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Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:47 pm
by Moby
I went to the Taylor and had my CCW on.

In hind sight I should have unloaded the firearm and left the bullets in the truck.

So I went in and while getting ready to have my suits altered (I lost 80 lbs. YEA!!!)
I wanted my suit pants fitted for carrying my firearm. So I showed the tiny Asian lady my CHL and she called over her husband. They both looked at it, I showed them my firearm, unloaded it, and asked if they would be willing to alter my suits to fit. They said yes there was no problem. There were no other customers in the store. Five suits later a customer walks in. I had one more suit to go. I felt uncomfortable having a firearm in plain view (unloaded when I was having the pants sized) when I took off the suit jacket. The rounds were in the dressing room. When I was finished I reloaded my firearm and racked a round in the chamber. The look on the guys face when I walked out of the dressing room was one of knowing I was carrying. Concealed no longer was concealed. My bad.

Next time I’ll not forget to leave the rounds in the truck.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:12 pm
by mr surveyor
maybe you could have waited to charge the weapon until you were in your truck

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:59 pm
by ScottDLS
Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:05 pm
by pbwalker
ScottDLS wrote:Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.
I don't know about that. I don't have any references to cite, but I seem to recall reading a similar situation here a while back and it wasn't a failure to conceal situation. Someone who has more time than me will pipe in and clear it up.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:49 am
by JMPJr
Moby wrote: (I lost 80 lbs. YEA!!!)
Congratulations Moby!

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:25 am
by cbunt1
Without citing references, or digging into the finer points of law, I would say that if the proprietor or someone "in apparent authority" is OK with it, then it's OK. I'm sure the code doesn't directly support it, BUT, if neither party to the situation has a problem, then there's no problem, and nothing to prosecute, no charges to file, because there's no complaint.

I recently was fitted for new suits at places you've all heard of, and being tailored for a pistol was not a problem at all. In fact, both places I went were prepared for such an encounter, and said it happens all the time, and were very discreet about it.

I took them my "worst case scenario," an IWB G-17 with a spare mag and was fitted appropriately. No show, no tells, and plenty of ideas on how to make it work.

In retrospect, the very best option would be your actual holster with Ring's "blue gear," but I don't have a trainer in the models I actually carry...and that's not a viable option unless you really have a use for the things--they aren't cheap, given what they are.

But a quick discussion with your salesperson/tailor about what you're doing, and the simple statement that "I can't take this coat off to try yours right here--I have hardware we're working around" seemed to clue in every clerk and tailor I encountered in my process with no hassles or big eyes. I suspect it's a daily occurrence, at least in the larger shops in Houston.

And congrats on the weight loss!! :cheers2:

Re: Went to the Tailor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:05 am
by RX8er
Congratulations Moby!! How did you do it? TBM and I have been doing P90X with success. Interesting question if a "Tailor" can give permission for you show your firearm?

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:45 am
by KaiserB
ScottDLS wrote:Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.
Not necessarily. If you go to a suit shop like Men's Warehouse, their tailor measures and marks everything in the dressing room area. In that area you have an implied expectation of privacy (you have the same implied expectation of privacy you are on the toilet in a public restroom). I buy and have suits tailored to my Concealed Carry gear without issue, no I do not remove it, nor do I unload and show clear while the tailor marks things for cuts and tucks.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:48 am
by KaiserB
Moby wrote:I went to the Taylor and had my CCW on.

In hind sight I should have unloaded the firearm and left the bullets in the truck.

So I went in and while getting ready to have my suits altered (I lost 80 lbs. YEA!!!)
I wanted my suit pants fitted for carrying my firearm. So I showed the tiny Asian lady my CHL and she called over her husband. They both looked at it, I showed them my firearm, unloaded it, and asked if they would be willing to alter my suits to fit. They said yes there was no problem. There were no other customers in the store. Five suits later a customer walks in. I had one more suit to go. I felt uncomfortable having a firearm in plain view (unloaded when I was having the pants sized) when I took off the suit jacket. The rounds were in the dressing room. When I was finished I reloaded my firearm and racked a round in the chamber. The look on the guys face when I walked out of the dressing room was one of knowing I was carrying. Concealed no longer was concealed. My bad.

Next time I’ll not forget to leave the rounds in the truck.
You are assuming quite a bit about what the guy may have been thinking... how did he know you were not an off duty LEO or an on duty plain clothes LEO or DPS PSB employee? Maybe he thought you were a former KGB agent and that is why he had the weird look on his face.

