It was strange to finally see it for myself on Friday night: after a full day (the details of which I'll save for another time), me and my S.O. did our grocery shopping later than usual. We usually arrive at the Mechanicsburg Wegman's a little after 5 on a typical Friday. (1/)

In any case, we found ourselves leaving the store at around 8:30. As I'm getting ready to turn the key in the ignition, a guy passes by with a handgun tucked into his right hip. He doesn't see us notice this, but after a moment, he untucks his shirt to conceal the firearm. (2/)

I could ask a stupid question of the Twitter constituency, like, "is that allowed in PA?" But the answer is here: https://www.psp.pa.gov/firearms-information/Pages/Carrying-Firearms-in-Pennsylvania.aspx (3/)

I still don't understand the need to bring a gun into a grocery store. It's the type of thing stupid viral videos (that our dark hearts laugh-cry at) are made of: "well, it was the last pack of strawberries, and one thing led to another..." (4/)

Before I hit my teens, I fired my brother's BB and pellet guns. I have a very vague memory of using a shotgun to blow coffee cans off a stump at my grandfather's farm. But in general, and ever since, I've never been comfortable around guns. (5/)

My S.O. owns a handgun, but I've only seen it out of its case once in all the years we've been dating. My nerves and reflexes being what they are, I don't know that I'd be able to trust myself to handle a firearm responsibly. (6/)

But in watching that guy on Friday, who was there by himself, I felt all the stereotypical cliches bubble up: the "feel big with a small peepee" argument...the "American entitlement" argument... (7/)

And perhaps there was something telling about the gun's sand-colored grip. As a kid, I remember how toy manufacturers tried to sell the "fun" of the Gulf War by putting cheap plastic facsimiles in toy stores across America. Was it a holdover from advertising? (8/)

As is usually the case, I didn't start this thread with an over-arching point in mind (I'm not one of those "clever" Twitter users). It was just interesting to actually observe this phenomenon first-hand, which leads me to think many more have been/are already doing it. (9/9)