Posted on 04/29/2010 10:38:21 AM PDT by AJKauf
Open carry advocates, as a gun rights subgroup, are the continuing negligent political discharge of the shooting community. Their disastrous nationwide campaign to normalize the open carrying of firearms alienates Americans from coast to coast, even among those who champion the concealed carry of weapons.
You only need to look at examples of the media incompetence of these groups in the past year to understand how this theoretically pro-gun movement has managed to cause the public to recoil in horror and actually set the movement back on its heels. It is enough to make you wonder if the group isn’t the operation that “Crash the Tea Party” wanted to be, executed by the otherwise inept anti-gun harpies.
Other than small-scale displays primarily consumed by the local news, the open carry movement is known to most people for precisely two awkward public displays: an August 17, 2009, protest in Phoenix and one this past Sunday on the Potomac’s Virginia shores....
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
>My point is that it isn’t a good idea to give your enemies extra ammunition, even if it’s your legal and constitutional right to do so.
Perhaps... but there is a time to fight things. Consider this, New Mexico’s Constitution contains a Right to Keep and Bear arms which, in no uncertain terms, forbids the state from passing laws to abridge “the right of the Citizen” to defense. {Not even ‘self-defense’ exclusively; the portion on inherent rights of man (as recognized by the state) contains a portion on the right to defend one’s PROPERTY.} Furthermore, it prohibits any “county or municipality” from “regulating, in any way, an incident of the right to keep and bear arms.” This means that, strictly speaking, using “disturbing the peace” as an excuse to prohibit people from carrying openly is forbidden.
Now, keeping the previous in mind, the state has a State Statute [30-7-2.4] which prohibits firearms on campus.
So now New Mexican citizens are disbarred the use of their guns on campus despite a CONSTITUTIONAL injunction against it. You may see where I’m going with this, it is the Law of Non-Contradiction; the axiom in Logic which says that a statement cannot be both true and false at the same time.
If I take my Glock on campus, open carry, would the following statement [uttered by me] be true, or would it be false:
“I am not doing anything illegal.”
It cannot be both, it must be one or the other; the answer is if vital importance. {And no BS on ‘it depends on how you look at it.’}
If it is true, then the problem is that there is a lie about the legality of firearms on campus. If, however, it is false then the State Constitution doesn’t matter. If the State Constitution doesn’t matter, then the State Legislature & Judiciary have no [legitimate] authority... in which case ALL [state] laws are invalid.
>I can guarantee you that a large majority of Americans view this behavior as scary and radical. I don’t agree, but the majority wins in this case.
Maybe it’s time for something “scary and radical.” I’m tempted to take my gun on campus and press the issue. If I win then the contradiction will be cleared up; if I lose it’s only a petty misdemeanor.
But you ignore a page from the democrat playbook - incrementalism. We still have a large number of people who are terrified of firearms. Hoplophobia is not rational. It’s the product of decades of effort to demonize self defense. The propaganda machine against us is remarkably powerful and it won’t give up so easily. Any opportunity to demonize shooters will be exploited. Those two Associated Press stories demonstrate that.
The N.R.A. said that it didn’t want to argue the second amendment in court because it wanted to change the thinking of legislators, else they would find ways to weasel around any other gains we’d made. They’re already doing that in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The strategy was working. Gun owners used the crime wave of the 1980s to change a relatively insignificant gun law in Florida and reflect the progress on the national news. Now you can carry a loaded gun in your car in Florida. No shootouts happened. Now you can get a concealed carry permit in Florida. No shootouts happened. Now you can get a non-resident carry permit in Florida. No shootouts happened. In the 25 years since those changes were made, concealed carry became an issue that carried in all but the most dank, liberal hellholes.
The strategy is working. I see no reason to change it. We have not carried the whole country yet.
The police receive training on weapons retention yet many are killed every year with their own weapon, so open carry will just produce easier targets for the criminals and let the bad guys know who is armed and who is not, makes their work safer for the criminal.
*************
It is obvious you don’t know your fact, because I have the 2009 officer memorial list in front of mepublished by the American Federation of police and concerned citizen, and not a single officer was killed with his own firearm in 2009.in the Memorial a listing of110 officers were killed in the line of duty, 42 by assailants firearms.
Since I know these reported facts it is obvious you’re pulling your opinion out of thin air. It is disingenuous on your part to spread such inaccurate information.
>>And any cop shop that would make a patrolman conceal must be in some Worker’s Paradise.
>
>I know literally hundreds of LEOs across the country and I have never met one who would open carry off duty unless they were out in the woods hunting or something.
There is an ancient Chinese saying that may apply here:
“A foolish idea held by thousands, is still a foolish idea.”
To connect this to your point about knowing hundreds of officers; imagine how they would react to the following scenario:
- Someone is open carrying on campus.
- There is a state statute forbidding firearms on campus.
- The State Constitution clearly states that “No law shall abridge the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms”
- The officer responding knows all the above.
Would the officer arrest him?
Would the officer ignore him?
Would the officer talk to him about “scaring people”?
Would the officer intimidate him about ‘breaking the law’?
LOL / Awesome story; thank you for sharing it.
Open carry is the act of law abiding citizens who are not ashamed of their rights or criminally inclined.
There is a special kind of insanity that believes that a hidden gun will deter a criminal attack but a visible one will not. Concealed carry makes for a slower draw adn increases the likelihood that a criminal will be successful.
It's strange that there are so many stories of concealed carriers being attacked by criminals and so few of open carriers. The sight of a gun deters criminal actions.
It's not a question of caving. It's a question of not scareing the hell out of them before you try to convince them.
It's just a question of being smart, that's all.
Eye doctor or headshrinker; I'll let you decide.
I have not expressed an opinion on open carry.
All I've said is that if open carry advocates do not understand that open carry scares most people, then their thinking process needs a close evaluation.
One does not convince people by scareing them.
One other thing. If you advocate completely Open Carry, then you are defending the “rights” of a convicted child molester to follow your 8 year old daughter or granddaughter home from her school bus stop, with a pistol in his hand, as long as he stays on public property, such as a sidewalk, and there is NOTHING you can do about it.
Go for it.
So, how do you convince people that concealed carry or open carry is safe unless you demonstrate that it is safe?
Open Carry demonstrates nothing other than you can scare people.
How?
You start a good PR campaign. Begin with free gun safety classes for kids. Promote then through the private schools first. More likely to have conservative business owner parents.
Then get media involved. First find the most conservative MSM in town. Probably the local Fox affiliate.
Be prepared for lots of flak. Counter it with education, not Wyatt Earp.
There is much more you can do, and win, but scareing the hell out of people is not how to do it.
Got news for ya - those who are “scared” about open carry or concealed carry will not be moved by your “education”.
Soon we will all be forced to carry...
“Recoil in horror” - maybe wet themselves, too.
There’s a difference between “brandishing” and having a nice little holster strapped on.
You live in a different state/county than I do, for sure.
Obviously America (at least the part you’re referring to) needs to change its conditioning.
Check my # 117. GMTA!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.