Finally!

[Guest Speak-softly]

So last week my HCP finally came in the mail! I think it showed up around Thursday or Friday of last week. I was printed (electronically) on July 2. Not bad turn around time I guess.

Anyway, last night was my first outing carrying. My wife and I visited a new resteraunt up at the state line. I'm still unsure on KY state laws regards firearms in alchohol serving establishments so I didn't want to risk it. I left it in the console and went in and had dinner. When we came back out, where did we go? Walmart of course.

Duh. The whole time we were in there I kept thinking, "I've been made! They saw it, I know they saw it! Why are they paging a manager? Can they tell?"

Of course nothing happened and I bought my merch and left without incident, but it was still interesting walking around feeling the eyes on me the whole time, even if they weren't.

It was chambered, de-cocked and safe, and none of those factors crossed my mind throughout the evening. I'm doubting that it will be an issue in the future. Some people have debated whether or not to chamber it, personaly, I think it's a no brainer, but to each his own.

Anyway, got the HCP! Hurray, now I need some good leather and the DANG OL' XD45C! Anyone wanna donate to the XD45C fund?

[TripleDigitRide]

Sweet!

The feelings you experience while in Wal-Mart can be shared with countless others who were once new to the world of HCP's. It' will soon become more natural, and you won't give it a second thought. Before you know it, you'll forget that you even have a gun strapped to your hip..

Enjoy!

[Guest 3pugguy]

So last week my HCP finally came in the mail! I think it showed up around Thursday or Friday of last week. I was printed (electronically) on July 2. Not bad turn around time I guess.

Anyway, last night was my first outing carrying. My wife and I visited a new resteraunt up at the state line. I'm still unsure on KY state laws regards firearms in alchohol serving establishments so I didn't want to risk it. I left it in the console and went in and had dinner. When we came back out, where did we go? Walmart of course.

Duh. The whole time we were in there I kept thinking, "I've been made! They saw it, I know they saw it! Why are they paging a manager? Can they tell?"

Of course nothing happened and I bought my merch and left without incident, but it was still interesting walking around feeling the eyes on me the whole time, even if they weren't.

It was chambered, de-cocked and safe, and none of those factors crossed my mind throughout the evening. I'm doubting that it will be an issue in the future. Some people have debated whether or not to chamber it, personaly, I think it's a no brainer, but to each his own.

Anyway, got the HCP! Hurray, now I need some good leather and the DANG OL' XD45C! Anyone wanna donate to the XD45C fund?

Congratulations! Does your wife have her HCP or is she in process of getting it? I hope she does, as all of us who have the right should do so, as it just keeps getting nuttier each day.

On thinking people are "looking" - I bet we all went thru that but if you think about it, how closely do you really notice what someone has on or in their belt line? Likely not so much. I carry a G19 OWB (Serpa using the paddle option) under a shirt tail and will go back to carrying my "tank" (Ruger P89) some in winter when I have a jacket. I have a backup Kel-Tec IP32 I carry in a pocket in a Nemesis.

I have carried IWB a time or two and it's not too comfortable, as I don't have a great holster yet for IWB. From reading posts here in TGO, I know that would make IWB a lot better.

Anyway, congrats again and be safe (and hope your wife is getting her HCP!!!).

Barry

[jtluttrell]

My first carry was also in Wal-mart. Definitely can relate to the paranoia.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Congrats, it's funny all the stuff we have to go through; class, prints, dmv, the wait....it finally shows up and it's like Christmas morning (or Hanukkah week for our Jewish friends). But just south of us....

My best friend in Alabama sent in a application to the Sheriff's office for his permit, a couple weeks later his HCP show's up in the mail. No class, no, DMV, no waiting for weeks or months. The sheriff's department does a background check, and bam, here's your permit. I'm surprised they don't just set up a booth at Wal-Mart, that way you can commence in carrying and nacho eating on the spot!

[frontier737]

Congratulations!

[saintsfanbrian]

Wal-Mart is almost everyone's first trip. Mine was to Bass Pro Shops to get a holster.

[Guest SureShot308]

Congratulations.

I remember going through all of that can they see it? do they know I'm carrying stuff when I got my first permit in Virginia. It all went away the day I was at a gun shop/range with a friend waiting for a lane to open up so we could shoot. We were talking about holsters and permits and there was a cop behind us in line. he asked if we were carrying and we both were. He asked to see because he didn't think we were. He had a full size H&K USP 40, and I was carrying my Sig P220 at the time. If a cop standing 3 feet from you looking for a gun can't see one then some random person in Wally world won't see it either.

[Guest Speak-softly]

Sadly my wife has no real interest in carrying nor do I expect her interest to peek any time soon. She is a firm believer in gun rights and self defense, however she doesn't devote any of her time to advocating those rights that we see slip away a little each day. I think the only way that she would consider getting her permit is if I pulled something stupid like left a gun in her car and she got pulled over and the cop saw it, that would really rattle her cage and would either insist that I stop carrying or she would finally fold and get her own permit.

She likes to shoot and is actually pretty good, but she wants to leave the defense to me.

In the meantime, I'll be carrying as much as I am able.

[Guest Isaac]

Congrats

I usually CC, but OC sometimes when just running around doing errands and such. If you want to kill the paranoia, OC for a day and see how few people even give you a second glance. 99% of the population seems to walk around completely oblivious of anything around them. If you're making even a basic effort at concealing, for the most part the only people who are going to notice are people who are looking for it specifically.