Anyone Give You The Look Of Horror...

[Shorts]

Interesting that you bring this up Shorts. I occassionally get similar reactions here in L.A. but to the even broader, simple answer of "I do leatherworking as a hobby". Here you sometimes will get a reaction from that seemingly simple statement. "You cut and carve up the skins of defenseless animals for fun?!?" Yeah, the PETAites and wannabe do-gooders here can be and are very hypocritical in certain areas. Even when you point out that their Nike runners, Itailian leather BMW seats or their monogrammed briefcases were all made the same way, they still act shocked and appalled. One gallery buyer that I used to deal with for woodturning turned me down for potential leatherworking pieces due to the fact that "they refuse to sell animal flesh". Needless to say I pulled all my work from the gallery and told them to pucker up and K.M.A.

Ahhhh! See I never thought of that cause around here, well, beef - it's what's for dinner.

I think I've only got the leather-hater once, but she was a Birkenstock/Subaru/fleece-type/PNW friend of ours from the Navy and she didn't say anything directly to me. She just made an offhand comment once when all the guys just got back from a det with their new leather flight jackets..."I hate the smell of leather". So, in that regard I respect her for respecting me enough not to bring it to my doorstep.

[Johanna]

I have thought about posting the hate mail that admin gets from vegans and others who don't seem to understand that animals are not killed for their hides, leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. But if I posted it, even though it's great entertainment, it would give them attention they don't deserve. I believe in killing animals responsibly for consumption; I do not throw rocks at kittens or club baby seals. The mail I get from the extremists usually is passionate, and maybe sincere, but terribly ignorant of the way the industry works. A few times I tried to write back and clear up some misconceptions, but that just inspired more hate mail, so I just delete it now. I live in farm country, so the kids know where our food comes from. Some urban children don't understand how those neatly wrapped plastic packages arrived at their grocery store.

Johanna

[horsewreck]

I have thought about posting the hate mail that admin gets from vegans and others who don't seem to understand that animals are not killed for their hides, leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. But if I posted it, even though it's great entertainment, it would give them attention they don't deserve. I believe in killing animals responsibly for consumption; I do not throw rocks at kittens or club baby seals. The mail I get from the extremists usually is passionate, and maybe sincere, but terribly ignorant of the way the industry works. A few times I tried to write back and clear up some misconceptions, but that just inspired more hate mail, so I just delete it now. I live in farm country, so the kids know where our food comes from. Some urban children don't understand how those neatly wrapped plastic packages arrived at their grocery store.

Johanna

Johanna, Thanks for not posting stuff from those misguided folks... Jeff

[gregintenn]

I'm lucky. Nearly everyone around here has firearms. The usual reponse I recieve when someone leasrns that I make holsters is "Cool! Could you make me a .............?"

[cem]

I have thought about posting the hate mail that admin gets from vegans and others who don't seem to understand that animals are not killed for their hides, leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. But if I posted it, even though it's great entertainment, it would give them attention they don't deserve. I believe in killing animals responsibly for consumption; I do not throw rocks at kittens or club baby seals. The mail I get from the extremists usually is passionate, and maybe sincere, but terribly ignorant of the way the industry works. A few times I tried to write back and clear up some misconceptions, but that just inspired more hate mail, so I just delete it now. I live in farm country, so the kids know where our food comes from. Some urban children don't understand how those neatly wrapped plastic packages arrived at their grocery store.

Johanna

My partner has to put up with one of these people at his martial arts class, they refuse to buy the leather training gloves because they think the animals are slaughtered just for that ie sports wear. The rest of the dojo knows my partner is from a meat industry family and that they run one of the biggest butchers in the state and I think they are waiting for him to say something as they all smirk when the other person goes off on one their rants. He keeps quiet though as he knows that it won't do any good, he does find some satifaction though as considering where their uniforms are made it's highly likely animal bones were partly used to make the dye to color them.

We don't live in farm country but we made sure our son knows where the tasty steak his Grandad gives us comes from and if he has to travel out to one of the country suppliers with us he will often ask when we see cows in the paddock if they are milk or meat cows.

[carljc72]

I realize that everyone should be entitled to their own opinion. I just do not have the patience anymore to listen to the negative opinions thrown toward leatherworking and holster making.

