Yo,
I never wanted to start an OC log because I think its a bit ridiculous but I've had some interesting experiences so I figured I'd share some of them with the you.
I'll start with one that will probably make your ears pirk up then I'll tell you about my other less exciting experiences that I've had and if anything else exciting happens I'll do my utmost to keep you informed.
On March 25 at around 4:45ish I was stopped while walking in Brecknock park in Camden DE by an officer of the law for none other than the open carry of a firearm!
So I was just out for a walk like I frequently do at one of my favorite parks minding my own business. I was actually looking up at the sky totally enamored by watching 2 fighter jets circle around when I hear a loud "Excuse Me Sir" from behind. To my astonishment it was directed at moi or should I say yours truly. The call came from as you already know an officer of the law.
At the time I had my hands in the pockets of my favorite 1980's Members Only black leather jacket, dark sunglasses on, and Glock 19 on my hip. I was dressed like I normally do which most people consider to be hipster or rock 'n roll with dark skinny Levi's, black dress shirt, brown undershirt, black Timberland hiking boots, hair pulled back in a top knot, tigers eye gauges in my ears, dog tags around my neck, and a solid black bandanna ever so slightly sticking out my rear left pocket. I only mention all these pointless details because if someone were to describe me they would probably say "5-9 caucasian male dressed in all black carrying a gun" which sounds pretty scary even without adding the "black leather jacket, dark sunglasses, black bandanna" so I totally understand if someone might think that I look suspicious. I assure you I'm not a suspicious or nefarious character. At least I hope I'm not. I'm just an American musician who enjoys dressing in a way that I consider "attractive" or "cool" and I also happen to OC pretty much 24/7.
So understanding that an officer of the law is attempting to get my attention while also understanding that I probably look suspicious. I calmly turn around then slowly remove my hands from my pockets and with a smile on my face said "Hello Officer" while raising my right hand away from my firearm politely waving in a way that I hoped wouldn't get me gunned down on the spot. The officer with his hand clearly not on his firearm then says something that astounded me - "Hello, your not breaking the law" as we walked towards each other.
Immediately the thought popped into my head "Then why are you stopping me? Oh yeah because I have a gun clearly visible on my hip". Shortly followed by "If I were an officer of the law I would probably want to find out if that guy dressed in all black with a gun is a loon or some kinda violent criminal casing the park for burglary/rape/murder victims or just another good American".
We then engaged in a polite conversation. The officer was friendly and gave off a " You know I've gotta do this because its my job" kind of feel. He asked me a few questions like "What are you carrying?", "Are you a good shot?", and of course "Have you ever shot someone?" all while reassuring me "You are not breaking the law". To which I calmly answered " Glock 19", "Yes I'm a very good shot", and " No I've never shot someone and hope that I never have to".
He even asked me "Do you like it?" after I said "Glock 19" because he obviously didn't have a Glock in his holster but I didn't get a good enough look to see what he was carrying. I think he had a Beretta or CZ and now that I think about it I wish I asked him what he was carrying but I didn't wanna seem weird. Actually all his gear along with his fancy SUV cruiser parked off on the distance behind him looked super cool and I would have loved to hear about his stuff but not as much as my want to be on my way back to enjoying my walk. I also had the minor thought "Dang that looks expensive. I paid for all that with my taxes? Well, if it helps them catch the bad guys".
We went on to talk about a few other things like how I've been held up at gun point multiple times and how I have yet to experience crime and violence like I experienced where I use to live in California and I almost feel out of place carrying because of it. The officer half-joking said "Try visiting Wilmington". I shook his hand and said " Thank you officer" which I honestly meant in a non-sarcastic way.
I then went back to my walk without so much as being asked for my name, license, address, carry permit, if the firearm I was carrying was legal or mine, or even told that I can't carry in Dover without permission. All this without being thrown to the ground or shouted commands at while looking down the barrel of a firearm.
