Open Carry - In Your Face!

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Picher

New member
Recently, there have been demonstrations promoting open carry of firearms in Maine's largest city. Although it's a person's right to do so, is it the right thing to do, or is it an unnecessary provocation that will ultimately hurt all law-abiding gun owners?

When I was in my teens and twenties, there were four or five stores that sold guns in the downtown area of Waterville, Maine. It was no big deal to openly carry rifles and shotguns around Main Street, but common courtesy and safety to open the actions.

Today, you can't buy a gun downtown and when purchased at most large stores, after a purchase, you're escourted out the door like a criminal.

While I'm an older guy and appreciate being able to carry an exposed weapon, in light of the mass shootings, can empathize with citizens who fear open weapons.

So, without a formal poll, what do you rifle and handgun shooters think about such demonstrations?
 
Although it's a person's right to do so, is it the right thing to do, or is it an unnecessary provocation that will ultimately hurt all law-abiding gun owners?
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with the latter thought in that statement.
 
If Done Right

The University in my hometown, Northern Michigan University, just had an open carry/concealed carry demonstration. They did not carry any guns but just the empty holsters and it was well publicized with flyers and documentation all over campus so everyone knew what was happening. The Campus Police were told in advance and were well aware so there weren't any issues. All students must turn their guns in to the Campus Police and sign them out when they wish to go hunting, which in my part of the country is a very common thing and why many of these students come here.

To finally answer your question, I believe that if more people got their CCW permit or actually carried open, that crime would decrease because there would be more people in positions to deter criminals. Granted, some places are not practical to open carry and CCW permits have restrictions for civilians, but the premise, in my opinion is still valid.
 
I don't believe that open carry rallies are going to really hurt gun owners. The media certainly trys to demonize those rallies, guns and gun owners, but I don't believe that most people buy into the hype / fear mongering spread by some of the media and the Brady Campaign types.

Personally, the more guns owners there are, the more CCW holders there are, the more that people demonstrate that guns don't suddenly make people blood thristy nut jobs, hopefully we can de-demonize guns a bit.

Of course, I'm making the assumption that these rallies are respectful and that these gun owners remember that they are representing all guns owners.
 
Where I live the law enforcement officials open carry their sidearms.
I don't feel that they are, or would be, any more or less threatening than Joe Citizen.
I cannot open carry where I live, due to state law, but we're working on that.
It gets warm here, and I would/will certainly OC if permitted.

...and by permitted, I don't mean "with permit":p

p
 
In the old wild west days there was actually little crime. Everyone knew that there was a good chance of getting shot if you were involved in crimminal activity. The more guns being carried the more civility there will be.
 
I think ALL gun owners need to be very carefull when it comes to
"In your face" approach with guns

We are in a VERY unique time with guns and the populace in the USA.

All it will take is for a nut-job to go crazy 1 or 2 more times.

The rural population is largely gun friendly. The city population, the ones that
have never owned or shot a gun, are largely against guns.

The big problem is...... as more folks move to the city, the children are not taught about guns or allowed to shoot.... are being brainwashed against
ANY guns.

What was normal 20 years ago is not taday. The fact is, hunting is NOT increasing in the USA.

With the way the constitiution has been manipulated. And with the voting
power shifting, things may not look like they do today for very much longer.

With this shift of population goes votes. Someone who has never held or shot a gun, and is being told that guns are always bad WILL vote against it.

The majority...... at some point will be anti gun, if the trend continues.

To get votes..... I fear that ANYTHING could happen.


In my humble opinion all gun owners should:

1) Immediatley join the NRA. They fight legislation that would hinder gun ownership.

2) If you are in real danger, carry, but do it CCW when around others.

There is NO REASON to shove your right to carry in another law abiding persons face, that may not aggree with it.

Trust me..... YOU hurt the cause.

3) Make sure your weapons are safe in your house

4) Thank the good Lord that you are in the USA. (Go to Britain, and talk with
others about hand guns....)

5) Vote in your local and national elections

Keep your eyes open....... times are very wierd.
 
Two Points

The left wingers never hestitate to get in peoples' faces with their crap. Oh, I mean views. Why should pro-Second Amendment people have to be reserved?

"An armed society is a polite society." Whoever said that was right. I noticed long ago how polite people are at my local firing range. No need to wonder why?
 
Last edited:
Be vocal.

If the opportunity arises for you to have a discussion, do it.

Stand up for your rights

DONT DO IT WHILE YOU HAVE A GUN ON YOU.


Certain groups of people are looking for ANY opportunity
to make gun owners look stupid
 
I'm so sick and tired of those people who blatantly open carry their cell phones. I mean who needs that right in your face. Worse than that they whip those things out at the drop of a hat and and blatantly exercise their First Amendment rights right in front of the delicate sensibilities of other folks.

They should all learn to keep their cell phone conversations private and stop with these needless displays, for shame. Have you seen what happens when they have cell phones in cars? Oh and don't get me started on the open cell phone possession and use in bars. People, don't drink and dial (there ought-ta be a law).

--------------------------------------

Parody aside, I think we need to keep the pressure on to shift mentality. Hopefully someday nobody will think anything more of a firearm than they do of a cell phone or a construction worker's belt full of tools.

Of COURSE there will be some types out there that just have to do the screaming "look at me" method for everything and OF COURSE they will cause us heartburn and speedbumps, but if our cause can't handle the issues created by that tiny percentage of idiots then we need to re-assess the validity of our cause.
 
The left wingers never hestitate to get in peoples' faces with their crap. Oh, I mean views. Why should pro-Second Amendment people have to be reserved?
Click to expand...

Because like it or not, the wonderful US media will treat any anti-gun rally as a case of people demonstrating their first amendment rights, and any pro-gun rally as a bunch of crazed rednecks who pose a menace to the rest of society, and will make every effort to portray them as such.
 
