What to say when people complain they are "uncomfortable" because of your gun?

[MSG Laigaie]

Oucharama.
part one... I do not OC.OTOH I CC simply because there are way too many badges that would rather strip me of my Constitutional rights to OC with their BS no RAS to flock with me.

part two... Any LEO don't like my answer? Tough shyt. Y'all brought it on yourselves. We *all wanna go home at night. None of you badges are more important than me.* Anytime you can't deal with that feel free to quit and get a real job.

part one. You do not Open Carry because you fear LEO harassment?

part two. You "get tough" with LEOs (ie.don't like my answer....)?
I do not understand. Those of us here on this particular forum Open Carry a great deal, if not all the time. You need not fear LEOs, the law is on your side. No LEO can strip you of your Constitutional rights for Open Carrying in Washington State.

That right there is the primary reason I don't OC.

Again, put your fear aside and strap on a pistol, assuming you are not a prohibited person, you will have a grand time feeling the Freedom.

 

[sudden valley gunner]

this is where I feel that high school government classes should cover state laws regarding our Amendments, not just 2A but all of them, half of the half-wits i encounter i believe to not have made it to class on most days if so they were not in the right frame of mind. Constitutional rights were covered when i was in school along with common sense.People I've ran into did not even know it was legal to carry a gun or ask me if its registered. People watch too much prime time television seeing as how all the shows are based out of New York and California story lines giving the sense of no one has guns but the bad guys and the LEO's. I run across ignorant or incompetent people more often than I'd like to.

There too busy pretending the amendments don't exist except for 17 and 16, they also seem to forget the enumerated powers or the documents that explain what the constitution means, it's not up for interpretation, it isn't a living breathing document.

part one. You do not Open Carry because you fear LEO harassment?

part two. You "get tough" with LEOs (ie.don't like my answer....)?
I do not understand. Those of us here on this particular forum Open Carry a great deal, if not all the time. You need not fear LEOs, the law is on your side. No LEO can strip you of your Constitutional rights for Open Carrying in Washington State.


Again, put your fear aside and strap on a pistol, assuming you are not a prohibited person, you will have a grand time feeling the Freedom.

+1

Noname join us it's great to stand up for your rights John and I both have and the cops in our town who are problematic avoid us like the plague, the cool ones great us with smiles.

 

[MAC702]

"Well by all means, please feel free to be comfortable! I understand if that means it will be somewhere else."

 

[georg jetson]

"Uncomfortable"in this case, having the meaning of "bigoted".

 

[RogueReflections]

What to say.....

I think my answer would depend on HOW they voiced their thoughts to me. If they are respectful and simply sharing, usually that is a great time for a real discussion. If they get in my face over it, I respond in a different way and they provide me with another video for my YouTube channel. I love some of the great opportunities for discussion with other citizens. The civil kind are my favorite.
In the end, I would still carry and not leave the area.

 

[sudden valley gunner]

I think my answer would depend on HOW they voiced their thoughts to me. If they are respectful and simply sharing, usually that is a great time for a real discussion. If they get in my face over it, I respond in a different way and they provide me with another video for my YouTube channel. I love some of the great opportunities for discussion with other citizens. The civil kind are my favorite.
In the end, I would still carry and not leave the area.

+1

 

[golddigger14s]

That right there is the primary reason I don't OC.

Then why are you posting here? Go over to USACarry where you can have the element of surprise.

 

[MKEgal]

This is a serious question prompted by an interaction I had today with a store clerk who asked me to leave a store and stated that he was doing so because "he was uncomfortable that I was carrying a gun".
...
So I am curious what people say to try and help such people, who seem genuinely, though irrationally, frightened?

I'm sorry you're uncomfortable. Please send the manager over.

Seriously, the best thing I can do for someone who's claiming to be afraid is to let them go away, observe me from afar, and see that I'm doing nothing different from anyone else who's there.
Remain calm & rational, don't be rude.

"I am not forcing you to stay near me. If you are uncomfortable because of my gun then you are free to leave."

I like that too.

 

[since9]

Such feelings are really fears, and irrational ones at that. Thus, rational responses are unlikely to sway them. Flippant responses are highly likely to damage our cause, turning someone who is merely uncomfortable into someone who is angrily opposed. A few short years ago I told two businesses something along the lines of, "Since you feel that way, I'll take my business to your competitor, who respects our Constitution."

Not an effective long-term solution.

Nothing wrong with telling them you won't be returning, though. My current hip-pocket response is, "No problem. Mind if I check out, first? I can shop elsewhere in the future." You're putting ball back in their court, politely, while still reminding them they just lost your business. If they do mind, then just say, "Ok," leave the goods you intended to purchase right there, and walk out. Again, you're being polite while letting them know their attitude loses customers.

Afterwards, I enter their business in Friend or Foe. If everyone who carries used this tool, we'd have fewer businesses in red.

