Strange thing happened at the Dr's office...

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Cannonball888

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Today I went see my doctor. His office along with a large number of other specialist doctors is in a large modern building in town. So, I'm waiting in their large cushy lobby waiting for them to call my name. No one else is in the lobby except for 4 other people who are also sitting waiting. There are also the two receptionists at the desk. A nurse comes out and calls out a name, but not mine. I hear the guy in the chair near me rustling as he was getting up and then I hear a familiar sound like clackity thud that made me turn my head very quickly to look. The elderly gentlemen who got up had what looked like a Springfield XD laying at his feet. I quickly made a judgement call and stood up and took a few steps toward him as he knelt embarassingly trying to put it in his soft briefcase. I ended up next to him shielding the view of the gun with my legs from the view of others in the lobby. As I was standing next to him he said "sorry, about that" still looking embarrassed. I told him I understood and that I carry myself and I was standing there to shield the view. He thanked me and went to see the doctor. When I looked around the lobby no one seemed to have noticed a thing. Either I was successful in shielding his gun from view or no one ever looked in the first place. Anyway, I saw the guy again at checkout and he again thanked me and added the comment that was the first time that ever happened to him. I told him not to worry about it but that he should probably look at getting a holster with better retention.

So, was I stupid for assuming he was just an honest citizen who dropped his CCW when he could have been a criminal? Was I being racist because I assumed he was OK just because he was a nicely dressed old white guy? Because, quite honestly, if he were a young black male with his underwear showing and his cap on backwards and gold chains, no I wouldn't have rushed to help him but rather I would have had my hand resting on my own CCW.
 
I think you did a decent thing by helping a fellow CCW'er. I don't see any racism involved, maybe some profiling in your last comment.

As far as him being a criminal, it is less likely if he was waiting in a doctor's lobby as opposed to being a random occurrence on the street. I would think twice about helping anybody out in that situation.
 
It is impossible to know what is in your heart.

I think you did the right thing by helping. I think I would have done the same thing.
Possibly gaining a new gun friend in the process.
Since leaving NY, I have found that there are many like us out there. Some just don't show it.
 
OMG YOU PROFILED. Seriously all of us profile to some degree, those that claim they don't are lying to themselves and the rest of society, no matter what the PC community thinks.

If the same situation presented itself to me I would have acted similarly.
 
I think you did a good thing for fellow CC'r.

I'm not so sure I let color influence my profiling, but I defnintely let the way someones dressed influence me. If they choose to go out in public looking like a criminal or degenerate they probably have criminal tendencies regardless of color. They may not be a criminal, but they're wearing the uniform.
 
It's called playing the odds. Police do it all the time. Only thing I wouldn't do is talk about it, or the dropped XD, on the internet.
 
I'm sure the doctor knows he carries. Kinda hard to hide a gun and holster when you get examined.

Meh... I've been examined by an EMT, on a stretcher in an ambulance (with a state trooper attending) after a car accident and they didn't notice the 1911. You'd be surprised! :D

But, to the OP, yes, you did a good thing -- actually a couple of good things -- and I would spend very little time worrying about the old fellow's legality/intents. You can pick up an awful lot from context.
 
You profile old white guys?

Profiling is a moving target, you change your profile as time moves on, it can go either way with any race, religion, sex or whatever. You were aware of your surroundings and ready to move to the next step, up or down, all while the people slept.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys.

I'm not so sure I let color influence my profiling, but I defnintely let the way someones dressed influence me. If they choose to go out in public looking like a criminal or degenerate they probably have criminal tendencies regardless of color. They may not be a criminal, but they're wearing the uniform.

Ledgehammer, I don't think race is a real deciding factor for me either, but definitely dress. If the guy had been a young white male dressed like a gangbanger I would have been very cautious and not have intervened. But if he had been an elderly black guy nicely dressed carrying a soft briefcase, yes I would have helped.
 
