A couple of decades ago, the Boss, our 2 young boys and I enjoyed little float trips down a local river about once a month weather permitting. We'd bring lunch, drinks and snacks because we'd be out most of the day. I'd fish a little while floating through the farm fields and wooded lots. We'd ground the boat at shallow spots and I'd wade fish while the boys and Boss played in the shallows chasing crayfish and the like. It was good family time and an escape from the realities of daily life. I sure miss those days.
An encounter with 3 drunken young guys at our get-out spot temporarily ruined those peaceful river trips until I decided that unsavory and potentially dangerous characters were not going to stop us from enjoying the outdoors as a family. Since it's legal here, I started openly carrying a handgun on our trips. After that a 6" barreled 357Mag was strapped to my hip on every river trip or long walk in the state forest. As far as I could tell, none of the other outdoors people we encountered thought anything about that gun on my hip. The only comment I remember was a young boy saying something like "hey Dad he's got a gun". His father replied "don't worry about it, he's not going to hurt anybody".
Though it's very legal to open carry, doing so while going about my daily routine would most likely result in panic by some and a few discussions with local law enforcement. Since I don't want to panic the sheep, nor hassle with the uniforms, I carry concealed.
When I decided to carry concealed, it raised my awareness of my surroundings. I've become more aware of what others are doing and assess the level of threat, if any. Now that I'm physically weakened since surgery, I'm even more aware. I feel like an easy mark for the bad guy. When first venturing out with the Boss I needed a walker to get around, and was unarmed. I was very uneasy about this and vulnerable. I couldn't protect myself let alone the Boss if the need arose. I'm now using a cane and carrying a gun again. This is a better situation. Though I'm still slow as a turtle, and we still look like an easy target, I feel a whole lot better about the situation. Having a bum leg doesn't effect my shooting much.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Chances are, most of those folks flat out never noticed that you were carrying. I used to worry about printing. I don't anymore; as long as they can't see it, most people don't have any idea you're carrying.
Heal fast, brother!
Post a Comment