In my last Question of the Day, I asked if printing (concealing your gun in such a way that an observer can see at least part of its outline) was a big deal. Most people thought not, given that the majority of the U.S. population lives in Condition White (i.e. oblivious to potential security threats). There remains, however, the problem of “flashing”: inadvertently displaying your concealed carry gun. In the Sunshine State, that’s no longer an issue. Florida Governor Rick Scott just signed SB 234 which provides that . . .
It is not a violation of this section for a person . . . who is lawfully carrying a firearm in a concealed manner, to briefly and openly display the firearm to the ordinary sight of another person, unless the firearm is intentionally displayed in an angry or threatening manner, not in necessary self-defense.
For the rest of us, you’d think common sense would prevail, on both the gun owning and gun observing side. If so, you’d think wrong . . .
NEWARK, Del. — Delaware State Police have arrested a Georgia man after he was seen concealing a handgun at a service area along Interstate-95 in Newark.
A witness called police Friday morning after seeing the man remove a handgun from the trunk of his car and place it in the waistband of his pants before walking into the welcome center.
Police responded and charged 58-year-old William Slugg with carrying a concealed weapon and drug charges. Police say officers found a fully loaded 22-caliber revolver in Slugg’s clothes and a semi-automatic handgun in the trunk of his car, along with marijuana.
Police say Slugg had a permit to carry the weapon in Georgia, but the permit is not valid in Delaware.
This story from therepublic.com highlights the previously stated need to know the gun laws in every state in which you, the concealed carry weapons permit holder, may find yourself. But it also flags the dangers of doing something otherwise legal—displaying your gun—in a public place.
We can debate whether or not a gun owner should exercise their legal right to openly carry a gun if doing so is A) legal and B) scares onlookers. But one thing’s for sure: there are plenty of people out there who freak if they see a civilian with a gun. Unless you want to make a point, it’s best to keep your self-defense gun on the DL. At least in public.
For example, when I first went to my new gym, I could have simply put my gun in the locker. If anyone saw or complained, well, I’m legal. If the gym banned me, I could sue them. If they sent the cops, uh-oh. If they didn’t shoot me, but arrested me for filling their clogged arteries with adrenalin, I could sue them, too.
Not to coin a phrase, who needs that shit?
Instead, I talked to the gym manager. I go to a private room and store my gun in their safe. They’re happy. I’m happy. The gun is secured discreetly and there’s no SWAT team interrupting my workout. As with any potential full-on armed self-defense situation, avoiding confrontation is the path of least resistance, and maximum safety.
So make sure you’re private when you transfer your gun from one to place to another: in your car, at the gym, at your tailor, wherever. The last thing you want is to create a self-defense situation by having a gun to save yourself from a self-defense situation.