Encounter? (Sort of) with Florida Highway Patrol

[mk2ja]

This is not about me.

I found this thread at GeorgiaPacking.org because it was posted on a blog I follow. (If you follow blogs, you'll probably like Sharp as a Marble. It is run by a retired Marine turned computer nerd who is very active in advancing gun rights, especially OC, in Florida.)

Anyway, so this encounter begins with a man CC'ing in a Cracker Barrel. He sees another guy come in, drawing attention to himself first with his rudeness, then with the fact that he is CC'ing. In the middle, it includes the author discretely warning a cop that the rude man is carrying, and it ends with the cops thanking the author.

Read the full account about the encounter here:
GeorgiaPacking.org - Firearm Discussion - View topic - Encounter? (Sort of) with Florida Highway Patrol

 

[Clay]

thats a good story. Thank for sharing!

 

[mk2ja]

Glad you liked it!

I wondered how much the wife and daughter new what was going on.

 

[youngda9]

I wondered how much the wife and daughter new what was going on.

My wife would've been oblivious to it all unless I pointed it out to her.

Just this past weekend we were getting the kids out of the car(one of a parents most vulnerable times) to go into a restaurant. This guy standing in the parking lot starts approaching my wife from behind as she is getting our son out of the car...he gets from 30 feet to about 10 feet and then all of a sudden turns around and approaches another car. I have him locked in my sights and am just about to say something right when he turned around. I would've said sooner before he got that close but I originally thought he was headed to the restaurant. I said something to my wife but she didn't even know there was someone else in the parking lot which was completely empty except for the one man and one minivan(his probably).

 

[Jolfe]

Hm... Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[chadc11]

I moved to Florida about 3 months ago, so I haven't been here all that long. That being said, the vast majority of the LEOs I have come in contact with down here love the idea of a responsible citizen carrying. Heck, when I went to get fingerprinted for my license, the sheriff's shift was ending and offered to take me out to breakfast!

 

[Expat]

Interesting. I don't know if I would have flashed my piece at the officer. Good thing the LEO apparently understood what he was trying to say.

 

[mk2ja]

I moved to Florida about 3 months ago, so I haven't been here all that long. That being said, the vast majority of the LEOs I have come in contact with down here love the idea of a responsible citizen carrying. Heck, when I went to get fingerprinted for my license, the sheriff's shift was ending and offered to take me out to breakfast!

That's pretty sweet! Did you take him up on it?

Interesting. I don't know if I would have flashed my piece at the officer. Good thing the LEO apparently understood what he was trying to say.

Right. My guess is that since the author mentioned that he and the cop had both noticed the other watching the suspicious guy, the cop must have figured that somebody so situationally aware (compared to "normal" people at the least) who is there with his wife and kid must be on the "good team."

 

[shibumiseeker]

That's pretty sweet! Did you take him up on it?



Right. My guess is that since the author mentioned that he and the cop had both noticed the other watching the suspicious guy, the cop must have figured that somebody so situationally aware (compared to "normal" people at the least) who is there with his wife and kid must be on the "good team."

There's also the possibility that folks looking to commit trouble work in teams occasionally. I see one troublemaker, I'm also keeping a portion of my attention on the lookout for his buddies. I grant you that a family with smaller kids are unlikely to start mayhem, but it's something to always be aware of so you don't get blindsided.

 

[Swim404]

I agree that I wouldn't have flashed my gun at a police officer either. This could have easily have turned into a "bad LEO encounter" story.

Btw - I'm a regular reader of Georgia Packing too since I'm a resident of Atlanta now. This forum is a million times better and more active Good job INGO!

 

[EnochRoot43]

My wife would've been oblivious to it all unless I pointed it out to her.

Just this past weekend we were getting the kids out of the car(one of a parents most vulnerable times) to go into a restaurant. This guy standing in the parking lot starts approaching my wife from behind as she is getting our son out of the car...he gets from 30 feet to about 10 feet and then all of a sudden turns around and approaches another car. I have him locked in my sights and am just about to say something right when he turned around. I would've said sooner before he got that close but I originally thought he was headed to the restaurant. I said something to my wife but she didn't even know there was someone else in the parking lot which was completely empty except for the one man and one minivan(his probably).

I agree about getting the kid in/out of the car....mine is in a carseat and often it is just me and him. I give a good look around before I dive in there to TCB, but those 10-30 seconds that I am focused on straps, buckles, and wriggling little arms I might as well be unarmed with a blindfold on. I try and pop up for a scan at the halfway point, but the best strategy is to just hang out in the car for a minute if I feel weird about anything.

Cool story anyway....+1 for the good guys. Looks to me like maybe the guy was nervous because he felt the heat was on. Fortunately he didn't go for some desperate attempt to avoid jail that day.

 

[mk2ja]

I agree that I wouldn't have flashed my gun at a police officer either. This could have easily have turned into a "bad LEO encounter" story.

Btw - I'm a regular reader of Georgia Packing too since I'm a resident of Atlanta now. This forum is a million times better and more active Good job INGO!

Awesome! Glad to hear it!

Fortunately he didn't go for some desperate attempt to avoid jail that day.

Yeah, that's a very good point, too. This could've been a much worse story if that guy had decided he didn't want to deal with the cops that day.

 

[chadc11]

That's pretty sweet! Did you take him up on it?

Sadly, I couldn't. I had to get to work. It is just pretty nice to know that the LEO community here is supportive of having guns in the right hands!