Any Comments?

Some guys do want to police to know. Why? Maybe its a man thing. Who knows.

Possibly some people have been made to feel uncomfortable (or possibly guilty) carrying their gun (especially around police). I know a lot of news reports and TV show come down hard on people with permits. Maybe they are being hyper-cautious, as it is way to easy in this state to walk past a hidden sign or step into prohibited areas like the parking lot of the Social Security office and not know it.

On this forum there have been lots of people asking good questions about were they can and can’t carry and for a number of locations the answer is still unclear (I.E. State Parks).

Not to mention getting the permit is expensive and time consuming, not to mention the cost of their gun, holster, etc... Who would want to lose all that time, money and effort (and possible due some jail time as well) when asking a question is all one has to do?

Possibly this is a good thing, maybe more people who are not as entrench in the gun culture are starting to get permits and are simply working out how the rules of our culture work?

I know I wouldn’t do it as I am getting more and more comfortable with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, but I still worry a tad when I go to the bank carrying and the cop on duty is watching me. Don’t know why... but I do.

Sounds like a form of bragging to me.

Me too ! sound that way too

Yeah tell me about it- the bank I go to most often not only has an off-duty on-site much of the time, the place is posted, too! Ramps up the risk/reward a bit.

Before you say it- It's the bank chosen by my employer, I have to go there, and with significant sums of cash/checks. A no gun/ no$ card won't get me too far. Also, one of the officers is a hunting buddy- he KNOWS I'm carrying when I'm in there. A little nod, maybe a "how 'ya doin'?" and on my way...

I wonder, maybe, just maybe, he just started carrying his concealed handgun?

I think we can all agree that for the first few days when you begin carrying a concealed handgun, you JUST KNOW people can see right through your clothing.

If this is true, it might explain why he checked with the store “authority” for permission.

I consider whether or not I am carrying to be my own business. If the cop is inexperienced or edgy, volunteering that you are carrying could dampen your day.

Of course, if asked directly by an on-duty LEO, I would comply with the law. But otherwise what they don't know won't hurt me.

No, no. I agree with you. I was just trying to come up with a plausible explanation for his actions.

Most likely the guy is just an ignorant newbie or someone who got one of the "2 hour crash courses" some of the instructors offer(ed) and didn't get proper instruction. I think there may be alot of people out there with permits who don't know squat about the law and the rules. Out of 25,000-30,000 permit holders I sure don't see very many of them being active on the internet and getting involved in the type of discussions we have here. It would be nice if there were a way to reach out ot all of the permit holders and invite them here for continuing education. Maybe Joel could start a new post called FAQ and all of us could contribute information and have a good "FACT" based data base. (I sense Joel's head starting to ache)

I can put a FAQ together if Joel doesn't want to. Should we start a thread dedicated to a FAQ where everyone can post their questions?

The problem is getting a thread with all wheat and no chaff. To do so would require a great deal of editing, condensing and rewriting. By that time, it'd be a book. And Joel already has one of those -- for which he makes some money.

I like many of your possible reasons, to which I'd add: the guy is in his 60s. I think older people tend to look at LEOs as more legitimate authority figures than many younger people do and perhaps feel compelled to seek their approval. I think among younger CCWs there's much more of a spirit of libertarianism and anti-authority-ism. It's not that the police aren't respected per se, but perhaps a sense that LEOs represent a government whose legitimacy and authority is more in question.

Then there's also the notion that I get sometimes that any slight screwup related to carrying (walking into badly posted place, etc) could result in consequences such as getting my permit revoked, perhaps some "black mark" that makes renewal difficult, or at worst, ending up in some civil liberties black hole where I lose my right to keep and bear arms. It's probably a cautiousness that may strike some as paranoia, but in a Kafka-esque "Patriot Act" era of Do No Fly lists and other secret lists, I guess it doesn't seem entirely implausable.

I wasn’t there and I didn’t see the guy’s body language, but I just don’t see a 60 year old bragging to the police about carrying a gun. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t (bragging) it is just a guess.