I think you did the right thing,and you think well on your feet.Good on ya for helping the old gentleman out of a possible embarrassing situation. Lightman
 
Sounds to me like you used good judgement in a situation that required a quick judgement call. Take it from a old guy who CCW's. :)
 
I submit that it's reasonable to presume by default that any given human I encounter has the right to be armed.

The rest is common sense and courtesy, which you displayed. Well done.
 
My geeky statistical process control friends always talk about identifying the "fat rabbits". Which are the easilly identified issues, that account for the lion's share of the process variations. By putting the majority of your resources to work chasing the fat rabbits down you get the most bang for your buck and efficiently improve you process controls.

After the London subway bombings, there was a great deal of discussion about searching passenger's bags as they boarded the tube and whether or not that was going to cause long lines and delays.

When the London chief of police stated that he wasn't going to waste time searching the bags of middle aged caucasion women, my jaw dropped. But when the U.S. media turned their PC sights on the guy, someone went to his defense sighting that 99.9% of terrorist bombings in the last ten years were carried out by men, aged form 18 to 35, of middle eastern descent, and that was going to be their focus. I suspect he knew something about fat rabbits.
 
Was I being racist
It's not being racist, it's common sense. In the news, 99.9% of crimes are commited by the group you mentioned and a mere 0.000001% of crimes are commited by, as the OP put it, nicely dressed old white guys. These #s aren't super precise but they sure seem accurate when you watch the news.
 
The direction the thread is going kind of reminds me of a 'news' story I read today, some lady lost her purse at a store and when a worker opened it to see if there was any contact information inside, she allegedly found marijuana and painkillers, and then called the cops.

It was none of her business and she should have just returned the purse to the woman. You did the right thing regardless of what the guy was dressed like, these days hip hop-type clothing and gangster type clothing are popular with a broad segment of the population, including a ton of young dudes who aren't violent or prone to criminal behavior at all.
 
Yeah, the hip hop thing has gotten way out of control. Even regular kids dress like that nowdays.

I would be wary of really old geezers that are having a little dementia though. They might mistake a move like the OP described as going after his gun.
 
I would be wary of really old geezers that are having a little dementia though. They might mistake a move like the OP described as going after his gun.

Hey, take it easy on us really old geezers, after all if you live long enough, you'll be one too. :p

Besides, when my dementia kicks in............I forget to bring my gun. :D
 
Honeslty, I think most people are a little prejudiced (not racist, because human is a race), they just don't have the testicular fortitude to admit it, even to themselves.

You did the right thing. Had you responded differently because the guy looked like a gangbanger it would still not make you a racist. You may be guilty of profiling, but that's not the same thing.

Would you have acted differently if it had been an old respectably dressed black man?
 
Sam,

As the father of a couple of EMTs, what makes you think your attendants "missed" that pistol ?

EMT's are "legally neutral" in the practice of their craft. That means until/unless a crime is brought to their attention - by circumstance, action or testimony, they're bound by "patient/attending confidentiality" rules. So don't "assume" your attending "missed" your pistol !!

OTOH, at least in NJ, if an EMT/ParaMedic gets "hinkey" about a patient/situation they have the option of waiting for police support. They can also decline transport of a violent criminal patient without an armed police presence.......>MW
 
Sam,

As the father of a couple of EMTs, what makes you think your attendants "missed" that pistol ?

Because when I partially disrobed, I draped my shirts and jacket back over my belt and they left them undisturbed there throughout. They weren't looking for a gun and didn't inspect that portion of my body at all. They didn't "miss" it, because they had no reason to look for it, and I didn't make it possible for it to become visible.

No worries, it wasn't a slight against EMTs. I shoot with some and know exactly how they handle firearms they discover on their "guests." There would have been no drama if they had, I just thought it was mildly humorous that I was able to conceal a 5" gov't model through a medical inspection.
 
...was I stupid for assuming he was just an honest citizen who dropped his CCW

He broke no laws you saw. He was simply another guy carrying a firearm. I wish society would see a guy with a gun and not even let this thought enter their mind. I mean do we look at every driver and think "do they have their license?".

You did good. No reason for you to think the dude has any intention but to keep some protection on him while out and about.
 
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