TexasCHLforum.com

VMI77 wrote:

talltex wrote:

TexasCajun wrote:

VMI77 wrote:
I don't disagree, I just lament the loss of the culture I grew up in where walking down the street with a long gun was not considered suspicious activity.

I don't think there ever was a time where just hanging out with an openly carried long gun was common. I remember pick up trucks with gun racks. I remember guys walking to/from a quick hunt along country roads. But anybody not in hunting gear & not headed somewhere would've most certainly had to explain what they were doing.

Well, you'd be wrong...I don't know your age, but I'm 57, and I grew up in a small town, (have lived in the same county all my life, except for College), and as kids in the 60's and early 70's we walked around town with shotguns and rifles quite frequently. Occasionally, someone might pull up alongside us in a car, but not to question what we were doing...it was to ask us if we'd got anything for supper. If we were going very far out of town to hunt, we actually wired a gun rack on the back of our bicycles after finding out the hard way that strapping it to the handlebars wasn't a good idea if you rode to close to a tree or bush. Once we were able to drive, every PU in the school parking lot had a gun rack in it...with guns in them. When someone got a new gun, it was normal for a group of kids...and sometimes the teachers...to be out in the parking lot between class or at lunch to get it out and let everyone have a look at it. In Grade School, at Christmas for the class party, we all exchanged gifts with a maximum cost of $1.00...all the boys brought a boy's gift & the girls brought a girl's gift ( I know, not politically correct now), and the boys all wrapped up a box a .22 Long Rifles (cost $0.79) to give to each other...and nobody thought anything about it. It WAS a totally different culture back then, and I too lament it's passing.

My experience too.....guns in the parking lot were common. Now an aspirin or a hunting knife gets you expelled. We made gun powder in Chemistry class and launched rockets at school too. I don't know what "just hanging out" is supposed to mean, but I walked through a residential neighborhood, visible from a highway one block away, carrying rifles and shotguns. Not in a case, and not slung either, but at a sort of modified port arms or over my shoulder. Carried them into the local store too. Sometimes there was a group of us in the store parking lot posing for photos with the results of our hunt. One of the things that changed the culture is all these imports from Commiefornia and the Yankees from up in the Northeast. My son worked security for awhile, and his boss had someone call the cops on him because they saw him cleaning a handgun through his kitchen window....they didn't think handguns were legal.

VMI77 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

VMI77 wrote:If we'd just keep quiet, not bring attention to ourselves, and quit being confrontational, the anti-gunners will leave us alone.

How about instead if you just protest like normal people, with signs and such, and not actively give the antigunners ammunition against all gun owners EVERY TIME YOU SURFACE.

I don't disagree, I just lament the loss of the culture I grew up in where walking down the street with a long gun was not considered suspicious activity.

Jumping Frog wrote:Seems like one weakness our movement has is the reflexive leap to crucify other pro-gun advocates if we don't agree with any aspect of their position.

I can't search and link adequately while on my phone, but there was an analogous counter-protest in Columbus OH about 3-4 months ago. There was an anti-gunner group scheduled a protest and announced on FB. About 6-7 people showed up to support that. Meanwhile, the counter-protest had over 100 people carrying NRA-ILA signs while open carrying handguns and rifles. The news coverage was very favorable about how it had turned into an NRA rally.

G.A. Heath wrote:

TexasCajun wrote:

G.A. Heath wrote:
In theory, and publicly stated, the purpose is to raise awareness, educate the public, and generate publicity for open carry. In actuallity I suspect its more of a get your cool-kids club card (more difficult to get since the admin here now tends to ban people from specific forums rather than the site over the OC topic*), get arrested if possible (the more times the better), and in general cause some sort of disturbance.

* = Violating the rules to push the OC agenda in their own unique way and get banned from TexasCHLforum.com was a favorite past time of the open carry movement until the last legislative session. Their own unique way included violating nearly every rule the administration of this forum had. After getting banned the violator would go back to which ever forum he was most comfortable in and proclaim "I got banned from the chl forum for talking about open carry..."

--edited to add the above qualification.

So according to this, was the event in question a success? If so, please qualify the achieved goal. If not, what gains (if any) were achieved by this event?

