Never, Ever Leave home without It.

Real Life | 8/21/2005 | CholeraJoe

[CholeraJoe]

"Never, ever leave home without it." No, not your American Express card, your sidearm.

This morning, I woke up about 4:15 and was hungry, so I decided to drive to the local 24-hour beanery. The only other customers were a table of 10, intoxicated 20-somethings making alot of noise.

There were 7 muscular young men and three loud-mouthed young women. After listening to their raucous laughter for 10 minutes, I politely asked the waitress to ask them to hold down the noise. All I wanted to do was eat my breakfast in relative peace.

Her request for quiet lasted about 45 seconds, then the noise and laughter resumed. At that point, I decided to do something.

Bear in mind that I am not an imposing figure. I'm 5'9", mid 50's, and slim. I walked over to the table, and walked completely around it twice. I said, "I'd like y'all to hold down the noise for a while, please." One of the young men started to give me trash-talk but within seconds was elbowed by the guy next to him, who whispered something in his ear. Then everyone at the table said, "Yes, sir, or OK."

What made the difference? Open carry. I was wearing a 9mm semi-auto on my right hip. I never touched it and I made no threats, but it was nevertheless visible.

[John Robertson]

"I think what's really bothering everyone is the fact you circled the table. No, it's not technically illegal but we all know it's threatening w/o a gun, much less open carry."

That is illegal. It is intimidation, it is brandishing.

As for the lack of politeness...he deserves NONE. He's a bully-clown, and that behavior harms us all. The fact that his sole mission was to let them know he was packing, but then he coyly says he never mentioned it, just showed it, makes me sick. Does he really think that's clever?

[Tijeras_Slim]

never knew I was so loved...sniff.

I wouldn't tease that crowd, they might come a' courtin'. ;)

[Age of Reason]

In this case, you have become the aggressor. You would have killed somebodies kid,who for all you know is a good person, just a little drunk and trying to get some breakfast.

Probably a loudmouthed, rude brat. My heart would bleed for the guttersnipe.

Unfortunately, shooting him would still destroy your life.

The only wise thing to do if you asked politely and they kept up the noise, is to just quietly leave the restaurant.

And leave the wait staff a tip anyway.

[Dark Knight]

Seems like you are fundamentally against open carry. Now I would have ignored the loud kids unless they became a threat to me. But it is pretty clear they were on the way to becoming a threat, when the gun on his belt stopped them well short of that.<<

The kids never left their table. If you chose as a citizen to confront them on their noise at a restaurant and ended up shooting one, your life would as a nice happy person would end. What don't you get about this? It's not about carrying rules, or cops. You will be judged by twelve jurors and afterward sued for millions.

Your solution, Jeez, I could not fathom it. Kids at a table are a threat...Don't go to a court with that. You will lose miserably. And no one will understand what part of this is hard to understand.


DK

[John Robertson]

"Do you think members of MS-13 would have warned him before plunging a knife in his back and give him a chance to draw first?"

Come on--do I have to be the one to say it? These kids were not MS-13ers, or Black, or even punky whites. They had to be lily-white young professionals who, at a glance, he could tell would not have weapons. I believe this coward would NEVER have threatened anyone who would come back with greater force.

[patton]

LOLOLOL - you might be right.

[You Dirty Rats]

The fact you had a smoke wagon hanging from your hip was incidental and it's clear you didn't threaten anyone.

Incidental? CJ himself emphasized the role of the gun in the whole episode!

"I once was a 98-pound weakling. Rather than go the to gym and work out, or just approach people unarmed like a real man, I decided that wearing a gun to intimidate people was much easier. Now people quake at my very appearance -- and I owe it all to my gun!! Who's needs testosterone when you have bullets?"

[US_MilitaryRules]

They were there first. If you didn't like the noise, leave or put in ear plugs. How dare you give gun owners a bad image. Large groups of people are ALLWAYS noisy, drunk or not.

[Eastbound]

Yo! The only question to ask yourself is whether you would have done the the same thing if the revelers were well-armed drunk-ugly bikers wearing really bad 'colors' sobering up from a week-long 'fest'?

