OC in a small town

jon7 · November 3rd, 2009, 06:03 PM

I live in a big town called tempe that borders a big city and houses a very large liberal college, so you don't see a huge number of people OCing. I do it once in a while and I usually get stares, but I've never gotten a comment... until I went to a small town.

Me and a few friends (most of them army and marines) went out to a town in the middle of nowhere to shoot my new AR15 and my friend's new FN FS2000 in the desert. We stopped at a little no-name gas station to get some food and water. Keep in mind we're all OCing 1 or 2 pistols and we're dressed in BDUs and desert gear (since it was around 110 degrees that day).

We walk into the gas station and there are 3 employees. Three women... I'd say they were around 60, 40, and 30 years old. The older lady looks at my friend who has 2 pistols and says "Hey there, I could really use a good pistol, do you have a spare?" At this point they're all kind of laughing. We then asked them if they knew any good shooting spots and the 40ish woman gave us directions to an amazing abandoned quarry. We bought some stuff, thanked them and left. I suppose that's the difference between a big town and a small town. :)

PatrioticRick · November 3rd, 2009, 06:22 PM

I love small towns

pcon · November 3rd, 2009, 07:21 PM

What town was this? I lived all around Phoenix for a long time and used to go shooting in the desert often.

Majorlk · November 3rd, 2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon7

I live in a big town called tempe that borders a big city and houses a very large liberal college, so you don't see a huge number of people OCing. I do it once in a while and I usually get stares, but I've never gotten a comment... until I went to a small town.

Me and a few friends (most of them army and marines) went out to a town in the middle of nowhere to shoot my new AR15 and my friend's new FN FS2000 in the desert. We stopped at a little no-name gas station to get some food and water. Keep in mind we're all OCing 1 or 2 pistols and we're dressed in BDUs and desert gear (since it was around 110 degrees that day).

We walk into the gas station and there are 3 employees. Three women... I'd say they were around 60, 40, and 30 years old. The older lady looks at my friend who has 2 pistols and says "Hey there, I could really use a good pistol, do you have a spare?" At this point they're all kind of laughing. We then asked them if they knew any good shooting spots and the 40ish woman gave us directions to an amazing abandoned quarry. We bought some stuff, thanked them and left. I suppose that's the difference between a big town and a small town. :)

It's strange to hear Tempe called a big town. When I lived in Phoenix and Tucson, the only things of note in Tempe were the Wrigley Mansion and the Arizona State Teacher's College. Phoenix was about 80k and Tucson wasn't even 50k yet. Of course, that was in the mid-50s.

pcon · November 3rd, 2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majorlk

It's strange to hear Tempe called a big town. When I lived in Phoenix and Tucson, the only things of note in Tempe were the Wrigley Mansion and the Arizona State Teacher's College. Phoenix was about 80k and Tucson wasn't even 50k yet. Of course, that was in the mid-50s.

HA! Tempe is mildly larger now than it was then ;-). None the less, it's still an amazing area.

jon7 · November 4th, 2009, 01:12 AM

Tempe's not huge, but I grew up in a tiny farming town, so it's big to me.
The little town is Globe. It's only a bit over 1.5 hours from me and it's a great place to go shooting. You can drive about 15 mins from the first gas station and there are tons of old quarries and mountains that provide nice backstops.

TN_Mike · November 4th, 2009, 02:22 AM

Yep, small towns are the only way to go.

I live in a small town in Shelby County Tennessee. Shelby County is extremely LIBERAL. You can't swing a stick in this County with out hitting some morons car who has an Obama sticker on it. But, in my small town, which is pretty conservative, there are more than 20 of us I know of who open carry the majority of the time.

Never had a bad comment, never had a bad experience other than one Memphis cop who lives out here giving me a hard time while he stood in MY drive way. But I just told him to get lost and have since gotten to know him. He's still much dumber than I think a LEO should be but at least he is now better educated on the laws concerning OC in Tennessee.

MinistrMalic · November 4th, 2009, 09:52 AM

Yeah when you get away from ASU you seldom have any issues OCing in AZ. I usually CC but I have yet to have a problem when deciding to OC anywhere. It does occasionally strike up a good conversation though.

