Gun-toting in Georgia, How I learned to stop worrying and love carrying my gun

[virginia mountainman]

A great read! A few excerpts..

....I got my gun license a year and a half ago after I was relieved of my wallet at gunpoint at my front door by a man who threatened to come back for me if I cancelled my ATM and credit cards.

Since he was clearly comfortable dropping by the house unannounced, police told me to take the threat seriously by carrying a gun myself.

I've had handguns for target shooting since I was a kid, but never carried one for self-defense. After the robbery, I applied for a permit so I could carry a gun without breaking the law. And even before the license arrived, I started to carry my gun from my driveway to my front door, which is legal; I was scared the guy would keep his promise and come back for me....

....After work that day, I grabbed my Beretta 92FS (a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun I bought for target shooting when I was in college because I thought it looked cool on the Lethal Weapon movie poster) and headed to Christos.

Even though I knew the place would be filled with people openly carrying guns, and that the restaurant welcomed them, I still walked in sheepishly with my gun hidden inside my computer bag. Until I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it was socially acceptable to openly carry a pistol into a restaurant.

The scene inside amazed me – 40 or 50 people, mostly men, casually socializing in a public restaurant and every one of them had firearms.

I didn't walk in expecting the Wild West, but I definitely expected more of a macho, sausage-party vibe than was apparent. As it turned out, I've been to bar trivia nights that were more menacing.....

.....It took me a while to build up the courage to openly carry a gun in public. It's difficult to shake off years of social conditioning and, honestly, if I hadn't been writing this story, I probably wouldn't have done it.

I started my counterconditioning by dining alone, with my gun very much concealed. I picked a cheap Asian restaurant near my house so if someone got upset with me for carrying a gun, it wouldn't matter that I'd be too embarrassed to ever return there again.

Still, it made me sick to slip my Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver into my pocket and walk into the restaurant. Even though it was legal and nobody even knew the gun was there, I had knots in my stomach like I was doing something terrible. The feeling didn't go away, even after I got home. In retrospect it may have been the chicken I ate.

A few days later, I pushed myself a little further.

I holstered the .38 on my belt, but wore an untucked shirt to cover it. I thought the outline of the gun was obvious through the shirt, but evidently it wasn't. I interviewed several people at Vinocity in Kirkwood about guns in restaurants, and not one of them commented on the bulge under my shirt.

John Turpin, the owner, said he's not really fretting about people bringing weapons into his restaurant because, short of putting a metal detector at the door, he has no way of keeping guns out.

"There could be four guns in here right now for all I know," he said to me. The restaurant is dark with reddish lighting, so Turpin probably didn't notice my face turn red with shame. He was talking to me about guns, and had no idea I was carrying one. I felt like such an asshole.

I chickened out of taking Zaylvia Carmichael to Chuck E. Cheese with our guns.

When I mentioned the plan to a friend who is usually supportive of my stupid ideas, he sounded appalled. He didn't elaborate, but he's the father of two small kids. I suspect the thought of two yutzes pushing social boundaries by carrying pistols into Chuck E. Cheese contravened his sense of decency.

So instead of choosing an inappropriate place for dinner, Carmichael and I chose an ironically appropriate place: a LongHorn Steakhouse.
....

....At 8 a.m. on a Thursday, I clipped my Beretta to my belt at the Edgewood-Candler Park station. I had decided to carry the Beretta because it's about 2.5 times the size of my .38 revolver. You can't help but see it.

With my Breeze Card in hand – and my gun permit and driver's license in my left pocket, intentionally opposite the holster in case I had to produce them for MARTA police – I took the escalator into the station.

I passed four people along the way.

No reaction.

At the passenger gate, I passed a woman who appeared to be in a MARTA uniform.

"Good morning," she said, without glancing at my gun.

I waited on the platform, with a dozen or so people, and even stood in the middle of the crowd so the most people could see me.

Nothing.

