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Posted: 12/20/2014 3:37:12 PM EDT
So I pull into the local hardware store and park next to a small Kia with 'don't tread on me', 5.56 Daniel Defense, and other stickers... unfortunately, no afcom sticker.

And as I walk in I see him.... khaki 5.11 pants, vest coat, buzz cut.... he couldn't have stood out more if he was in blaze orange and it got me thinking.... do you really want to have permanent markers as "that guy"? Everyone on his block or regular drive routine has him pegged as "that gun guy". What sorts of 'tells' do we make unintentionally?

Me, I've avoided political or ideological stickers and act stupid with casual neighbors who bring up guns or 'let's secure the neighborhood' topics of conversion. I don't know them enough to not act like a innocent bystander who doesn't know the difference between a revolver and a cannon..
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 3:41:21 PM EDT
[#1]
I avoid stickers. im 33
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 3:42:23 PM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
So I pull into the local hardware store and park next to a small Kia with 'don't tread on me', 5.56 Daniel Defense, and other stickers... unfortunately, no afcom sticker.

And as I walk in I see him.... khaki 5.11 pants, vest coat, buzz cut.... he couldn't have stood out more if he was in blaze orange and it got me thinking.... do you really want to have permanent markers as "that guy"? Everyone on his block or regular drive routine has him pegged as "that gun guy". What sorts of 'tells' do we make unintentionally?

Me, I've avoided political or ideological stickers and act stupid with casual neighbors who bring up guns or 'let's secure the neighborhood' topics of conversion. I don't know them enough to not act like a innocent bystander who doesn't know the difference between a revolver and a cannon..
View Quote


So you're saying I should take the "follow me to the bunker" sticker off my car?

I do have an NRA sticker on my window but that's about as far as I go.  Anything more would stand out like you're describing.  

-Emt1581
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 3:55:32 PM EDT
[#3]
I don't wear any hats or clothing that indicate I own, shoot or otherwise enjoy guns or anything else for that matter.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:00:19 PM EDT
[#4]
Is the best method of survival being the grey man in a hostile populace, or being "that gun guy" who successfully spreads his ideology in the marketplace of ideas?  Who takes the neighborhood kids shooting, teaches the Boy Scouts how to shoot, teaches @ Appleseed, campaigns for pro-gun candidates?
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:19:49 PM EDT
[#5]
Good question.  Go grey for self defense or go all out without fear of reprisal?

I haven't done the bumper sticker thing in years.  For 1 I view them like tattoos, a low class social marker, for 2nd I don't need to show off or brag to people I don't know.  

So no, no Larue, Leupold, Hornady stickers on the car.   Liberal shitbirds will key your car for having any sticker they don't agree with on your car; Bush-Cheney, USMC, NRA, etc.  The car can't defend itself while I'm not around.  I however can and will wear an NYSRPA (our state association) hat or shirt.   I also use my head where I wear this stuff.

I also carry and don't want to be tipping my hand until I want or need to.  

So for the most part I'm in the OPSEC grey man side.  Although anyone that knows me knows I'm a gun type person.  If you don't know me you won't be pegging me due to 511's and tactical boots.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:32:23 PM EDT
[#6]
There's two ways of looking at this and I'm not sure which one is correct. Advertising what you have may prevent an attack since they may move on to a weaker looking target or it might not. I've thought about this and I'm just not sure which is the better choice. Probably depends on the type of SHTF event and whether you're more concerned with government people or looters
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:43:23 PM EDT
[#7]
Essentially this is the OC debate.  Does an openly carried firearm deter crime or attract it?  In the case of police, it clearly deters crime.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:46:12 PM EDT
[#8]
I'm going to be putting a BFL on my car soon.
I don't think many people outside the gun world know what it is.

Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:56:32 PM EDT
[#9]
My bumper stickers are magnetic.  Before I go into hostile territory, off they come.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:56:46 PM EDT
[#10]
All I have is a BFL....You either know exactly or you have no clue...
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 4:59:47 PM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I avoid stickers. im 33
View Quote


This, Im 18
ETA: I live in a state that allows citizens to carry starting at the age of 18.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 5:20:57 PM EDT
[#12]
No BFL or other gun stickers on my car and no gun clothes or patches (unless a couple Wilderness belts count) for OPSEC reasons.  I'm not much of a sticker guy, anyway.  I only have one very discrete (1/2" tall font) WWW.TDICLUB.COM sticker on the bottom of of my rear window.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 5:27:30 PM EDT
[#13]
I don't have a single thing "memorable" on any vehicle I own. Plausible deniability.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 5:41:29 PM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
All I have is a BFL....You either know exactly or you have no clue...
View Quote


I think you give criminals too much credit. Savvy ones will know.

No bumper stickers on my vehicle, stick families, unnecessary government stickers, or other identifying marks.

In the future, I intend to remove the dealership sticker that they all slap on the back for free advertising, as well as the make and model placards.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 6:31:56 PM EDT
[#15]
All I have is some bird crap on my rear window.  
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 6:41:09 PM EDT
[#16]
I have a friend with no CCW that wears a Glock hat and said that it has prevented some thugs from thinking twice.


I have a CCW
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 6:49:01 PM EDT
[#17]
What bumper stickers.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:03:47 PM EDT
[#18]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I don't have a single thing "memorable" on any vehicle I own. Plausible deniability.
View Quote

Previous car was a black volvo stationwagon like any other around here. You can't drive to the grocery store without seeing a couple like it. The current car is a grey ford Fusion with the same anonymous look. Around here, I could get a decent BMW and be just as invisible, which might be my next choice if I don't decide to go cheaper on my vehicle for a bit to put more money away. I don't do a ton of driving normally so while I might enjoy the nice BMW or Mercedes, it's not really that much of a down side for me if I go to a nicely equipped Ford Focus.

I believe in NOT standing out day to day with the general public. Not just about prepping, but about anything. If I'm not trying to date you, sell you something or get you to do something you don't want to do, I would rather not stand out in your memory at all. None of those require my outward appearance to be out of the ordinary.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:23:08 PM EDT
[#19]
I really don't care what others think.  I'm old, stubborn, and clinging to my guns and religion.  
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:27:26 PM EDT
[#20]
Zero stickers. Never had em.

In some areas, thieves will target vehicles with gun stickers hope to score a gun or three.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:32:14 PM EDT
[#21]
Stickers go on my tool box not my car
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:36:48 PM EDT
[#22]
I wear a Noveske hat pretty much daily, but someone that isn't one of us isn't likely to have a clue anyway.

I refuse to wear anything 'tactical' and I don't OC.

I prefer to blend in.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:40:21 PM EDT
[#23]
The "tactical" guys often stick out like a sore thumb. I prefer to be inconspicuous, I hate drawing attention to myself in most circumstances.

I do have a Rebel Alliance crest hitch cover on my pickup though
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 7:47:45 PM EDT
[#24]
yep, them free promo stickers for guns and ammo companies,  they go on hard cases or tool boxes at the house.  

Link Posted: 12/20/2014 8:01:57 PM EDT
[#25]
BFL only
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 8:20:12 PM EDT
[#26]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

What bumper stickers.
View Quote



What guns?
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 8:37:57 PM EDT
[#27]
In Virginia, we have "Don't Tread on Me" license plates available. It is second in sales of all license plates to the "In God We Trust" plate. The rest are beyond a distant third, including the generic plates.

Since there are so many DToM plates here, it's not really a "tell" on anything. The Browning deer outline sticker is also pretty popular here due to the number of hunters. You could argue that automatically indicates owner has a gun, but it could very well be "just" a hunting rifle.

If you're wearing a vest with lots of pockets and you don't have either a camera around your neck or a hat with fishing lures stuck in it, you likely are packing heat. Luckily, in the fall, a lot more people wear vests until it gets cold enough to need to wear a full-fledged jacket.

