OK, Ed. I will explain my self and keep this civil. Bear with me, this is long winded.
I live in a state and county that is very restrictive as to handgun ownership. The county police commissioner has decided that I and other gun owners cannot CCW EVEN THOUGH I HAVE PASSED THE BACKGROUND CHECK FOR NY STATE CCW. We have fought this and have even had the county legislature pass a law requiring that the commissioner follow the state laws. He has refused, the county legislature is too cowardly to stand up to him. An individual from upstate with the same license can carry concealed, I cannot. I don't like it, I will work to change it and there is now a bill in the state senate that would require the commissioner to follow the state laws.
I do not like many of the restrictions placed on me by various levels of government, many of these restrictions are probably un constitutional. I would be willing to bet there are laws you are subject to that fall into the same category.
As it stands now, any problems with the law require me to report same to the county police and they will evaluate whether I should have my permit, any problems. I have seen friends loose their license because they were undergoing a divorce, another was involved in a shouting match with someone at a gun show and was required to write an explanation to the police. A third was involved in a bankruptcy and problems with the IRS (Bye Bye permit).
Some of you folks complain about California, believe me New York is worse.
Carrying openly is considered brandishing, immediate arrest and bye bye handguns. Is this a police state, you bet, I will try to help change things but this is my home and I 'm not running.
I hope that the govt thinks I am the type of individual they desire, a sheeple if you will. The less they know about me the better. If you know your enemy, and know yourself, you will win every battle. I will comply with their system untill I can change it, and I won't be able to change it as a felon.
If you folks want to make a statement, why not a march on Washington, UNARMED, to make our point. They won't arrest anyone if we all behave and we might make a difference. Of course this will be difficult for some of us but great things are rarely easy. The media would just love a bunch of cowboys struttin around packin' their pieces. You know they would spin it this way, find the one jerk among thousands of normal folk and put him on the 6 o'clock.
If you really want to make a point, do it without arms but en masse, it will work!
Geoff Ross