I was at a gun
violence prevention meeting today, discussing a posting of “No Firearms in
Premises” when a member of the group raised the question, "Should I
approach a person packing a gun in a supermarket and ask them why they have it
with them?" This is my written
answer to her question: It obviously would create an awkward moment and
they may well respond that it is none of your business. No matter how
tactfully you ask the question, they may feel that you are not entitled to a
response. Most who wear an exposed, holstered gun are not aggressive, but
there are exceptions. As you know, there are dogs that you don't want to
walk up to and pet, especially if you don't know them. I like dogs and have
only had two try to bite me, out of hundreds petted.
When I was a
Harley-Davidson dealer, I had contact with many gun carrying customers.
They were a large percentage of my patrons. It was generally very easy
for me to ask your question and I did ask it, because it interested me, just as
it does you. A Harley rider is in church when in a Harley store and I was
the minister there. The question was easy for me to lead up to. We
first discussed the motorcycle that they were looking at, and then I would make
a knowledgeable comment about the handgun that they were carrying. As I
have mentioned, in the “One Shot” post, collecting guns and target shooting are
hobbies of mine. The most common gun being carried by a Harley owner is a
Colt Military .45, semi-automatic. This
is a classic military handgun used by the U.S. forces in the First and Second
World Wars. Out of the many times that I discussed the motives behind
packing with my customers, only once in ten years did it lead to a mild
confrontation and the guy didn't shoot me. We did step outside and I
would admit equal responsibility for the confrontation. It was mild. No
profanity used.
Most of the customers
implied that they carried a gun because of fear. They didn't come right
out and say that, but their reasons given fell into that category. The
gun is also part of a uniform for the hard core biker. He puts it on just
as he puts on his black Harley T-shirt, his leather jacket, his knife, and his
wallet and chain. A quality handgun and holster, is a status symbol, just
as his motorcycle is. To understand this you would have to compare it to
a large diamond on a woman's hand or a man driving a Porsche. We are talking
about different and unique social circles here, but they are very real icons to
each group. You or I may not care to drive around in an old beat up
car. But any car will get you there. Women wearing Berkas, on a hot
day in Southern Arizona, seem crazy to me, but I don't need to ask them why
they wear it. The guns aren't as simple. There are many reasons
possible for wearing one, but don’t ask.
A six foot, six inch
tall customer, weighing well over 300 pounds came into the store with a little
.22 caliber pistol on his hip. I asked him why a big man, like himself,
carried such a small weapon. He was as much of a force, without the
gun. His answer was, "It draws heat." I didn't understand
the answer, so he further explained that he enjoyed being stopped by the police
and being hassled. He liked to banter with them. Some folks are
lonesome.
The funniest response
I ever got to the question of why carry, was, "You would be surprised how
many violent people there are out there." The man was wearing a
large gun and a long knife. His answer, while funny, was actually a short
form of the most popular reason. They are afraid to walk this Earth
without a sidearm. In my decade at the Harley store, only one of my
customers murdered someone. It happened at a drug and booze party.
In the Harley store he was always sober and a very pleasant person.
Perhaps Fry's Market shouldn't sell liquor. Wait a minute! Haven’t
we tried that?
Comments are welcome, Old Buz
