Being a gun owner in New York

[philip964]

This was posted on Reddit in CCW subreddit. Rough living in New York the state, let alone the City of.

"So a friend of my wife’s recently got his and hers pistol permits in my great state of NY. Both of them are ex military.

Last weekend they were coming home and a car full of teenagers were cutting them off and braking in front of them just stupid _______. Supposedly he pulled over against his wife’s advice and got out of his truck and yelled at them. Eventually they left.

Friends got home and within minutes the cops were at their door and asked for him to he came to the door and they immediately arrested him. They charged him with menacing and (forgot the other charge). One of the kids claimed he got out and pointed his gun at them. I asked my wife, well if he didn’t do it, how did the kids know he was carrying? She said I’m not sure but maybe they saw his NRA and 2A stickers on his truck. The police looked in his truck and found his CCW in his locked safe. He’s .....

Of course, we don’t know if there’s more to the story or not but her good friend has never lied to my wife before. Now they gave $6k to an atty and obviously lost his gun and permit after having it for a couple months. "

[chasfm11]

For me, these stories are less about guns and more about the permissive atmosphere in the Empire State regarding anti-social and criminal behavior. It wold not surprise me to learn that the teenagers targeted the car for harassment BECAUSE of the NRA sticker. And it isn't just there.

I used a small bag to carry a change of clothes into my local suburban Dallas gym. The gym has a member check-kin and as I was standing waiting in the check-in line. a woman who had seen the black bag with gold NRA letters on the side approached me and said "big time gun guy, eh?" The opponents of guns show up with their violent hatred at every opportunity. New Yorkers can be more forward that the average person it Texas. We lived for a while in New Jersey near the NY border and our area was full of transplanted former NY residents. They were a different breed. The area was no more gun friendly than almost all of the suburban areas in most of NY. Getting out in the NY countryside the population is less so but even of some of the worst gun laws have been overturned, there are plenty of people who would MSU (make "stuff" up) to target gun enthusiasts. The propaganda is strong with many.

[Grayling813]

Regardless of the state, if you are licensed to carry a handgun:
1. Be nice, even when you don't want to be nice because jerks are annoying/taunting you. They win when you lose control.
2. Don't antagonize anti-gunners by advertising the sources of their angst. I know a lot of people here are going to disagree with me on this one. Adorning your vehicle with NRA, gun company stickers and other 2-A stickers makes you a target, don't be. Not in the political climate that our country has degraded into. Be the gray man/woman. Likewise, don't drive through downtown Austin with Trump flags flying from your vehicle!!

Q: "Big gun, guy?"
A: "No ma'am, big liberty and freedom guy."

[chasfm11]

Q: "Big gun, guy?"
A: "No ma'am, big liberty and freedom guy."

My reply, because the question came completely out of the blue and we near each other for just a couple of seconds was "Yes, m'am." Yours is a much better answer but I had even forgotten that I had a NRA logo visible and the first thoughts I had were "how did she know?" I didn't want to not respond at all. After she was gone, I realized that the bag gave me away. I had grabbed that bag because it was the right size and I didn't think twice about being approached in public because of it. Today, I certainly would.

And to the point about not engaging, I have walked by a lot of signs and stickers that had messages on them that could have sparked my comment. Isn't it interesting that many of "us" approach such things in that same way and many of "them" just have to poke the bear.

[KC5AV]

1. I used to get annoyed at bad drivers on the road. I amazed myself at how much I calmed down once I started carrying.

2. The story illustrates one more time that the first person to call the police is generally considered to be the ‘victim’.

[Boxerrider]

I'll agree - while I don't like to be treated unfairly, maintaining safety is a higher priority.
Passenger calls 911, and videos behavior of the vehicle in front if possible.
Don't stop your vehicle. Position your vehicle so you have space to flee if forced to stop by other traffic.

[Jose_in_Dallas]

I don't care to put stickers on any of my vehicles no matter what message it conveys. But pro 2A stickers just invite this sort of harassment along with theft.

[BigGuy]

. ^^^ Sadly, This ^^^