[BlueLion]

I found myself in a store recently and noticed a guy thumbing the gun rags. Well, he asked me if I seen a particular book and we got to talking about weapons and such and I told him that I had a couple because I liked to go to the range.

Well the guy then asked me what I knew about CCW and by this time his friend had come up and was bragging how a local dealer (you know what kind) recently got his CCW! The guy then began to ask me questions about CCW how long the class is and what not. I played it dumb. " Man, I have been wanting to take that class myself, things are definitely rough out here." He continued to grill me, what are the places you can't go. " Man, I could not tell ya, my friend says he has it , but I don't have a clue. Moreover, he kinda showed his ignorance because to him CCW means locked in car and not on person.(but who is to say that he was not also playing the game of dumb)

Long story short, be careful who you meet and keep your CCW a secret. I doubt I would even approach a person I seen here online because it would just be a respect thing . I don't post pictures of myself because I do believe, just as I have mentioned above believe you have bad guys with legal CCW's who have just not been caught yet. Stay vigilant and quiet.

 

[Ride4TheBrand]

Good point. Vigilance in never over rated.

 

[Ti Carry]

That is true in a lot of cases, but! I was in my local Gateway Outfitters looking over their gun inventory for nice used hand guns and/or an 870 just to see what if anything has been traded in that I can't live without.

Why I was there a father and son were at the counter, son 30+ years old and were looking over the handguns to possibly CCW. I could tell just by what they were saying, asking and doing that they had no clue what the heck was going on relating to CCW, so I offered advice to them both after a short time.

Long story short the pair ended up buying nice eventual CC Weapons that they would not have bought before I offered to help with advice and answer questions, they also left with information on how and who to go to take the CCW training class as well as advanced training and the link to our Missouri Carry website and Missouri CCW Statues to even help them further educate themselves in getting involved and applying for there CHL permits.

I do not normally due this but we sometimes have to promote CCW and help others seeking information pointed in the right direction to help grown the number of citizens carrying responsibly in the State. CCW is still new in Missouri and even though it was legal many cities and counties would not offer permits until they had no choice. It was a solid year before our sheriff would do them and only after being threatened with law suites.

So in that instance I felt the need to promote it and bring aboard two more potential CCWers that otherwise might not have been if I had not ever said anything. They were highly appreciative and left feeling much better about there CCW piece, the process and what to do to obtain a permit.


Ti.

 

[Roadrunner]

Well, I find myself answering questions of that type pretty often because I'm the guy behind the gun counter at our local sports store. Apparently that makes me an expert. :blink: So far I've been fortunate enough not to be asked by anyone who looked like they had bad intentions, it would be a bit more difficult to play dumb in my situation. All the same, I've always failed to mention the pistol riding on my hip while explaining the finer points of CCW to customers. :wink:

 

[HotGuns]

Long story short, be careful who you meet and keep your CCW a secret.

I dont worry about it much. Since my name is plastered all over the web as an instructor, I've got many phone calls out of the blue wanting to know when the next class is and the details of concealed carry. I've been in the local gunshops and the dealers, knowing that I was an instructor, would just refer them to me for the questions.

I've had people in Walmart walk up to me and say that so and so told them I was an instructor and then spend the next 30 minutes with them separating truth from myth.

You have to remember that YOU may be the only link that they've got or ever had to someone that actually carries a gun. What you say and how you act can go a long ways to either encouraging their their ideas of concealed carry or KILLING it outright.

A little courtesy and friendliness goes a long way here. I'll do what I can to promote responsibility for ones own defense whenever I can and steer them in the right direction.

Of course, this is in the South where its not uncommon for strangers that have never met to get involved in some lenthy conversations and people generally arent to scared to talk to people that they dont know. I understand that its quite different everywhere else...:blink

 

[ExSoldier]

Me Too....

I dont worry about it much. Since my name is plastered all over the web as an instructor, I've got many phone calls out of the blue wanting to know when the next class is and the details of concealed carry. I've been in the local gunshops and the dealers, knowing that I was an instructor, would just refer them to me for the questions.

I've had people in Walmart walk up to me and say that so and so told them I was an instructor and then spend the next 30 minutes with them separating truth from myth.

You have to remember that YOU may be the only link that they've got or ever had to someone that actually carries a gun. What you say and how you act can go a long ways to either encouraging their their ideas of concealed carry or KILLING it outright.

A little courtesy and friendliness goes a long way here. I'll do what I can to promote responsibility for ones own defense whenever I can and steer them in the right direction.

Of course, this is in the South where its not uncommon for strangers that have never met to get involved in some lenthy conversations and people generally arent to scared to talk to people that they dont know. I understand that its quite different everywhere else...:blink

I'm in exactly the same situation as an instructor. My business cards are all over this town. My saving grace is that it's not my living. If somebody approaches me for a class and I don't like the "cut of their jib" I can just brush them of politely with a packed "class schedule." Most folks I teach are friends of friends etc. I don't even charge many of these. Some folks I do charge and it's usually when I'm saving to buy something that goes bang or an accessory for something that goes bang. LOL

 

[P95Carry]

I think this one of those things where - ''circumstances alter events''.

In Blue's situation then very likely dumb is way to go - you know nothing about the other folks and place sure ain't a gun shop.

I, like HG and Ex - tho not known probably to same extent, will spend time with seeming newbies at the gun shop and range - to try and assist if they need it. It is something where we need to decide according to the individual situation - I do like to always try and bring in and encourage new blood but all the while still being pretty darned secretive otherwise.

 

[XD40]

I don't advertise the fact that I carry but I will help people that I meet and I assess to be reasonable persons. As said elsewhere, it benefits the case for CCW to have more people carrying and in some cases you get the opportunity to dispel myths about 'people like us' and that is a good thing. It can be a fine line to walk and there are certainly situations where it is appropriate to play dumb or just a little anti-social.

 

[gunthorp]

I think we are ambassadors rather than missionaries. Tact rather than zeal may serve best. Just be sure to watch their hands.

 

[BCurry1]

I am 22 years old and have had my CCW for about a year, I would have never gotten into CCW if it had not been for two guys at work telling me about it. I used to sit and talk guns with them, and they are the ones that turned me onto CCW. If it had not been for those two guys I would not be carrying today.

I believe that we must encourage more people to start packing. I have led several people to getting their permit, simply by answering a few questions they had about the process.

 

[havegunjoe]

I'm of course an instructor so I think it is good to help others when I can. I did the same before I became an instructor too. I too am approached by folks because I advertise my classes, but I think that is a good thing. As P95 put it, "circumstances alter events" for each of us. It pays to be cautious though.

 

[Tubby45]

Atmosphere plays a big role for me. Any old store like ShopKo, Walmart, Target, local grocery, I prefer to play dumb.

In a gunshop or similar, I let it fly. My dealer knows I carry. He knows I carry in his store and he doesn't mind. He encourages it and so do the local cops. The local cops know I carry, know my truck, and think its great. They always wave when the drive by me.

 

[gddyup]

Like has been mentioned, it pretty much comes down to situation and the person(s) you are dealing with. Your intuition will tell you if you should share more or less with the person you are dealing with. If you're comfortable with the person you are talking to then helping educate them on CCW does more good in the long run than bad and vice versa if you are not comfortable with the party you are talking to.

The more people we can educate, the better off we will all be in the long run. Education is the key.