Monday, July 18, 2016

What's the point of "open carry"?


The Ringling Brothers Republican National Convention opens today in Cleveland and the talk of the town, almost surpassing talk of/by Donald Trump, is the open carry of guns by citizens and protestors around the convention site.  Law enforcement is scared shitless, saying in the event of violence they won't be able to differentiate the bad guy(s) from the people legally carrying openly.  It's a valid complaint.

We've had legal open carry in my state of Texas since late last year, joining 44 other states allowing citizens properly vetted to carry firearms openly in public....ie: NOT concealed.  I'm one of those who has been thoroughly vetted.  

I often, but not always, carry my firearm, but when I do it's always concealed.  I prefer making anyone who wishes to do me harm guess when I am and when I am not carrying.  For the life of me, I don't see what advantage there is to carrying a gun on my hip for all to see. 

For those who do openly carry, do they think just seeing a gun on their side will make possible assailants walk wide of them, or look elsewhere for someone to mug?  Think about that....if someone were to assault you, what would they be looking for?  Something on you of value, right?  Your watch, your wallet, etc.  When they can see you have a $500-$1,000 gun right there for the taking, wouldn't that be what they would go after first?  

Might that gun on your side actually attract trouble?  It would be ridiculously easy for someone walking down the sidewalk to suddenly hit someone openly carrying up side the face or stick a knife in them, grab their gun, and run off long before the gun toter could react. It's like wearing a sign on your back that says "hit me".

Given the choice, especially considering what has been happening recently, don't you think even the cops would rather be driving unmarked cars, wearing civilian clothes, and carrying their guns concealed to make themselves less visible?


IMO people who are walking around flaunting their gun(s) are simply living out some romanticized dream of themselves as a real life Rambo.  I'd love to walk up to one of them and say, "Wow, cool gun.  Sorry about your penis."  :)

S



9 comments:

  1. I would agree. I thought the concern in Cleveland was not just the open carry, but any carry at all in a crowded volatile venue.

    But yeah, it is like showing off your Rolex watch on the subway...bad idea.

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  2. I do believe it's a "macho" thing. Like you, if I had a gun, which I might one day, I wouldn't want to advertise it.

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  3. Hey, where'd you get that picture of me and my machine gun? I keep my gun in the closet. It's funny cops hate open carry when the NRA has brainwashed everyone into thinking that everyone having a gun makes us safer.

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    1. Because we are all so stupid we can be easily brainwashed, and obviously anyone who doesn't agree with the great wise PTD they must be "brainwashed."

      BTW I am not in favor of open carry, but not because I have been brainwashed by anyone...lots of people can have opinions from their own experience or research.

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  4. I'm in Texas, too. My mother was sure, as the new open carry law was about to kick in, that everyone was going to end up shot down in the streets.

    I haven't noticed any difference. In fact, I don't believe I've noticed any openly carried guns, although I guess I'm not really looking for them.

    One thing that I've seen is a lot more signs up saying that people can't carry open or concealed guns on their premises. Those signs have skyrocketed.

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  5. OMG...I laughed out loud at that last line.

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