I'm gonna keep saying it until I stop seeing it...
Open Carry Texas open-carried long arms because carrying handguns openly is illegal in Texas.
Telling them that carrying a long-arm is stupid and they should carry handguns to make their point is inciting them to break the law! Their open carry events are attempts to get handgun open carry legalized.
We, the pro-gun side, used to be a lot better about getting facts ahead of emotions, unlike the antis who are pure emotion.
I do not think OCT's tactics are effective. They're legal, but not effective.
There's lots of legal but not effective open carry. The Florida Carry fishing events, for example.
The big difference between Open Carry Texas and Florida Carry's events is people NOTICED the long arm carry. Neither really advances the cause of actually getting the laws changed. OCT by pissing off allies, FC by not registering on the radar at all.
Sniffing from my Cassandra bunsen burner...
If Florida legalizes open carry with a permit, it will be pointless to open carry because there will be no punishment for cops who harass people open carrying. Harass might be the least of the problems since it seems like many departments default mode for armed citizen is guns drawn and screaming orders.
I sometimes am bemused at all the acrimony surrounding the topic of open carry. The bemusement stems from reading a lot about the history of the Old West.
Carrying a concealed firearm back when was a sign of low character and shady intent. To the point that among the first gun laws ever (at least the laws not aimed at disarming blacks) were about the carrying of concealed guns, while you could openly display your favorite Colt* to your heart's content.
*Reference to those race-based gun laws.
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A lot of cops whine that this, that or the other thing "makes their jobs harder." Sometimes it's open carry, sometimes it's tinted windows. My favorite response is to tell them that I know of a place where the police have the easiest jobs in the world. Of course they'd have to get used to eating tree-bark soup, speaking Korean and praising the Dear Leader, but hey, no pain, no gain...
ReplyDeleteThe biggest issue I have with the states that do not allow open carry is that if you are lawfully carrying concealed and a stray gust of wind hits...off to the hoosgow you go.
ReplyDeleteMy recent trip to FL, the gun went into the locked center console and stayed there for two weeks. Lot of good it did there...but I didn't want to be the out-of-state guy sucking concrete because some soccer mommy saw an imprint.