Once, I was on the way home from my armor car job, an developed a migrane headache. I stopped at one of the stores with which we were contracted, to get a Goody's Powder, still carrying my nickel Colt Cobra on my side. My head hurt so bad, I had forgotten about it.
I was there maybe 2 minutes, the clerks there knew me and were used to seeing us. Just then, a Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer stopped me and said,"You can check with your supervisor on this, but I don't think you're supposed to be wearing your gun off the clock."
He was right, of course, so I picked it up from my holster and I saw his eyes get big as saucers!
He made no move to react, other than to say, "Oh ****!" with his body language. I dropped the Colt in my pocket, and got in my car. He was still stunned when I drove away.
Another one in Flagler County, pulled me over for speeding, and was so surprised to see an armed individual step out of the van marked Armored Car, that he forgot to put his car in park and nearly hit me and the van. It was comical.
In Virginia, cops saw me open carry and didn't say anything to me. I was walking on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, right past Charlottesville Police that weren't alarmed in the least.
It was not a detriment for me, but I wonder about the mindset of the police not even orienting their hands toward their weapon. I fear that someday, they may come on a real deal and not go home.
