Open carry at Cabela's

[turnandshoot4]

I went to Cabela's in Hammond this past weekend with a buddy of mine to check out the reloading supplies. Walking up to the store I tucked in my shirt so I could open carry. While walking up to the store I was ribbing my buddy because he wasn't going to open carry.

After walking around in the store we made our way upstairs to look at the guns and reloading equiptment. As I was looking at the Leupold LR/T scopes a guy behind the counter waved me over. The conversation went as follows:

"Sir, are you a police officer?"
"No"
"I'm going to have to ask you to conceal your firearm."
"Why?"
"Store policy."

I then covered my pistol. The guy was curt about it. Now I am confused. I had thought that they were carry friendly. I have open carried there in the past without a problem. Should I have told the guy to get his manager? I didn't fight it because I didn't want to be wrong. Any thoughts on this?

 

[NateIU10]

I would have asked to talk to the manager and have him clarify. If he stuck to the original story, I'd contact corporate.

 

[Scutter01]

I went to Cabela's in Hammond this past weekend with a buddy of mine to check out the reloading supplies. Walking up to the store I tucked in my shirt so I could open carry. While walking up to the store I was ribbing my buddy because he wasn't going to open carry.

After walking around in the store we made our way upstairs to look at the guns and reloading equiptment. As I was looking at the Leupold LR/T scopes a guy behind the counter waved me over. The conversation went as follows:

"Sir, are you a police officer?"
"No"
"I'm going to have to ask you to conceal your firearm."
"Why?"
"Store policy."

I then covered my pistol. The guy was curt about it. Now I am confused. I had thought that they were carry friendly. I have open carried there in the past without a problem. Should I have told the guy to get his manager? I didn't fight it because I didn't want to be wrong. Any thoughts on this?

It is absolutely not store policy. In fact, Cabela's has been taken to task over this on more than one occasion. You need to let store management know that their retarded employees are still pulling this crap.

Check out these threads from OpenCarry.org:


No OC at Cabela's - Indiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum
Cabela's store policy - Indiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum

 

[turnandshoot4]

Great link Scutter! I'd like to go back soon and press the issue now that I know more.

 

[Scutter01]

You should post your experience on OC.org, too. They'll probably have some helpful advice. Seems like a lot of them are from that area, too.

 

[turnandshoot4]

When we had the NWI open carry event I heard about the stories from Prometheus but I didn't remember exactly how it went down.

Well if one young guy carrying legally, dressed well, in a busy store on the weekend scares the guy behind the counter I think I might just get a group together to scare the hell out of him!

 

[Jack Ryan]

I went to Cabela's in Hammond this past weekend with a buddy of mine to check out the reloading supplies. Walking up to the store I tucked in my shirt so I could open carry. While walking up to the store I was ribbing my buddy because he wasn't going to open carry.
... Any thoughts on this?

I would have left the attitude in the car and not gone out of my way to deliberately provoke an incident to begin with.

 

[NateIU10]

I would have left the attitude in the car and not gone out of my way to deliberately provoke an incident to begin with.

Ummm...WTF?

 

[melensdad]

I would have left the attitude in the car and not gone out of my way to deliberately provoke an incident to begin with.

I have no clue what this statement means, but I seriously doubt if the original poster had any attitude at all. I've met him and spent 45 minutes talking with him. He's a nice young man, very well spoken, well groomed and I'd have a very hard time believing that he would present himself in a threatening manner inside that store. He does not strike me as the type to walk in with an attitude, to provoke trouble or to be in any way anything but a decent guy.

I semi-open carried today, wore my gun strong side front on my belt, jacket wide open as I walked into the bank today. A LEO walked out as I walked up, not a word from him. I know my gun was visible several times to the 2 tellers who waited on me. I left and returned about 20 minutes later. Nothing said either time. In fact I've carried into that bank for the past 15 years, in several different branches. I see nothing wrong with OC, no reason to think there is any 'attitude' associated with OC either. I'll admit I don't generally OC, but if I have an on-the-belt holster I don't go through any trouble to hide the gun either. Other times I wear an IWB and obviously am concealed.

 

[KDUBCR250]

I would have left the attitude in the car and not gone out of my way to deliberately provoke an incident to begin with.

Uhm the way I read this is he was f-ing with his buddy but only got a attitude when he got one from the gun counter guy. Even then seemed to me he handled it in a good way . Only thing Id have done is asked to see the supervisor and made sure the guy was present when he said OC was ok !

 

[turnandshoot4]

I would have left the attitude in the car and not gone out of my way to deliberately provoke an incident to begin with.

To answer you post no, I didn't have an attitude. I could have made a big stink about it, but I didn't. What I posted was the entire conversation.

How did I deliberately provoke an icident? The mere fact that I was OC'ing? I like to OC in a store like Cabela's so I can talk to people about their rights. Many come up and ask me why I am OC'ing and what the laws are regarding it.

As I stated, I have OC'ed in the past at Cabela's without any problems. I will be OC'ing there within the next two weeks as well. Hopefully with a group.

 

[turnandshoot4]

Uhm the way I read this is he was f-ing with his buddy but only got a attitude when he got one from the door lady. Even then didnt seem to me he handled it in a good way . Only thing Id have done is asked to see the supervisor and made sure the lady was present when he said OC was ok !

