Anyways, Ive had my CHL since February or so, and ever since Ive always carried, just because its smart too. I feel like a lame duck now, but I did the walmart walk with pride back then and everything.
So it's an everyday thing, if i dont carry my gun on me, its in the car or somewhere somewhat accessible.
ON THIS DAY IN PARTICULAR, my mom asked me to pick up a few things for her on the way over to her house from walmart. Of course, because I love my mother, I politely obliged
. So I pull up to the store, get out and walk on in with my list, handgun tucked IWB. I made it through all of the houseware, passed the electronics right up, and headed straight the the deli area by the front door, where at this walmart, is side by side with the produce, and the start of every other isle.So im looking over the list, looking all around trying to find different types of fruit, and this guy wearing an unzipped heavy jacket comes buy pushing an empty cart. I noticed him, but didnt think anything of it (its walmart after all).
So he walks on behind me to the end of the produce, which is lined up with the many isles throughout the store, and abruptly stops and spins around looking down the isle, not at me exactly, but almost as if he wasnt sure if he needed something in the isle I was in. but it happened SO abruptly it caught the attention out of the corner of my eye. SO abruptly it makes me use the word ABRUPTLY.
So now im in the middle of the produce isles looking down at this guy, and almost as quickly as he stopped and spun around OUT OF NOWHERE THIS DUDE JUST PUTS HIS HAND ON HIS HIP OVER HIS JACKET, LIKE HE HAD A GUN UNDER HIS JACKET.
It happened so fast i didnt even think GUN for a whole couple of seconds. He never made eye contact with me, but just stood there for about 10 seconds and puts his hand back on his cart.
I quickly pushed my cart to the next isle over, still in produce, where i was still able to see him, and then the situation actually hit me, slowly but surely.
I found myself thinking, "oh cool, a chl holder that is doing his first wally walk, just walking around, moving in and out, picking things up from a shelf" etc (just to get the feel of the new CHL and whatnot) and checking to make sure his jacket wasnt sliding around, which to me isnt weird, even to this day a swift breeze will make me double check to make sure my pistol is still concealed. Especially when its new, you feel like everyone knows you have a gun. ( i had this thinking because of the jacket, his body language kind of, empty cart, and the way he was looking at things. Im pretty sure a 30+ year old guy has seen bundles of bananas before no real reason to stare)
But then it hit me. Thank god nothing came of it, but what if he was a shooter. I was stuck in the middle of this isle with fruit in my hands and I, literally, watched this guy put his hand on his gun...I pretty much did nothing but watch this stranger get the jump on me!
Ill clean the language up, but it scared the "flipping royal stuff" out of me to think that i was possibly face to face with someone who had the ability to hurt me or other people! With my hands full and the head start he had, there would have been no possible way i could have pulled my pistol out in time
It was a VERY VERY VERY VERY good wake up call for me, and a VERY VERY VERY good reminder to never become complacent!!
Especially when "just stopping by to pick up a few things"
Its made me think, and i havent really been able to forgive myself for not staying on my toes. But dang....Definitely the scariest thing ive faced so far.
I didnt see the guy after that, and how i was going through the store i should have seen him more than that one time, but i didnt, SO im thinking he saw me see him and he split. There is nothing to me, not even a phone on a belt clip, that requires you to put your hand on your hip like a police officer. So im about 90% positive im calling it correctly.
I never saw a gun or anything so I figured calling the police or something would be too much. especially since no eye contact was made, nothing came of it, and the fact that it happened SO FAST.
But dang. To think I could have been gunned down while i had my own is terrifying!
If that where to have been the moment I had to use it, I wasn't ready. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Live and you learn, I stay more alert now because of that, but i will never look at Walmart, or at least that produce isle, the same way again
Many many thanks ahead of time for everyone that took the time to read