Now that would have been something to write about.

'There I was, minding my own business, doing my best to ignore the ruckus over in the corner of the cafe.

Twenty or so really bad-ass drunken bikers were slopping their brew all over the place, hollerin' and shoutin' at each other, pawing their 'mama's and utterly destroying the ambience to which I am accustomed to when I walk into a cafe at 4:30 in the morning.

‘I didn't expect anyone else to be up and about at the ungodly hour and figured the place would be deserted. (I did notice about 20 or so Harley's parked in front of the joint, but paid it no mind.)

‘Enough was Enough,’ I told myself. So I stood up, walked over to the out-of-control bunch of freaks, swung back my jacked to reveal the large bag of stash I was holding, circled the tables a couple of times, eye-balled the chicks and wondered which one I should sit next to.

'Deciding that the mama with the crowbar screwed through her nose was the pick of the litter, I pulled up a chair, waved to the bros, unholstered my stash and tossed it on the table. '

(To be continued . . . ) ;>

[patton]

If I spelled it right, it wouldn't be me.

[Eaker]

I must have had the wrong address, because I know I sent you an entire case of Bite My Butt about a week ago!!!!

;<)

Take care and stay safe my friend!

[Polybius]

Why would you expect peace and quiet at 430 am on a weekend? Maybe you should just scramble some eggs in the kitchen.

So are you making the argument that based on time and location it is ok to act like an asshat in a business establishment annoying other customers.

That is for the business owner to decide and enforce not for an armed customer to decide and enforce.

Some eateries such as, say, "Dirty Nellie's", might cater to the loud-drunks-getting-sobered-up-at-4:30AM crowd. Some like, say, "Grandma's Home Kitchen", might cater to the quiet-as-a-mouse crowd. Some like, say, "Chuck-E-Cheese", cater to the families-with-young-and-very-loud-and-very-annoying-children-running-amuck crowd.

I can see it now......

Place: "Chuck-E-Cheese".

Time: 7:30 PM

Customer Wanting Peace and Quiet: "Could you please keep your children quiet and under control? I'm just trying to have a peaceful meal."

Total chaos continues.

Customer Wanting Peace and Quiet: "I asked you to keep your children quite and under control."

Dad: Scratches his forehead with his extended middle finger.

Customer Wanting Peace and Quiet: Circles the table twice. Ensures his weapon is seen and says, "I will say it again. Keep you children quiet and under control. I want to have a peaceful meal and not be annoyed."

Dad: "Yes, Sir."

Chuck-E-Cheese gradualy gets quieter and quieter and then emptier and emptier until it is totally empty and quiet except for the customer now enjoying his peaceful meal.

Fifteen minutes later......

BULLHORN: "Sir, this is this is the SWAT Team. Our snipers have you in their sights. Slowly raise your hands and put them behind your head. Now, slowly stand up. Lie on the ground with your arms and legs spread-eagle and fingers spread out....."

Two minutes later.....

[atomicpossum]

'Deciding that the mama with the crowbar screwed through her nose was the pick of the litter, I pulled up a chair, waved to the bros, unholstered my stash and tossed it on the table. '

(To be continued . . . )

"And honestly, your honor, that's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the emergency room..."

[cbkaty]

I neither carry nor even own a gun. I've never had a need for one.

Well this explains it all....never having a need for one...but when that once in a lifetime event occurs...what then?

[Eaker]

Slim, don't make me come over there, because you know I will and this time I won't just give you a time-out!

;<)

[Tijeras_Slim]

I refer to Chuck-E-Cheese "restaurants" as visual birth control.

[budwiesest]

I think Joe should get the script from Clint Eastwoods' "Dirty Harry" and practice the lines at the end of the bank robbery scene. In a mirror. "So, you feeling lucky today Loudmouth, well, do ya!"

[marktwain]

Death rate, I believe that you are correct.

Violence?? England has a higher rate of violent crime than we do, or so I have read repeatedly for the last few years.

[Dark Knight]

That was perfect, thank you!

DK

[Tijeras_Slim]

I deserve a good spankin' but what will our beautiful long suffering wives say about this? :)