- Steve

 

[F350]

Such feelings are really fears, and irrational ones at that. Thus, rational responses are unlikely to sway them. Flippant responses are highly likely to damage our cause, turning someone who is merely uncomfortable into someone who is angrily opposed. A few short years ago I told two businesses something along the lines of, "Since you feel that way, I'll take my business to your competitor, who respects our Constitution."

Not an effective long-term solution.

Nothing wrong with telling them you won't be returning, though. My current hip-pocket response is, "No problem. Mind if I check out, first? I can shop elsewhere in the future." You're putting ball back in their court, politely, while still reminding them they just lost your business. If they do mind, then just say, "Ok," leave the goods you intended to purchase right there, and walk out. Again, you're being polite while letting them know their attitude loses customers.

Afterwards, I enter their business in Friend or Foe. If everyone who carries used this tool, we'd have fewer businesses in red.

- Steve

Mind if I check out first?

HELL NO! Leave the shopping cart in the middle of the floor and leave.

Several years ago I was in an Awful Waffle (Waffle House) just as my food was being delivered the manager came over and told me I would have to leave my OC in the car. I said something along the lines of "Since I will not leave my sidearm unattended in my truck I interpret your request to be asking me to leave, have a nice day" and I got up with food on the table and walked out and left.

 

[Rusty Young Man]

SNIP...
Nothing wrong with telling them you won't be returning, though. My current hip-pocket response is, "No problem. [CUT] I can shop elsewhere [ANOTHER CUT]." You're putting ball back in their court, politely, while still reminding them they just lost your business.

Fixed it for you.

If they are asking you to disarm, and you can go elsewhere*, why patronize them?


*I mention this because some things are harder to find, such as a good doctor to check you for maladies, or the costs of shopping elsewhere are too much because of a dire financial situation.

 

[kinggabby]

Tell them you have an Autistic nephew ( which I do ) who was once afraid ( and he once was ) of guns and is no longer ( who told me that he was afraid of guns but is not afraid of mine ) . Then ask them how can an Autistic child gets it that it is not going to hurt them and have no more fear?

 

[DWCook]

Most of the time I just ignore people who state they are uncomfortable with me open carrying. If it's in an establishment and the owner/managers tell me to leave then I leave. If I feel I can resolve the conflict by explaining then I spend a few minutes talking.

 

[dorangolv]

Uncomfortableness

[/QUOTE]But seriously, I'd leave, while politely asking the clerk if his uncomfortableness and request to leave also works on bad guys carrying guns, or just the nice guys carrying guns. [/QUOTE]

This.
is.
epic!:banana:

It's a mouthful but i'm going to try and remember it.

Whenever someone makes a comment about my gun, I tell 'em with a smile, "It's Ok, I'm one of the good guys."

 

[dorangolv]

That's cute

Several improper thoughts popped into my head as possible replies:

1. You're frightened/uncomfortable? I'm not, so you can relax.
2. That's cute. Tell me, do any adults work here?:lol:
3. Boo!

My vote is #2.

There should be a new thread exclusively for comments we WOULD NOT USE.:idea:
It would be good for a laugh and might teach, in a round about way, how not to behave or respond.:cuss:

 

[dorangolv]

I usually tell them..."It's okay, the voices in my head are pretty calm right now, they are usually very reasonable, so I think it will be okay." :shocker:

Oh, DAMN!!! ::

 

[wimwag]

I like to walk away from people when they tell me guns scare them. Shushing them midsentence discourages conversation too. Sometimes I accuse them of looking at my genitals. Really depends on what mood I'm in.

Being a jerk isn't illegal so I don't call the cops on them.

 

[marshaul]

"And I'm guessing you weren't burdened with an overabundance of schooling. So why don't we just ignore each other until we both go away?" - Mal Reynolds

Excellent quote. Excellent show. Excellent character.

 

[marshaul]

Tell them you have an Autistic nephew ( which I do ) who was once afraid ( and he once was ) of guns and is no longer ( who told me that he was afraid of guns but is not afraid of mine ) . Then ask them how can an Autistic child gets it that it is not going to hurt them and have no more fear?

"You remind me of my autistic nephew, except he actually thought about his irrational fears long enough to get over them."

 

[FlyBoy276]

Home Depot encounter:

A guy notices I'm OCing while in the rope isle, googling which type of material I needed for a project, walks up to me, takes his wallet out, and everything inside falls on the floor next to me. I keep my eye on him out of the corner of my eye. He eventually gets his things back in to his wallet, minus his CHP. He gets my attention, holds the card up, and goes,

Him: Hey buddy! You should get yourself one of these!
Me: No thanks.
Him: It would help a lot with the people that are uncomfortable with you carrying that around, like that.
Me: Sounds like those people have a personal problem.
Him: Yeah, well...I used to open carry too, and decided this was just a whole lot less trouble.
Me: ...
Him: Well...nice talking to you! *walks away*