Majorlk · November 4th, 2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon7

Tempe's not huge, but I grew up in a tiny farming town, so it's big to me.
The little town is Globe. It's only a bit over 1.5 hours from me and it's a great place to go shooting. You can drive about 15 mins from the first gas station and there are tons of old quarries and mountains that provide nice backstops.

And Superior and all the little copper mining towns that are probably ghost towns now. Not to mention Florence Junction, Florence, Apache Junction ...

It's hard to believe it been over 50 years since I've been to those places.

Beretta8045 · November 4th, 2009, 11:19 AM

I live in a small town with a population of about 5k in the winter.

During the summer though, population can get up to 25k from all the tourists. Maybe if I start OCing, people will be less likely to come back!

November 3rd, 2009, 06:03 PM	#1
jon7 New Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 7	OC in a small town I live in a big town called tempe that borders a big city and houses a very large liberal college, so you don't see a huge number of people OCing. I do it once in a while and I usually get stares, but I've never gotten a comment... until I went to a small town. Me and a few friends (most of them army and marines) went out to a town in the middle of nowhere to shoot my new AR15 and my friend's new FN FS2000 in the desert. We stopped at a little no-name gas station to get some food and water. Keep in mind we're all OCing 1 or 2 pistols and we're dressed in BDUs and desert gear (since it was around 110 degrees that day). We walk into the gas station and there are 3 employees. Three women... I'd say they were around 60, 40, and 30 years old. The older lady looks at my friend who has 2 pistols and says "Hey there, I could really use a good pistol, do you have a spare?" At this point they're all kind of laughing. We then asked them if they knew any good shooting spots and the 40ish woman gave us directions to an amazing abandoned quarry. We bought some stuff, thanked them and left. I suppose that's the difference between a big town and a small town. :)

November 3rd, 2009, 06:22 PM	#2
PatrioticRick VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rigby, Idaho Posts: 4,688	I love small towns __________________ Μολὼν λαβέ USN/USAF Retired/Desert Shield/Desert Storm DAV Life Member NRA Life Member

November 3rd, 2009, 07:21 PM	#3
pcon Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: lakewood, colorado Posts: 1,004	What town was this? I lived all around Phoenix for a long time and used to go shooting in the desert often. __________________ *Μολὼν λαβέ* memento mori

November 4th, 2009, 02:22 AM	#7
TN_Mike VIP Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: West TN Posts: 7,720	Yep, small towns are the only way to go. I live in a small town in Shelby County Tennessee. Shelby County is extremely LIBERAL. You can't swing a stick in this County with out hitting some morons car who has an Obama sticker on it. But, in my small town, which is pretty conservative, there are more than 20 of us I know of who open carry the majority of the time. Never had a bad comment, never had a bad experience other than one Memphis cop who lives out here giving me a hard time while he stood in MY drive way. But I just told him to get lost and have since gotten to know him. He's still much dumber than I think a LEO should be but at least he is now better educated on the laws concerning OC in Tennessee. __________________ A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Barry Goldwater 1968

November 4th, 2009, 09:52 AM	#8
MinistrMalic Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 484	Yeah when you get away from ASU you seldom have any issues OCing in AZ. I usually CC but I have yet to have a problem when deciding to OC anywhere. It does occasionally strike up a good conversation though. __________________ "...whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one." (Luke 22:36) Here is my blog if you're interested :)

November 4th, 2009, 01:12 AM	#6
jon7 New Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 7	Tempe's not huge, but I grew up in a tiny farming town, so it's big to me. The little town is Globe. It's only a bit over 1.5 hours from me and it's a great place to go shooting. You can drive about 15 mins from the first gas station and there are tons of old quarries and mountains that provide nice backstops.

November 4th, 2009, 11:19 AM	#10
Beretta8045 Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: MI Posts: 67	I live in a small town with a population of about 5k in the winter. During the summer though, population can get up to 25k from all the tourists. Maybe if I start OCing, people will be less likely to come back! __________________ Proud NRA & MCRGO Member "The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a fight....I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic bomb instead."

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