I just got a pair of LA Police Gear cargo pants. Unlike the previous versions, they've put a small, discrete LAPG patch sowed at the bottom corner of the cargo pocket. I don't particularly care for it, but I'm not going to waste time removing it, either.

I think a much more telling opsec violation is the "Obama-Biden" stickers which automatically brand you as a moron.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 8:47:42 PM EDT
[#28]
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 9:16:32 PM EDT
[#29]
BFL  and FBHO on my jeep. I'm not worried about it. The only ones that have any idea what either means are already on the same side.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 9:22:20 PM EDT
[#30]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
All I have is a BFL....You either know exactly or you have no clue...
View Quote



This.  I have had several people as what it is and I have fun making shit up.  

Plus I drive a White Silverado and thats as common as Coca Cola.
Link Posted: 12/20/2014 10:12:59 PM EDT
[#31]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
What bumper stickers.
View Quote

Link Posted: 12/20/2014 10:49:16 PM EDT
[#32]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
BFL only
View Quote

Link Posted: 12/20/2014 10:50:24 PM EDT
[#33]
I hesitate to even put an NRA sticker on my vehicles.  But I'd rather have that than a license plate with my
name or wife's name on it or one of those stick figure family stickers.  I'd rather people know that I support
the 2nd Amendment than the composition and names of my family...

On the other hand, things like WVU emblems can help you blend in almost anywhere in WV.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 12:18:52 AM EDT
[#34]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
BFL only



I had a deputy sheriff who is on the SRT team in our county ask me what the BFL decal was on the back of my truck.  He thought it was some type of gear or cog logo for something.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 1:28:31 AM EDT
[#35]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I had a deputy sheriff who is on the SRT team in our county ask me what the BFL decal was on the back of my truck.  He thought it was some type of gear or cog logo for something.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
BFL only



I had a deputy sheriff who is on the SRT team in our county ask me what the BFL decal was on the back of my truck.  He thought it was some type of gear or cog logo for something.


Exactly. Very discreet except people that are huge geardos.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 7:50:21 AM EDT
[#36]
Black BFL on the edge of a tinted window.
No other stickers.
I wear jeans, boots, and a t-shirt.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 11:02:42 AM EDT
[#37]
I don't like stickers as mentioned earlier.
I don't even have one for the gun club that they give out.

Now y'all are kinda making me a BFL sticker.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 11:13:47 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
So I pull into the local hardware store and park next to a small Kia with 'don't tread on me', 5.56 Daniel Defense, and other stickers... unfortunately, no afcom sticker.

And as I walk in I see him.... khaki 5.11 pants, vest coat, buzz cut.... he couldn't have stood out more if he was in blaze orange and it got me thinking.... do you really want to have permanent markers as "that guy"? Everyone on his block or regular drive routine has him pegged as "that gun guy". What sorts of 'tells' do we make unintentionally?

Me, I've avoided political or ideological stickers and act stupid with casual neighbors who bring up guns or 'let's secure the neighborhood' topics of conversion. I don't know them enough to not act like a innocent bystander who doesn't know the difference between a revolver and a cannon..
View Quote



Aaahhh, but you see to many on the internet, that IS the quintessential "gray man", LMAO.

The vest deal or the overshirt that screams- CONCEALED WEAPON HERE!!!!  The sideways glances over the shoulders, holdovers from "modern technique" training (probably just watching youtube videos actually!) which says "don't let alone close, stay in "code yellow" all the time....

People like this have no idea that they could be wearing a frickin clown suit and via their body language, psyche, etc. they would still stick out.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 11:32:22 AM EDT
[#39]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I really don't care what others think.  I'm old, stubborn, and clinging to my guns and religion.  
View Quote




Call me kooky, but I respect people with ‘patriot’ stickers on their car/truck.  Clean cars/trucks are ok, too.  I even like seeing Libvomit stickers on cars, too.