I'd been as conspicuous as possible and nobody reacted. Nobody acted as though they felt threatened by this stranger with a gun on his waist. It changed my perception of how the public views guns, even in the liberal core of the metro area. I got the same reaction on MARTA as I did in Cobb County, as I did shopping in Target or walking my dogs in Decatur – no reaction......

Audio at website;

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/gun_toting_in_georgia/Content?oid=528311

EDIT: Evidently the writer, did not run into "Billbuckhead" LOL!

[Hoopla Phil]

1. Thanks for the post.

[NightWatcher]

2. welcome to Georgia. Half of us are drunk, half of us are packing

and half of us are neither or both.

I'm surprised he didnt mention the "walmart walk", where most people first experiment with carrying concealed to test out their undercover rigs.

Georgia is an entirely different planet from most of the rest of the country with few exceptions. I love the weirdness that can only be found in parts of Georgia, Lousiana, Texas, and Florida.

[Statistical]

4. walmart walk. lol. a friend recommended that 2 me when I first started carrying.

he said it would help me notice how much of a non-issue it is.

Walmart corporate policy prohibits individual stores or individual managers from being "anti-gun".
The official policy is that Walmart respects the firearm laws of the state it is located in.

I had one incident when I was going to the range so I was open carrying. Stopped at Walmart to get 2 boxes of whinchester white box.

The "kid" at the counter told me it was the law that he couldn't sell me ammo if I had a firearm. I didn't argue I simply asked to speak to a manager. The manager apologized, rang up the ammo and advised me he would ensure the clerk was better trained (not sure if they ever did) but I was on my way in 5 minutes.

[Statistical]

3. I usually carry concealed but...

on occasion I have carried openly.

The first HUGE shock to me is that nobody notices it.
Usually the only time I get a look or comment is if someone is standing nearby motionless for a long time like at a checkout line.

Usually the indicate the presence of the firearm with "Are you a cop?" 99% of people never noticed. We are conditioned not to stare at peoples belts and even when we do glance we tend to tune out information not useful for the task at hand. Think back to today? How many cellphones on peoples belts did you identify. Could you name 4 of the slogans on peoples t-shirts that you passed?

Anyways that was my huge surprise is that nobody (or almost nobody) notices. People who also carry (either open or concealed) tend to notice and comment on it but that is about it.

[paulsby]

6. people tend not to notice MOST things

after many many years in law enforcement i do, but that's not how most people are.

it;s kind of funny because on a few occasions here, when sitting ina walmart parking lot doing paperwork i've noticed telltale bulges or butts of guns when people lean into cars to put their groceries in, etc.

WA is also an open carry state but few people do it here... yet

i hope to see more open carry.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Shagbark Hickory]

7. Uh Oh. Lookout boogeyman.

So if we're in a dimly lit corner of walmart.... over by the motor oil and automotive fluids, and I say: Gimme your fucking wallet and don't say or word or I'll gut you with my knife. What are you going to do, shoot me right there in the middle of walmart? OR are you just going to threaten me with the gun you can't legally fire at me?

[Hoopla Phil]

8. So do you normally threaten people and steal their wallets?

Or is it just a special occasion for being in the Gun Forum?

[TPaine7]

9. What makes you think

that if you threaten someone with a knife while in a Walmart, they cannot legally shoot you?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. go try it and get back to us

:eyes:

[virginia mountainman]

11. You would have signed your death warrant.

So if we're in a dimly lit corner of walmart.... over by the motor oil and automotive fluids, and I say: Gimme your fucking wallet and don't say or word or I'll gut you with my knife. What are you going to do, shoot me right there in the middle of walmart? OR are you just going to threaten me with the gun you can't legally fire at me?

You would be a dead man...I would have absolutely have no problem shooting you right their. Their would be NO threats, coming from me, only the sound of my .45 The only way YOU would survive the encounter, is if you happen to have some distance from me, and if you instantly drop the knife when I draw. Any hesitation would result in your death.

A knife, is a lethal threat, Virginia law is clear on this subject...

Virginia law, apples, in my home, in the street, even in Walmart, where their rules have absolutely no bearing on what will happen next...

