Anyone Give You The Look Of Horror...

[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 -