Open Carry Scares The Sheeple
Evolution of an Idea
When I first moved to Idaho, back in the start of the eighties, it was all too common to see people driving around with shotguns and rifles tacked up in their trucks. Farmers would come to town with their pistols strapped to their legs. It turned no heads. Caused no commotion. Was the accepted mode of everyday attire. Of course, you didn't need to lock your cars or trucks back then. Heck, you didn't need to lock your house up when you left it for a bit.
No one was bothered. Thefts of property were rare.
Slowly, as more and more people moved in from other more restrictive states; as the gangs moved in with them; as the druggies became more of a problem, this lifestyle began to come apart.
I watched the neighborhood, where I bought my house, changed from mostly older white folk (with a few of us "youngsters," peppered here and there), turn into Mexico North. As the older citizens died off and the kids didn't want the old houses, the hispanics would buy them up and move in. For some reason, this intimidated a lot of the younger whites. They sold their houses and moved out. It was immigrants and migrants that bought them up. Till I found that I was one of the very few whites that still lived in the area.
Many of these folk were migrants from the Central Valley of California. With them, they brought their families. Among these families were young bucks who thought they had To make some sort of statement... Like "we own this turf."
That didn't set well with me or most of my immediate neighbors. That was when my wife and I started carrying openly, as we went about our daily routines in our yard. Pretty soon, we could be found out and around town, with our guns strapped on. Didn't seem to bother anyone... At least no one ever commented on this. Not the stores, not even the banks. I started noticing that my immediate neighbors began wearing their guns.
It got to the point where the presence of the city police was everywhere in our neighborhood. Shootings started occurring, as one gang invaded another's turf. Almost always at some big fiesta.
With the increasing gang activity, you know it just had to happen. Came one day, when my wife were working in the front yard, we saw a bunch of guys walking up the street, a couple of blocks away, picking up small rocks and throwing them at parked cars as they moved towards my block. Well, we stood out towards the street, making sure the thugs could see us. Suddenly, all my neighbors were standing out by their yards. All of them were armed. We looked at each other and smiled, then watched as the thugs came closer. They came to the intersection that led to our street and saw us. They dropped their rocks and decided to walk in another direction.
We ended up doing this about three more times that year. Never been bothered by these cretins since. Our other neighbors down the street saw what happened and they began to do the same thing. Now, we hardly ever see these thugs. Oh, they make their presence known from time to time, but so do we. No trouble. They've got guns, we know this. But so do we, and you know? They don't seem to want to be the first to throw lead. Suits me just fine.
I may be the only Anglo left in the area, where we live, but I get treated with the same dignity and respect that I show my neighbors. We all watch each others houses. We all make it a point of telling our neighbors when we will be gone for more than a few hours.
In other parts of our town, the thugs walk about like they own the place. They paint graffiti on many of the buildings and fences facing the allies. But not here. Not in our neighborhood. Most, if not all of us are armed and we're not afraid to show these punks, we mean to protect what is ours. All of us go to the stores and gas stations and banks, armed. Openly carrying and it bothers no one.
Over the years, I've taken many of my neighbors out to our range and taught them proper handling and safety. Today, when I go to the range, I'll enivitably get asked by someone what I'm shooting today, and more often than not, take someone with me.
A visibly armed society is a polite society.
We seldom have city cops come around our neighborhood any more. Those people that belong to gangs, just don't seem to want to cause any trouble... At least not here. We still have many fiestas during the summer weekends, but no more shootings. We still get a little gang activity, but they know better than to do more than just walk through the neighborhood.
I guess what I'm trying to show, is that the loss of open carry occurs because it simply goes out of favor as a society evolves. First it occurs in the major metropolitan areas and spreads out as urbanites spread to suburbia and the rural environs.
And just the reverse needs to happen, in order to bring it back. It was easier here, because it was "out of favor" for only a short period of time. Oh to be sure, it is still not as commonplace as I would like to see it, but it is happening. Despite the fact that it "scares" the bliss ninnies here (yes, we have them... too many, if you were to ask me!).
For those of you that live in states that actually have laws against common folk being armed, it will take a concerted effort. But it can be done.
Of course, their is still the question of, Should it be done? There may be some truth to what Icarus says (even though it is a false assumption, here, in rural Idaho). But I tend to think, that those bad guys would generally leave you alone, most especially if there are more than one of you. The risks to them are too great, when confronted by more than just one person with a visible gun. Consider that the police can walk around, armed, and for the most part, they are safe. Why wouldn't the same hold for citizens? In theory, it should.
Yet still, it comes back to what Icarus is trying to say... That the will of the public is what determines normality. Here in Idaho, I have the unadorned right to carry openly, should I so desire. Brandishing laws cannot be used to curtail that right, even if it scares someone.
Having said that, if I were to go from where I live to Boise, Pocatello, Idaho Falls or Couer D'Alene, I would probably find myself facing down the cops. They don't like it. It's just not done. And many of the younger guys just don't know the law or our history. I have done this in Boise, only to be asked, politely, to conceal it, if I have a license (and they know I do, as they check my DL, which my CWP is connected to), so as not to scare the sheep. Depends upon what I'm actually doing as to whether or not I can or will comply.
I always open carry when I'm in Blaine County (Hailey/Sun Valley). I will admit I do this to spite the bliss ninnies there. It's a mean streak I let loose. Actually, it's quite satisfying. I've gotten into many a fine discussion with the police there. Guns, rigs, shooting, and the attitude of the transplants towards the locals.
But then again, this is Idaho and by and large, we're pretty cavalier about guns in general... Carry 'em if ya got 'em.