I had a lady ask me to make a holster for a suprise for her husband. As we discussed holster options, I mentioned exotics. As I listed the exotics I worked with, she stopped me when I said elephant. She proceeded to tell me how bad of a person I was by being involved in the killing of such large and noble creatures. Remember the my lack of patience...I politely told her..."we only use the baby elephants, not the big and noble ones."

Monica, hold your head high when you tell people you make holsters and belts. Your work is compared to the greatest in the country in many forums.

Carl

[horsewreck]

I realize that everyone should be entitled to their own opinion. I just do not have the patience anymore to listen to the negative opinions thrown toward leatherworking and holster making.

I had a lady ask me to make a holster for a suprise for her husband. As we discussed holster options, I mentioned exotics. As I listed the exotics I worked with, she stopped me when I said elephant. She proceeded to tell me how bad of a person I was by being involved in the killing of such large and noble creatures. Remember the my lack of patience...I politely told her..."we only use the baby elephants, not the big and noble ones."

Monica, hold your head high when you tell people you make holsters and belts. Your work is compared to the greatest in the country in many forums.

Carl

Carl, you forgot to mention to the nice lady that we club the baby elephants to death so we don't have any bullet holes in the hides..... Ditto on Monica's work..... Jeff

[Shorts]

That's awesome Carl. I would have loved to see the look on her face.

[Big O]

In 22 years of law enforcement, I've never ONCE encountered a hairball wearing a holster.

Guns, yes. Holsters, no.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

A lot of times I get a confused look when I tell people what I do for a living.

What's a machinist? I tell them that I run lathes, milling machines, surface grinders etc. If that doesn't do it, I pick up any object at hand ,and tell them " At some point a machinist was involved in making this. Either making it directly, or by making the the molds, tools , or even the machines that were use to make it. It is kind of like oil, in that machining is involved in just about every part of our lives, but we don't see it directly.

By my handle you would get an idea as to what else I am interested in. I am careful about who I discuss firearms with, as that is how I was brought up. My Dad never advertised that we had guns in the house in order to help prevent a burglary. There were no glass fronted gun cases, no mounts on the walls, and nothing overly obvious to point out that we owned firearms. Even carrying them in , and out of the house was done in such a way as to not draw attention.

A tip for you folks that have a gun safe. Bolt it to the floor, or wall. I had a friend whose daughter had some less than desirable friends. He came home one day to find his entire 800#-1,000# safe gone. The came in with a dolly, and wheeled the whole thing out to a Ryder truck, and off they went. Guns , important papers, documents, everything gone. Last time I talked to him, nothing had been recovered.

I know my neighbors have firearms, and on some weekends I hear machine guns being shot down in the washes. This is a semi rural area with a pop around 7,200 in the valley. Lots of hunters, and shooters. Our ACE hardware store has a better selection of firearms than most of the gun stores in Las Vegas. Luckily our crime rate here is almost nonexistent, for now. With an increase in population that could all change.

As for leather, I have a friend who became a vegetarian around 12 years ago. She grew up in Canada, and used to raise their own chickens, and pigs to eat. After coming to the States she just didn't like the taste of the beef here, and had concerns about the use of hormones, and other things to increase output, so she became a vegetarian. I have heard this from other folks who have immigrated here, they mention how the meat here in the U.S. tastes very different from what they grew up with. One thing that seems to be common is that their animals were free range. I asked my friend if she had a problem with leather, and she said "No, because it is used to make beautiful shoes." She loves her shoes, and has trimmed her collection down to around 150 from 300+. She confessed one time that she could have worn a different pair every day of the year, and not run out.

[Hicks02]

I am a normal quite person. Few things get me worked up guns and leather are two of the main ones. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I make holster and I can see their eyes glass over. Then I think to myself, why did they even ask if they didn't want to know. After that reaction I don't even bother telling them I teach the Missouri ccw class. I guess that's ok I love what I do. JH

[Deanimator]

I've been out of work since February of '09. In this employment environment, people don't look too askance at ANY kind of paying job.

I could tell my mother that I'd started making a living as a human trafficker, and she'd probably say, "Honey, that's great! I'm glad to see you back to work!"

So far, the worst reaction I've gotten, especially from relatives, was surprise. Most friends and relatives hope I'm eventually able to make a living from my holsters.

