Ruminations on Open Carry

I would love to carry my gun without concealment from time to time. The idea of not having to constantly worry about printing or revealing my pistol altogether would be gone, and I could relax a bit.

Texas is one of very few states that flat do not allow open carry, even if you have a license to carry a concealed handgun. There's a movement in the gunnie world right now to change that, and I hope it goes well.

You see, since 1995 when licensed carry of concealed handguns first came about, citizens who carried firearms for safety were (and to this day, still are) a political minority. They were not a silent minority by any means, but certainly retaining a bit of anonymity since the guns being carried were concealed. Since then, the number of ordinary folks carrying guns has increased exponentially (and has included me since 09/07).

Well, as it turns out, open carry has been legal in most states for years, with many of those states allowing OC without having to have a carry permit. Strangely, open carry has not enjoyed the same expansion that concealed carry has. In fact, at a glance it seems quite the opposite. Most folks who live in states that allow open carry don't even know it. And of those that do, many choose not to for fear of being unlawfully harassed by the very officers sworn to uphold the law.

I was reading a post over at Sebastian's place concerning the thoughts of folks over a woman in Lebanon, PA who open carried at a kids' soccer game and caught hell for it, and got to thinking about the idea of open carry. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Unfortunately for Mrs. Hain, it was preventable.

I remember what the coach that taught my Driver's Ed. course in high school used to say about driving at night. He said, "Don't overdrive your headlights!" Because your headlights only provide you with so much distance of viewable road at night, it is wise to slow down as an adjustment to the lower visibility. I'm all for open carry, and I do believe that, with enough people being seen with a sidearm, eventually folks will get used to it.

But don't overdrive your headlights.

Moving forward with an open carry movement is going to take a long time. There's going to have to be a considerable period of adjustment for the average John/Jane Q. Public to not be bothered by the sight of a gun unaccompanied by a badge (or at least not bothered enough to freak out about it).

Eventually, with enough exposure, people can get used to just about anything. But things go pear-shaped for your cause when you start force-feeding people with it; even if it you don't force-feed them intentionally. It's no different than gay pride parades.

(I can hear it now. "OH SHIT. He's going THERE...")

Yup. You read right. Gay pride parades are nothing more that a chance for homosexual men and women to force-feed their gayness on you. They aren't trying to convert you or anything, but they want the shock-value of a whole slew of homosexuals with signs and stickers and shirts chanting, "We're here! We're queer! Get used to it!"

I hate to say it (as do most gun-owners), but open-carrying to a kids' soccer game is going to come across as trying to push a political agenda no differently. Regardless of the fact that she'd done it before. Like Sebastian said in his own comments section:

This isn’t gay people getting married, this is this guy. Dose he have a right to do that in a free society? Absolutely. Will I protest if the police haul him off to prison? Yes. But is he a good public face for the gay rights movement? Absolutely not. (Emphasis mine)

I'm not suggesting that we cower down and only OC in restaraunts where OC is encouraged on OC night every third Thursday of the month. I'm also not suggesting or condoning that gun owners distance themselves from this incident. The fact is, Mrs. Hain was operating completely within the bounds of the law. She was exercising her right, as recognized by Pennsylvania law, and we as gun owners should support her in having her license to carry concealed returned to her. If she's smart, she will have learned her lesson and will be more selective about how she carries in public. If not, she's most likely one of these "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!!!1!!ONE!" types and will screw it up for herself entirely.

Like I said, I'm all for open carry. I hope that Texas passes legislation that allows her citizens to openly carry firearms, and I would look forward to that every third Thursday thing.

As a start.

We'll get to soccer games in a few years. Don't overdrive the headlights!



tweaker