The following stickers are proudly displayed on my rear window of my truck: NRA,  Revolutionary War Veteran’s Association,  Subdued American Flag, and a BFL.  In the front license plate holder is a Gadsden plate. My dress is business casual for work and wear jeans or shorts on the weekends.  I’ll wear an NRA polo or Appleseed t-shirt when I want to.  Vehicles are broken into all the time; it depends where you are. Shitbag criminals could care less about political affiliation.

Carry, too.

ETA: wish I could get a subdued NRA sticker.  Not to hide, but because I want one.

Link Posted: 12/21/2014 11:55:05 AM EDT
[#40]
No stickers on the truck....  Wife has 26.2 and 13.1 on the minivan...  


I am sitting here wearing a H and K shirt
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 12:38:33 PM EDT
[#41]
Guess it depends on where you live. I can't drive down the main street in my hometown without seeing 3 trucks with a big ar15 or "assault life" sticker on the back. I wear BCM hats. If someone knows what that is they are already on "my side".

I don't have bumper stickers because I just don't like them.

I do have some Larue tactical stickers on my desktop at work though.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 1:03:21 PM EDT
[#42]
No stickers on my truck, heck, I even used a hair dryer to take off the stupid 4x4 stickers that were on the truck bed.

Typical attire is jeans and t-shirt with an overshirt or gortex coat for conceal carry and sometimes I wear a baseball style hat with a HK or Noveske logo if it is raining, and I doubt the brand names on my hats have any meaning to the sheeple.

I don't talk to neighbors about guns or politics, and at the same time, I don't hide my opinions from friends about responsible gun ownership and the need to practice using your weapons regularly if you are a gun owner.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 1:21:22 PM EDT
[#43]
I don't advertise.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 5:30:07 PM EDT
[#44]
Just the standard FEMA camp barcode and RFI chips for me.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 5:37:46 PM EDT
[#45]
Stickers go on hard sided pistol cases. I have a pink camo NRA ball cap that I only wear while shooting. I've got a religious medallion hanging from my car's rear view mirror, but that's it. Other than that I've got a gray car, of which there are many others like it. No one ever suspects I'm carrying or even suspects I'd be into guns, etc., unless I told them.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 7:18:19 PM EDT
[#46]
I have several stickers and always think about putting them on the back of my Jeep but have still yet to do so.  I guess I don't like to stick out.  Back when I was young with a lifted wrangler I had a bunch of brand/ off road stikers on it but that was pretty much self explanatory.  I have a standard NRA sticker and arf ham related sticker that are begging to be stuck on the back window though.

I wear BDU style pants daily and an ODish American flag patch hat so I guess I might stick out a little.  I find regular BDU syle pants comfortable, pretty much only ever wear boots, and like a basic USA hat.  It is what it is I guess.
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 9:51:37 PM EDT
[#47]
I had a BFL on my car for a few
days before I took it off. I have
cameras in my car a lot more often
than guns but I don't want either one
stolen.

I do have a gadsden on my jeep,
but what red neck doesn't have one on
his jeep. But since it's a soft top I don't
leave any valuables in it.

John
Link Posted: 12/21/2014 10:34:56 PM EDT
[#48]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
BFL  and FBHO on my jeep. I'm not worried about it. The only ones that have any idea what either means are already on the same side.
View Quote


Second post in the following thread is about as entertaining as it gets for bumper sticker/license plate number combos.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_42/571720_who_has_the_license_plate_number_AR15_.html
Link Posted: 12/22/2014 12:20:32 AM EDT
[#49]
I don't wear clothing with gun related logos and certainly don't put stickers related to guns or shooting on my vehicle. Nobody needs to know shit from looking at me about what I do or own.
Link Posted: 12/22/2014 12:25:43 AM EDT
[#50]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Is the best method of survival being the grey man in a hostile populace, or being "that gun guy" who successfully spreads his ideology in the marketplace of ideas?  Who takes the neighborhood kids shooting, teaches the Boy Scouts how to shoot, teaches @ Appleseed, campaigns for pro-gun candidates?
View Quote

You do realize you can do the latter without having your car pimped out like the industry forum nascar entry right?
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