U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- On Sunday, 2 May 2021, at about 12:30 p.m. this correspondent was in a Walmart in Yuma, Arizona. It was a mission of mercy.
After church, a visit to a friend in the hospital was in order. I had delivered him to the emergency room three days before. The friend desired another key for his residence, so more people could help to care for his dogs and do other needful things.
At the Walmart, I stopped at the firearms and ammunition section to take pictures of the lack of product available. I had a cart with some canned goods and a loaf of bread, which had been picked up on the way to obtain a duplicate key. I took the pictures and turned to retrieve the cart.
The cart was gone. Another cart was nearby, but it was not mine. I said: “Where did my cart go? It had a loaf of bread in it.”
Another customer pointed down an aisle to the left. “There is a cart with bread in it”, he said.
25 yards away, walking away from us, was an above-average-sized middle-aged man, with a cart with a loaf of bread in it. I speed-walked up to the man, looked at the cart as I approached, and ascertained it contained the items I had selected. I was openly carrying a Glock 17 in a Fobus retention holster.
I touched the man on the upper arm, from his left rear, and said: “Excuse me. I think you have the wrong cart by mistake.”
The gentleman looked at me with a puzzled look. He looked at the contents of the cart. He looked back at me and said: “I think you are right. I was just at the ammunition counter…”
He looked at his wife, approaching from behind us. He said: “I think I grabbed the wrong cart. Sorry about that. I was just checking out what ammunition was available.”
He noticed the Glock on my hip. He looked at me and said: “I am old school” and carefully and deliberately swept back his shirt to reveal a well-worn 1911A1 holstered at his right side waist.
We discussed the state of ammunition. I gave him one of my cards. We strolled back to the ammunition counter, where he took possession of the cart I had seen there.
Other than the mistake with the cart, it was a typical meeting of the minds in the gun culture.
On a previous trip to Fry’s a few days before, an older gentleman approached me as I left the store. The local requirement for wearing a mask has been removed. I had the same Glock and holster on my hip.
“I’d like to know”, he asked; “Did they make you wear a mask while you were armed?” We both had a good laugh.
Most armed Americans, with considerable reason to believe it is so, assume other members of the gun culture are sane people, above average in personal responsibility, who believe in and practice individual rights and responsibilities. They return the respect they are given.
Instead of shoot-outs, you experience friendly acceptance.
There were no signs on the Walmart doors. No one mentioned the holstered sidearm on my hip. The number of people wearing masks was decreasing.
Neither my new acquaintance nor I were wearing masks.
The phone announced a call. The friend in the hospital reported the hospital would be releasing him in an hour. The possibility of release had been uncertain.
I obtained the duplicate key and returned to the hospital, to pick him up and take him to his house.
For the first time in years, the prognosis seemed reasonably clear, and significantly positive.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Once again, this just proves the old adage: “An armed society is a polite society”.
And in the disarmed cities….not so polite!
Robert Anson Heinlein, “Beyond This Horizon.”
I’m grokking you big time brother!
He also wrote:
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
I’ll second that!
Thanks for all the great articles, Dean. LOL, this one was a bit of click bait, however. I was prepared to read something bad when I saw the title, but was happy it turned out to be a friendly encounter. Keep up the good work!
When I read the title, my first reaction was to assume “dispute” was an overstatement.
Nice story! Thank you for sharing, Dean!
Yes! Open carriers take note, if you are trying to normalize firearms and open carry you need to be neatly dressed and act politely. Otherwise you are being counter productive.
Dean does it right!
If you’re clean, attire shouldn’t be an issue. I don’t go around looking like a hobo, but I do often dress in what I call “tactical casual” because it’s comfortable.
But I’ll agree, looking professional regardless of attire is the key, so whether I’m wearing BDU’s, tactical polo shirt, or 3-piece business suit, I represent at all times, because I believe we should ALL always go armed!
Acting like a decent human yes but your dress has no bearing on it. I don’t care if you’re wearing your Scooby Doo jammies as long as you’re not acting like an idiot.
I hate the trend in pajama pants and fuzzy slippers as Walmart attire. Too many people were not taught any standards of dress in public. Even Walmart is not your living room sofa.
