It’s funny, isn’t it, how you just never know …

I was on my way to campus Saturday night around 8:30 – I was in the passenger seat, a family member was driving to drop me off. We were headed west on Cecil B. Moore driving across Broad Street on a steady green light, and a guy headed north on Broad in an SUV blew the light, flew into the intersection and took off the front of our SUV.

Just a car accident, right? It happens. But apparently this was no normal wasn’t paying attention or guy in a rush who hit us. He was driving under the influence … and little did we know, he was carrying a loaded gun.

Within five minutes, at least four police cars were on the scene – officers from the SWAT division, 22nd and 23rd districts buzzed back and forth asking questions and copying information. Then, out of nowhere, a group of officers began to pat down the guy (who was pretty obviously under the influence of something – he was having trouble walking) who hit us. As we stood by on the corner and watched, an officer pulled a gun from somewhere hidden in his clothes. Sure enough, it was loaded. The driver of the car I was in, who was standing with me grabbed my arm and told me, “Look, the cop has the gun in one hand and the bullets he just took out of it in the other.” We were glad we didn’t give him a hard time. And glad he didn’t decide to use the firearm.

It turned out, according to an officer at the scene, that he had a permit to carry the gun. That, to me, doesn’t really mean anything – why would anyone carry a loaded firearm when, clearly, he won’t have a legal opportunity to fire it? But I guess there’s a big difference, for the guy, anyway, between being arrested for a DUI and being arrested for a DUI on top of for carrying an unregistered firearm.

Maybe that’s why Philly has such bad problems with gun crime.

Fortunately, we’re okay, but this makes me wonder how many other people walking the streets of Philadelphia, appearing perfectly normal have guns hidden somewhere in their clothes. It’s a little scary to think you just never know.