Reader Levon S. writes:
Anytime I go out in public, I have two firearms concealed and one that I carry openly. To some that’s overkill, but I like to be prepared. Up until yesterday, 100% of my encounters have been very positive. Most folks ask about carrying firearms etc. and I use the opportunity to educate them and give them some new information. While grocery shopping with my family yesterday, I had an encounter that wasn’t so positive . . .
While my wife was picking out some peppers, I saw that a man had taken particular notice of my openly carried Ruger SR9c. He made several passes around me before walking up to me and stating, “If you’re going to open carry, you shouldn’t semi-conceal also.” He was referring to my jacket partially covering another firearm.
Now I can’t say for certain that this guy was a law enforcement officer, but that’s my educated guess. I simply told him, “I have a CPL” and he walked away.
What concerns me about this situation is the lack of knowledge and ignorance of the law pertaining to openly carrying a firearm in the state of Michigan. If this guy was a LEO, he should know that A) openly carrying a firearm in an establishment that sells alcohol (which includes grocery stores) is illegal without a CPL, and B) if you have a CPL, you can carry your weapon 10% concealed, 50% concealed, 90% openly…it doesn’t matter. His opinion was completely irrelevant and he asked the wrong question.
If this guy wasn’t an LEO and was a fellow conceal carrier — perhaps one who’s anti-open carry — then again, the same scenario applies. He has a lack of knowledge of the law in question.
It just makes me shake my head at how some folks can be so ignorant when they speak, especially those who went to college and/or were trained to enforce the law. Also, just to clarify, I am not anti-police, I’m just anti-ignorance.
So thank you to the ignorant gentleman who has reduced my positive carry experiences to 99%.