Interesting conversation at work

[agbullet2k1]

So I usually don't advertise to anyone but my closest family that I have multiple guns, carry permits, etc., so most people think I'm pretty benign. Well one guy at my office was looking up 1911s online today, so I asked him if he was in the market. Turns out he was at some get together where they were raffling off a his and hers handgun set, so a bug got planted in his ear, and he wanted to research his first gun purchase. So I mentioned to him that I have some handguns if he wanted to try them out one weekend. Before too long, we had about 6 guys in on the conversation, all of them beginners to the gun world. All of them had wanted to get a handgun, especially with a couple of them about to get married and start a family and one guy whose girlfriend had almost been assaulted in her apartment. None of them knew where to begin though, or who to ask. They even thought that Texas had a waiting limit on purchases, and that you had to have a license to even buy a gun. Growing up in another state, I always thought Handgun 101 was required in Texas high schools.

I guess the lesson learned is that the best weapon we have (bad pun intended) for championing the 2A cause is communication. Thanks to just talking with someone, I have six friends wanting to join me at the range next time.

[GlockenHammer]

To advance the cause takes personal risk. Almost all of my risks have had positive rewards including ultimate conversions of gun haters to CHL holders. There are also some personal losses sprinkled in there where my world is less happy than before.

Choose wisely, but be willing to take a risk once in a while. The life you save could be your friends'.

[agbullet2k1]

Oh I definitely agree. I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't see him already looking it up, and I didn't mention anything about coming to the range until he said he was looking to buy something. I have, I fear, burned a few gun bridges before by antagonizing some friends who weren't necessarily anti-gun, but for them it was a personal choice not to own one. I tried to get them out to a range thinking they'd like it, but all I did was try to force them to do something they had decided they didn't want to do. What can I say, I was young and stupid. Learned from that lesson and just look for opportunities now instead of trying to make them.

[NcongruNt]

To advance the cause takes personal risk. Almost all of my risks have had positive rewards including ultimate conversions of gun haters to CHL holders. There are also some personal losses sprinkled in there where my world is less happy than before.

Choose wisely, but be willing to take a risk once in a while. The life you save could be your friends'.

Yeah, step lightly and don't volunteer info about your CHL status. I had a similar set of conversations with a female coworker at my previous job. Through conversation, she had stated a desire to purchase a gun for use at home, as she is a single mother of a small child and was hearing frequent "bumps in the night" on her property. We talked about what she was looking for, and that she was going to Ladies' Night at a local range (women get free gun rentals those nights), and talked about going to the range together. This was just after I had taken my CHL class and before I knew better than to talk about CHL with anyone but family and trusted friends. I mentioned that I was working on getting my CHL, and wanted to research the employee handbook regarding firearms and CHL (I was looking specifically to see if they had 30.06 wording as well as what the policies stated). Next thing I know, she goes on a tirade that I DO NOT need a gun at work (although our office was not in the best parts of town and I worked the graveyard shift) and that if I wanted to defend myself I should get a stun gun. The conversation went downhill quickly (I said little after her statement, but she did not relent for several minutes). The next day, I'm informed by my manager that he was told I had been carrying a gun at work (which was an absolute falsehood - I had never carried anywhere and did not even have a CHL yet). I quickly told him that I was not and never had carried a weapon at work, and explained the back story of wanting to find out my employer's policies. I was summarily told not to carry, and left me with an awkward situation with my coworker and manager. I was fired from my job 2 months later in a manner that seemed like he was looking for an excuse to fire me.

I do not know your work situation, so circumstances may be quite different. I would be very wary of talking about firearms to much extent (and especially CHL) in a corporate work setting. All it takes to make your life miserable is a single person mention the wrong thing to the wrong person, and management or HR to get involved. If you're comfortable with these guys, I'd arrange for an informal range trip, making arrangements off company time and away from company property, if possible. During this range trip, you can relay your wish not to have the topics of your gun interests mentioned to others at work, and have an explanation of why it could be an issue.

I wish you well in your endeavors with your coworkers.

[longtooth]

To advance the cause takes personal risk. Almost all of my risks have had positive rewards including ultimate conversions of gun haters to CHL holders. There are also some personal losses sprinkled in there where my world is less happy than before.

