I have been wearing the NRA cap pretty much in every outing I do. I was planning on give it a break and wear my new Kahr cap, but mysteriously has disappeared (My mother has found an attraction for caps in her later years, I may have to go check her closet).

I have found that people’s reaction come in three flavors: Positive, Negative and None. Let me start with None: it was the majority and that includes people who had no idea/made the connection and people who recognized the cap but had no positive or negative reaction. On the last group, I was just a polite and friendly person, humor where applicable and Spanish spoken when needed.  You wear the hat, you are an ambassador and your duty is to show the Media and the Opposition has been lying: “That fat Latino guy is an NRA member? But I was told only Rednecks and Crackers were members! Was I lied to?” Short answer, yes.

Negative reactions: Much easier to detect. Nothing as in verbal attacks so far, but they can give you the Death Stare like nobody else. When you interact, their replies have been curt and almost impolite. Sometimes I forget I am wearing the cap and wonder what have I done to piss that person off by just saying hello. Then I usually catch them stealing glances at the cap, the mystery is solved and I turn on the charm, specially if others are present. Again, the point being to contradict the BS told about us by the Press and the Gun Control groups which Negative Nelly’s eyefuck to me in public is a representation and it would be hard to understand to others present.  If the enemy does it best to be assholes in public, who am I to correct them?

Positives? They run the gamut from a friendly smile and wink to loud expressions of camaraderie. In some cases you see people relax as you would when that find out new person you just met is a gunnie like you and understand the difference between Magazine and Clip.

I understand that many in my generation of the Old Gun Culture are wary about coming out of the Tactical Closet and display the colors proud. It is still fresh in all our minds when a simple NRA sticker pasted in the bumper of our vehicles was enough to be pulled over, harassed and even arrested in certain jurisdiction. It was the times when politicians were ready to extract the list of NRA members so they could be individually sued to “Pay the medical costs of gun violence” and other crap like that. We were accused from everything that happened in our Country including the blowing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

But we are living in different times, not perfect times but certainly better than 20 years ago. Get your cap out of the closet and take it out for a spin, if anything to get it a bit of sun in this beautiful spring.

Baby Steps!