Texas TC wrote:I have been to Arizona for three weeks on three separate occasions in the past six months and have yet to see anyone open carry.
If we get open carry in Texas, I probably would not participate. However, it would be nice to have it so I would not worry about my weapon being accidentally exposed while carrying concealed. That is the most important benefit to me. I believe, like many others, the element of surprise of having a concealed weapon gives a major benefit to me in the case of an altercation that requires the use of deadly force.
I agree with Texas TC, but this is a very tricky issue because I also agree with mr surveyor, keith b, and mr cotton:
I think that most of us on this forum would agree that;Currrently, most business owners either aren't truly aware of the 30.06 posting option available to them, they never were aware of a "need" to post, were just apathetic, or in some cases (I know one restruamt owner that posts "CHL's Welcome") are very aware of CHL's and feel very comfortable with their presence. Once a few open carried handguns start showing up on the properties of many of these businesses, the owners will actively seek a remedy, and WILL post their properties. That is a fact! In that case, one man's freedom to exercise his right (open carry) will most certainly limit everyone's freedom to exercise their rights to carry (concealed).
1. 2nd A rights are important. Open carry is an extension of these rights and should exist.
2. Open carry may be a bad tactical decision in some instances.
3. Open carry protests, if done improperly, will set the entire 2nd A movement back.
4. We shouldn't be punished legally for accidentally printing or showing our guns, if legally carrying.
However, the comments about the disappearing gun racks points to one thing and that is the cultural norm now does not include guns. Therefore, all people with a strong opinion for guns are on the far right on the political spectrum. In order to win at the polls, we have to move strong opinions for guns into the mainstream on the political spectrum and in order to do that, we have to make people used to seeing sane people carrying guns in the open with zero bad incidents. Because now, the only time the average Joe will see a gun is when he sees crazy people shooting up a court house, Ft Hood, or Virginia Tech on T.V. That is not good. Open carry protests are a good idea, if done right. However, an open carry protest is like treading on thin ice. You have to tread very carefully. The more people you have at an open carry protest, the more probability you have of something going wrong. Therefore, any open carry protest should only have at the maximum ONE person actually carrying a real UNLOADED long gun. Everyone else should be wearing an EMPTY holster at the protest. Everyone should also be wearing a suit and tie. Everyone should also NOT answer questions from the media except for a designated spokesperson who will only be answering with pre-prepared soundbites to avoid being quoted out of context by the media. Everyone should be respectful of the police and NO ONE should litter. Also, to prevent any possible misconduct by the police, it should be recorded on video, by multiple videographers. All protesters should be prescreened for crazies and the time/location of the protest should be kept a secret from the public to avoid any anti-gunners showing up pretending to be a protester and doing crazy stuff to undermine our efforts to further our 2nd A rights. Honestly, I think conducting a successful open carry protest will be more difficult than getting a date with a supermodel, BUT it CAN be done. Here is a video of a brother with an AR-15 at an Obama rally who did NOT get arrested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAdG3EfZ ... o_response
P.S. Keith B said that 30.06 signs would pop up everywhere if people open carried. This is only true if we let them pop up. The problem that I see with the 2nd A movement is that people are soft, lazy and cheap. We weren't always this way. Remember the 60's? People took to the streets to protest by the millions. People were arrested and beaten by cops, but they didn't care. They wanted freedom and were willing to pay for it. People missed work to protest. Those who were too chicken to protest donated money. All those civil rights protesters who marched in Washington had to have room/board/transportation. This was paid for by risk averse protesters who chose to protest with their wallets instead. Remember the brave black kids who sat at white lunch counters? That wasn't the cultural norm, but it BECAME the cultural norm because they continued to do that after they were arrested, beaten, and dragged out. They continued and continued until people got used to seeing it. The civil rights revolution of the 60's was won with blood, sweat, tears, and a river of money. Your 2nd A right is a CIVIL RIGHT. If you want to know how it's done, I invite you to learn from the civil rights protests of the 60's. Go to your local library and view some videos, books, and news articles if you weren't alive back then.
