CCW D'OH! moments

[Carter]

I'm sure this has happened to most people that concealed carry, but have you ever gone in to a business or other place that you wouldn't think was prohibited but turned out it was? Especially for an odd reason.

Earlier this year my fiance and I were shopping for rings. We went to a Diamonds Direct and I searched the doors up and down for a no guns sign and saw none. After preceding through the buildings front doors I searched the actual diamonds direct store's two security vault style doors for signs and saw nothing. Well, 30 minutes later a hand cart of alcohol rolls by. I turn to the person helping us and ask if they serve alcohol. The guy says they are throwing a special event later and if I'd like a beer. I politely say no and that I'll be right back. I quickly walk out the double security doors to place my firearm in the car...while two off duty officers behind the counters stare at me. 10 minutes later just about everyone is walking around with a beer or wine glass.

This was my first time buying "real" jewelry and have never been in any jewelry store that serves alcohol. Coffee yes, beer no. Maybe I was just outside of my usual social level, but it surprised me, but given the level of clientele that they get I should of expected it.

So, what places have you gone in to that made you go D'OH!?

 

[3KillerBs]

DH and I were halfway through lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant then saw someone being served a beer. We had just asked for the buffet without looking at the menu and didn't realize they served alcohol.

NC has GOT to get that restaurant carry law passed.

 

[Carter]

I have had that happen to me countless times. I look and look for alcohol signs, don't see anything on the menu, no bar, and then I sit down and someone gets served a beer. Its a conspiracy.

 

[smalls]

Got to the post office 3 minutes before close and almost walked in before I remembered to toss my gun in my glovebox. I live in MI, so I carry everywhere else I go, sign or no sign.

 

[The Sarge]

Establishment has to make 51% of its total income from alcohol to be off limits in Texas.
And posted as a 51%'r of course.
Yup...the Post Office has gotten me a few times.

 

[Twiki357]

I'm just glad that Arizona passed restaurant carry last year. Just so the CCW doesn't consume and the place is not posted it's okay. The only problem here (No permit required for concealed carry) is that, I think, it only applies to CCW holders and non-CCW are still prohibited (Kinda stupid.) Haven't worried about that aspect since I have a CCW. Now, if only AZ would get rid of the "Gun Free Zone" signs.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

My shop is just a few blocks from the post office, so I disarm before I lock up and go there.

Other than that, there are very few gun free zones in CO. Mainly gov offices with metal detectors, and K-12 schools. A year or so ago, Colorado State University declared that their campuses were "gun free". The courts advised them that they can not pre-empt state law, and they would have to allow CCW on their campuses.

We can carry in restaurants and bars, and signs have no standing in the law. One of our hospitals has signs that prohibit any weapons on their property. When my dad spent a month in the ICU there before he passed away, you can bet I carried there every day when I visited him. I guess if someone decides to shoot the place up, the unarmed security guards will use harsh words to stop them.

 

[c1ogden]

This is all BS! As a police officer I have no restrictions on where I can carry my guns. Citizens should have the same restrictions as we (cops) do!

 

[orionengnr]

^^^
You, sir, are a credit to your profession.
Would that the majority of your brethren feel the same way...and better yet, would that a majority of your apponted administrators feel that way (and voice that opinion frequently).

 

[gearhead]

Got to the post office 3 minutes before close and almost walked in before I remembered to toss my gun in my glovebox. I live in MI, so I carry everywhere else I go, sign or no sign.

Still a Federal felony, if you parked in their parking lot.

I know, I do it too. My post office is on a busy 4-lane street with a day care on one side and residential properties across the street and on the other side. No other place to park legally where my gun is okay, even if it's locked in the car. What's a person gonna do?

 

[84B20]

I turn to the person helping us and ask if they serve alcohol. The guy says they are throwing a special event later and if I'd like a beer.

Are you sure they actually had a liquor license? From what he said it seems it may have been just a party rather than part of their business, much like it would be at someone's home. In that case you may not have been breaking any laws especially if you didn't drink. Of course it all depends on your state weapons laws.

 

[Carter]

Are you sure they actually had a liquor license? From what he said it seems it may have been just a party rather than part of their business, much like it would be at someone's home. In that case you may not have been breaking any laws especially if you didn't drink. Of course it all depends on your state weapons laws.

I have no idea about a license. The alcohol was there for a party/event type setup but was being passed out freely among customers at the time. NC is pretty strict so I just went and put it up. But really, who would expect a jewelry store to serve alcohol?
NC also sucks because signs here carry the weight of law but there is no law saying what the sign has to be. So most of the time its a tiny 3 in wide circle with a gun and a line through it that is almost impossible to see.

I need to move...

 

[ljnowell]

This is all BS! As a police officer I have no restrictions on where I can carry my guns. Citizens should have the same restrictions as we (cops) do!

