Replies

“Many unarmed people don’t want to be reminded that armed people have that power. To avoid this, they want to force other people to be disarmed.”

I’ve been legally carrying concealed firearms for a little over 2 years here in Illinois. And as a bit of an amateur student of human behavior I’ve made some fairly interesting observations. When people don’t know I’m armed “normal” interactions occur. Now I certainly do not make it a point to let people know I’m carrying. Discretion is paramount in my view.

When it does come up in conversation most people think it’s no big deal although I’ve noticed that men and women tend to have different reactions. A large percentage of men will say something like “I should get my permit.” Or they’ll ask me about the process, what kind of gun I favor, that sort of thing.

Some women have, too. But that reaction mostly comes from men.

Only one man that I can remember has said that he was uncomfortable being around me when he learned I regularly carry. I told him he was free to leave any time he wished. Interestingly enough he didn’t.

Women, however, tend to have a very different set of reactions. “Are you carrying right now?” is asked almost 100% of the time. They will raise their eyes, lower their voices when they do it.

My response is always the same. “Concealed means just that. You won’t know for sure unless something really bad happens. But if you do happen to see it you will want to get really small really fast. Getting behind something sturdy would probably be a very good idea, too.”

I do NOT qualify as something sturdy.

What’s even more interesting to me is the way women’s behavior toward me will change. They tend to stay just a bit closer for just a bit longer. Some will make subtle but obvious expressions of sexual interest. It’s like they know an Alpha dog when they see one. Pretty amusing, actually. If I were single I might take advantage of that.

I’m wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.