embarrassed and relieved

[MP3Mogul]

OMG...

Around 7 or 8 years ago, I was carrying and I've been doing so for many many years and I absentmindly walked into a federal building here in Virginia carrying a .40 S&W strapped to my hip. I walked through the metal detector and it wasn't 2 seconds before they were yelling GUN GUN GUN!!!! I was tackled and did not resist.

At this point, I was sure I was going directly to jail... and to be honest, it was not intentional, I had just forgotten because I have carried for so long.

To my surprise when I explained my situation, I was allowed after some background checks to return my gun to my vehicle, and then return inside...

Thank God for the coolness of U.S. Marshalls, and for them being "people" instead of machines, and they made my day!

[willyNH]

MP3:

Better you than me.
Better there than here.

If it had been me and here, I might still have a mark in my ear from a deputies muzzle being screwed in so far. They were cool, calm and collected, but I expect any more than my magazine and I would have had a really, really bad day.

[MrRezister]

I've pulled stunts like that a couple of times.

Back in '96 I was flying home for Christmas from NNPTC in Orlando. I had bought my dad a big Buck Nighthawk Knife, and had already wrapped it up and everything, but I had forgotten to put it in my checked bag! So when they screened my carry-on, here's this bigass knife in there. Security came out and unwrapped my dad's christmas gift, opened the box, pulled out the knife, and ... let me go! I was only 19 at the time, and a dumbass E-3, and I guess they figured if I was going to try anything, I would have at least tried to hide the thing... just glad I didn't do that AFTER 9-11....

And a couple of months ago I went to the courthouse to pay a parking ticket. Forgot to take my big Spyderco out of my pocket. Nobody went nuts, I just had to take it back out to my car (dunno why I parked three blocks away, like an idiot).