Thats a refreshing post! I wish I knew more cops like you.

 

[we are not amused]

I need to move...

No! You need to get the law changed!

Easier said than done, I know!:banghead:

Here in Kansas, it took over twelve years to come up with enough votes to over ride the Progressive Governors of both Parties veto! We could have had Concealed carry back in '95 if we had just had decent Governors instead of the idiots that we stupidly elected, (not that I voted for them).

If you don't already belong to some State based pro-gun group, I would advise you to do so.
Get involved, call your State Legislative Representatives. It really does make a difference.

Okay, rant over.

 

[84B20]

If they were just serving for a party and not even charging for it I would think you could have kept your weapon on you and been perfectly legal as long as you didn't drink assuming there was no sign prohibiting carrying in that establishment.

 

[Frozen North]

When I carried 24/7/365 due to some issues, I walked into a huge no no place with a pistol. I didn't realize what I had done until I saw the deputy at the metal detector desk. I got sick feeling in my gut, turned bright red, turned on one foot and straight back out the door. The deputy asked me if I forgot something when I returned, I said "yes, but I took care of it". He had me remove my shoes and frisked me quite thoroughly....

When you carry that much, the gun becomes part of you. You actually feel strange without it! I would compare it to walking around with a shoe missing.

So for you newbies to CCW, yes you get used to it. Soon you will forget it's there (but don't).

 

[84B20]

So for you newbies to CCW, yes you get used to it. Soon you will forget it's there (but don't).

I've been carrying for nearly 25 years but never forget I'm carrying, probably because I carry a full size 1911.

 

[SARDiver]

Still a Federal felony, if you parked in their parking lot.

I know, I do it too. My post office is on a busy 4-lane street with a day care on one side and residential properties across the street and on the other side. No other place to park legally where my gun is okay, even if it's locked in the car. What's a person gonna do?

Explain, then, how it is legal to mail a shotgun...which it is.

Those laws are a joke.

 

[HDCamel]

I think VA repealed/let expire those laws which prohibited cc at places that serve alcohol. Though you could open carry (for whatever reason), hence the birth of the "Virginia Tuck" as it were.
Once again, I find it hard to identify with the gripes of many people here since I live in a very gun-friendly state.

 

[writerinmo]

I can leave my pistol in my vehicle while visiting the Post Office here, due to the fact that it's a "shared" parking lot, but I usually just have the missus run in and take care of whatever business needs to be done while I wait in the car. There is actually a gun shop and minimart who use the same parking lot, so the firearm thing in the parking lot is kinda funny overall. Other than that, I don't go places where I can't carry. When approached by local church goers who want to invite me to attend their house of worship, I always ask if it's ok if Smith and Wesson come with me...lol.

 

[toivo]

I have no idea about a license. The alcohol was there for a party/event type setup but was being passed out freely among customers at the time.

If alcohol is being served, then somebody's got a license. Has to, unless it's a private party. I'm guessing they hired a caterer to provide the booze, and that's who has the license (and the liability). I'm not sure how that stacks up with regards to CCW, though.

 

[paramedic70002]

I goofed one time, and I'm pretty sure I got 'caught.'

When VA prohibited CC in ABC restaurants, I was on my way home from work when my wife called me and asked me to pick up dinner that she had called in to a Mexican place. As bold as anything I walked up to the counter and asked for my order, completely forgetting that I was making a booboo, even though I was not sitting down to eat. A Deputy I knew walked up to me and gave me a body-check right over my sidearm. I got that sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized I was still armed, he smiled and kept going. I got dinner and nearly ran out of there.

 

[MakarovCC]

Umm...I'll take the 5th on this one. I wasn't CC'ing, but OC'ing, and it may or may not have involved a quasi-gummint agency and passport photos. Proof positive that people absolutley do not give each other a 2nd look. Got back in the car and put my seatbelt on, noticed something, said a few "Holy <deleted>'s and diddee-mau'd outa there!

 

[hitbackfirst]

We need to get rid of the no carry in Post Offices law. It is ridiculous and completely unnecessary.

 

[SARDiver]

In all honesty, the fact that someplace may serve alcohol is an asinine reason to prohibit carry. Come to think of it, having a glass of wine or a beer or two with dinner should not be disqualifying. Many LEOs do it, and it isn't like a single drink effects judgment to a significant extent. Unless someone was legally intoxicated at the time, I would have a tough time voting to convict if on a jury.

To stave off the inevitable, "Guns and alcohol don't mix," posts...hear me out. If you're at home and have had a few drinks in the comfort of your own home, and the window shatters...what would you do?

I've had the post office "uh-oh" a time or two. I figure if I don't cause trouble, nobody cares. I'm sure as hell not parking someplace goofy because of it.