TexasCHLforum.com

Blindref757 wrote:I renewed my DL yesterday...sat in the waiting area for over an hour with multiple officers in and out. I spotted 2 other ppl who were carrying! Only one of them had a Hawaiian shirt! The other one kept his strong arm close to his body to diminish the small bulge, but in doing so, he caused his shirt to press against the butt of his gun. Nobody else noticed!

...that awareness level that you post about here may save your life someday...many benefits to getting the CHL...stay sharp and keep on noticing those around you...you may be the one to stop a terrorist in mid-draw!!!

...I pulled one this morning toooooooooo long to write about here...attempting to function without coffee...won't make that mistake again anytime soon...don't feel like the Lone Ranger!!!

...he was right up there with Bugs!!!

sugar land dave wrote:

speedsix wrote:

kjolly wrote:I'm still nervous around Police. Feel their reactions can go several ways and its best to avoid the excitement. Was traveling through Giddings yesterday and stopped for gas and snacks. Walked in to the store to see a uniformed officer there. I positioned myself to place the gun on the opposite side of my body as I walked past him and smiled. Back in my days of international business travel my wife taught me you should always smile at custom agents as if you have nothing to hide. Makes them less nervous.

...and they taught us in the acadamy to beware if someone smiled and acted real friendly...(my work here is done)

I guess I'm a suspicious guy then because I actually like police and appreciate their job. Through the years I've had a few friends who were in the busines,s and I never felt that I was being unduly scrutinized because I said hello and visited with them about their day.

...sigh....we really do need a sarcasm smilie...that was a joke, Son, I say a JOKE...

kjolly wrote:I'm still nervous around Police. Feel their reactions can go several ways and its best to avoid the excitement. Was traveling through Giddings yesterday and stopped for gas and snacks. Walked in to the store to see a uniformed officer there. I positioned myself to place the gun on the opposite side of my body as I walked past him and smiled. Back in my days of international business travel my wife taught me you should always smile at custom agents as if you have nothing to hide. Makes them less nervous.

...and they taught us in the acadamy to beware if someone smiled and acted real friendly...(my work here is done)

WildBill wrote:

speedsix wrote:...I've carried since I was 14, legally and not, openly and concealed...never been spotted when concealed...it's not really hard if you work at it...I've concealed 6" Troopers and Combat Commanders and S&W M58s...all the way down to a J frame...and a Beretta .22 ..it's a good feeling to be warmly dressed...also to be accepted for what we are ... sincere, honest American Citizens...by our LEOs...by far the majority approve of our being armed..I've never been hassled, even when walking the roads in La. with a .38 on my 15-year-old hip...attitude helps a lot and we really AREN'T looking for trouble...MOST of us...we're "just folks"!!!

Speedsix, I appreciate your post, and don't want to come down too hard on you, but I disagree with your basic premise that as long as you can get away with it, you should carry a 6" Trooper, Combat Commander or a S&W M58. I agree that the odds against getting caught may be small, but please consider the consequences if you do.

It may be true in "your part of the country" but in many areas LEOs still don't approve of citizens being illegally armed. Even if that is their personal opinion, they still are sworn to uphold the law and will arrest people for illegal carry. IMO, the decision to carry illegally or not has little to do with the odds of whether or not you will get caught. It's about obeying the law. In most jurisdications pleading, "we're just folks" just won't cut it.

...well, that's what I get for assuming...my post had nothing to do with getting away with anything...it's a recounting of my life's experience in carrying concealed...I carried illegally when young and until I became a cop, legally when I was a cop,(when I had occasion to carry the big ones I listed)legally since we've had CHLs...I don't know where you got the "your part of the country" you quoted...I guess because of my reference to La.....and I didn't say most LEOs approve of us being illegally armed...and the "we're just folks" refers to us, the CHL crowd...this mess is proof that if something can be misunderstood....it will...I wasn't endorsing illegal carry...I was running down the times of my life...oh, well....I guess if it ain't worth two pages to spell out every date and explain every phrase...you gotta take your chances....

...I've carried since I was 14, legally and not, openly and concealed...never been spotted when concealed...it's not really hard if you work at it...I've concealed 6" Troopers and Combat Commanders and S&W M58s...all the way down to a J frame...and a Beretta .22 ..it's a good feeling to be warmly dressed...also to be accepted for what we are ... sincere, honest American Citizens...by our LEOs...by far the majority approve of our being armed..I've never been hassled, even when walking the roads in La. with a .38 on my 15-year-old hip...attitude helps a lot and we really AREN'T looking for trouble...MOST of us...we're "just folks"!!!