Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I was at a cruise-in Fair Lakes last week. I have a CHP and always carry. I have a friend I bumped into who is also a shooter. He asked to see my new Sig P226.

Well, we were out in a mostly empty parking lot, so I figured NBD. I pull the mag, unracked the chambered round and handed my friend the unloaded pistol. When he was done, I put the mag back, chambered a round and re-holstered. That is when the pics in the linked thread were taken. I found this today and was a bit disappointed.

http://novajeepers.net/index.php?topic=14007.0

I talked to a friend of mine who is a LEO. He said that I did not do anything illegal, but it probably wasn't a great idea given the current drama around recent public shootings.

Are the guys on this Jeep site right and I'm a fat stupid idiot wasting oxygen while giving gun owners a bad rep or are they just being asses?

I ask, because VA is a right to carry state and I open carry regularly. I wonder, would these guys have said the same thing if the pistol wasn't presented for a friend but just on my hip in plain view? I don't want to forfeit my constitutional rights because of fear from people's low-information opinions, but I don't want to be a jerk either.

Thanks,
Spaz

They do know that Jeeps were developed for the military for the purposes of waging war, don't they? Why would any civilian need one? Etc. etc. etc. you can expand it from there.

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they were commenting on the act of "brandishing a firearm" in public. nothing more.

Why does anyone need a Jeep in Fairfax, to drive over the parking lot berms?

You did nothing wrong and theses people have no clue. If you did that out in Front Royal, it would be like a guy lifting a hood in the driveway. Everyone would come around for a look and to talk man stuff.

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BTW The why does anyone need anything was a joke. I don't need anything, but I do have the right to own it.

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DryBones wrote:they were commenting on the act of "brandishing a firearm" in public. nothing more.

The OP stated that he wanted to cause me harm, then call the police on me for having the pistol in view. That seems a bit extreme to me, but maybe I am missing something. That's why I asked in this thread.

So, Did I Screw Up, Or???

Yes, yes you did. If you want to show someone your gun, do it behind closed doors.

Your gun should have stayed in the holster.

I'm not going to comment about the "fat, stupid idiot wasting oxygen", but you didn't do gun owners any favors with that move.

Thanks ProShooter. That's the info I needed to hear.

My LEO friend pretty much felt the same way. My wife was commenting about her comfort level too. She isn't too happy about when I open carry in general and she gave me some grief about that morning too.

I guess I need to just keep it covered and play show-n-tell in private.

I would chalk it up as poor judgement and move on. I'm not going to get into the namecalling or the subjectiveness of how full or empty the parking lot was, but if they were able to get multiple pictures of you then you did not have the privacy that you thought you did (out in the open, plain as day). If you really had to show your buddy I'd recommend going over to your vehicle and opening a door, getting inside, or doing something to give you some level of privacy.

Mistakes they happen. Next time take it to the car. Wouldn't beat yourself up over it.

ProShooter wrote:So, Did I Screw Up, Or???

Yes, yes you did. If you want to show someone your gun, do it behind closed doors.

Your gun should have stayed in the holster.

+1

There's nothing wrong with open carrying, but handling firearms in public is bad form.

MarcSpaz wrote:

DryBones wrote:they were commenting on the act of "brandishing a firearm" in public. nothing more.

The OP stated that he wanted to cause me harm, then call the police on me for having the pistol in view. That seems a bit extreme to me, but maybe I am missing something. That's why I asked in this thread.

Stoney talks more than he should sometimes. Not a bad guy once you get to know him. As pro gun as you can get so he was probably just upset at the time he posted. Not making excuses for the name calling which is childish.

Those dung flingers are the people I exercise my first amendment rights with my third finger when Camp Jeep comes to town and they invade. They make me glad I got rid of my Cherokee.

ProShooter wrote:So, Did I Screw Up, Or???

Yes, yes you did. If you want to show someone your gun, do it behind closed doors.

IMO,
No, no you didn't screw up. What is screwed up is how far our society has gone wankers on guns. Replace your gun with all kinds of other deadly tools and no one would have thought anything bad about it. Nail gun, pocket knife, carpenters hammer, and so on.

If your worried about the Jeep people, just go back over their posts. Nasty posts show their character and the real wastes of O2.

DryBones wrote: Stoney talks more than he should sometimes. Not a bad guy once you get to know him. As pro gun as you can get so he was probably just upset at the time he posted. Not making excuses for the name calling which is childish.

I sent him an email asking why he was so brash and saying those nasty things about me. I told him that I'm actually a pretty decent person and instead of posting stuff like this online, he should have said something to me directly. I would not have taken offense if he expressed concern.

I have no idea if he will get it or reply to it since I'm not sure he uses the address I have. But if you know him, please let him know I'm not mad... a little hurt, but not mad. And I invite anyone to provide constructive criticism. I like to improve if I am doing something wrong or in bad taste.

So, lesson learned on my behalf. I just wish it was a little less hateful on his part and the others chiming in.

MarcSpaz wrote:

DryBones wrote: Stoney talks more than he should sometimes. Not a bad guy once you get to know him. As pro gun as you can get so he was probably just upset at the time he posted. Not making excuses for the name calling which is childish.

I sent him an email asking why he was so brash and saying those nasty things about me. I told him that I'm actually a pretty decent person and instead of posting stuff like this online, he should have said something to me directly. I would not have taken offense if he expressed concern.

I have no idea if he will get it or reply to it since I'm not sure he uses the address I have. But if you know him, please let him know I'm not mad... a little hurt, but not mad. And I invite anyone to provide constructive criticism. I like to improve if I am doing something wrong or in bad taste.

So, lesson learned on my behalf. I just wish it was a little less hateful on his part and the others chiming in.

I know him in passing. Haven't had a Jeep for over a year so if I see him I will pass along your words.

Thanks, I appreciate it. If you want to post a link to this thread up over there, I would be okay with that. I requested a membership over there, not to argue or be abrasive, but just to explain my side of the bone-head move. It has to be approved before I can login though.

So, Did I Screw Up, Or???

Did you make a bad choice. Yep _NO_ doubt about that. Could you and your friend found your self face down, with 10 boys in blue drawing down on you... absolutely.

When you are out in public you need to try to set good examples.

In hindsight it would have been better to have headed to a vehicle and done this out of common view/hearing.

Even better choice would have been to do it at home.

MarcSpaz wrote:Thanks, I appreciate it. If you want to post a link to this thread up over there, I would be okay with that. I requested a membership over there, not to argue or be abrasive, but just to explain my side of the bone-head move. It has to be approved before I can login though.

you don't want to be a member over there! I don't miss the crap from that page....that's for sure!

Well.....I would say it is the society that is screwed up. Could you have made a better choice sure, but you did nothing wrong.

Society also is uncomfortable with people openly carrying, but I would not say that a person openly carrying is doing anything wrong.

The people on that site have shown themselves for the kind of people they are. Chalk it up to experience and knowledge of the character of the people you are around. Glad you did not end up proned out on the pavement.

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