A brief story about a concealed weapon situation at the gas station... I was filling up with fuel recently and a big Ford truck pulled in to fill up ahead of me. The truck had Kentucky tags and the driver seemed like an ordinary person just going about his daily routine of getting fuel and preparing for the day's events. As the driver got out of his truck, I saw a large caliber black handgun in the side pocket of his truck door. It looked like a S&W .40. The handle and trigger were visible and the weapon was in an open-style holster. The door remained opened and the weapon was visible to the public while he was fueling up. This situation was alarming to me because this guy could scare a lot of anti gun people into lobbying against his rights to carry. This situation could also land a well-intentioned person in jail for violating the gun laws.
My first thought was whether he knows the laws about concealment in Florida and if I should nicely strike up a conversation and segway into recommending he stow the pistol in a manner that will keep him out of trouble. Then my thoughts moved to just minding my own business because my well-intentioned conversation could lead to him getting irrate for being schooled about the Florida concealed weapons laws. Anyone who has a concealed weapons permit has to get training on what is proper and what is risky behavior for storing your weapon.
In general, all the training on weapons transportation and carry revolves around the person not having "ready access" to the weapon. The weapon has to be "securely encased" to protect yourself from violating the law and to allow more time for proper decision making in case you actually need the weapon to defend yourself for a forceable felony. Road rage has caused a lot of people to land themsleves in jail for pulling a weapon. Road rage is not justifyable for killing someone or threatening them with a gun. Following the law helps to promote responsible decision making.
I write this comment as a note of caution that not everyone knows or follows the rules. A weapon in the hands of a well-informed, responsible citizen is something that protects us all. On the contrary, a weapon in the hands of an uninformed, irresponsible person can be a huge risk to everyone's freedoms. If the situation presented itself to me again in the future, I would probably talk to the guy and let him know how to be careful transporting the weapon. I want this guy on my side.
David Bogle