Where I live the law enforcement officials open carry their sidearms.
I don't feel that they are, or would be, any more or less threatening than Joe Citizen.
I cannot open carry where I live, due to state law, but we're working on that.
It gets warm here, and I would/will certainly OC if permitted.
Click to expand...

I was having lunch in my local deli the other day and two guys walk in dressed in business attire and order lunch from the counter. They both had very handsome .40 cal glocks holstered OWB, very visible. Nobody jumped up, got nervous, or panicked at this sight. The reason, on the other hip they both had these bright shiny, gold GBI badges. My observation: two plus two = calm, badge and gun. Subtract the badge and even if you have the legal right to do it people WILL react differently, most will get nervous, some will panic, and some will even call the police. I wonder what those two GBI agents would have done if they saw someone walk in with a holstered gun but no badge. I am betting they would have probably given that guy some grief.
 
Nobody jumped up, got nervous, or panicked at this sight. The reason, on the other hip they both had these bright shiny, gold GBI badges. My observation: two plus two = calm, badge and gun. Subtract the badge and even if you have the legal right to do it people WILL react differently, most will get nervous, some will panic, and some will even call the police.
Click to expand...

I haven't had that experience. The fact is, being professionally dressed, clean and polite (sad to say, but being white helps too) will keep just about anyone from even noticing a holstered pistol, much less caring about it.
 
Scott,

What part of the country are you from? Just curious because that may play a major role in how people react. In my neck of these urban southern Georgia woods I can assure you the reaction would not be calm. I agree with your assessment and intimation as to the bearer of the gun somehow adding a degree of calmness to the situation.
 
I'm in the Norfolk / Virginia Beach area of Virginia - I should have mentioned that in my post, since you're absolutely correct that it makes a difference.

I'm also a Naval Officer with 16 years' service, and I'm sure people can smell that from a mile off even if I'm not in uniform. Fortunately, the only place where it's currently an issue is restaurants (can't CC in anyplace that serves alcohol, but OC is legal), but that restriction goes away on July first.
 
OC

I am a LEO and a STRONG supporter of OC. Any time that a right is unused it will be lost. For example, in my state of Missouri, open carry has been legal for years, at least back to the 1875 Missouri Constitution. However CC was not until 03 or 04. When we tried to pass CC in 99 the anti gun crowd played on people's ignorance, as if this would be the FIRST TIME that the general population would be ALLOWED to carry a firearm. This was all due to the fact that not many exercised their OC rights. When we did pass CC, the law was challenged in court because of the 1875 law states that OC was legal. If people had exercised their OC rights we wouldn't have had the up hill fight.
 
+1 patriotthad!

First, why do we think that pro-gun people are the minority? We are not. We are, actually, the vast majority. The problem is, while the anti-gun minority, for the sake of argument, has 1/2 the people in it as the pro-gun majority, they scream three times louder and longer than we do. To illustrate this point, here are a couple of indicators:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/bradycampaign?ref=ts
7,318 People Like This

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Fairfax-VA/National-Rifle-Association/22561081832?ref=ts
152,163 People Like This

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gu...ing-forward-gun-ban-despite-publics-rejection

Only 8 percent of Seattle residents commenting on the idea support it, according to figures from the mayor's office. Ninety-two percent of Seattleites who opined rejected the idea. Only 2 percent of respondents who live outside the city support the proposed ban, and 98 percent oppose the idea. Deadline for comments was last Sunday. SAF has learned that the city received 1,088 comments via e-mail, and only 44 supported the mayor's proposal. Ten more telephone comments were received, with only one favoring the ban.

"This is a crushing defeat for Mayor Nickels," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb.
Click to expand...

2. So, if we, as the pro-gun MAJORITY, don't start standing up and dispelling the propaganda that the anti-gun group is cramming down everyone's throat, then exactly who is going to do it? Open carry in normal day-to-day life is important because it is the only visible example that the public will see that it is NORMAL for an American to be able to protect themselves. We can't just quietly hide our guns away and hope that there is not another nut case who does something criminal with a gun. If we do that, the ONLY thing the public is going to see about guns is what the anti-gun groups are proclaiming.

It does not matter what happens, groups like the Brady Campaign are not going to shut up and go away. They are engaged in media warfare against us and how can we hope to gain any ground at all by keeping quiet and hiding our guns away. It's scary to think how deeply their propaganda has infiltrated into our pro-gun ranks. We need to stop believing what they are telling us. You can tell they are lying whenever their lips are moving, or when their pen goes to paper.
 
When it's done appropriately and responsibly, I think it may be a good thing.

When it's not, it can be very detrimental. Part of it comes down to the motivation. Far too many people are doing it out of novelty, or out of a desire to spark confrontations with the "normals."

For every mature, articulate person I've seen openly carrying, I've seen three giggling, inexperienced, belligerent 20-somethings who do it to "get in somebody's face." That's where my concern lies.

The media has been exposed to responsible folks open carrying, but the most press time has gone to people I don't want representing me. Count among them a 9/11 truther, a guy who openly supports a pastor calling for the death of the President, and a guy who announced widely and publicly that he was doing so to spark encounters with law enforcement for the sake of filing a lawsuit.

They are a very small minority of the movement, but they're what the media gravitates to. The fight for the 2nd Amendment is one of public perception, and we have to be very careful how we present ourselves.

The left wingers never hestitate to get in peoples' faces with their crap. Oh, I mean views. Why should pro-Second Amendment people have to be reserved?
Click to expand...
We should present a more reasoned, mature demeanor to the public. Our cause is just, and the facts back us. We can make our point without having to resort to theatrics. We must be better people than our opponents.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top