Those that know me and spend time around me know that I carry anywhere I am legally allowed. This isn’t a joke and it isn’t an exaggeration. Going to the store, grab the gun. Going to visit a friend, grab the gun. Heading out on the boat, grab the gun. Getting dressed in the morning to do work around the house, grab the gun. To me carrying a firearm is as common as carrying a wallet or watch. As it should be.
I do this for a couple different reasons.
- The burden on my belt is much lighter than the burden of regret.
- Because I can.
- Because there is no advantage to myself by not carrying.
- Because it’s my right.
- Because being prepared should not be frowned upon
So last night at the ham radio meeting it was business as usual. I was sitting rubbing my forehead because of a sinus headache while two members to my right were having a conversation. I was openly carrying my 1911 on a OWB holster so it was quite visible. Since I was in Idaho my give a crap meter was at about -20, even in Washington it registers only about a 1 until I get to the West side.
All of the sudden I head one of the men go, “Sir are you wearing a side arm?” I look up at him with a half cocked smile and say, “Yes sir, I am.” Usually that is about the end of a conversation but he was a little more persistent than most and responded with, “Why are you carrying a side arm?” It currently was a polite question and certainly reasonable. I just politely responded, “Because I can.” At this point he was shocked that I would carry a weapon and his voice showed it because he repeated the same question with a tone of disdain in his voice.
At this point I had a personal revelation. That type of behavior will place me in threeper mode at a speed otherwise only known to photons. Because I didn’t think, I didn’t blink, my face just went stern and I looked right at him and calmly but without any hesitation said, “Because it’s my god given right.”
That was the end of the conversation. He no longer pressed me, he no longer talked to me with disdain in his voice. I don’t know if he was just inquisitive and it came off wrong it’s hard to say. Considering he halted his current conversation to focus on my sidearm it’s hard for me to think he was really just generally inquisitive.
That is the first time I’ve ever climbed the “threeper hill” and used the it’s my right argument. I will say in this case it was quite effective and given my headache at the moment I liked it’s nuke the site from orbit effect. That said I prefer a much more tactical approach to sway people, but it has now been established that if you treat me as a substandard person for carrying a gun, I will go threeper on your ass.
Doubly entertaining was about 5 minutes later another buddy of mine showed up to the meeting and was open carrying as well. The icing on the cake was we were both sitting next to each other. I’m not sure if the guy noticed or not, I really don’t care. But I wasn’t the only one in the room any more and it made it all the better. Sadly the wife was busy so she wasn’t with me, otherwise she would have been open carrying her’s as well.
TMM is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.
Many know his private name and information however due to the current political climate, many are distancing themselves due to the abandonment of Due Process.
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