Mother Jones is afraid of the societal change rapidly eroding hopes of a leftist utopia being implemented.
Too dawned bad.
I agree. Going out of your way to make people uncomfortable by open-carrying a rifle into a public restaurant, just to make a point, is counter-productive.
When the CHL law was first enacted in Texas, we worked to educate businesses on the law, and pointed out that they wouldn't know who was carrying a gun, and posting a sign only kept out the law abiding. We also pointed out the risks of creating a gun-free zone. In many cases, businesses took down the signs and/or changed policy.
Now, the "open carry" demonstrations have undone our efforts. Several businesses (like Chili's) are now changing policy again.
I understand what the proponents of open carry are trying to do. But, I think they are going at it the wrong way. Instead of "educating" people, they are making them uncomfortable, and the inevitable over-reaction is a step backwards.
Mother Jones is fabricating dissention.
Then again, I have found plenty of wi+ years ago who were staunch second amendment supporters but who wanted to toss assault weapons under the bus as an embarrassment to “legitimate” shooters.
The point of the provocative open carry demonstrations is to show that what most people ignorantly think is dangerous (a “man with a gun!”) is perfectly safe.
I think it would be even more effective if we recruited muscular black men and tattooed Hispanics who were legally qualified to open carry rifles, and made opposing gun rights a racial issue. Also, some hot chicks to make good optics for the PR. Then grannies. Then (yes) flaming gays.
Don’t give that commie rag any hits - read the original NRA statement here: http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2014/5/good-citizens-and-good-neighbors-the-gun-owners-role.aspx
This is a real catch-22. If you don’t excercise a right, you might lose it. On the other hand, some open carry in some situations is probably not prudent.
I have a CCW permit and prefer that method over advertising myself as a carrier. But I do open carry handguns in some nearby rural towns.
Just last weekend, at a little country store with a lunch counter, saw a guy walk in with an open carry holstered pistol. Despite the worst fears of the liberals, the only thing that happened was the he ordered his food, waited for it to be cooked, paid for it and left. No one was killed. No panic. Just another day here in the heartland.
Nice to see “Mother Jones” weighing in on this.But who next? The People’s Daily?
Speaker of the Massachusetts House Robert DeLeo has before the Legislature a new, even more awful, gun-confiscation bill that begins with mandatory registration of ALL firearms in the state, including the musket your great-great-grandfather used during the Civil War. Is there another state with mandatory gun registration?
While I am not a big fan of the NRA (they have compromised too many times), I believe they are correct in principle on this matter.
Two concepts that need to evaluated: what is legal and what is wise.
Let me start with an example. I live in the country where there is a beautiful winding road which is fairly flat, but that has some very steep edges to it, and is only wide enough for two cars with no shoulders on any part of the road for many many miles. Cars tend to go between 35 and 55mph on this road, around turns, etc. Because this road is very beautiful, I have noticed over the last six years or so more bicycles on this road, and in the last couple of years, people running on this road. This is very dangerous. With no where to go for either car or person I expect to hear of accidents. I have gone around the turns only to be encountered in my lane by bicycles or runners; and have had to brake hard to avoid hitting them. I will not move out into the other lane, because I can’t see if there are any cars coming in the other direction.
My point: while legal for the bicycles and runners, it is not wise; but very dangerous.
While legal for individuals to open carry it probably is not wise to open carry rifles. But instead it is an in your face attitude that doesn’t need to occur; and it seem to be openly rebellious (kind of like an 8-year old that has discovered a new found liberty and doesn’t know how to properly and responsibly exercise his new liberty.) Open carry with handguns in normal holsters would still make the point, exercising our 2nd amendment, but not be so brazen and in your face.
When Bill Walsh was coach of the 49ers and some of the team would do the victory dance in the endzone, he said something that has stuck with me (paraphrased by me): Stop the victory dance, when you get into the endzone, act like you have been there before.
Andrew Branca did a piece on this topic a couple weeks ago in Legal Insurrection.com. More than the usual number of comments on the story.
http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/05/op-ed-open-carry-activists-score-yet-another-own-goal//#more
“Another rationale offered by the “OCIYF!” crew is that they are merely strengthening their Second Amendment rights through the exercise of those rights. Indeed, they’ll be happy to imply that it’s not they who are the problem, but rather that the problem lies with those of us who don’t engage in “OCIYF!” who “hide” our Second Amendment rights—after all, if we don’t use our gun rights, we’ll lose our gun rights.
Here’s some breaking news for you “OCIYF!” people:
YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHT TO CARRY A FIREARM INTO A PRIVATELY OWNED BUSINESS.
None. Zero. Zilch. Zip.”
Gunowners, is the NRA your friend? They should be pointing out that the problem is that everyone of these shooters has been or is on mind-warping "meds", prescribed to alter their behaviors. Aren't you paying dues for them to deflect from blaming the guns?
Showing up at a restaurant brandishing weapons is not a good way to support open carry.
You have to wonder if some of these people aren’t plants from the anti 2A crowd. They were instrumental in getting it banned in CA not long ago and if they left well enough alone it would still be there and you could easily win a court case over it (if you got picked up or harassed)without lighting up the libtards...
