so, i was in Walmart yesterday with my girlfriend, shopping for a few things we needed. i decided that i didn't need to help her pick out girls clothes, so i walked off to the sporting goods section, to see if the price on .45ACP ammo had dropped anymore, which it has. that, and now they're selling that Russian, steel cased ammo, which is only $15 a box!
as i was milling around, waiting for Molly to show up, a store employee approached me. she was a hispanic girl, probably in her early 20's. "excuse me, are you a cop or something?"
i smiled. "no."
"oh, so is that a real gun?"
"i hope so. i paid a lot for it. hahaha."
she smiled, and started asking me a bunch of questions about it: was it legal? how do i get a gun? do i need a permit?
"where are you from originally? NYC?"
"um, yeah." he looked surprised that i guessed right.
"you just moved here, right?"
"yeah! like, 3 months ago. i never seen no one carrying a gun like that. you know, like, a regular person, not a cop. that's awesome."
i started to fill her in. basically, a quick and dirty version of hows and whys of owning and carrying a gun in PA. you know, what would prohibit someone, where to go for a license, when you actually need a license (carrying in Philly, operating or riding in/on a vehicle, etc), how much it costs, and which gun stores to shop at.
"so, what's like the cheapest gun i could get, that would still work good? i don't want a real cheap one, because those probably wouldn't work good, right?"
"if you don't want to spend more than $200, you should probably get a Hi Point." she was typing all this stuff down on her smart phone, so i think she was serious about all of this, which is good. "Hi Points are good guns, but they're big, ugly, and heavy, and a pain to carry around. they're good for the house. but if you want a gun for the house, you're better off with a shotgun."
"how about revolvers and stuff?"
"i dunno. maybe a Taurus? i had one, they're good little guns. also, Rossi or Charter Arms make good ones that are cheaper than Smith & Wessons."
"are Smith & Wessons expensive?"
"kind of. if you can afford one, or find a used one, i'd get that, but if you're strapped for cash, any gun is good enough, really."
"i like that. i can't believe you can just carry out like that in the open. i bet nobody messes with you, right?"
i laughed. "only old ladies who have nothing better to do, and cops."
"for real? that's messed up."
"yeah."
"what is that you have?"
"it's a 1911." she looked confused. "it's a forty five," i said. i've found that people who don't know guns won't know a 1911 from a Mauser, but will instantly know what you're talking about when you say 45.
"that looks hot. it's a good look." she grinned.
"uh, there's my girlfriend. hey, baby." Molly walked up to us. "alright, take care now."
"you too. thanks for the info," she said, waving her phone to me.
oh, and just remembered: a few days ago, we were there, doing some food shopping. we were in the frozen food section, and a woman was walking with a teenage girl, probably her daughter. in our vicinity. they both looked over at me, and the teen started waving her hands excitedly as they spoke in hushed tones. i thought about getting cookie dough to make some with my daughter, so i had to walk past them.
the woman looked at me with an expression of confusion, while the teen was smirking. i looked at the cookie dough, and saw nothing i wanted, so i walked back. as i passed them, the teen called out, "yo! that **** is tight!"
"um, huh?"
"that's mad gangsta. i respect that **** a lot, yo."
"uh, okay. thanks....i guess."
she turned to the older woman, and repeated what she said to her, as i walked away. "word, that nigga is gangsta. you see that ****? that's what i'm talkin' about, fo real..."
only me.