I met my first tRump supporter yesterday.

[Hepburn]

I was at a Holiday gathering and this gal came on about Muslims and how she is "packing heat." Holy shit! Dead silence to the statement and looks of people looking at each other expecting someone to say something. I was so stunned that I was speechless. This is a well-educated female who is retired after a successful professional career.

I chose not to reply or argue...anyone with a gun in her purse is someone around whom I really do not wish to remain.

[leftyladyfrommo]

1. I know some people who are just scared.

Scared people do dangerous things. She is a lot more likely to accidentally shoot herself with her own gun than she is to be killed by a terrorist.

[Hepburn]

2. That was my first thought and my second one was...

...she may miss herself and shoot someone close by!



End of the party for me and others!

[Person 2713]

35. If she just started packing she is inexperienced and could shoot you is right

Saw it happen . The bullet went through the ceiling no one was hurt that time

[CurtEastPoint]

3. I would have said that popular line "I am in fear for my life" and said good-bye.

[Hepburn]

6. Pretty much what happened!

I did keep a watchful eye until I was sure she was not about to spot a Muslim and start firing all over the place.

[dembotoz]

4. only your 1st???? they are all over where i live in wisconsin

[Hepburn]

5. I live in a very blue portion of Los Angeles county, CA

I have not seen any political support signs except for Bernie. Yesterday was a shock to me -- I had always figured this gal to be fairly smart and rational. Boy was I wrong!

[Le Taz Hot]

22. Then, unless she has a CC permit

(VERY difficult to get in California) she was in violation of the law. I would have reported her ass.

[H2O Man]

7. Recommended.

Two days ago, I had a phone call from an old associate. He had just spoken with a police officer, about how to get a permit to own & carry a handgun. He said the officer told him that the police are encouraging citizens to do so. I said that I assumed the officer meant to encourage those with handguns to follow the law. The old friend said no, the officer made it clear that due to the dangers in society, more people should be packing iron.

He asked if I wanted him to pick up the paperwork for me? I said no. He said that he wanted me to think it over, in light of the number of people who had made threats against me in recent years. My answer remains the same.

It is within this atmosphere of fear that Donald Trump gains support.

[Hepburn]

9. Wow, H2O...threats against you!

How scary.

And scary, too, that LE would support the reckless use of firearms so openly. I am not a fan of LE and I do not trust them...did too much criminal defense work in the past...and LE way back when was too Rambo. I cannot even imagine dealing with them 20 years after I stopped practicing criminal defense law.

Please be safe.

[GoCubsGo]

44. Does he live in Ulster County, NY, by any chance?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/12/05/sheriff-urges-licensed-gun-owners-to-arm-themselves-after-san-bernardino-shooting/

[H2O Man]

45. No, but

not far away.

[maryellen99]

8. I saw one while grocery shopping the night before thanksgiving

He had a trump shirt on and look very pissed off/angry. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was carrying either.

[Hepburn]

10. From eyeballing the tRump crowd on TV...

...they seem to be (and, yes, this is a big generalization) angry white guys, mostly young and some middle aged ones. So when this female in her mid-70s came out with the tRump crap, it was really a shocker to me.

[TexasProgresive]

11. The perfect plan would be for all the shocked people to

agree to meet somewhere else to continue the party without the gun toting moll.

[LibDemAlways]

12. Last night I was doing some online browsing for

handbags on a mainstream site and was pissed to see photos of guns in ads for purses offering "concealed carry." Weapons of death in marketing aimed at American women. Paranoia fueled by fear is taking over.

[Hepburn]

13. Holy sheet!

This is so out of hand!

All a young mother needs is one of those concealed-carry purses and a curious 2-year old who is on an exploration.

[Person 2713]

36. A version of that just happened not long ago

[leftyladyfrommo]

29. There have been a couple of children killed

when they grabbed ahold of their mother's gun that was stashed in one of those purses.

One case was a child in a shopping cart seat who grabbed the gun while his mother was getting something from a shelf.

[Kalidurga]

14. I am so sorry.

I haven't met any. But, my daughter has met two and she gave me a report. They sounded even more crazed than I thought they would be.

[Hepburn]

16. What scares the hell out of me...

...is that this was not expected at all. So, if she seemed normal and kinda middle of the road, I am wondering how many more are out there we are not aware of until one of them pulls a gun and empties it due to his/her fear.

Scares the hell out of me. IMO, tRump has created an environment with some that shooting first and asking questions later is most likely not just OK, but a good idea.

[Kalidurga]

17. Most the people I know wear their crazy on their sleeve.

They aren't afraid to sound like jerks or whatever. If they are rapid Republicans you will know it. If they are uber Liberal like I am you will know it. Or if they are just apolitical run of the mill nuts, you will know it. I guess that is the nice thing about where I live, no one feels the need to hide what they are unless they are outright predators.

[Hepburn]

18. She was not hiding her "Muslim" craziness.

She just came right out with it when someone say "tRump" and everyone but her laughed about him. Just scary to me that someone like her would buy into his bullsh*t. I guess fear does some strange things to people.