So there you have it my first actual OC log. Being stopped by an officer of the law for no other reason than open carry of a firearm while walking in Brecknock park was quite the experience but I was not arrested and told numerously that "Your not breaking the law". I hope I was articulate enough for your reading enjoyment. I probably missed a few details but I never really intended to actually write about this account and I didn't even get the officer's name, take any audio/video/pics, or even take any notes other than sending a text to a buddy directly after telling him "I just finished a walk @ brecknock. I was stopped by a cop while walking. He told me I was not breaking any laws" at 5:07 March 25 shortly after the encounter to which his response was "Wtf??".
I will absolutely be writing more OC logs with juicy details about my experiences. I've actually been thanked as well asked not to carry or to conceal it by a number of people at places you wouldn't expect. More often thanked or greeted with a positive reaction than asked to disarm or told that what I'm doing is wrong. I feel like I'm a minority or maybe even the only person who OCs in Dover DE as I have yet to spot anyone OCing anywhere in DE other than law enforcement, military guards at the base, or the fine people at the wonderful monthly DELOC meetings.
- Surface Dragon
(Edit- I just realized what the date today is and that I wasn't joking about anything so I thought I'd tell a classic one just for you. I'll try my best to tone it down but originally its a bit more adult even though I learned this joke and use to tell it at a very young age.
So, a guy walks into a bar and asks the bartender "Where's the bathroom at?" The bartender just points to a flight of stairs. The guy barley makes it up the stairs because he has to go so bad but to his dismay he encounters 3 doors. The first one is obviously not the bathroom because when he opens it he finds a couple laying in a bed shouting "Leave us alone!" at the man. Behind the second door is an empty room. He tries to open the third door but can't and pounds on it trying with all his might to break it down but fails. So he goes back to the second room where he found nothing and to his great surprise actually finds toilet paper and a hole in the floor with an red arrow drawn on the ground pointing to the hole. The guy thanks his lucky stars because he can hold it no longer. Finally relived the guy walks back down the stairs to thank the bartender and offer his patronage only to find the bar in utter chaos. Tables, chairs, barstools all flipped over. Broken glass and spilt drinks everywhere. Sheer utter chaos. People screaming and running for their lives. The man asks the bartender "What happened? ". To which the bartender cowering behind the bar simply replied " The SHTF".
If you think this joke is too adult please let me know and I will gladly delete it. No foolies.)
I never wanted to start an OC log because I think its a bit ridiculous but I've had some interesting experiences so I figured I'd share some of them with the you.
I'll start with one that will probably make your ears pirk up then I'll tell you about my other less exciting experiences that I've had and if anything else exciting happens I'll do my utmost to keep you informed.
On March 25 at around 4:45ish I was stopped while walking in Brecknock park in Camden DE by an officer of the law for none other than the open carry of a firearm!
So I was just out for a walk like I frequently do at one of my favorite parks minding my own business. I was actually looking up at the sky totally enamored by watching 2 fighter jets circle around when I hear a loud "Excuse Me Sir" from behind. To my astonishment it was directed at moi or should I say yours truly. The call came from as you already know an officer of the law.
At the time I had my hands in the pockets of my favorite 1980's Members Only black leather jacket, dark sunglasses on, and Glock 19 on my hip. I was dressed like I normally do which most people consider to be hipster or rock 'n roll with dark skinny Levi's, black dress shirt, brown undershirt, black Timberland hiking boots, hair pulled back in a top knot, tigers eye gauges in my ears, dog tags around my neck, and a solid black bandanna ever so slightly sticking out my rear left pocket. I only mention all these pointless details because if someone were to describe me they would probably say "5-9 caucasian male dressed in all black carrying a gun" which sounds pretty scary even without adding the "black leather jacket, dark sunglasses, black bandanna" so I totally understand if someone might think that I look suspicious. I assure you I'm not a suspicious or nefarious character. At least I hope I'm not. I'm just an American musician who enjoys dressing in a way that I consider "attractive" or "cool" and I also happen to OC pretty much 24/7.
So understanding that an officer of the law is attempting to get my attention while also understanding that I probably look suspicious. I calmly turn around then slowly remove my hands from my pockets and with a smile on my face said "Hello Officer" while raising my right hand away from my firearm politely waving in a way that I hoped wouldn't get me gunned down on the spot. The officer with his hand clearly not on his firearm then says something that astounded me - "Hello, your not breaking the law" as we walked towards each other.