Choose wisely, but be willing to take a risk once in a while. The life you save could be your friends'.

Excellent post GenH.
I too take every opportunity that others open a positive door.
Vast majority are positive. Only a few O-MEs

[CJATE]

[quote="agbullet2k1"]Growing up in another state, I always thought Handgun 101 was required in Texas high schools.[quote]

nope, and my family is full of avid hunters, and I am the only handgun owner. Most of my friends are hunters and few of them own a handguns, most have only fired one of mine.

I get tickled, while my dad discouraged it, my youth minister is the one who introduced me to handguns

[agbullet2k1]

To advance the cause takes personal risk. Almost all of my risks have had positive rewards including ultimate conversions of gun haters to CHL holders. There are also some personal losses sprinkled in there where my world is less happy than before.

Choose wisely, but be willing to take a risk once in a while. The life you save could be your friends'.

Yeah, step lightly and don't volunteer info about your CHL status. I had a similar set of conversations with a female coworker at my previous job. Through conversation, she had stated a desire to purchase a gun for use at home, as she is a single mother of a small child and was hearing frequent "bumps in the night" on her property. We talked about what she was looking for, and that she was going to Ladies' Night at a local range (women get free gun rentals those nights), and talked about going to the range together. This was just after I had taken my CHL class and before I knew better than to talk about CHL with anyone but family and trusted friends. I mentioned that I was working on getting my CHL, and wanted to research the employee handbook regarding firearms and CHL (I was looking specifically to see if they had 30.06 wording as well as what the policies stated). Next thing I know, she goes on a tirade that I DO NOT need a gun at work (although our office was not in the best parts of town and I worked the graveyard shift) and that if I wanted to defend myself I should get a stun gun. The conversation went downhill quickly (I said little after her statement, but she did not relent for several minutes). The next day, I'm informed by my manager that he was told I had been carrying a gun at work (which was an absolute falsehood - I had never carried anywhere and did not even have a CHL yet). I quickly told him that I was not and never had carried a weapon at work, and explained the back story of wanting to find out my employer's policies. I was summarily told not to carry, and left me with an awkward situation with my coworker and manager. I was fired from my job 2 months later in a manner that seemed like he was looking for an excuse to fire me.

I do not know your work situation, so circumstances may be quite different. I would be very wary of talking about firearms to much extent (and especially CHL) in a corporate work setting. All it takes to make your life miserable is a single person mention the wrong thing to the wrong person, and management or HR to get involved. If you're comfortable with these guys, I'd arrange for an informal range trip, making arrangements off company time and away from company property, if possible. During this range trip, you can relay your wish not to have the topics of your gun interests mentioned to others at work, and have an explanation of why it could be an issue.

I wish you well in your endeavors with your coworkers.

I definitely wasn't trying to advocate letting good intentions overrule common sense. I guess my work situation is somewhat the minority, in that federal land equals no carry anyway. I actually have a couple managers that are CHL instructors and private dealers in their spare time, and it's pretty well known to everyone. Seeing that they got no adverse reaction from their known status, I figured it was relatively safe to tread out a little further in the water. I definitely made it clear to the coworkers that, as inconvenient as it is, I don't carry where it's illegal. It was actually kind of funny having one of my older managers join the conversation and talk about his handgun training from Korea, and how even back then, mainly only the people from below the Mason Dixon knew how to safely handle and shoot right out of the box.

So given what I knew about my coworkers already, I figured it was pretty safe. Of course, I definitely would not have the same discussion with the in-laws....

[DoubleJ]

I was fired from my job 2 months later in a manner that seemed like he was looking for an excuse to fire me.

What's funny to me, and my dark sense of humor, is that if you were the type of dude they thought you were (gun totin' crazy), then them firing you woulda been the "trigger" you needed.
course, you're not, so n'ya to them, but it just proves irrational beliefs = irrational behaviors.

