UPDATE: suspended from work for mentioning an AK47 on a date

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Dr_2_B

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Reference my earlier post below. I met with the powers that be today. They have spoken with the young lady in question and we've returned to status quo ante. Their words were, "we see no reason to change our relationship based on this situation." So I'll begin my contractual work with them again next week. These particular people have demonstrated a great deal of grace during this incident.

You'll find it interesting that the element that really resonated with them seemed to be my Curio & Relics license - probably because it indicated I'd passed the BATFE background checks (and partly because I presented it as important, heh heh) They mentioned that the young lady's attitude changed sharply when they told her about my collector's license.

However, I do have a suspicion that my contract will not be renewed for another year. And mind you my work record at this church has literally been exemplary. It just kinda seems they look at me differently now.

Kinda sucks.



Suspended from work for mentioning an AK47 on a date
You're gonna find this interesting. I'll try to be as brief as possible. I am a former pastor who is now a psychotherapist. As such, I am on contract with a local megachurch to do assessments for them for members who need counseling. I meet with them to determine what their needs are and then refer them to the appropriate channels.

Two weeks ago I was suspended from work there. A girl I had gone on 2 dates with 2 years ago (haven't seen her since) found out who I was and reported that I 'weirded her out' and she believes I pose a danger to the church. She said our ice cream date had ended abruptly after I mentioned I had an AK47 in the trunk of my car & she could see it if she wanted. She was an army veteran, so we had begun to talk about military stuff.

So in the initial meeting, the leaders mentioned her name (I had a faint recollection of her & I needed more information to place her) and then they finally said with shock and wonderment in their voices, "She even said you told her you had an AK47 in the trunk of your car and that she could see it if she wanted."

I smiled a little and replied "Well, I have 3 AK's," and then I added in typical Matt fashion, "and of course everybody knows you only need 2." Then I shared with them a little about my gun collecting. I later went back in to answer their charges more fully. I showed them my Curio & Relics license and I showed them a slide show on my computer with lots of pictures of me and others (including women) shooting many of my guns. I told them a lot about the different military guns & shared historical information about each.

Now in fairness to the leaders, the gun wasn't the only issue. She said I "weirded her out" too. I don't really know what that's all about. But the thing that turned their eyes into saucers was the AK. It seemed like something you guys would find noteworthy. What's interesting is that I continue to be tempted to feel like I did something wrong. Mind you, I didn't show the gun to this army vet, I just mentioned that I had it. On a date. Away from the church. Two years ago.

One of the reasons I left full-time church work was this sorta thing. Meddling & politics & the like. I'm still a man of pretty deep faith, but churchwork... well, churchwork can be really tough.

I believe this is going to be resolved favorably, but I'm not certain of it. If you want, I'll keep you posted.
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Like I said before, they should of had the wisdom to of done all this, espicially with the lady, before it was ever brought up to you...it was like you were guilty, then had a trial to see if you would be innocent..thats why it sucks...but remember.."All things work for good to those....." ...I have lost jobs, or even quit for what I believed for the right reasons....an it worked out for the good.....NOW....sell one of those AK's, "you only need 2 anyway, an go buy a CMP M1 Garand...it'll make you feel better an the next girl you date will say.."You have a Garand!!! Can I shoot it!!!!!!" All woman know real men own Garands anyway.....ha.
 
Heh heh. Guilty as charged. Already got the Garand and the Carbine. But I like how your mind works.
 
Mathealth, PM inbound. I would be looking for another pasture right now. I have no patience with wimpy liberal limp wristed sheep flying Christian banners. God told the Israelites to make their bow arms strong. They did not capture the "promised land" by trade and barter. They took it by force of arms under the leadership of God led rulers.
A preacher once told me that I had some "Tyranasaurus Rex DNA" in me and that he would not allow me into his church if I was armed. LOL,now he and his wife have their CCPs, have arms, and are preppers. We are best buddies and meet/talk nearly daily. My my, how things do change. wc
 
It's good that you mentioned the C&R License . I have GOT to get one. When you mentioned it,you went from ''dangerous gun nut'' to harmless,responsible gun COLLECTOR, in less than 60 seconds.
 
If they don't renew your contract, thank goodness you've found out now how they truly are ..... and start looking for a new job NOW.




Kris
 
A while back one of the HR staff at my store mentioned that talking about guns was making some people uncomfortable at work so I told her I would stop if she could promise me that she would stop any talk of people going out for drinks after work since it made me uncomfortable (I'm a recovering alcoholic). Needless to say she never mentioned the subject again.
 
