If you have a particular encounter with another citizen or LEO, post it here.
 #47745  by Shrek
 
I went to the AI Dupont ER with my son. Turned out he needed emergency surgery but is better now. Before going in I checked the windows looking for some type of "No Firearms Permitted" sign. There aren't any. I started out in the ER and from there went all over the hospital. Every time someone handed me a new form or pamphlet I read it over carefully looking for a firearms policy. Never found anything. I guess I was there for about seven hours and nobody said one word about my gun. I interacted with, at least, 50-80 people including the nurses, the MRI techs, anesthesiologist, the surgeons and even a couple security guards. (Got lost a couple times) I would say 40+ of them noticed my sidearm. They would glance at it and go about their business. I had been in there a few times before so I really didn't think there would be a problem. While my boy was in surgery, my wife and I went out to get a bite and she went home to be with our other son. I went back in, got lost, and was directed by two different security guards how to get back to the surgical waiting room. Nice guys too. About fifteen hospital people walked past me before the surgeons came in to talk to me. We stood and sat there talking for a good 20 minutes. They took me into the recovery room where I talked with two more nurses. Then it happened.

After the recovery room we were taken upstairs where he was assigned a room. I was sitting in his room on my computer waiting for him to come to when his nurse I had spoken with before came back in and asked if I was armed. I said "Sure am, why?" She went on to tell me that the charge nurse thought she saw a gun and wanted her to go check. She said that I wasn't suppose to have it in the hospital. I told her I didn't know and that I had checked for signs and literature when I came in. I also said that I had been all over the hospital for the last seven hours and nobody had said a word. She asked me if I could place it in my car. I told her that would be a problem and explained that we are a one car family and my wife had taken the car home to be with our other son. She said ok and that she would be back.
A half hour later, here comes the head nurse, security shift supervisor, and a seventy year old guard. I guess he was backup. The super asked to talk to me in the hall to which I replied that I would be out in a minute.(Had to power down my laptop.) She produced a "Policy" paper basically stating that I couldn't have it in the hospital. I asked if she could show me and she did. She went on to tell me there are children in the hospital. (Glad she told me cause I never would have figured that one out) To which I told her that that was a good reason for a lawfully armed citizen to be there and that I hoped she could see I was not there to cause a problem. She said she could see my point and also said that she knew I wasn't there to case a problem. However, there was still a, no firearms for other than employees, policy and that I needed to have someone come get it or put it in my car. I responded that neither was an option and explained why. She then asked if I minded if I placed it in their safe and that I could pick it up when I left. I told her I would need a receipt. She agreed and then asked me if I could go get "my gun". I told her it was on my side. (This is when she started shaking) Then, she asks me if it's loaded. I responded with "Well, it wouldn't be much good if it wasn't." About now the head nurse turns away because she is laughing.

The super, with her backup, then walked me down to the security office where I unloaded it, placed it in a plastic bag and she gently placed it in the safe and told me I could keep the three mags. I told her I would never be able to find the office again and asked for an escort back to the room and then back to the security office in the morning. She said sure and to just call down when I was ready and give them my name as they would know who I was. (No doubt) I talked to the security guard back at the room for a while and he agreed I should have been able to keep it on me. We talked about active shooters like the VTech shooter and that if one student had been carrying, the body count would have been much less. He agreed and basically told me, "What are we going to do about something like that. All I have is a pen."
Fast forward to leaving time. I got my escort and was greeted by the Ex-state police Col. Security Director who was polite but informed me, "This is a children's hospital." (Once again, SO GLAD HE TOLD ME.) I mentioned active shooter, but not in those terms, and was told there were armed police on the premises. I told him in the twenty-two hours I'd been there I hadn't seen one. He handed me me defensive tupperware, which I checked for damage(He looked offended that I was checking it.) and we spoke for a few more minutes. This is where I found that he didn't know anything about OC's lawfulness. He asked if being harassed was worth it. I told him that this was the second time in three years that I had been bothered and that the hospital was the first time I had ever been asked to disarm. He told me I was a first for them too. He just asked that I keep it in my car when I returned. He the ticked me off when he said, "Is your child a patient here? (No, I just like to hang out around sick children was what I wanted to say. At this point, I was getting really tired and my anti-people skills were starting to show.) I said yes and then he put his foot in his mouth! He said, "Well, when is he leaving?" OK that's it. I responded with, " When he's better. When do you think?" He let it go after that but another guy came over and started with, "And I don't want to see that holster in here either." I respond with "It's a piece of plastic." And he says,"The holster will scare the nurses. When they see a holster they think there is a gun around." And I say," Generally, if there's a holster there's a gun in it. If it's empty there generally isn't a gun around or it would be in the holster." He then says, "It scares some of the nurses." I looked at him and asked if the hospital staff has good insurance. He gave me a puzzled look and replied yes. To which I replied, "Maybe the scared ones should get a psychologist to help them with the irrational fear of a piece of plastic." He walked off after that. I put my defensive tupperware in an ammo can my wife had brought me, shook the director's hand and started to leave when he stopped me again. It seemed he didn't want me walking out the front door so he had another guard drive me in their security vehicle to my car.
SO, while I had OCed there several times, I guess the "wrong" person saw me and OCing there probably isn't a good idea. YMMV
 #47762  by Amy Blackthorn
 
Shrek wrote: To which I replied, "Maybe the scared ones should get a psychologist to help them with the irrational fear of a piece of plastic."
:applause:

I got one of those from a gun dealer from MD before. :roll:

Either way, you handled it well considering what a stressful situation it was to begin with.

Hope your son is better soon!
 #47773  by myopicvisionary
 
Nicely handled Sir. Prayers for your child.
 #47777  by photog
 
Very well done Sir!! :applause:

Hope your son is feels better very soon!
 #47802  by GatorDude
 
WPCatfish wrote:What's "defensive tupperware?"
Good question!

Oh...and well-handled in a tough situation. Hope your son is doing well!

:applause:

P.S. I've CC'd in A.I. DuPont Hospital a few times. I've never OC'd there though.
 #47803  by radnor
 
Hope your son makes a speedy recovery. And well handled.

:pointlaugh: They'll like your response to "defensive tupperware".
 #47812  by GatorDude
 
astro_wanabe wrote:You people have never heard the term defensive tupperware??
i'm assuming it refers to "plastic" guns. Although I think it actually originally started as referring to the Glock case which is very much like Tupperware.

Am I correct?