[Randyc]

Great topic and Shorts your preaching to the choir. I live, work, and build holsters in Illinois, a bastion of liberalism. It's big fun informing people I build holsters and see them get that "deer in the headlights look" on their faces. They often ask, why I build holsters and they often can't fanthom the fact that not everything is purchased off the shelf at a Walmart Super Center.

I'm also a police officer assigned to a middle school. (another bastion of liberalism) Holster making and firearms make for some interesting conversation in the teachers lounge,

People sometimes get up and leave and I think some fear my pistol jumping out of it's holster and going on it's own shooting spree. A few, can't see the reason for me being armed in the first place.

I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I announce my plans for starting a school rifle team. That should get them fleeing the teachers lounge in mass

Randy

[olliesrevenge]

It's big fun informing people I build holsters and see them get that "deer in the headlights look"

I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes pleasure in this. I work in Seattle, a longtime bastion of liberalism. One morning I got off work and decided to grab an Americano at the Starbucks in Seattle's Greenlake neighborhood (an ultra-liberal enclave within Seattle). I was sporting a black leather belt case I had just made for my new iPhone4, and while waiting in line a nice looking liberal yuppie gal commented on it. I told her that I made it myself and she asked if I made alot of them. I replied, "No, this is the only one, I mostly make handgun holsters for myself and for friends that carry concealed and do alot of shooting".

The look that came came over her face was a sight to behold, it was as if I had just told her that I harpoon dolphins for fun and sport. The conversation (from her end at least) became a bit awkward from that point.

The real kicker was when I got to the front to order. There was some type of "support the troops" donation box on the counter (which was strange given the location, go figure), and the barista running the reqister asked me if I'd like to give some money to it. My deadpan reply, with a completely straight face was, "I already give alot through the 'Adopt A Sniper' program. I pledged to give $20 every time my sniper gets a confirmed kill and it's getting a bit expensive!"

The silence was deafening.

What is really interesting though, is that for every story like the one above, I have one where the reception was agreeable. When I went through my "political awakening", and made the shift from conservative to libertarian, I found out I had some (albeit small) common ground with liberals. One time I walked into a liberal yuppie health supplement store and said, " I'm tired of being systematically poisoned by military industrial complex corporations, do you have any supplements I can take to detoxify myself?" In the course of the interesting conversation that followed, I wound up telling the liberal gal who owned the store that I made leather holsters, was a competitive shooter, and even owned several evil looking military style assault rifles. She then confided that she and her husband were beginner "preppers" and wanted my opinion on what type of rifle to buy. My advice of course was a military style .308 battle rifle (a la, FN Fal, Cetme, or M1A), or in lieu of that a good 5.56 M4'gery. The amazing part was that she actually wrote this information down.

Our world is getting stranger by the day.

[Shorts]

Randyc and olliesrevenge -

[Reaper]

Something people who fear guns and those on the side of the White hats never seems to get, in my opinion is the fact that a gun is nothing more then a tool. You can pick up Hammer, Nails and Saw making the most beautiful Church, Cribb or Stable. Or you can knock em out, nail em spread egale then quarter em...

Excluding the fact that when Iasked I tend to repeat what Massad Ayoob said once in writing when asked why he carries a gun "Because you won't"

[MBOGO]

Peoples knee jerk reactions to truthful responses can be funny. As for firearms, there are folks that are being fashionably anti, because the news is. When I get a knee jerk reaction, about guns, I politely point out, Wolves like to prey on sheep, and CCWs are good, because the wolves can't tell sheep from sheepdogs if there are CCWs in the mix. If they are on the fence, or otherwise, if nothing else, it makes them think, and that is all you can really hope to do.

My favorite PETAite experience happened about 15 years ago. I was with a friend who was into IRONMAN competitions and such, and we had to stop at a large health food supermarket. A kind woman was handing out free samples of "all natural" "JELLO". It was so delicious, we got her talking so we could sample the different flavors. After she went through the all natural bullet points, she finished that it had no animal products in it. I answered, more thinking out loud, matter of fact "so then what are we gonna do with all those hooves?" She looked like her mouth was at that moment, instantly filled with raw sewage. I don't know how I didn't break out laughing. My friend did though.

[Reaper]

Very few people understand that Jello is reconstituted bone... LOL