An interesting way to deal with open carry laws:

[davidthegnome]

122. Always good to read your posts, Brother :)

I work for the front desk of a hotel - I had a pretty awful situation just a few weeks back. A guest came to me in an absolute fury. The man was so angry he was shaking. "Why the (expletive) was the door to my room left open!?!?"

I was in the middle of checking in a guest, but I had to pause to deal with this. "Sir, I don't know, it's possible that one of our housekeepers might have forgotten to close it, we have a few in training right now... I'm very sorry, let me finish checking in this guest then I'll be happy to help you however I can..."

"WHY WAS THE DOOR TO MY ROOM OPEN?!?!?" I use caps to emphasize how loud he was. This was a pretty muscular older fellow (mid fifties, at a guess), probably 6'2, who's company (some sort of mercenaries) contracts with border patrol - he was from Louisiana. Bald headed, very red in the face and on the top of his head by now. At this point I noticed the gun on his hip and was starting to get a bit nervous.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I don't know... if you'll..."

"Well find out! If there's anythin' missin' you fuckers are gonna buy me a new wardrobe!"

The guest I was checking in at the time was apparently someone who worked with him. "He's had a real bad day. Good luck dealing with that one". I smiled nervously, finished the check in process and sent the guest to his room. Then I quickly called the manager who was out shopping for some things for our restaurant, to let her know what was going on.

I have a very easy-going personality. I'm one of those live and let-live people. I don't like confrontations - and I have some real issues with anxiety. By this point, I was starting to pace a bit, fidgeting with my shirt collar, and wondering if eight dollars an hour was really worth it.

The guest returned to the desk, about ten minutes after the initial confrontation. "Well, yer lucky there's nothin missin, you little shithead. Now, I'm expectin' a free meal and a free room fer the night after this shit. You better make sure that happens, boy."

Now I'm thirty, not exactly a boy, but I'm often told that I look younger than I am. In any event, it's been a while since anyone I didn't know well has called me boy.

"Sir, I don't have the authority to offer you that. Our manager should be returning soon and I'm sure that she will be happy to discuss this with you. I am very sorry for your inconven..."

"Well, that just figures. Ya can't do much of nothin', can ya, ya little fucker? Are ya tellin' me that yer company don't care? Are ya tellin' me that management doesn't give a shit?"

At this point, he was wearing a little smirk, the fingers of his right hand tapping the handle of his holstered weapon.

"No Sir, that's not what I'm saying. It's just that I can't..."

"Whatever. Get yer manager ta meet me in the restaurant. I'll wait fer someone who can actually do shit. Can ya at least give me a free meal?"

I was trying very hard not to totally lose it at this point, I was feeling a very nervous mixture of anger and fear. "Sir, I'm sorry, I cannot authorize that."

The man's smirk became a sneer. "If ya think this is angry, boy, you ain't never seen me angry and ya don't want to. I'm bein' nice right now."

There were a few more verbal exchanges, but the man eventually wandered off to the restaurant, leaving me feeling well beyond flustered and shaking. I had a pretty awful panic attack and it was very fortunate that no one else needed me for the next half hour.

When my Manager came in, I explained what had happened, with some stuttering and obvious frustration. I can't remember the last time I was so angry, or so frightened.

To summarize (at this is already an extraordinarily long post) our manager, a woman in her mid fifties who is just shy of five feet tall, walks with a constant limp (earned from years of hard work) and definitely does not look intimidating... went down to talk to the guest. He started yelling at her and she would not tolerate it. "Sir, there's no reason to yell." Anyway, he eventually apologized (to her) for the way he acted. She explained that what had happened wasn't my fault, told him he'd had no reason to take it out on me, and so on.

At the end of the night? That gentleman was comped the rest of his stay and several meals at our restaurant. I went home that night dreaming wistfully of better employment.

What really freaks me out is that people like that guy are not terribly stable to begin with. To have them walking around with open carry laws and stand your ground laws... dealing with people who are pretty much defenseless... it's a very frightening notion.

Maybe I should find a good cave to live in.