New member / First OC

[ramkatral]

Hey guys. I've lurked on these forums for awhile, and it definitely took some time to work up the nerve to actually do it. So, as a new member... Hi, I'm a 26 year old Marine Corps veteran living in Polk County, NC.


As for my experience? It was nothing major. I simply went to a local convenience store to buy a few things. The clerk cut her eyes at my hip a few times while we chatted, but she has known me awhile (I'm a member of the local fire department as well as one of the county emergency medical technicians). I'm still extremely nervous about my first LEO encounter. Polk county is a very very rural county, but it's run completely by democrats (Nothing horrible about that, just that democrats tends to be less gun friendly). I know the Sheriff personally, and he's a good friend of my wife, so I figure I could probably get out of much trouble if the worst happened and I were arrested. I've read a lot of the information on the site about how to handle encounters, the laws, etc... That still doesn't remove the nervousness.

Is there anyone here in or around the Polk County area? I'd sure like a buddy to help 'break me in' on carrying in some more populated areas.

 

[ArmySoldier22]

Ramkatral,

Welcome to the forums and congrats on having an uneventful first OC.
Most of the nervousness in the general public goes away after awhile. I've been carrying long enough that now it feels unnatural if I'm not doing it. The more you get out and expose yourself, the easier it gets. As far as being nervous about LEO encounters, I'm not sure if that ever completely goes away lol. I've been around a lot of law enforcement while carrying, both walking and while on my motorcycle, and I still get that nervous feeling. I'm always thinking "What if this is that One *******". I've carried past hundreds of LEO's and State Troopers in a single night, and that feeling still hits me lol. So I can't really help out there. Not sure what kind of meets there are in your area, it looks like you're a couple hours away from here, but if you're ever in the Charlotte area, we usually have meets once a month and sometimes smaller ones between those. Being around other people that carry is a good way to put a lot of your feelings at ease, I know it was for me the first time I went to one.

Glad to see you here and I hope the rest of your OC encounters are just as uneventful.

David

 

[drew9]

Welcome to OC. Like david, I'm still a bit nervous around LEOs, although I have not been stopped or questioned by any. It's been a very rewarding experience and it only gets easier the more you do it.

Drew