I will not even attempt to know what your thinking, when you pull the knife, at that point I don't care what your original intent is, all I know is their is a lethal threat in front of me, and it is being directed at me, and I will act accordingly.

[Shagbark Hickory]

12. The laws in Virginia will work real well in a Georgia courtroom. I hope you like wearing orange.

[Statistical]

13. Luckily Georgia has a strong set of self defense statutes.

So no jail time.

You present a reasonable threat to a CCW in Georgia don't be surprised to catch a bad case of lead poisoning.

I am more interested in your logic that makes you think you (or anyone) think you have the right to threaten someone and them somehow the law will be written that they can do nothing.

If it were me I wouldn't shoot you just to shoot you given the headache, and hassle of even a good self defense shoot. I also am not looking to kill someone when I go to Walmart.

For me what would determine if you get shot is if I really believe you are a threat. If I believe it I will draw and shoot. I don't believe in warning shots and the law doesn't allow you to draw in a situation that doesn't warrant lethal force (drawing a weapon IS lethal force) so if I draw you are getting shot.

I would recommend not playing "assault games" with citizens who are packing. I can think of a couple things more stupid but not many.

[TPaine7]

14. Would Georgia Law Work in a Georgia Courtroom?

O.C.G.A. § 16-3-21
Use of force in defense of self or others; evidence of belief that force was necessary in murder or manslaughter prosecution

(a) A person is justified in threatening or using force against another when and to the extent that he or she reasonably believes that such threat or force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force; however, except as provided in Code Section 16-3-23, a person is justified in using force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or herself or a third person or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

(b) A person is not justified in using force under the circumstances specified in subsection (a) of this Code section if he:

(1) Initially provokes the use of force against himself with the intent to use such force as an excuse to inflict bodily harm upon the assailant;

(2) Is attempting to commit, committing, or fleeing after the commission or attempted commission of a felony; or

(3) Was the aggressor or was engaged in a combat by agreement unless he withdraws from the encounter and effectively communicates to such other person his intent to do so and the other, notwithstanding, continues or threatens to continue the use of unlawful force.

(c) Any rule, regulation, or policy of any agency of the state or any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, or policy of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state which is in conflict with this Code section shall be null, void, and of no force and effect.

(d) In a prosecution for murder or manslaughter, if a defendant raises as a defense a justification provided by subsection (a) of this Code section, the defendant, in order to establish the defendant's reasonable belief that the use of force or deadly force was immediately necessary, may be permitted to offer:

(1) Relevant evidence that the defendant had been the victim of acts of family violence or child abuse committed by the deceased, as such acts are described in Code Sections 19-13-1 and 19-15-1, respectively; and

(2) Relevant expert testimony regarding the condition of the mind of the defendant at the time of the offense, including those relevant facts and circumstances relating to the family violence or child abuse that are the bases of the expert's opinion.

Source: http://www.georgiapacking.org/GaCode/?title=16&chapter=3§ion=21

I hope you don't want to wear a black suit until it decays and falls off your bones. I hope you never try such a stunt on a lawfully armed licensed citizen. I hope you live a long and healthy life.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

18. Georgia law would let him shoot you just as Virginia law would.

[Deadric Damodred]

16. I think you've heard the old saying...

..."I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6". And the situation you described is total self-defense. There's no way in the world you could convince a jury, an American jury that is, that someone was not within their rights to repaint the walls with your brains when you stuck a knife in their back.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. Please cite the law that prevents a CCW permit holder from shooting an assailant with a knife.

[Taitertots]

15. I learned that guns are more accepted than I thought when...

The police came to my door believing a person they were chasing came into my house. I told them there was no one in my house and that they couldn't come in. I went through every human sized hiding spot in my house with my gun. The police came back to the door to reiterate how badly they wanted to get into my house. I again told them no, and that I have a gun on me and I went through my house with the gun and no one was there. I also told them if anyone was in my house that I'm going to shoot them. They said OK sir and left.

[proteus_lives]

19. Very interesting!

What a cool story!