I'm stuck down here in Central CA and have been for the last month due to a death in the family. Well today I got tired of following my husband's wishes for me not to carry while I'm down here and grabbed my holstered gun. :comeandgetsome:
Now for those of you who are not familiar with OC in CA, being from out of state CA kindly refuses to recognize any of my CC permits and will only allow me to Open Carry in a belt holster a unloaded gun.
So I belted on my mag & gun holsters and took my dad's dogs to the groomers at Pet Smart.
My sister and I got there at 9am and wandered the shopping center forever waiting on the dogs
Next to Pet Smart is a bunch of little shops along with a Best Buy, TJmax, Wal-mart, and Home depot.
There were the usual :sheep: who would take a good long look at me and then turn tail and run...literally run.
After a while we were able to locate the hangers and a tube of tennis balls, and the 2 managers that were speed walking down the aisle at us calling for my attention.
They wanted to know why I was carrying, if I was a LEO, and where my government issued permission slip stating that I could carry a firearm in public. I was annoyed, but polite and explained that I needed no permission, or ID to carry...all I needed was to be 18 years old, be able to legally own a firearm, have it unloaded & openly displayed in a holster, and be in an unrestricted area (ie: school zone, USPS...ect).
The managers politely asked me to wait while they verified it with the local PD on the phone. Santa Maria PD was kind enough not to come running with guns drawn and simply told the WW manager that I was correct. The WW managers thanked me for explaining how I could carry and told me to enjoy my day shopping in the store.
All and all a good experience :danceban:, then it got better. A few minutes later my sister and I were walking to the register to check out and one of the managers came walking towards me calling out again. She started talking about how she carries her Glock at home and at the range but didn't know she could actually carry in public. She was full of questions about how to OC, and I just happen to have a CA specific OC pamphlet in my pocket with the CA carry laws with web page addresses for more information and forums.
:danceban:I think we have a new convert:danceban:
Now for those of you who are not familiar with OC in CA, being from out of state CA kindly refuses to recognize any of my CC permits and will only allow me to Open Carry in a belt holster a unloaded gun.
So I belted on my mag & gun holsters and took my dad's dogs to the groomers at Pet Smart.
My sister and I got there at 9am and wandered the shopping center forever waiting on the dogs
Next to Pet Smart is a bunch of little shops along with a Best Buy, TJmax, Wal-mart, and Home depot.
There were the usual :sheep: who would take a good long look at me and then turn tail and run...literally run.
After a while we were able to locate the hangers and a tube of tennis balls, and the 2 managers that were speed walking down the aisle at us calling for my attention.
They wanted to know why I was carrying, if I was a LEO, and where my government issued permission slip stating that I could carry a firearm in public. I was annoyed, but polite and explained that I needed no permission, or ID to carry...all I needed was to be 18 years old, be able to legally own a firearm, have it unloaded & openly displayed in a holster, and be in an unrestricted area (ie: school zone, USPS...ect).
The managers politely asked me to wait while they verified it with the local PD on the phone. Santa Maria PD was kind enough not to come running with guns drawn and simply told the WW manager that I was correct. The WW managers thanked me for explaining how I could carry and told me to enjoy my day shopping in the store.
All and all a good experience :danceban:, then it got better. A few minutes later my sister and I were walking to the register to check out and one of the managers came walking towards me calling out again. She started talking about how she carries her Glock at home and at the range but didn't know she could actually carry in public. She was full of questions about how to OC, and I just happen to have a CA specific OC pamphlet in my pocket with the CA carry laws with web page addresses for more information and forums.
:danceban:I think we have a new convert:danceban: