You carry your way and I will carry mine. No muss, no fuss. You and I have very different views of the world and that is fine.jjmktg wrote:I began telling my CHL classes back in October that open carry would be instrumental in reducing the legal places to carry. One only has to look at Oklahoma and Arizona to get a history lesson. Yes, we are now legal to open carry. We are legal to be the first one shot in an active shooter situation. We are legal to raise gun fears in those who otherwise would be totally unaware of the presence of guns and safer for them being there. But, the proud and the few have rallied to push through this debacle that will end up getting more people hurt then helped. You know, there's the old saying that it's better to be silent and have people think of you as a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it for them. The same, I think, is true with firearms. It's better to conceal and not give away your defense than to reveal you carry and be the first one down.
I have carried openly in AZ, CO, NM, and OK. Before carrying outside of Texas I did review the state gun forums, the state public safety web site, the carry laws, read news reports, and I talked with citizens I knew. The history lesson I learned is that other states have done the open carry thing much better than Texans have. For example, when I carried openly for 10 days in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, CO, in encountered no stares, no incidents, no signs. Last summer, my then 18 year old son and I carried openly in Tucson, AZ, for 10 days. No stares, no incidents, one sign.
What I learned is that in AZ, CO, NM, and OK, carrying openly is rare, but accepted and uneventful.
How we carry should not be a topic for divisive debate. Texas CHL/LTC holders are the most law abiding Texans https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/r ... vrates.htm. Starting from that point of commonality, we should be able to build meaningful, supportive, and enlightening discussions rather than attack each other's personal decisions.
I will continue to carry as I have since receiving my CHL: openly where I can, concealed as the situation dictates, disarming only if I must.
I have done my due diligence, performed my risk analysis, considered the strategic and tactical situations, and I am keenly aware of my capabilities and my limits. I feel sure that you have gone through a similar process. Our conclusions differ. My opinions are as valid to me as yours are to you. I am reasonably certain that your opinion of my choices matters less to me than my opinion of your choices matters to you.
You carry, your way and I will carry mine.
