I guess I'm going to have to reread the 2nd Amendment. The last time I read it it said the right to bear arms shall not be infringed, not the right to bear arms openly shall not be infringed.stevem wrote: think lawful OC doesn't hurt the cause of 2A supporters because the written letter of the US Constitution is on the side of OC
Our founding fathers, who wrote the Constitution we love to cite, seemed to have no problem with reasonable restrictions on arms. For example, in Boston you were not permitted to store powder in your house. Why? Probably because if it blew up it could start a fire that might also burn down your neighbor's house, and that wouldn't be nice.
Whenever people live in close quarters (like cities) there will be more restrictions on freedoms because you're rubbing elbows with other people. In the country, where your nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away (or further), feel free to store explosives in your house. You don't endanger anyone but yourself. Most people understand these concepts and have no problems with them. OCers seem to think that cities should treat firearms like everyone is country folk. That's just plain silly.
Just because someone thinks it's perfectly fine to tote an AR-15 on a sling while getting a mocha grande doesn't mean the suburban homeowner on their way to work will feel comfortable with that, especially when the media is constantly getting them riled up and filled with fear about the mere presence of guns. Doing so simply increases the chances that the business owner will opt to deny the carrying of arms on their property, which while completely within his rights reduces the safety of everyone on his property.
Isn't the end goal to have the unrestricted right to defend yourself and your loved ones from attacks by predators? How does hauling an AR-15 into the coffee shop help that goal?
The laws we have now in Texas work pretty well. I'd like to be able to carry my firearm openly, because it would be easier to do so. But I'm not in favor of riling up the public and turning them against guns. They're much more inclined to listen to the traitors on the left when they fear unrestricted gun use.