Hey ever'body. Just thought I'd share this mini story for your enjoyment:
I had the pleasure of visiting the Wilmington Riverfront yesterday, for the Peoples Festival. It's basically a reggae concert that's a tribute to Bob Marley. I'm not into any of that music or culture much, but a good friend of mine is a volunteer there, and I had a good time all the same. Regrettably, the event was guarded by volunteer security performing pat-downs and waving a hand-held metal detector. Not that I have anything to OC now, anyway. It should be noted, however that it would've been relatively easy to sneak a concealed weapon past them.
The Wilmington PD was out in full force for the event. I did not recognize any of them, and none of them recognized me. I approached one of them who was stationed at the entrance to the event. I'll paraphrase our conversation to something like this:
Me: "Pardon me officer, might I ask what your carry weapon is?"
Him: "What?"
Me: "Your sidearm. What kind of weapon is it?"
Him: "Oh, a forty."
Me: "Oh, okay. A forty caliber what?"
Him: "Uhhh, Smith and Wesson".
Me: "Okay. Do you know what model yours is?"
Him: "Naw, it's one of the new ones though. I forget the name. The mag holds 15, though."
I thanked him and walked away. Next, I approached 2 different cops who were chatting in the shade of a tree.
Me: "Pardon me officers, I was wondering what kind of sidearm the WPD carries. You see, I'm taking up employment with an armored car company, and I'm looking for recommendations for a good duty pistol."
Cop 1: "Well, I know it's a forty. (Turns to Cop 2) What kind do we have again?"
Cop 2: "A Ruger, I think"
Cop 1: "Ruger?"
Cop 2: "Yeah."
I thanked both of them, and enjoyed the event. Zero of the three officers could tell me that the pistol on their hip was a Smith and Wesson M&P. But hey, at least they didn't say it was a Glock!
WPD: Wee knowz are gunz!