Do You Carry A Weapon/Craigslist Meet
 

Like the title states...

Would you bring some sort of weapon with you even though you are meeting in a very open public place like a restaurant parking lot.

I sold my wheels on my car and I am meeting the buyer a little ways from my home....

I have done this before but was wondering if I should have anything else with me besides my phone...I do have my concealed carry permit and we are allowed to carry....should I bring a small caliber spoon with me just in case.

The buyer seemed mature and decent on the phone....

No.

In a open public area there shouldn't be a need to carry a gun.

BUT you do have a permit so carrying it is not an offence. Unless something happens he'll never know you had it.

Now the hard question: Does carrying a gun make it more likely that something would happen?

Let's look at it from another angle.
If you knew there was going to be trouble, of course you would carry.
But if it was me, and I knew there was going to be trouble, I wouldn't go there.
I look at carrying as an in-expensive insurance policy.
Jim

Absolutely

Long story here but in summary: middle of the day at a major intersection, both drivers armed, throw in a little road rage when one of the drivers bumps the other and a bunch of lives ruined forever.

North gets 70 years in prison for murder of Austin David » Abilene Reporter-News

And no, I'm not anti-gun and have more than my share but for the above reason I choose to not carry one around with me. There are just to many armed hot-heads running around..

I carry wherever it is legally permissable to do so....

yes.

Don't leave home without it...

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I carry a gun to my mailbox. If I thought there might be trouble, I'd carry a rifle or stay home. I've bought and sold plenty of guns in parking lots. Never had a problem. But then I open carry for gun deals and so have plenty of others I've met in such deals.

+1

For the OP, you have a carry permit, but it sounds like you don't regularly carry. Why is that?

Everyone....Thank You for the replies so far.......I believe I will just take with me a small pocket pistol in a pocket holster..

Honestly I don't carry to often as I am not in bad area's as much thankfully. Plus I have my youngsters with me a lot and we seem to be going to retail establishments more and more frequently.

I am just meeting this person 1/2 way driving distance in an unknown area and dealing with a fairly large $ transaction (well $900)

Like someone stated, he wont know I have a weapon on me and I wont know if he has one on him as well.....It just bugs me a little that a increase in crime has happened since the times are a little tough.....Just two weeks ago a person got hurt completing a Craigslist transaction/meeting.....

I am just trying to be careful

Yes, I would be armed. I would also arrive before the appointed time and reconnoiter the area. Identify cover and egress routes. From concealment, I would watch the other party arrive. Make sure he comes alone, look for any accomplices. Make him wait as you observe. Look for any sign that he is armed, as well as indications of agitation. If he appears to have come alone and unarmed, proceed with the meeting. I'd be armed with a primary weapon, and a backup. Not sure what you mean by small caliber, at least the primary should be a sufficient defensive round, no less than 9mm Parabellum. Ideally the backup is the same caliber and uses the same magazines. For example, my primary is a Glock 19; a good backup would be a Glock 26. Wear clothing that allows rapid access to your weapons. During the interaction, be careful about body positioning. Don't turn your back on him or let him approach you with the sun at his back. As you are looking over the wheels, walk around so that you are behind him, if he maneuvers to prevent this, that's a clue that he's a threat. Maintain a protective radius, which means keep a minimum distance away from him - I use ten feet. Don't shake hands or pass keys, papers, etc hand to hand. Telling people you have a cold is a good way to keep your distance. Good luck. Next time, use eBay and avoid in-person transactions.

I would go with a friend or if you are legal to carrry, do so.

Having a CCW and not using it is silly IMHO as you might need protection coming or going to the meet, life is like that.

I carry all the time, deal or no deal

maybe meet at the local police station...at change of shift

Please review what Rick wrote. You don't carry because you think you might go to a place where something might happen. If I go to an area where I "THINK" something might happen, I either take friends with me, or I don't go. If you have a permit, you carry. Why wouldn't you? Why would "going to a retail place" be a reason to not carry?

Your most powerful weapon is your brain...

That said, if you have a CCW permit, and if you normally carry, why not? I would if I did... but since I work at a college and my life is home to work to an errand or two to home, I can't have it with me anyway... so I don't have a CC permit, other than that one under glass in Washington DC that no one really honors (except Vermont I think?)

The Craiglist buyer is probably on another forum asking if he should be "packing" for this transaction...

No permit needed in AZ, but it helps to show one for private party gun sales. You'd be amazed at how many gun deals are done in the parking lots of the local Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop and Sportsman's Warehouse. I'm sure everyone carries for those. The two recent Craigslist deals I did were with a teenage boy and a woman about my age. But I never leave the house without a sidearm, so of course I had one with me for those deals.

I know people who never leave the house without an M4 in the truck. The sidearm is just to keep you alive long enough to get to your rifle or get out of there. Joeaksa and I were at a gas station a while back where he was filling up and I was keeping an eye on things, sidearm in the small of my back. Sure enough, some bum came up and started panhandling. Some of those guys are just checking you out to see if you look like you'll see them steal something or resist a mugging. Those cameras at the gas station are for the cops to review afterwards. They don't stop anyone.

Man robbed by two suspects after placing an ad on Craigslist.org looking to purchase an Apple iPad | abc13.com

He never made it to the front door of that very open public place like a restaurant parking lot...