Immediately the thought popped into my head "Then why are you stopping me? Oh yeah because I have a gun clearly visible on my hip". Shortly followed by "If I were an officer of the law I would probably want to find out if that guy dressed in all black with a gun is a loon or some kinda violent criminal casing the park for burglary/rape/murder victims or just another good American".
We then engaged in a polite conversation. The officer was friendly and gave off a " You know I've gotta do this because its my job" kind of feel. He asked me a few questions like "What are you carrying?", "Are you a good shot?", and of course "Have you ever shot someone?" all while reassuring me "You are not breaking the law". To which I calmly answered " Glock 19", "Yes I'm a very good shot", and " No I've never shot someone and hope that I never have to".
He even asked me "Do you like it?" after I said "Glock 19" because he obviously didn't have a Glock in his holster but I didn't get a good enough look to see what he was carrying. I think he had a Beretta or CZ and now that I think about it I wish I asked him what he was carrying but I didn't wanna seem weird. Actually all his gear along with his fancy SUV cruiser parked off on the distance behind him looked super cool and I would have loved to hear about his stuff but not as much as my want to be on my way back to enjoying my walk. I also had the minor thought "Dang that looks expensive. I paid for all that with my taxes? Well, if it helps them catch the bad guys".
We went on to talk about a few other things like how I've been held up at gun point multiple times and how I have yet to experience crime and violence like I experienced where I use to live in California and I almost feel out of place carrying because of it. The officer half-joking said "Try visiting Wilmington". I shook his hand and said " Thank you officer" which I honestly meant in a non-sarcastic way.
I then went back to my walk without so much as being asked for my name, license, address, carry permit, if the firearm I was carrying was legal or mine, or even told that I can't carry in Dover without permission. All this without being thrown to the ground or shouted commands at while looking down the barrel of a firearm.
So there you have it my first actual OC log. Being stopped by an officer of the law for no other reason than open carry of a firearm while walking in Brecknock park was quite the experience but I was not arrested and told numerously that "Your not breaking the law". I hope I was articulate enough for your reading enjoyment. I probably missed a few details but I never really intended to actually write about this account and I didn't even get the officer's name, take any audio/video/pics, or even take any notes other than sending a text to a buddy directly after telling him "I just finished a walk @ brecknock. I was stopped by a cop while walking. He told me I was not breaking any laws" at 5:07 March 25 shortly after the encounter to which his response was "Wtf??".
I will absolutely be writing more OC logs with juicy details about my experiences. I've actually been thanked as well asked not to carry or to conceal it by a number of people at places you wouldn't expect. More often thanked or greeted with a positive reaction than asked to disarm or told that what I'm doing is wrong. I feel like I'm a minority or maybe even the only person who OCs in Dover DE as I have yet to spot anyone OCing anywhere in DE other than law enforcement, military guards at the base, or the fine people at the wonderful monthly DELOC meetings.
- Surface Dragon
(Edit- I just realized what the date today is and that I wasn't joking about anything so I thought I'd tell a classic one just for you. I'll try my best to tone it down but originally its a bit more adult even though I learned this joke and use to tell it at a very young age.
So, a guy walks into a bar and asks the bartender "Where's the bathroom at?" The bartender just points to a flight of stairs. The guy barley makes it up the stairs because he has to go so bad but to his dismay he encounters 3 doors. The first one is obviously not the bathroom because when he opens it he finds a couple laying in a bed shouting "Leave us alone!" at the man. Behind the second door is an empty room. He tries to open the third door but can't and pounds on it trying with all his might to break it down but fails. So he goes back to the second room where he found nothing and to his great surprise actually finds toilet paper and a hole in the floor with an red arrow drawn on the ground pointing to the hole. The guy thanks his lucky stars because he can hold it no longer. Finally relived the guy walks back down the stairs to thank the bartender and offer his patronage only to find the bar in utter chaos. Tables, chairs, barstools all flipped over. Broken glass and spilt drinks everywhere. Sheer utter chaos. People screaming and running for their lives. The man asks the bartender "What happened? ". To which the bartender cowering behind the bar simply replied " The SHTF".
If you think this joke is too adult please let me know and I will gladly delete it. No foolies.)