Did they waise awareness of OC? I doubt it. Did they educate the public in anyway? Only that they are looking for a confrontation. Did they generate publicity? Yes, although it looks like it was bad publicity.

So on to what I suspect are the actual goals. Did they get their cool kids card? I don't care. Did any of them get arrested? Looks that way. Did they cause a disturbance? Looks like they caused a minor one.

My suggestions are aimed at preventing the problems they are causing, but I doubt they care.

G.A. Heath wrote:

TexasCajun wrote:

G.A. Heath wrote:I think I will offer up 4 rules for open carry, these rules will be a guide to get good Public Relations.

Rule 1: Don't be an @** and don't let others make you look like one too.
The point of this rule is the key to getting good PR, The other three rules ensure this one is followed.

Rule 2: Don't touch your weapon, unless it is needed.
If you touch your weapon you give the opposition a chance to violate rule number 1. This simple and seemingly innocent act can result in a negative photo opportunity for the opposition and even allow them to file a police report against you or your group.

Rule 3: Interaction is critical.
When you encounter law enforcement you have to interact with them for the good of your event, your organisation, and the rest of the gun rights movement. You personally have a right not to interact with law enforcement, but for P.R. purposes you need to interact to avoid violating Rule #1. When approached by the media you must interact with them in the most professional manner possible. Interacting with the public and getting good PR is the goal, so you must put forward an effort to look as good as possible to the media and the general public. Having an open carry food drive for a local food bank will generate good PR, adopting a very busy highway and picking up litter is another high profile way to generate good PR. Confrontation must be avoided as it makes it easy to violate Rule #1.

Rule 4: Control your event and your crowd.
Keep your event on target, if you are having an open carry event then have just an open carry event. Ranting about Obamacare, tax rates, and other topics will distract from your purpose and confuse the public. Keep your crowd under control, do NOT allow them to hurt your image and the image of everyone involved in gun rights.

What exactly is the point of these events? When you've gathered x-number of people at point-A open-carrying rifles, shotguns, and antiques; then what? By what means do you consider an event successful or not successful?

In theory, and publicly stated, the purpose is to raise awareness, educate the public, and generate publicity for open carry. In actuallity I suspect its more of a get your cool-kids club card (more difficult to get since the admin here now tends to ban people from specific forums rather than the site over the OC topic*), get arrested if possible (the more times the better), and in general cause some sort of disturbance.

* = Violating the rules to push the OC agenda in their own unique way and get banned from TexasCHLforum.com was a favorite past time of the open carry movement until the last legislative session. Their own unique way included violating nearly every rule the administration of this forum had. After getting banned the violator would go back to which ever forum he was most comfortable in and proclaim "I got banned from the chl forum for talking about open carry..."

--edited to add the above qualification.

G.A. Heath wrote:I think I will offer up 4 rules for open carry, these rules will be a guide to get good Public Relations.

Rule 1: Don't be an @** and don't let others make you look like one too.
The point of this rule is the key to getting good PR, The other three rules ensure this one is followed.

Rule 2: Don't touch your weapon, unless it is needed.
If you touch your weapon you give the opposition a chance to violate rule number 1. This simple and seemingly innocent act can result in a negative photo opportunity for the opposition and even allow them to file a police report against you or your group.

Rule 3: Interaction is critical.
When you encounter law enforcement you have to interact with them for the good of your event, your organisation, and the rest of the gun rights movement. You personally have a right not to interact with law enforcement, but for P.R. purposes you need to interact to avoid violating Rule #1. When approached by the media you must interact with them in the most professional manner possible. Interacting with the public and getting good PR is the goal, so you must put forward an effort to look as good as possible to the media and the general public. Having an open carry food drive for a local food bank will generate good PR, adopting a very busy highway and picking up litter is another high profile way to generate good PR. Confrontation must be avoided as it makes it easy to violate Rule #1.

Rule 4: Control your event and your crowd.
Keep your event on target, if you are having an open carry event then have just an open carry event. Ranting about Obamacare, tax rates, and other topics will distract from your purpose and confuse the public. Keep your crowd under control, do NOT allow them to hurt your image and the image of everyone involved in gun rights.