General Categories > Carry Issues
Open Carrier at Chilis - 84th st.
Husker_Fan:
I like it, but I'm not anti-open carry. I'm anti stupid open carry.
Neeco:
--- Quote from: Husker_Fan on November 20, 2013, 08:32:51 AM ---I like it, but I'm not anti-open carry. I'm anti stupid open carry.
--- End quote ---
I agree with this. OCing an AR just because, is pointless. OCing your pistol without drawing any "other" attention to it, is just fine by me. I think the owner of the Liquor store in Wahoo is a member here, and I remember very clearly the giant 45(IIRC?) he had on his hip when I walked in to purchase my Keg for our wedding reception a couple years back. I remember saying to myself, dang, I don't want to be around when someone tries to rob this place. Not once did I think that I was in danger. Seeing an idiot waving his AR around while walking down the road/walking into a place of business/etc... brings up a whole different mind set. You immediately have to make the decision is he friend or foe.
bkoenig:
--- Quote from: Husker_Fan on November 20, 2013, 08:32:51 AM ---I like it, but I'm not anti-open carry. I'm anti stupid open carry.
--- End quote ---
Good point. For a case study in the wrong way to OC, just look at the Starbucks idiots. An In Your Face attitude only hurts the cause. Being respectful about it will help show the public that it's a normal and good thing.
JTH:
--- Quote from: 00BUCK on November 19, 2013, 10:39:43 PM ---Excellent for both parties! I'm somewhat shocked that the anti-open carry crowd hasn't bashed this post yet.
--- End quote ---
As people have said, probably because most people aren't anti-open carry, they are anti-angry-rude-aggressive-behavior.
MissMichella, for example, open carries all the time. I disagree with her reasoning on why it is a good idea---but I don't have any problem at all with her doing it. And I do think that if more people like her start open carrying, the reasons I have against open-carrying will probably decrease (since the negative reactions of the general public against males carrying firearms will be worn away by seeing more people open carrying). That doesn't mean I'd start open carrying in public in cities :) but it certainly doesn't mean I have a problem with her choice of open carry.
People can open carry all they like. And just like firearms are a tool that increases your effective force, open carry is a factor that increases the effect of your behavior. If your behavior is loud, in-your-face, and aggressive, then other people's perception of you is affected more if you ALSO have an obvious weapon while you are being loud, in-your-face, and aggressive.
Same if you were carrying an axe. (The specific tool is immaterial.)
In the public's eye, "gun owner" is a lumped-together group of homogeneous people. We aren't, of course, but the general public sees us that way. If someone open carries and demonstrates bad behavior, that reflects on all of us, no matter how unfair that may be.
I'd be perfectly happy if 10,000 people were OCing all through Nebraska---and were normal, polite human beings. (Better yet, one million people OCing every day in Nebraska.) The public's perception of gun owners would most likely change (slowly, but it would change) over time due to more familiarity with firearms and gun owners. The problem is, of course, that a vocal small minority of open carry folks AREN'T normal, polite human beings. (Just like a vocal small minority of people of CCW folks aren't normal, polite people either---but since they aren't openly carrying, their effect is much smaller.) And that small minority cause problems for both the majority of OC folks, and all gun owners.
These days, it is entirely too easy for a large group of people to be characterized (or mis-characterized, unfortunately) by the actions of single individuals who behave badly.
People want to open carry? Great! It is completely within their rights, they should do what they want. Even better, if they are normal, polite people they'll be good ambassadors for the rest of us. I personally think differently about the effectiveness (from a self-defense perspective) regarding OC compared to CCW, and so I make a different choice. But I'm not anti-open-carry.
I'm anti-@$$%ole. (Please pardon the term, but it is a specific fit.)
From a public perception standpoint, if we could get a huge number of 1) cute bouncy college girls, 2) grandfatherly-looking-Santa-Claus-types, 3) professional businessmen in slacks and ties, and 4) mothers with beautiful cute toddlers---all to all open carry every day, we'd win over the public almost instantaneously, as long as everyone could keep their tempers in the face of irrational screaming hoplophobes talking about how horrible they were.
:)
bkoenig:
--- Quote from: jthhapkido on November 20, 2013, 11:09:16 AM ---
From a public perception standpoint, if we could get a huge number of 1) cute bouncy college girls, 2) grandfatherly-looking-Santa-Claus-types, 3) professional businessmen in slacks and ties, and 4) mothers with beautiful cute toddlers---all to all open carry every day, we'd win over the public almost instantaneously, as long as everyone could keep their tempers in the face of irrational screaming hoplophobes talking about how horrible they were.
:)
--- End quote ---
As an ugly middle aged bald guy I fit none of those categories and feel discriminated against.
;D
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