Olon
Member
Background: I personally feel it is a good thing to be open about my hobbies and interests in firearms. I'm a firm believer that the more gun owners out there who demonstrate a reasonable and friendly demeanor, the better off we are as a community. I know not everyone will agree with that, and that's fine. I tend to be friendly but professional with my coworkers and bosses, and in general I avoid people in my day to day life, but am not shy about interacting with strangers when the occasion arises that is appropriate. I typically wear an HK or a Ruger hat, and gun people notice, but non-gun people have no clue. In fact even gun owners have asked me what HK is. If a coworker asks me what I did on the weekend, and I was shooting or reloading, I tell them and don't really sweat it. In fact it has spurred some interesting conversations over the years.
My career is in natural resource management, so naturally it tends to draw in a lot of hunters, outdoors people, and gun owners. Getting things done during hunting season can be challenging because everyone is out looking for their buck or their elk, or turkey, or lion, or antelope, or................... I also live in a very red state, so guns are everywhere here. In fact I'm guessing there are more guns in my town than people.
Recent Interaction: So the other day I hit and maimed a large whitetail buck, who was on the scent of a doe, with my pickup truck. Or rather, he ran into me and killed himself like an idiot. $5500 worth of damage, and an animal that was dying in agony was the result. So in the interest of not allowing an animal that is clearly suffering to continue suffering, I resolved to put in earplugs and put him down with a shot behind the ear. By the time I walked back across the highway to do the deed, he was already gone. I checked by putting a hand on him to feel for breathing. Not a twitch, so at least he didn't suffer long.
So after walking into work on Wednesday, my boss came and saw me, who is a very liberal woman, and who actually had the nerve to tell me how I needed to vote during the last presidential election. I was blown away by that, and I could have filed a complaint, but I decided to just ignore it. This individual is a loud mothed bag of wind, with an ego the size of Manhattan, and with such poor leadership skills, she couldn't lead a group of starving people to a Vegas buffet. She isn't anti gun per say, but she has the typical flawed logic that comes from non gun owners that some inanimate objects are evil, and the constitution doesn't really matter.
So she asked what happened, and I told her. Then she asked me if I killed it. "No not outright." Then she asks if I shot it. I calmly told her I intended to put him down but didn't have to. She actually said "Good for you, because I couldn't do it." Ok........... I decided not to touch that with a ten foot pole. I just responded "Yeah, it's certainly better than using an axe, or cutting its throat. For me firearms are primarily sporting equipment, but they are a very useful tool when you need one."
I thought that was that, but then she proceeds to say "Well, I'm not anti-gun! I just don't think people should be able to own AK47's. Everyone says the bad guys have them so we need them too, but I just don't agree." I changed the subject immediately because one, I don't feel gun debates belong in the workplace, and two, this woman views every conversation as a debate and confrontation, so I didn't feel the need to waste my time. I got the impression she wanted to continue that discussion. I had work to do though, and really don't like my boss enough to have a personal conversation with her. I am praying she retires.
So it made me wonder, how many people on THR are open about their gun ownership in the workplace, and for those that are, have you ever been engaged by a coworker or boss on a gun rights issue?
I do realize that by being open about my interests that I invite opinions and possible conflict, but in a professional setting, I don't feel debating with a coworker or employee is appropriate about any sensitive topic.
The other side of the coin is that if I choose not to engage with my coworkers on anything but work, then I'm viewed as cold and distant, and I've been told that my business like attitude is intimidating. Umm, so I'm required to share my personal life to avoid hurting the feelings of the warm and fuzzy folks? People are such a pain in the ass.
Man, sorry you have to deal with that crap. My boss does bring it up but it's a different situation. There's a sign out front that says "this property protected by second amendment security" and there's a M1911 behind the front counter. Not to mention we've all got sharp knives in our hands (it's a butcher shop). No safe space for employees to go cry; just as it ought to be. I wish more places were like it.