Concealed Carry Day To Day Issues
Just because I have anĀ Illinois concealed carry license doesnāt mean I stopped running into jerks. The problem with being assertive is that thereās always a chance that the person will react aggressively or negatively. Iāll give an example from my own life.
Fair note: I hate the holiday season. From the period of November to just after New Yearās, I do my very best to avoid crowded areas like the mall, outlet stores, etc. The reason for this is simple: people are dumb. Individuals are smart, but people are dumb.
And holidays tend to stress people out rather than make them all cheery and festive. I donāt know why that is.
In either case, I was about to pull into a spot at the grocery store and a middle-aged woman in a huge pick-up truck slams across two spots ā including the one I intended to pull into. She leaves her truck running and goes inside the store.
I find another parking spot. Iām miffed, obviously, but thereās no reason to make a big deal about it.
The grocery store is packed. I go about my shopping. Around Aisle 13, the paper towels aisle, I notice the same woman just casually browsing the aisles. I thought, in my mind, the only reason I would leave a $50,000 truck running, parked across two parking spaces, is obviously thereās an emergency that I can only fix with two bottles of discount red wine.
Turns out, this is maybe a normal thing?
As I get ready to pass her, I asked her if she drove a truck matching the description of the truck I obviously saw her depart. She looked at me with bewilderment and said, āyes?ā
I asked her why she thought it necessary to park across two whole parking spots and leave her truck running.
She looked at me like she had never once thought about this before.
I shook my head and left. I didnāt say anything mean ā I simply asked her why she thought her behavior was acceptable.
As Iām getting ready to check out, I get a firm pat on the shoulder. I figure itās someone I know from town who recognized me in the grocery store. I turn around to face a complete stranger. Itās a guy. He looks like heās in his late 20s and I donāt know him from Adam.
āMy mom didnāt like what you said to her.ā
Feeling a bit of unnecessary tension in the checkout line, I tried to move it along.
āMaybe you could show her how to park her truck next time.ā
I turned back around and looked at the cashier, who seems a little worried because obviously, the interaction appears a bit cold and less than holiday cheery. I kept the small line of groceries moving, smiled at her and asked how her holiday was going. She smiled nervously.
āKeep your mouth shut,ā the guy said, and I couldnāt help but look him dead in the eye at that point. It was clear his mom is out to lunch, and his son wasnāt far behind. Thereās no need to make this a huge thing in the middle of a grocery store.
Just because Iām a concealed carrier doesnāt mean I wonāt run into jerks. I can still stand up for what I think is important but itās also important to de-escalate. That said, there were a few choice things I had at the tip of my tongue that I had to bite back.
I paid for my groceries and walked to my car. The guy didnāt follow me outside ā at least that I saw ā and there was no further interaction. Sure, my blood was a bit hot. Thatās life. But overall, Iāll chalk it up to dealing with jerks is part and parcel of living in society. In hindsight, I should have never said anything in the first place As a concealed carrier, we keep calm and move along until thereās real trouble.
Concealed Carry Day To Day Issues published first on https://www.illinoisgunclub.com/
