Saturday, August 08, 2015

Open Carry at Meteor Crater Rim


When I was on vacation to the Meteor Crater in Arizona, I open carried into the museum and display area, and on the tour.  The guard/ticket seller at the front entrance never blinked.  I listened to the tour guide tell us of some of the history, and I asked a question or two.  I must have caught the attention of a presumably Navajo grandmother with her family.  She might have been my age, give or take a few years.

She asked me if I believed what the tour guide had told us. 


I said that I believed most of it, except that I thought it took more than four ranch hands to load the biggest meteor fragment found, a 1440 pound monster, into a wagon.   She said that she thought the exact same thing.  I said that she had the mind of an engineer,  or a scientist, and that I had been both.  She was obviously pleased, but insisted it was "just common sense". 

She told me that her grandsons had ambitions to be scientists.  The trip to the Meteor Crater was a partial reward for her grandsons getting good grades in a challenging school in Texas. Her husband was content to let his wife converse.

She and her husband grew up and raised their children a few miles away from the crater.  I gave her and the boys Gun Watch cards.

It was fun to talk to someone of the same mindset who grew up thousands of miles away, in a different culture.   No one asked about my openly carried Glock 17.    

I have found that most people simply do not worry about whether someone is carrying a gun or not.  They are more concerned about how the person acts.  Act like a decent human being, be treated as a decent human being.  Treat others with respect if you wish to be treated with respect. 

I was glad to see that a remote Arizona business wasn't interested in alienating a potential customer base.  I doubt if they ever considered a gun ban for their premises.  I enjoyed taking the Meteor Crater tour and going through their Discovery Center.   If you are passing by on I-40 (old route 66) I recommend it.

©2015  by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

5 comments:

Wireless.Phil said...

Always wanted to go see it, but never stopped, passed right through the airport.

As for a fragment.
Last I heard there was no fragment.
Some prospector spent money trying to dig one out looking for metal and never found it.
I remember that from a TV program several years ago.


Made me look.

Where is the meteorite now?
Scientists now believe that most of the meteorite vaporized on impact. Small meteoritic fragments have been found scattered around the crater.
www.barringercrater.com/education/craterfacts.php

Anonymous said...

This comment may not fit this article but I would like to make it here because this is the latest post. Our constitution does not require any one to carry a fire arm. It does not prevent anyone from carrying a fire arm. it does require every adult male to respond to a call up of the militia, even Bloomberg types. In fact Bloomberg types could be shot for not showing up. There is noting in the constitution that prevents females from taking part if the Militia were to be called up. It is my belief that even convicted felons have the right to self defense and are required to show up if the militia were to be called up. It seems to me that felons should loose their rights during their time in jail but once they have served their sentence their rights should return automatically. once they are out of jail no one is protecting them. If they are so bad why are they out of jail? If they are so bad why are they still alive? As long as they are alive they are entitled to protect themselves. If you pay off your car you no longer have to make payments, If you pay off your debt to society why do you continue to have to pay and live in danger. If you do not belong on the street then do not get put on the street. even convicted felons can visit this crater, how does anyone know who they are? If the visitors were attacked how would anyone visiting protect themselves? Shall not Infringe applies to everyone legally walking around, including ex cons. What if the ex con now has a family with him? Is he required to watch someone kill his family?

Wireless.Phil said...

Grizzly 1, Hiker 0

Hiker Killed by Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone National Park
Aug 8, 2015, 5:46 PM ET
abcnews.go.com/US/hiker-killed-grizzly-bear-yellowstone-national-park/story?id=32965459

Anonymous said...

So, next time you visit and there's a "Gun Free Zone" sign posted are you gonna feel guilty for maybe being responsible? LOL! Kinda like that where I am. Seen folks OC at the Smiths (Kroger) and hardly anone takes notice. Me, I'm just trying to see what you're carryin'.

rktman

91B4S said...

To Anonymous 05:09

My sentiments exactly. Absolutely EVERYONE has the inherent right to self protection and therefore the right to be armed in the best possible manner to defend one's self, one's family, and one's fellow citizens. The crazies and miscreants will soon be weeded out by sane responsible citizens. Will there be innocent casualties? There always are. However, there will be far fewer in the long run. Thousands are killed annually by auto accidents, innocent children included, but I've yet to hear of a movement to ban automobiles (of course, I don't follow the news from San Francisco, so maybe such a ban has been proposed).

Keep the Faith.