How about color of someone’s skin? I never open carry unless I’m hunting or fishing. Just the other day while fishing the creeks of a Texas lake, I quickly had 3 game wardens hovering above me. They were polite and so was I but was a tab bit nervous but definitely didn’t try to show them that I was. They asked to see my fishing license which I obliged and they were impressed with my Mark 23 tactical which I never carry because it’s like 9th in line for my EDC. (I generally open carry my larger bigger caliber handguns.)… Read more »
I attached a photo of the encounter but it isn’t posting for some odd reason.
You need to remember something on the encounter with multiple Leos, especially in Texas or any other border state: considering some 200,000 illegals that have come across the border so far this year, tack on another 50,000 or so who work directly for the cartels and are members of those cartels. Every member of the cartels is armed and quite often armed with full auto weapons which they are more than happy to use against anyone with a badge. This is why cops in big cities work in pairs in a cruiser, as opposed to smaller towns such as the… Read more »
It was only a few years ago the wardens started carrying weapons in the state to the south of you.
It wasn’t until a few years ago the game wardens were faced with Mexican cartels growing weed all across Colorado Public Lands, literally taking over entire canyons to grow weed! Further, the Colorado game and fish did something a few years ago that they had never done before: the issue the warning for certain areas of public lands, declaring that backpackers, hikers, photographers, and hunters, should be very careful while entering those areas because of the presence of cartels growing weed and cooking meth! We are not in Kansas anymore Toto, the times have changed and not for the better!… Read more »
They legalized pot and wanted everyone to believe it was locals doing the growing and selling, the cartels are in complete control.
The lefty politicians said that 40% of the new taxes would go to funding school construction across the state, but the reality is, less than 3% ever makes it the schools and then on the front range.
The uptick in poaching has also been another thing helping to arm the wardens, they have more than pistols in their vehicles also.
I have a problem with the presumption that poaching in modern day America is an existential threat to freedom and democracy requiring that level of law enforcement. We should be weeding out and thinning down the law books, and decriminalizing much of tha activity we have deemed criminal over the past 200 years.
I would have considered thst much attention from law enforcement to be harrassment. And I never agreed with the exemption given to game wardens regarding probable cause. Right there in you description of your day at the lake, in the absence of anything indicating criminal activity, the presumption should be innocence, and no need to show licensing. Especially considering the relatively minor nature of fish and game law in the real world. Game wsrdens are a classic example of too much law enforcement.
An armed, righteous society is a polite society. Glad to see a write up like this one Dean. I think that most of the time there are no issues between righteous armed people but you won’t hear that on the news.
Arm up and carry on
About the only thing I get at Wokemart is their lemonade and ice tea drink mixes. Other stores jjust don’t have what I need. I too have encountered other open carry gunowners, and I love striking up short convos, asking questions and “comparing notes”.
The lawful gun owner community is a tight-knit fraternity here in Indiana, friendly and accomodating. I’ll miss it now that I’m moving elsewhere. But Robert Heinlein is right: An armed society is a polite society. I’ll add friendly to that axiom, too.
Our local wal-mart store in mid Missouri has a sign on the front door asking you not to open carry a firearm.
Mine has always been concealed and goes with me everywhere.
Where I live, such signs are unenforceable. I open carry anyway, and no one ever says a thing. I never had a Karen complain to a manager about my open carry. Fortunately, this is a Red State and people like that are less common.
I’ve had similar encounters, with similar outcomes. Be respectful,
and generally you will have respect returned. Small conversations
go a long way in this age of chaos. There is a 2A bond between
potential warriors, derived from their understanding of a citizen’s
rights and responsibilities. Knowing you are not alone, is a comfort.
Well, thank for that. My spirit now soars like a hawk.
Gee whiz, what a cultural difference! Were a finely dressed, non-uniformed gentleman to be so openly carrying, here in New Jersey, he would be lucky if they brought him to be psychiatrically evaluated, instead of seized immediately and bound off to a police station. I needn’t mention the legal (and likely media circus) that would ensue. G-d bless Arizona.
Wass; Ditto from Maryland — “the land of the free” — IN YOUR DREAMS.
Shockingly ‘some’ good things can occasionally happen at wallys.