I was messing with my bud in the parking lot on the way in. There was no parking and we had a long walk. He usually chooses to CC and I am trying to get him to open up to OC.

The person that had a problem with me OC'ing was an older gentlemen at the firearms counter. No one had said anything to me up to that point. We had watched them feed the fish, looked at clothes for a christmas present, and walked around the upstairs. It wasn't until we went to the gun counter that the incident occured.

 

[Drail]

The correct response should have been "OK, you can ask me." And walk away.

 

[turnandshoot4]

I will consider that when I go back.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Walking up to the store I tucked in my shirt so I could open carry.

While walking up to the store I was ribbing my buddy because he wasn't going to open carry.

Any thoughts on this?

I go in Cabela's once in a while my self.

I carry in Cabela's and a lot of other stores pretty regular and in several different city's.

I've never been bothered. It's implied your buddy was packing and didn't get bothered. But then I don't make a point of deliberately making a show of my gun or ribbing any one about there's. Apparently your buddy doesn't either.

We don't get bothered.

You do get bothered.

When I go in a store it's to do my business. My business and purpose for going in is comerce not the business of making points or putting on shows.

You ask for thoughts.

Those are mine.

 

[turnandshoot4]

My buddy didn't get bothered because he was conceal carrying. Unless someone de-pantsed him, they wouldn't even know.

My purpose wasn't for putting on a show but rather educating the public on their rights. I will be returning to the store to look around AND, most importantly, open carry. I will go to the manager if I have to. I will have the email in hand from corporate.

Thanks for your input!

 

[NWI40cal]

Hey dude, Who was it that said this to you? EVERY time I go to cabelas, I OC. In fact, everywhere I go I OC. If I'm asked to leave, I take my happy-ass out of the store, thats just resonsibility. But Cabelas, we have been through this before, DONT let someone tell you to conceal it, its fully legal.

The best one for info is this first one, but they are all good.

No OC at Cabela's - Indiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum ,
Cabela's OC problem - Indiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum ,
Cabela's store policy - Indiana - Stories From The States - OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum

 

[Michiana]

Because you can doesn't always mean you should

To answer you post no, I didn't have an attitude. I could have made a big stink about it, but I didn't. What I posted was the entire conversation. How did I deliberately provoke an icident? The mere fact that I was OC'ing? I like to OC in a store like Cabela's so I can talk to people about their rights. Many come up and ask me why I am OC'ing and what the laws are regarding it.

As I stated, I have OC'ed in the past at Cabela's without any problems. I will be OC'ing there within the next two weeks as well. Hopefully with a group.

Just because the law says you can doesn’t mean you have to do something to prove a point. Restraint is the better part of valor. This is especially true when it comes to carrying a handgun in public. There are far more people in this country that do not like guns than do so why create a spectacle by walking around Cabela's or a restaurant or a movie theater with your gun exposed because you have the law on your side? Because you can doesn’t mean you should; you have to use common sense once in awhile .

That type of behavior is childish and reflects poorly on the vast majority of responsible gun owners. It is proper to wear a gun on your hip while hunting but not at the grocery store or bank or most other public places. You do not live in Dodge City back in 1870. It is this "in your face" display of a lack of consideration of others that make the non gun owners uncomfortable being around gun people and that is why we have to continue to fight for gun owners rights. There are a lot more of them than us; we are just better organized and represented through the NRA lobbyists. That could change.

 

[ATM]

If you feel like OCing, do it. Hunting, grocery store, Cabela's, bank, wherever you feel like it. It is neither childish nor a poor reflection of responsible gun owners. If you were in Dodge City in 1870 you would notice most all responsible, law abiding citizens who carried did so openly. I have read that the criminals were the ones who concealed. If more responsible gun owners carried openly, the public would soon become comfortable with the facts. Just my thoughts.

 

[Scutter01]

Just because the law says you can doesn’t mean you have to do something to prove a point. Restraint is the better part of valor. This is especially true when it comes to carrying a handgun in public. There are far more people in this country that do not like guns than do so why create a spectacle by walking around Cabela's or a restaurant or a movie theater with your gun exposed because you have the law on your side? Because you can doesn’t mean you should; you have to use common sense once in awhile .

That type of behavior is childish and reflects poorly on the vast majority of responsible gun owners. It is proper to wear a gun on your hip while hunting but not at the grocery store or bank or most other public places. You do not live in Dodge City back in 1870. It is this "in your face" display of a lack of consideration of others that make the non gun owners uncomfortable being around gun people and that is why we have to continue to fight for gun owners rights. There are a lot more of them than us; we are just better organized and represented through the NRA lobbyists. That could change.

With regards to Cabela's, I disagree on their store being a place of "restraint". Their corporate management have made it abundantly clear that they are supporters of both the RKBA and open carrying. It's this corporate attitude that makes Cabela's a "safe" place to OC. The one time when a gun owner can be a proud gun owner rather than one that has to hide in the closet to avoid scaring the soccer moms.

I hate concealed carrying. It's uncomfortable, it slows down access to my defense, and I believe openly carrying serves as a deterrent. I agree that in our current cultural climate concealing is prudent but I open carry any time I feel I can "get away with it". To have a random employee make that decision for me, in spite of his superiors' decisions is distasteful to say the least. I am not interested in making a statement or educating the "sheeple". I am interested only in my own (and my family's) personal comfort and safety.