On the other hand, it also seemed a good possibility that perhaps the TN DHS office might be a prohibited area.
Now, thats where I put my "Big Brain" to work on it all. I was driving on the interstate, and traffic pretty heavy. I couldnt pull up the information in print on my phone.
Soooooooooooo, I thought to myself, "Hey! Lets call them and ask". That seemed like a pretty good plan.
I called my Wife, and asked her to look up the number of that office, and give em a call, and ask could one, with a valid TN CCP, going to renew their license, could carry on the permises. She foresaw difficulties in doing this, but I reassured her that folks would be happy to have folks ask...Yeah...Right, lol.
Then, to really put my "Big Brain" to work, I thought I would call the Tennessee Highway Patrol Hdqtrs. See, they used to be the ones in the office that is now called Homeland Security.
So, while Wife is working on one call, I call The THP. I must say, the result of that call was ... not all I had hoped for. I call, and ask what seems like a very reasonable question.
The person on the other end seemed to have a different take on it all. Before I knew it, I was getting asked "You carry a gun with you everywhere you go, do you?" OK, being serious for a minute, thats one dumb question.
As I explained, "No, thats why Im calling YOU. To make sure I dont carry into a prohibitted area".
Well, bottom line is that, I got nowhere with that phone call. And for some reason started to think that perhaps my Wife had a point after all.
About that time the Wife calls me back. Shes laughing, relating how she had to go through 3 different people at that office, who all asked her the same question "What premises are you talking about?"
To which she replied with the most reassuring answer you can imagine; "YOURS". She went on to relate how her husband was on the way, and was carrying, but wanted her to check it out first.
She described how each person then seemed to become excited, and transferred her up the line to a supervisor.
Finally with the 3rd person, they understood exactly what she was talking about. And the answer was "NO". You cant carry there.
By now some of you are probably wondering why I didnt just show up, and if they had a gun buster sign displayed, simply leave my gun in the car. Well, thats also the place that they issue state IDs, and drivers licenses, and there was no way I wanted to get there, walk up to the door in front of people, some of whom might not have clean criminal backgrounds, and be of what might be described as a "Larcenous nature", and have them observe me putting a gun in the car.
Since the answer was "No carry there", I pulled off the road before arriving there, and secured my weapon, then was off to renew.
All humor aside, I am really bothered that the people who should know the answers to all this, either did not, or got concerned because an honest, law abiding Citizen, with a valid State Carry Permit, wanted to double check to see what was proper there.
As we all know, criminals, nuts or terrorists dont bother asking, or pay attention to gun buster signs. The fact that I was double checking, in an attempt to comply with the law should really have been met with better responses.
Now for the plus side of it all. The people I dealt with at the renewal office couldnt have been nicer. The process was pretty quick, and efficient. Pretty much all one could hope for.
Now, to their credit, it was months in advance of the expiration date, and they included an envelope, and the form that I needed to fill out. So far, all good.
The letter also told me that I could renew in person. Thats where everything got goofy today.
In my hometown, we dont have an office where I can renew. But, as luck would have it, I had a seminar in Nashville today, and would be driving through a town that did have one, on my way home.
After putting my "Big Brain" on it, (something I say to indicate Oh Boy, something went wrong), I got to wondering if the office I needed to go to was a non carry building.
I couldnt remember off the top of my head. I mean, its a place one never really goes.
On one hand, it seemed reasonable to think that "OF COURSE YOU CAN CARRY AT THE PLACE YOU RENEW. ITS OBVIOUS, ISNT IT?". On the other hand, it also seemed a good possibility that perhaps the TN DHS office might be a prohibited area.
Now, thats where I put my "Big Brain" to work on it all. I was driving on the interstate, and traffic pretty heavy. I couldnt pull up the information in print on my phone.
Soooooooooooo, I thought to myself, "Hey! Lets call them and ask". That seemed like a pretty good plan.
I called my Wife, and asked her to look up the number of that office, and give em a call, and ask could one, with a valid TN CCP, going to renew their license, could carry on the permises. She foresaw difficulties in doing this, but I reassured her that folks would be happy to have folks ask...Yeah...Right, lol.
Then, to really put my "Big Brain" to work, I thought I would call the Tennessee Highway Patrol Hdqtrs. See, they used to be the ones in the office that is now called Homeland Security.
So, while Wife is working on one call, I call The THP. I must say, the result of that call was ... not all I had hoped for. I call, and ask what seems like a very reasonable question.
The person on the other end seemed to have a different take on it all. Before I knew it, I was getting asked "You carry a gun with you everywhere you go, do you?" OK, being serious for a minute, thats one dumb question.
As I explained, "No, thats why Im calling YOU. To make sure I dont carry into a prohibitted area".
Well, bottom line is that, I got nowhere with that phone call. And for some reason started to think that perhaps my Wife had a point after all.
About that time the Wife calls me back. Shes laughing, relating how she had to go through 3 different people at that office, who all asked her the same question "What premises are you talking about?"
To which she replied with the most reassuring answer you can imagine; "YOURS". She went on to relate how her husband was on the way, and was carrying, but wanted her to check it out first.
She described how each person then seemed to become excited, and transferred her up the line to a supervisor.
Finally with the 3rd person, they understood exactly what she was talking about. And the answer was "NO". You cant carry there.
By now some of you are probably wondering why I didnt just show up, and if they had a gun buster sign displayed, simply leave my gun in the car. Well, thats also the place that they issue state IDs, and drivers licenses, and there was no way I wanted to get there, walk up to the door in front of people, some of whom might not have clean criminal backgrounds, and be of what might be described as a "Larcenous nature", and have them observe me putting a gun in the car.
Since the answer was "No carry there", I pulled off the road before arriving there, and secured my weapon, then was off to renew.
All humor aside, I am really bothered that the people who should know the answers to all this, either did not, or got concerned because an honest, law abiding Citizen, with a valid State Carry Permit, wanted to double check to see what was proper there.
As we all know, criminals, nuts or terrorists dont bother asking, or pay attention to gun buster signs. The fact that I was double checking, in an attempt to comply with the law should really have been met with better responses.
Now for the plus side of it all. The people I dealt with at the renewal office couldnt have been nicer. The process was pretty quick, and efficient. Pretty much all one could hope for.