Personally I do not and will not darken their doors anymore. Not since I found out that they are a member of one of little nanny warbucks anti gun groups. IIRC that group is ‘responsible retailers for gun sense’ (not sure of the exact title). Yes I know some folks have little to no choice about where they shop but I choose to not support an organization that funds things that are not in my best interests. YMMV (just like your choice of gun or holster or open or concealed).
Thank you Dean for writing an absolutely outstanding positive article! Considering all the abject negativity, horrifically bad news from all over the world that comes at us 24/7, it is nice just to read something that is normal, of a good nature, and easily understood! I’ll have to pass on the Glock and the Fobus holster, as I used to own one of each and never liked either! However, you carry what you shoot well and you carry it in something that is easy for you to carry: one size does not fit all! Cheers from the oil patch in… Read more »
OH, DANG! No Shootout At The Ammo Counter??
(Glad it wasn’t…I just HAD to read it after that title..)
just shows the difference between us and them. they want to disarm us, but we don’t want to force them to carry.
A Glock and a Fobus holster say it all about this guy’s creds. Oh, and of course the 5:11 tactical pants with what appears to be a Benchmade knife completes the picture. Way too many of these “look at me, I want to make a statement” folks are making it hard for us to move our 2A efforts forward. The fellow with the concealed 1911, Mr. Old School has my vote. Carry concealed people, it gives you the advantage in every sideways bad situation. I carry concealed every day, everywhere, not to make a statement but to protect those in… Read more »
Okay, I’m with you on the Glock and the Fobus holster experientially. However, my agreement comes with one huge caveat: I hate Glocks, I do not shoot them well, which is why I hate them, and they have the added detraction of being butt ugly! I owned a Glock, a Model 21 and it shot reasonably well but I never liked shooting it, and I was not nearly as accurate with it as I was with my 1911 in 45 ACP the same caliber as the Glock! I also owned a Fobus holster: they looked well designed, easy to use,… Read more »
I like what you say about the open/concealed debated. I open carried in Missouri until the passed permitless concealed carry a few years ago. I still open carry from time to time because, like you, I believe people need to see non-crazy, law abiding citizens carrying a firearm. If they have a problem with it, that’s exactly what it is … their problem, not mine.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/rebuttal-5-reasons-open-carry-is-a-very-good-idea/
https://dailycaller.com/2015/04/22/the-pro-liberty-choice-dispelling-the-myths-of-open-carry/
I rarely if ever, carry openly. However, I want open carry to be legal, both for those who see fit to do so, and so that concealed carriers won’t be charged with “brandishing” if someone catches a glimpse of their gun.
Florida cops have arrested people on that exact charge in many many cases! These types of illicit charges are the exact reason why open carry is such an important issue in Florida: stopping anti 2A cops from abusing their authority and harassing law-abiding citizens!
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
I dont see Mr. Weingarten doing or saying anything “making it difficult to move our 2A efforts foreward”. Open carry is normalizing “csrry” in general, maling it s part of everyones every day world experience. Whats wrong with 511 pants? They are hot, and they are heavy, but no one is making you wear them. Benchmade knives are overpriced and under size, and wearing a folding knife clipped to the edge of your pocket is a sure way to lose a poclet knife u paid too much for, but its his knife. And go read his credentials, one more time…
I’ve had similar experiences many times, but in them, I am the concealed carrier and the other man is open carrying.
If Dean is reading these comments, I’d like to hear his reasoning on why he opens carries in a state where concealed carry is legal.
I’ve heard from people on both sides of the debate, but none whose opinion I would respect as much as Dean’s.
Bcause a right you have been shamed into exercising, you have already lost.
not surprised most people I know cc are old school, and the new are plastic open carry where legal; conservative is not an in your face culture. wood and steel or stainless ,things made to last in the worst climate
Shameless clickbait titlle
Yeah that might be the case, but I got to tell you; read the article again: it’s nice to have some positive, sane, average news like this amidst all the abject insanity coming at us from the rest of the world isn’t it?
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
Ah, yes, open carry; what I call the ‘free gun zone’. All it takes is a good knock on the back of your noggin and you are relieved of your firearm. And no, you don’t have eyes on the back of your head. And I hate to burst your bubble, Dean, but old duffers like you and me are the PRIME targets of such an attack. As my old man is wont to say: ‘You don’t wear your di*k on your forehead’. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Horseshytte.