yesterday, at the neighborhood picnic

Ok, so maybe it was not yesterday-yesterday, but actual-yesterday was too busy for me to pound out this post.

Anywise, Sunday afternoon, Better Half and I went to the picnic our neighborhood has once a year to meet or re-meet all of our various neighbors, and have our yearly Homeowners’ Association meeting, and I was, of course, carrying a firearm – I was outside of the house and not at work, and so long as those requirements are met, I am armed wherever it is legally permissible for me to be. Due to the social nature of the event, I wore my BBQ rig, consisting of my Smith and Wesson 686 SSR (with its wooden grips), my Dragon Leatherworks Celtic Cross holster, and my shiny new Endeavor Stitchworks Cobra Gun Belt.

In short, I was openly carrying, just like I did at last year’s picnic.

‘Course, that generated the usual sequence of questions ("What is that?", "Do you have a permit?", etc.), but one exchange in particular stuck out in my mind. Lady 1 has an interesting sense of humor and a handgun carry permit of her own, though she only carries concealed, and Lady 2 is our next-door neighbor.

Lady 1: *walking by* So why’re you carrying that thing at the picnic anyways?

Me: *smiling* Because my pants are on!

Lady 2: So you’re packing every time you’re dressed?

Me: Well, if I am not at work, pretty much, yeah.

Lady 2: Why do you do it?

Me: To keep my family and me safe – there seems to be no shortage of crime these days.

Lady 2: I can definitely understand that.

(Paraphrased from my all-too-imperfect memory.)

I need to get better at providing answers to those kinds of questions – this time around was punctuated with me taking the time to think of a decent one, and then stuttering through it, as I so often do in public – but the damned-near-complete-and-utter lack of reaction to my openly carrying a firearm has resulted in me forgetting most of my good lines through nothing more than neglect. Still, no one freaked out, no one called the cops, and despite being within mere feet of alcohol, my revolver did not leap out of its holster, get itself completely sloshed, and start randomly discharging all over the place…

On the positive side, I got the chance to talk with my local representative concerning our town’s ban on firearms in parks, which reminds me that I need to find the time to write that email…

(This post prompted by JP posting the right answer to those kinds of questions.)