Making new friends

Not unless he asks and then only half. Sorry to say this, but over the years I've become more and more.... umm... "suspicious."

It might be that he's like many LEOs, his sidearm is just a professional tool, and not part of a hobby, like with you.

Wait 'till some time you guys might get together at a range or in the hills fer a shootin' session.

You can expect that the wives have exchanged at least some of this information --not in specific terms, but in general, e.g.: "He's got more guns than I have shoes."

If you have a carry permit, he probably knows that, too.

Object if you will, but "geriatric paranoia" is often a result of general experience in the real world, and sorry 'bout that, folks.

That's the way this crotchety old coot sees it, and I also apologize for starting off the responses in a negative tone.

Terry, 230RN

"Geriatric Paranoia" ...
I am so stealing that.

No I wouldn't show him anything unless he asks & then be very cautious. Believe it or not, not all LEO's are gun guys.
I have a buddy that was a local LEO & took it wrong when I told him I build my own guns. He acted like I was doing something wrong.

If he was a gun guy too, wouldn't you know by now after being friends 2 years?

Lots of cops are anti gun. Not anti you having a shotgun, but anti you having a fare amount of firepower.


You could maybe break the ice there by just showing him a single very nice gun. Or a special gun.

Bazoo said:

Lots of cops are anti gun. Not anti you having a shotgun, but anti you having a fare amount of firepower.


You could maybe break the ice there by just showing him a single very nice gun. Or a special gun.

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Yes. That turns into an "arsenal" when it hits the news media... and two bricks of .22 +1 extra round turns into "a cache of thousands of rounds of ammunition."

And a reloading press turns into "extensive ammunition manufacturing equipment in his basement."

I have a small room dedicated to making ammo and cleaning guns.

Most people have a shotgun under the bed, not a room dedicated to it. That makes you look nuts to non gun people.

Bazoo said:

If he was a gun guy too, wouldn't you know by now after being friends 2 years?

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Was gonna be my question.

I never show any firearms to anyone unless they've expressed an interest (just not something I would volunteer to do). And unless I've known them for quite a while. And unless I knew they were "gun guys" as well.

But we don't really need to start going into the whole "lots of cops are not gun guys" stuff again. That tends to create unnecessary thread drift.

It shouldn't matter what someone's occupation is. If someone knows you're a "gun guy" and hasn't asked to see any of your stuff, he's clearly not.

"Honesty is the worst policy." Johnny Knoxville.

hk940 said:

He knows I am a "gun guy" having been a LEO years ago.

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AK Hunter said:

Believe it or not, not all LEO's are gun guys.

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Yep. "Years ago" I was an electrician. I carried an electrician's knife in my tool pouch (amongst a bunch of other tools) on a daily basis. That doesn't make me a "knife guy."
Besides, even my best friend, the one I've known since I don't remember when, and IS a "gun guy," hasn't seen every gun I own. I know I haven't seen all of his either - I've heard about some of them, but I haven't seen them.
I take that back - my wife is my true best friend, and seeing as how we've been married for 50 years, I'm pretty sure I've seen all of her guns. She's a "gun gal."

If he knows your a gun guy and didn’t talk your ear off about guns, I doubt he has any serious interest in firearms. I look at it through my eyes, my neighbor made the mistake of showing me his new Glock 20 that he just purchased….an hour later both our wives came out to check on us to make sure we were alright. We both lost track of time talking guns and going over reloading equipment….

I’d say no to offering a gun show of your collection, but you might ask if he’d be interested in a trip to the range. That might be a good way to get a feel for his interest level.

As others have stated, there are plenty of officers who are not gun guys. For some , that firearm is one of many tools on the belt.

I have a couple friends I’ve known for many years that still hasn’t seen my collection. Overall, unless I’m going to the range with someone, I typically keep what I own to myself.

No doubt about me, all I talk about is guns and reloading and hunting.

People in certain occupations, especially high stress ones, use friendships to escape the pressures and tensions of work and really don't care to talk about what they do. Sounds like that's what he wants from your friendship.

The only LE I deal with regularly are the County deputies that drop off and pick up their patrol vehicles for repairs. Of those I've talked to, it's a mixed bag on which ones are gun folks. Only one I've met reloads (he casts too), a couple hunt, a couple collect. Those are ones I talk to whenever they're in.

A couple deputies I've talked to have no guns besides their service weapon, with one even stating he had no interest in guns and only shoots to qualify. I'd like to think that working with actual "gun people" would be reassuring to them that owning lots of guns doesn't mean unhealthy fascination. But ya never know.... 5 guns IS a lot to some.

Maybe he doesn't want to impose, but wants to learn more. Nothing like an invite to shoot 22s to bring out the gun nut in someone.

Also you said you socialize with him because your wives have become good friends. Can you really say that you are friends, or is he just his wife's chauffeur and escort?

I like the idea of making a suggestion for a trip to the range.

If it comes to pass, take a modern police sidearm type gun (full sized Glock or equivalent) and an old school police sidearm type gun (4" S&W 38 or equivalent) if you have them. If he bring more guns than you, proceed forward. If not, go very slowly.

I shy away from showing my firearms to anyone - nothing to do with trust or suspicion. It is simple math, the more anything is touched/ handled, the higher the odds of the item getting damaged - all it takes is one oops.

I generally do not let on my gun knowledge or enthusiasm to anyone. It takes people a long time and a few legitimate slips by me for anyone to even have a hint of a suspicion.

Maybe your neighbor is the same way. He doesn’t wanted to be portrayed as that typical cop who is way too into guns. I could understand that.

If this is the case, you have to get to know him better.

My former neighbor was an ATF agent (present at the Waco Branch Davidian shootout fiasco).
Good guy & family man, so our families socialized for years.
He invited me once in his garage while cleaning his service MP5 and HK pistol.. I never showed him my safe contents, but did give him three pieces of “dewat” ordnance for his collection (two WW2 Japanese hand grenades my dad picked up in the Aleutians in 1943 and a practice mortar round). He was/is an explosive expert.

After the Waco debacle, he never parked his pickup in the driveway, always on the street, and started it with the remote control before going to work. (Death threats from the crazies)

Only my Dad and Brother, R.I.P., knew the depth of my collection. And so will my Daughters when it becomes theirs.