[Wildscar]

I would be careful about even telling family members. I have been carrying for almost a year. Most of my friend and family know. One day while trying to work on my Fathers computer the discussion came up about firearms and what not and my mother was looking over my shoulder. She said that she would not know how to react around them. Thats when I told her that she was doing ok. She gave me a look that was priceless. She then shrugged and said I guess you’re right. However we invited my parents out for Ice cream at the local Braums. Halfway though her banana split she leans over the table and in a not so whispering tone that she was going for asked me "Do you have your gun on you right now." My expression didn't change as my reply was "You might want to say it louder. I don’t think the people at the from heard you!" I think she realized what she had done could have turn out bad. I looked around the place and I guess one table heard what was said. He didn't seem to mind and probably thought it was funny since he was smiling. He was probably a LEO or fellow CHL holder. After that I had a little talk with my mother about those kinds of thing and that should never have to ask that questions cause she would already know the answer.

All this time i thought it would be my son that would give me away by pulling my cover garment back at the wrong time or asking me to show the police office that my gun was bigger than his. Never did I think it was going to be my mother advertising to the Sunday bunch at Braums over a banana split.

[DoubleActionCHL]

Unfortunately, 'ignorance' IS the enemy. There is so much mis- and disinformation tossed about by our unbiased media and left-of-the-aisle politicians, the average non-gun owner can't help but have a negative view of gun ownership.

I was on the phone at a client last week when a woman overheard me discussing CHL requirements with someone. She asked if I was an instructor, and I told her I was. She asked a few more questions about concealed carry and licensing, so I was getting the impression that she was interested. I then asked if SHE owned a gun. Surprisingly, her answer was, "No. I don't want guns in my house." I asked her reason for this position, and her answer was an abrupt, "I have children!"

Unfortunately, I was pressed for time and didn't get to continue the discussion. I found the conversation a bit surprising, yet a bit commonplace. The media has convinced a huge segment of the population that simply owning a gun and keeping it in your home significantly increases the odds of a family member being killed. We know the truth, however. Logic doesn't enter into this position, I believe, because a logical person (in my opinion) would want the means of protecting his or her children from an armed intruder. Even without relying on statistics, I believe any thinking person would have to surmise that gun crime kills more 'children' than gun accidents.

But what's logic got to do with it, eh?

[DoubleJ]

But what's logic got to do with it, eh?

What's logic got ta do, got ta do with it?


yeah, I ruined any stealth I could have had at work by telling my co-workers I was going to get a CHL, I was taking the class on so and so date, when I got it in the mail.....
the upside is that I've met a bunch of other CHL'ers and shooters, and I talk guns at work all the time.

[Mr.Scott]

Only 2 people at work know I have a CHL. When I got it I made it clear that they were not to talk to me about it or mention that I have it to anyone at work. One of them is a gun guy and I know he is going to get his CHL, but the other, even though he's been my friend for 20 years, is a pacifist but he understands and he doesn't have contact with the same people I do on a day to day basis.

[GlockenHammer]

In a sad twist of fate, my inability to carry at work (or even have it in my car at work), has enabled me to be more bold with discussing guns and self-defense with co-workers. What is unlucky for me is lucky for the second ammendment and those I may be helping.

Those of you here that have the option of carrying at work should heed the advice of NCongrueNT and others. Once your secret is out, there is no getting it back. Choose very wisely.

[DoubleJ]

In a sad twist of fate, my inability to carry at work (or even have it in my car at work), has enabled me to be more bold with discussing guns and self-defense with co-workers. What is unlucky for me is lucky for the second ammendment and those I may be helping.

That's kinda my position. my jobplace claims the ability to search even your vehicle. yes, my job is important enough to me that I don't "just quit and go elsewhere."
so my comp at work has, as it's desktop, a pic of my lady shooting her handgun, and I like to bring various gun rags to work to read. good times.

[jlangton]

Fortunately, I can say my workplace is gun-friendly.I'm taking the CHL class next weekend. My boss and his wife have had a CHL for several years and both are up for renewal,his wife is taking the class with us next weekend while he's out of town on a dove hunting trip. We started discussing the class with several of the employees here at work,and we basically filled the class with people from the office,and salesmen from our suppliers. I end up in some "uncomfortable" areas of town in my day-to-day travels at work,and they have no problems with us carrying at work-they would rather us go home safe every day and come back to work the next day.