This whole assumption that everyone who sees someone with a gun automatically assumes you are a CHL holder is a far stretch. There are a half dozen other possibilities, dont be paranoid about it.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:20 pm
by ScottDLS
KaiserB wrote:
ScottDLS wrote:Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.
Not necessarily. If you go to a suit shop like Men's Warehouse, their tailor measures and marks everything in the dressing room area. In that area you have an implied expectation of privacy (you have the same implied expectation of privacy you are on the toilet in a public restroom). I buy and have suits tailored to my Concealed Carry gear without issue, no I do not remove it, nor do I unload and show clear while the tailor marks things for cuts and tucks.
Well in this example and the OP's you still intentionally "failed to conceal" from the tailor and/or his wife.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:44 pm
by JP171
ScottDLS wrote:
KaiserB wrote:
ScottDLS wrote:Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.
Not necessarily. If you go to a suit shop like Men's Warehouse, their tailor measures and marks everything in the dressing room area. In that area you have an implied expectation of privacy (you have the same implied expectation of privacy you are on the toilet in a public restroom). I buy and have suits tailored to my Concealed Carry gear without issue, no I do not remove it, nor do I unload and show clear while the tailor marks things for cuts and tucks.
Well in this example and the OP's you still intentionally "failed to conceal" from the tailor and/or his wife.

and no DA would even allow the arrest let alone prosecute for intentional failure to conceal, I think your stretching it. If your just playing devils advocate then cool, but if not then you are misunderstanding the law

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:35 pm
by 3dfxMM
JP171 wrote:
ScottDLS wrote:
KaiserB wrote:
ScottDLS wrote:Technically a violation of 46.035a for intentional failure to conceal. Not that I'm criticizing you for it, just noting it. I would probably have brought an empty holster in to tailor around, I guess with some similar sized object in it.

Anyway seems like it worked out.
Not necessarily. If you go to a suit shop like Men's Warehouse, their tailor measures and marks everything in the dressing room area. In that area you have an implied expectation of privacy (you have the same implied expectation of privacy you are on the toilet in a public restroom). I buy and have suits tailored to my Concealed Carry gear without issue, no I do not remove it, nor do I unload and show clear while the tailor marks things for cuts and tucks.
Well in this example and the OP's you still intentionally "failed to conceal" from the tailor and/or his wife.

and no DA would even allow the arrest let alone prosecute for intentional failure to conceal, I think your stretching it. If your just playing devils advocate then cool, but if not then you are misunderstanding the law
What part of the law is he misunderstanding? I agree that it isn't a situation where a complaint would ever be filed, but it is still intentional failure to conceal.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:46 pm
by ClarkLZeuss
cbunt1 wrote:In retrospect, the very best option would be your actual holster with Ring's "blue gear," but I don't have a trainer in the models I actually carry...and that's not a viable option unless you really have a use for the things--they aren't cheap, given what they are.
I was going to say an airsoft replica would be a good alternative. And cheaper. I have one of those that is the exact physical dimensions of my Taurus so it fits my holster perfectly. 'Course, I don't carry my Taurus anymore, only the Glock.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:07 pm
by ScottDLS
JP171 wrote: ...
If your just playing devils advocate then cool, but if not then you are misunderstanding the law
...
Just reading the letter of the law and seeing where it leads... I wouldn't be too worried about it if I was OP, though you really never know what someone's reaction is going to be if you show them a firearm.

Re: Went to the Taylor today.

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:23 pm
by KaiserB
ClarkLZeuss wrote:
cbunt1 wrote:In retrospect, the very best option would be your actual holster with Ring's "blue gear," but I don't have a trainer in the models I actually carry...and that's not a viable option unless you really have a use for the things--they aren't cheap, given what they are.
I was going to say an airsoft replica would be a good alternative. And cheaper. I have one of those that is the exact physical dimensions of my Taurus so it fits my holster perfectly. 'Course, I don't carry my Taurus anymore, only the Glock.
You could still cause alarm with a toy gun or airsoft. Also in some TX cities you may have big problems with airsoft restrictions.

Lets look at more hypotheticals:

Using your standards as CHL you intentionally fail to conceal when you move your gun from a holster to the console of your car with anyone present in or near the car in the parking lot before going into a posted location.
You intentionally fail to conceal anytime you wear a shirt that you know is not long enough to fully conceal your firearm.
You intentionally fail to conceal anytime you are camping and put your firearm away for the night in your tent (with others present).

The minutia of undefined instances in the law are endless, the point is the Mitigating and Extenuating circumstances are what determine whether or not someone will be charged under the law.