Packing In Public
Packing in public: Gun owners tired of hiding their weapons embrace 'open carry'
"PROVO, UTAH -- For years, Kevin Jensen carried a pistol everywhere he went, tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his clothes.In hot weather the holster was almost unbearable. Pressed against Jensen's skin, the firearm was heavy and uncomfortable. Hiding the weapon made him feel like a criminal.
Then one evening he stumbled across a site that urged gun owners to do something revolutionary: Carry your gun openly for the world to see as you go about your business. In most states there's no law against that."
This article from the LA Times is generally a good one, covering what I think will be an increasingly popular movement. It does have erroneous statements and judgements, including a gratuitous mention of some disturbed individual who toted a shotgun in the street and blasted away at cops, but in all it's positive to see a balanced piece on a subject that's about to explode in the media.
I carry weapons. I've had an Oregon concealed weapons permit for almost twenty years and exercise that inherent right to self defense on a daily basis. In all that time I've never been forced to brandish my gun, and only one time did I ever think I might have had to, when an elderly gentleman and I were rushed by some punks obviously on drugs while we were closing up a store. I've preferred to be clandestine about being strapped, but the title of the Times article is slightly wrong, I'm not tired of "hiding" my gun, maybe it's just time to carry it openly.
Nothing would change from my perspective, the difference would be that other people would see that I'm packing, and that's what the movement is about.
One could go on about how society is crumbling on a daily basis. We're in uncharted waters now and our world is about to change in unpredictable ways, but that wouldn't be why I would carry openly. Without concealment one would have a broader choice of weapon, but that's not the reason either. I've avoided letting the people around me know that I'm carrying a gun because I felt the social complications weren't needed, but if there was ever time to make a statement, it's now.
Our inherent rights are in acute danger. If you don't exercise them, use them, there are malignant forces around us that will pretend they don't exist. We're seeing it all the time now. Carrying openly proclaims one essential thing - that that person has taken their right and duty to self protection and the protection of those around them very seriously indeed. It's a concept that's not just been ignored but maligned in our society to the point where seeing someone carrying a gun is cause for alarm, and that simply must change. Friends and neighbors and people on the street would benefit from getting accustomed to being in the presence of a peaceable, armed individual. It's not like they haven't been around them already - about 100,000 people have concealed carry permits in my state, and to my knowledge not one of them has had the permit revoked due to a firearm related crime.
I know that misinformed and fearful people are going to object to the horrifying sight of a pistol on my hip and some cops are misinformed and fearful people too. I'll accept confrontation with my decision and try to meet it with equanimity and patience, because I think the price is worth the effort. But my state's laws thankfully haven't abridged the second amendment concerning open carry, and if I have any say in the matter, they never will.
"PROVO, UTAH -- For years, Kevin Jensen carried a pistol everywhere he went, tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his clothes.In hot weather the holster was almost unbearable. Pressed against Jensen's skin, the firearm was heavy and uncomfortable. Hiding the weapon made him feel like a criminal.
Then one evening he stumbled across a site that urged gun owners to do something revolutionary: Carry your gun openly for the world to see as you go about your business. In most states there's no law against that."
This article from the LA Times is generally a good one, covering what I think will be an increasingly popular movement. It does have erroneous statements and judgements, including a gratuitous mention of some disturbed individual who toted a shotgun in the street and blasted away at cops, but in all it's positive to see a balanced piece on a subject that's about to explode in the media.
I carry weapons. I've had an Oregon concealed weapons permit for almost twenty years and exercise that inherent right to self defense on a daily basis. In all that time I've never been forced to brandish my gun, and only one time did I ever think I might have had to, when an elderly gentleman and I were rushed by some punks obviously on drugs while we were closing up a store. I've preferred to be clandestine about being strapped, but the title of the Times article is slightly wrong, I'm not tired of "hiding" my gun, maybe it's just time to carry it openly.
Nothing would change from my perspective, the difference would be that other people would see that I'm packing, and that's what the movement is about.
One could go on about how society is crumbling on a daily basis. We're in uncharted waters now and our world is about to change in unpredictable ways, but that wouldn't be why I would carry openly. Without concealment one would have a broader choice of weapon, but that's not the reason either. I've avoided letting the people around me know that I'm carrying a gun because I felt the social complications weren't needed, but if there was ever time to make a statement, it's now.
Our inherent rights are in acute danger. If you don't exercise them, use them, there are malignant forces around us that will pretend they don't exist. We're seeing it all the time now. Carrying openly proclaims one essential thing - that that person has taken their right and duty to self protection and the protection of those around them very seriously indeed. It's a concept that's not just been ignored but maligned in our society to the point where seeing someone carrying a gun is cause for alarm, and that simply must change. Friends and neighbors and people on the street would benefit from getting accustomed to being in the presence of a peaceable, armed individual. It's not like they haven't been around them already - about 100,000 people have concealed carry permits in my state, and to my knowledge not one of them has had the permit revoked due to a firearm related crime.
I know that misinformed and fearful people are going to object to the horrifying sight of a pistol on my hip and some cops are misinformed and fearful people too. I'll accept confrontation with my decision and try to meet it with equanimity and patience, because I think the price is worth the effort. But my state's laws thankfully haven't abridged the second amendment concerning open carry, and if I have any say in the matter, they never will.
posted by nolocontendere at 7:57 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home