[Kalidurga]

20. Oh good for a second I thought she seemed completely normal

Just be thankful she wasn't shy about sharing her views people like that are far more dangerous. But, yeah I would never hang out with someone who felt they need to carry a gun even if you know they are still far too risk adverse to be stable people.

[Hepburn]

23. Gun nuts who carry...

...with or without a CCC...scare the hell out of me because using violence seems normal to them.

[Kalidurga]

27. I have a theory on that

But, it's still a work in progress. The long and short of it though is I believe that conservative enclaves are more violent than liberal areas and it begets even more violence. I don't really blame her if she grew up in a toxic environment of course she is going to be more paranoid than average. OTOH, nothing is stopping her from reviewing statistics that show you are much more likely to be injured by your own gun than use it for self defense.

[Hepburn]

31. I have the feeling with her that over the last past year she has had some health issues...

...and because of this she is feeling a vulnerability she has not felt in the past.

On your theory: I do believe that conservatives are far more ready to use force to solve problems whereas liberals seek other solutions. That also fits, IMO, the usual anti-DP stance of most liberals and anti-war stances as well. To me, violence begets violence.

[Kalidurga]

33. Violence does indeed beget violence.

After a few generations it's almost impossible sometimes it is actually impossible to figure out where it all began.

[Person 2713]

37. Health trauma issues are solved by carrying a gun? What's wrong with a teddy bear??

Don't give violent tendencies an excuse or pass because of illness

[Hepburn]

40. I think it is fear and not violent propensities which are the motivating factor.

However, they often have the unfortunate same results.

[leftyladyfrommo]

34. I have a long time friend who is way more right wing than you would ever guess.

She just keeps her real thoughts to herself because she knows better than to say stuff like that out loud. She is really very racist and she knows she is. And she is way more afraid than normal people when it comes to getting shot by a terrorist. Gotta say I am really glad I'm not caught in her mind because it is not a good place to be.

It's kind of weird really.

[firebrand80]

15. I was asked to sign a petition to get Trump on the ballot

this was about a month ago. He actually seemed like a pretty ordinary guy, which was odd.

[Person 2713]

38. May have been getting paid to gather signatures . Going rate is $1 per valid sig line

They need to get a certain amount to get on the primary ballot

[Le Taz Hot]

19. At which point I would have ran, not walked,

to the nearest exit and told my host why I was leaving.

[Hepburn]

25. I had 4 people in my car...

...and could not leave immediately. Boy, did I want to go! Had to round up the troops and head out!

[MANative]

21. We have one in our office, and as the SVP of HR, it was my delight...

to be the one to tell her that her spewing of hate against Muslims would not be tolerated in our Manhattan office. I reminded her that nine of her co-workers - people she claims to respect and admire - are Muslims. She spluttered excuses and I told her that she was entitled to her opinion, but as an employee of our company, she was not entitled to profess it within our workplace, lest we open a full investigation of racial harassment and discrimination complaints which could result in the loss of her job. She doesn't like me very much anymore.

[Hepburn]

24. Good on you for not letting her hate spew continue.

And...I like the consequences you pointed out for hate speech.

[MANative]

30. I normally don't relish the disciplinary portion of my role, but...

I did enjoy this one! I've got the CEO's support that if it happens again, the spewer will be terminated. Jeez, 15% of our employees are Muslims, including three pretty senior people. It would have broken my heart if one of them had overheard this crap.

[Person 2713]

39. And really I would hope HRs in places would speak up even if there were no Muslims

in their current workforce if they have employees like this . Good on you for tolerating this employee enough to let her know her options and the she can choose. That was very diplomatic hope she learned something

[MANative]

41. You're right- the absence of Muslims in our workplace would have made no difference...

in how I handled it. Their presence made the situation a bit more urgent, but I would have addressed it regardless. Just like any microcosm, I've found HR professionals on the entire range of the spectrum. Some are hard-nosed pro-management and others are all the way to "bleeding heart", a term I gladly embrace for myself. In general, I've found that they take their cues from senior management. We're lucky to have a very progressive CEO and CFO leading the executive team, and it's one of the main reasons I chose this contract. We'll see how she responds/behaves in the next few weeks. I hope she took it to heart.

[cwydro]

26. Do people really use the phrase "packing heat?"

Seriously?

[Kalidurga]

28. I have heard older people use the term.

[cwydro]

42. i'm "older" lol.

I know a lot of older people.

I've only heard that on TV.

[Hepburn]

32. Many of us old f*rts do. n/t

[Solly Mack]

43. The closest I've gotten is a bumpersticker on a truck going down the road.

I made a point of getting a few cars back behind the truck.

[SheilaT]

46. Whoever was in charge of the gathering

should have asked her to leave. It shouldn't be necessary to post a No Guns sign at such parties, and probably this woman would have ignored it.

[Skittles]

47. "Excuse me; I don't care to be around gun humping cowards."

bye bye!!!