So now "open carry" equals "homicide"?
You said that, not me.
From the beginning of this post, I have made it clear that I support carry. What I said is that if can't tell the difference between punks that need to be taught a lesson and loud kids, you should consider not carrying.
If you have poor judgment, the gun on your hip is as much a danger to you as it is to the general public. Let me make this clear, I am not talking about outlawing guns, I am talking about introspection, look it up in the dictionary.
What are you trying to argue with me? CJ was wrong and I have a feeling he will realize it when the adrenaline wears off. You seem to have alot of anger at these loud kids, what is your excuse. Like I said, I think some of this has to do with unresolved issues.
I have been shot at, and I have taken care of more people with gunshot wounds that I can count. I have also had my hand on a colt grip when the ignorant SOB in front of me had no idea he was about one breath away from eternity. I am a true conservative, and sometimes being a conservative means I do what is right, not what feels right.
Shooting kids over making noise is not right. Creating a situation where he may have had to shoot the kids because of poor discretion is wrong also.
He didn't shoot anyone! What part of that don't people understand?
Many attitudes here are indicative of just how ingrained the anti-gun (or more broadly, statist) culture is in America, even among gun-owners. (I'm not necessarily talking about you, just making a general observation). To me, that is a far bigger issue than trying to second guess non-criminal, third-party acts 2000 miles away.
There was a time in this country where citizens could (and did) carry guns openly without fear of harassment from the state. Americans could even bring guns on planes and their children could bring them to school.
Today, even "conservative NRA members" overwhelmingly oppose guns in schools and on planes. I've even seen posters here (and on gun forums) support prison terms for honest citizens that forgot about an unchecked gun in their baggage at the airport.
With respect to carrying guns, many so-called "pro-RKBA" folks are adamantly opposed to open carry and support concealed carry only with prior permission from the state.
Many pro-2nd types also have the mindset that because we have guns, we must surrender other Rights, such as going out to eat at 4:30 in the morning (as one poster on this thread stated), or going to the "wrong" side of town, or talking a midnight walk, or even attending a meeting and getting up to speak while armed.
Other gun owners are even afraid to talk to friends or co-workers about their "hobby"; or even afraid to let a neighbor see them armed. Are these the men that are going to save the Republic from tyranny?
Many even suggested he should just call the cops. When did we reach the point in this country where a man is expected to contact the state before personally addressing something? This only acts to enhance the power of the state while simelataneously decreasing trust between individuals. In this case, a man had a problem with a group of people and he went over and talked to them about it. The problem was solved and nobody got hurt. Yet most folks are giving him hell for it?
As for "intimidation", I find it laughable that hundreds of folks here are apparently intimidated by middle-aged man lawfully and peaceably carrying a firearm. If you want to see real "intimidation", look at what the state threatens to do (and DOES do) to folks that make an honest mistake on their taxes or violates one of the millions of other bueracratic edicts on the books. If you want to be intimidated, look at how the cops are dressing and acting today. Look at the attitude of those in power hellbent on turning America into a Soviet-style police state.
The statists are laughing their asses off at us. We have an organization of 4 million people (only AARP has more), and have accomplished nothing at the national level in the past decade. Compare this to what smaller groups of only a few thousand or less, such as radical feminists, have accomplished. On a per-capita basis, the NRA is probably the least effective organization in the history of mankind. And it's because of this stupid, submissive mindset. (One interesting sidenote here is that the most effective gun organization in America right now is the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), is also the one that is most often accused of being "in your face" especially with regards to open carry. They managed to get a RAT governor to sign a dozen or so pro-gun bills last year).
Well, that's my rant today. It's late, so it's not as coherent as I'd like it to be, but I think it makes my point.
In closing, I would recommend that everyone on this thread go out and read "Nation of Cowards" by Jeff Snyder and "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth" by Jeff Cooper. They address the "mindset" issues, which ulimately are more important than anything else.