It happened to my oldest son, too.

My oldest son worked for one of the computer firms in San Jose. I gave him an NRA membership, and he proudly put the NRA sticker on the back of his car.

At the next staff meeting, someone mentioned, "Someone with an NRA sitcker has parked in our parking lot!" as if whoever it was, it certainly couldn't be someone who worked for the company. My son blurted out, "It's OK, it's mine."

He said that for the next few days, everyone treated him differently, and before the week was out, HR called him in and told him he was being terminated. They said he "just didn't fit in" to their "corporate environment."

Now he's in the Air Force, has a wife that bought him an AR-15 for Christmas, and wonders why anyone would ever want to live in the Bay Area.

- - - Yoda
 
Boy, I think differently than a lot of you guys. I would make the woman, who made the complaint, life on the job miserable if at all possible. I would treat her as a person that doesn't exist. Meanwhile I would find another job, accept it and give no notice to my old employer. Based on the comments, the guy is not long to be employed by the church:evil:
 
A while back one of the HR staff at my store mentioned that talking about guns was making some people uncomfortable at work so I told her I would stop if she could promise me that she would stop any talk of people going out for drinks after work since it made me uncomfortable (I'm a recovering alcoholic). Needless to say she never mentioned the subject again.
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Good for you George!:evil: Now wait a few weeks and tell her work attire is too tight and is makihg people uncomfortable.
Its a two way street:D

Matheath, do your job 100% and then dump the meatheads:neener:
 
It's good that you mentioned the C&R License . I have GOT to get one. When you mentioned it,you went from ''dangerous gun nut'' to harmless,responsible gun COLLECTOR, in less than 60 seconds.
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This is so true. I never dreamed I'd be in this situation and never gave the license a thought. But once the stuff happened, the Department of Treasury and BATFE endorsements on the license really established credibility that wouldn't have come otherwise.

I think it took about a couple months for the thing to arrive and it took a little work on my part to start the process. But it wasn't expensive and it wasn't very time consuming. The license is good for either 3 or 4 years. At this point, I'm seriously considering miniaturizing it, laminating it, and carrying it in my wallet with my CCW permit.
 
My church would probably fire you. Not for having the gun per se, but for not being able to read the signals on the date. If you misread her that badly, it calls your skills as a therapist into question. If you can't be trusted to be judicious, who wants to tell you their secrets?

my work record at this church has literally been exemplary.
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No offense, but pastors and therapists, like principals and male gynecologists, are poor judges of the quality of their own work.
 
Wow, good thing you didn't happen to mention to your date that you have a penis. Can you imagine the Church Theocracy discussing how you might, gasp, have actually *thought* about using your penis against this poor innocent member of the flock?

The woman? A flake. Nothing more.
The folks at the megachurch? Completely out of line for even broaching this issue with you. While I'd walk because I was offended (let's be honest, I probably wouldn't make a good psychotherapist anyway), you shouldn't plan on continuing your relationship with a group that would be so quick to actually suspend you from work based upon allegations that are dated and, frankly, astounding.
 
Seriously, Grey Mana? There's a world of difference between a date and a therapy session. And you should have a completely different approach to both. I know that I would never go on a second date with anybody that treated me like they were my therapist on the first.

And you may want to reconsider the second comment, too. There's a difference between saying "my work was exemplary" and "my work record was exemplary". One is your judgment of your own work, one is generally the characterization of your work by your employer.

That said, it's a sad day when we need to be worried about what we say about our hobbies on dates with people who we believe share our interests for fear that they might track us down years later and get us fired.
 
Life is to far too short to spend with bozos. Fortunately, most of us can select the people with whom we wish to spend our time: at play, at work, in social settings, even on the gun range. I would think that for me, I'd find a way to leave these folks opon the expiration of my contract, rather than having them fail to renew that contract. I'd also let them know exactly why I had chosen to leave ... but that's just me. You seem to be at peace with all this. Good for you. Via con dios.
 
There are a lot of churches out there matheath, and not all are nutty.

Our former pastor (now retired) carried a Ruger .357, and I always see folks from church at the local gun shows. I've gone on Sunday School class dove hunting trips, too.
 
But once the stuff happened, the Department of Treasury and BATFE endorsements on the license really established credibility that wouldn't have come otherwise.
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Good that it "established credibility" and let you keep your place.
Bad that government endorsement is considered more important than the man.
 
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