OC'ing into private homes?
One of my businesses takes me into a lot of private homes and businesses while buying inventory, both in and out of state. I also occasionally buy things off of Craigslist here in town and that can create some challenges.
I often ask the question, "Should I open carry into this home or leave it in the rig?" I'm usually carrying cash for a purchase but some people can lget pretty uneasy if they see a gun and may refuse to deal with me altogether. I've done this for decades without carrying so am challenged at times about whether to OC.
So I decided to buy a scooter for playing around town on the short trips and found one that was virtually brand new at a great price. Almost a 'too good to be true' price. I quizzed the seller a bit but he seemed legit and I've done enough of it to know the difference. All communications were by email or text.
I asked my other half to go along to be an extra gun because this guy told me he lived in Naked City just behind the Strat. Not a good neighborhood. I wasn't sure if I should OC into his home but decided if nothing else I'd have my lady carry her .380 holstered in her hand, in a non-obvious manner.
So I arrived at the location and strapped on. It was a really dicey area. I called and texted the guy and asked him to come out; he didn't answer my call but eventually texted back. At the same time I noticed a very suspicious 'minority' walking by on a neighboring street while on his phone and looking our way. The seller was still nowhere to be seen. Soon I was observing ANOTHER suspicious looking 'minority' approaching from the rear, also on his phone. It was feeling like a total setup but I also felt we had a huge ace in the hole. We were both waiting outside the van for the seller to come out from the apartments but he never showed or responded to my repeated calls and texts.
As the second guy got closer I told my lady to get in the van and off we went. We went a half block away and flipped a U so we could observe the apartment. I told my lady that it had to be a Craigslist robbery setup and the whole thing was a scam. We were glad to be armed.
Suddenly, several minutes later, I see another 'young minority' wheeling this brand new bright red scooter out from the apartments and onto the sidewalk! He parked it right in front of what looked like a couple of other gang-bang types who were in front of their duplex next door, working on their cars. We pulled the van around in front of the seller and both of us popped out while carrying in full view, our heads on swivels.
The sweet young guy selling the bike hadn't even noticed that we were carrying. I was going to test ride the scooter and knew that he'd see my holstered weapon which was slightly behind me so I let him know that she and I were both 2A supporters and carried regularly, a couple of the 'good guys'. He was surprised/shocked but very supportive so we filled him in on his rights. He was new to town and didn't realize how bad the neighborhood was when he rented his apartment before actually seeing it or moving here. He later told me that my calls and texts were going to his girlfriend's phone and then she was passing the messages on to him, causing the delays. OMG.
We told him we felt like we were being set up and he joked that we were now going to rob HIM and steal his scooter LOL. We brought him up to speed on the Craigslist scams and suggested that he be a bit more cautious.
The two gang-bang types who were only feet away clearly saw our weapons and ended up retreating into their homes rather than continuing to work on their vehicles. I think they assumed that we were both LEO's. It got really quiet around there really quickly LOL.
We bought the bike at a killer price and had a title in hand. It was a great deal but without being able to carry I never would have stopped on that street. The other two on the phones continued to walk around and we alerted the seller to them and he said they were roaming around like that all the time.
In this case having the visibility of OC was a definite plus. We may have also converted a super-good kid into carrying as well. I think he was Jamaican or Puerto Rican, I can't remember; around 21 years old. It was also nice having my other half as a backup.
One of my businesses takes me into a lot of private homes and businesses while buying inventory, both in and out of state. I also occasionally buy things off of Craigslist here in town and that can create some challenges.
I often ask the question, "Should I open carry into this home or leave it in the rig?" I'm usually carrying cash for a purchase but some people can lget pretty uneasy if they see a gun and may refuse to deal with me altogether. I've done this for decades without carrying so am challenged at times about whether to OC.
So I decided to buy a scooter for playing around town on the short trips and found one that was virtually brand new at a great price. Almost a 'too good to be true' price. I quizzed the seller a bit but he seemed legit and I've done enough of it to know the difference. All communications were by email or text.
I asked my other half to go along to be an extra gun because this guy told me he lived in Naked City just behind the Strat. Not a good neighborhood. I wasn't sure if I should OC into his home but decided if nothing else I'd have my lady carry her .380 holstered in her hand, in a non-obvious manner.
So I arrived at the location and strapped on. It was a really dicey area. I called and texted the guy and asked him to come out; he didn't answer my call but eventually texted back. At the same time I noticed a very suspicious 'minority' walking by on a neighboring street while on his phone and looking our way. The seller was still nowhere to be seen. Soon I was observing ANOTHER suspicious looking 'minority' approaching from the rear, also on his phone. It was feeling like a total setup but I also felt we had a huge ace in the hole. We were both waiting outside the van for the seller to come out from the apartments but he never showed or responded to my repeated calls and texts.
As the second guy got closer I told my lady to get in the van and off we went. We went a half block away and flipped a U so we could observe the apartment. I told my lady that it had to be a Craigslist robbery setup and the whole thing was a scam. We were glad to be armed.
Suddenly, several minutes later, I see another 'young minority' wheeling this brand new bright red scooter out from the apartments and onto the sidewalk! He parked it right in front of what looked like a couple of other gang-bang types who were in front of their duplex next door, working on their cars. We pulled the van around in front of the seller and both of us popped out while carrying in full view, our heads on swivels.
The sweet young guy selling the bike hadn't even noticed that we were carrying. I was going to test ride the scooter and knew that he'd see my holstered weapon which was slightly behind me so I let him know that she and I were both 2A supporters and carried regularly, a couple of the 'good guys'. He was surprised/shocked but very supportive so we filled him in on his rights. He was new to town and didn't realize how bad the neighborhood was when he rented his apartment before actually seeing it or moving here. He later told me that my calls and texts were going to his girlfriend's phone and then she was passing the messages on to him, causing the delays. OMG.
We told him we felt like we were being set up and he joked that we were now going to rob HIM and steal his scooter LOL. We brought him up to speed on the Craigslist scams and suggested that he be a bit more cautious.
The two gang-bang types who were only feet away clearly saw our weapons and ended up retreating into their homes rather than continuing to work on their vehicles. I think they assumed that we were both LEO's. It got really quiet around there really quickly LOL.
We bought the bike at a killer price and had a title in hand. It was a great deal but without being able to carry I never would have stopped on that street. The other two on the phones continued to walk around and we alerted the seller to them and he said they were roaming around like that all the time.
In this case having the visibility of OC was a definite plus. We may have also converted a super-good kid into carrying as well. I think he was Jamaican or Puerto Rican, I can't remember; around 21 years old. It was also nice having my other half as a backup.
You can always mix them up like, "I know what your thinking, did he fire 16 or 17 shots, well in all this excitement I loss count myself, so what you got to ask yourself is, Do you feel lucky, well do ya Punk".