My profiling experience is a bit more mundane that many others here. I'm a 22-year-old white guy, 6' tall, average build, maybe 10-20lbs overweight (foot injury, can't exercise, recovering from surgery now). I'm a geek, and dress accordingly, though I sometimes wear polo shirts and leather shoes. Blue jeans go with everything, and I have a few pairs that are a size or two too large specifically so I can carry comfortably...well, I
could carry comfortably while I was in WA, now I'm back in CA, I can't.
I digress.
I was browsing around one of the gun shops in the Bay Area, minding my own business. While not well-known to the shopkeepers, they recognize me, recall I've spent several thousand dollars there, and am, to the best of their knowledge, a lawful, good citizen. I say "please" and "thank you" when asking to see various powders, guns, etc.
In walks a young man, 18-22, white, wearing incredibly oversized jeans. Shoes are invisible beneath the baggy pants. He's wearing a basketball jersey that comes halfway down his thighs, a baseball cap on sideways, and frequently gestures with his hands while talking. These gestures are often the sort of "puffing up" gestures one sees from "thuggish" types, and are common in pop-culture rap music videos and so forth. While not confrontational, he is very upfront, direct, and invasive. He displays an immediate interest in the numerous pistols on display under the glass. Rather than looking at all the pistols more suitable for everyday use such as Glocks, 1911s, Walthers, S&Ws, Sigs, H&Ks, etc., he immediately makes a beeline for the S&W .500 Mag revolver.
The shopkeeper, who I know carries concealed in his shop, casually unbuttons his vest. He's obviously got the same bad feeling about this guy that I do.
The young man utters various words of admiration and interest, and seems to be unconcerned with the massive recoil and cost of this particular firearm, and makes comments that he's more interested in the "bling" factor than the actual utility of that revolver.
When he asks to handle the revolver, he asks in a rather brusque, impolite fashion. Obviously sensing something is wrong, the shopkeeper politely declines. Young guy whines a bit, then offers to buy it. Shopkeeper says that he's welcome to buy it, so long as he had a means of paying for it and fills out the 4473. Kid inquires about paperless transaction (alarm bells start going off in my head here, as the kid asked about this IN THE MIDDLE OF A GUN STORE with other customers around). Shopkeep declines, stating that the law requires paperwork and a NICS check. Kid asks if they take credit cards, to which the shopkeeper replies in the affirmative. Kid inquires if they accept credit cards over the phone, explaining that his grandmother would be paying for this. Shopkeeper again declines, stating that they need the card here in person, and the individual buying the gun must be the one paying for it. Repeated inquiries and requests are all met in the negative.
Kid turns to leave, and says something along the lines of "if I had a gun already, you'd probably sell it to me, wouldn't you?", then leaves.
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this last comment (not-so-thinly-veiled threat?), but something was definitely unusual. Perhaps it was nothing, but the hair on my neck was standing up, the second guy behind the counter moved casually to an area where he'd have a good field of fire on the customer, and me, being unarmed, moved out of the potential crossfire area near where all the long guns were kept on racks. If S were to HTF, I could readily grab a rifle (one can pick up and handle them, as they're on the shop floor) and buttstroke the bad guy if it came down to it. (Perhaps a bayonet charge?
I know that would probably reflect badly in court, and isn't really a serious solution, but fun to think about.)
Sure, I was profiling, but it was based solely on behavior, demeanor, actual speech, method of speech, and appearance. In this case, it was nice that things worked out well, and I was able to go home that night. No harm, no foul to anyone involved, though the adrenaline was flowing a bit.
Wow, this turned out to be quite a bit longer than I thought. Sorry.
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