Encounter at a Central Texas Diner

Waitresses at the diner pose after the encounter in the middle of Texas

I was on my way to the Gun Rights Policy Conference when it happened.

I had been riding along I-20, covering lots of miles on my Suzuki 650, looking for a likely place to stop for lunch.   Sometime after Big Spring, chance met preparedness, and I dropped speed and got off the freeway.   The location appeared a little more rundown than I liked, with boarded up windows in an apartment building next door and a paucity of cars in the parking lot.

I was committed now.  I parked the bike and put on the cover, a useful theft deterrent.   As I entered the restaurant, I thought, this place must be struggling.  There were only a half dozen customers in booths and tables, even though it was 1 p.m.    On the motorcycle, I was carrying a Smith & Wesson 337, a now discontinued titanium and scandium model that holds five shots of .38+P.  Crimson Trace grips added a laser sight.  It was concealed, as Texas law bans the open carry of modern sidearms.

I was given my pick of seats, so I chose a table where I could keep an eye on the bike.  I shed the helmet and armored jacket, and started to rehydrate.

Under the jacket, I was wearing a Gun Owners of America T-Shirt.   By taking off the jacket, I exposed the GOA logo.

Then it happened.  The man at the table diagonally behind me said:  "I like your shirt".    We started talking, comparing notes on the state of the country and the fight to restore the second amendment.   We both had observed that the more people learned about the subject, the more people supported armed citizens.

We discussed the spiking of self defense stories in the national media.  I told him about the blog Gun Watch, and the citizen stopped mass shooting at the Peach House gunfight, that happened about a hundred miles from where we were sitting.   He had not heard of it.   I gave him my card.

He told me of how his wife, Pat, had been called by a neighbor as two men attempted to break into the neighbor's house.   Pat showed up with a pistol, and in fluent Spanish, ordered the two men to sit on their hands until police arrived.   A smashed window demonstrated intent.  The two drunk men claimed it was a mistake.    I had never read of it. 

My new brother in arms insisted on paying for lunch, with as he said, "evil oil money".   He promised that he would be reading the blog.  

Armed citizens tend to be polite, well spoken, well educated, and friendly.  Anyone who has spent time among the gun culture can attest to this.  I may start wearing the GOA T-shirt more often.


 ©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.