"Packing Heat" at the Cub Scout Ceremony (Update on page 3)

Everyone in my family (except me) is active or retired law enforcement.  I don't think anyone in my family (again, except me) is ever without a gun.

Exactly and I'm shocked that a off duty cop would be without a gun. You're never really "off duty" as a cop. If DH was off and something happened and he didn't act on it he would get in trouble.

Three of my BIL are active duty LEO and I have never seen one of them OPEN carry without their uniform on or badge in plain sight. However, I have always assumed they are carrying and I'm comfortable with that. I am fine with concealed carry, it is only open carry with no particularly apparent reason that I am uncomfortable with. I understand that it is perfectly legal to do so but most of the instances I have read about it seems to be more about intimidation than protection. I am speaking about carrying a handgun on your hip here not about a rifle in a gun rack nor about an off duty LEO. Again I understand that it their right to do so. It's my right to feel uncomfortable and think it's not appropriate.

Every time I hear a story like this I think of John Crawford.

I have known a lot of LEO, including my Dad, and they were never without. But you never knew it. I had one friend who used to come around when my kids were very little. He knew how I felt, and very casually put his weapon out of sight/reach - the kids never noticed. It's not the normal, trained people who I fear - it's the crazy ones.

As I thought - and someone was kind enough to find the BSA rules - its wrong in that setting. If it were me (and I was the committee chair as well as on counsel) I would let the committee chair know. Obviously nothing happened this time, but if nothing is said now, who knows what happens if someone else thinks its ok?

They know how dh and I feel about guns, they know that guns kill people, they know not to touch them.  And most of the places that they go there are no guns.  It's just not something they see in daily life which I am thankful for. I know their bff's parents don't own guns, no one in my family does except my BIL and they don't ever go to his house anymore, no one in my dh's family has guns.  We don't hunt, we don't live in the country, guns aren't allowed at their schools.  The only two people that I know personally who have guns are my bff's dh who is a police officer and my BIL.  We just aren't around them.  That we see!

My kids would have reacted the same way.
Even now - college age - their eyes would bug out of their heads.
They've never seen anything like that. 
Hell, I'VE never seen anything like that. 

If that's paranoia, I'm good with paranoia. (I've heard it before. I posted once that I was afraid of guns and Mrs. Tyler told me I needed psychological counseling to get over the debilitating fear that was controlling my life. Ah, memories.  )

Boy Scout meeting: I would have been very unhappy. 

My dad wanted me to get my concealed carry when I lived in Detroit. I never did because there were so many places that you couldn't legally carry a weapon, and it's also against the law to lock your gun in your car because of the high incident of thefts. 

People assume that nobody at churches carry weapons. Since there have been incidences of people getting shot and killed at church, a lot of churches have people that conceal carry and take care of security at church. Most of them are off duty or retired LEOs.

I don't think that open carrying amongst a bunch of kids was the most responsible action. I'm also a member of a family that is full of LEOs, and we've always been very concerned about not making weapons appear "cool" to children. 

My guess is that this woman didn't want to keep her weapon in her car. I guess she thought that keeping her weapon on her person was safer than keeping it in her handbag. 

My female cousin is in the SBI. She conceal carries because of the threats of her job, but she doesn't advertise that she carries. If you know what to look for, you can tell if she's wearing her ankle holster.

Still, the LEOs I know always err on the side of caution when around children. I always lock my gun in my safe when I have children visit--which is rare. I also lock up my medications. I wouldn't conceal carry and have a weapon in my vehicle if I had children or when my relatives visit. 

I think in the OP's case that the woman thought that carrying her weapon was more responsible than leaving it in her car. I don't understand why she couldn't have concealed it, though. I would have been concerned that by open carrying amongst a huge room full of boys, I was making a firearm appear cool and tempting. 

I'm really interested in any follow up on this situation. 

Actually, when younger, my kids might have been so discombobulated that we would have had to leave. 

I assumed they were not plainclothes law enforcement in that story. If they were, my husband (but not me) would have recognized it and we would have explained it. If not, I can see my kids being uneasy and distracted, at the least. And me, too.

(And thank you for giving me the opportunity to use the word "discombobulated."  )

Regardless of the state law, the weapon strapped to her is a violation of " guide to safe scouting" and therefore is NOT permitted at scouting event. The pack is chartered through the church.

The exception being unless she is law enforcement and is required to carry a weapon even when off duty.

Even though it may not be illegal, I bet the church has signs posted that prohibits CCW.

But they may be someday, I was never around drugs or knew anyone that did them, but the fear my mother instilled in me was just as bad.  Just because they are not around them now they are going to grow up and be around many different people.  Taboo to kids seems to be open season to check it out.  That is why I say a frank discussion about why you are against it, but also why some do carry and that does not make them bad people.  Give them both sides so they are not blind sided when they do have to deal with some day.  FTR guns scare the crap out of me, I do have friends that carry and I never know if they are carrying and when they're not, don't need to know.

Hey thanks for mocking my children and their fear of guns.  Real big of you.

You did

But it made me think about us and dh is left handed to eat and carries on his right. So he probably sits with his inside more than outside too We try to keep his left elbow to the outside of the booth!