If they were on way to or coming back from gun range or hunting it's probably safer to have them carrying their weapons then leaving them locked inside a vehicle.
Guns are only frightening when you only see them when a crime is being committed.
I was once with a big group of shooting enthusiasts we had a couple trucks but many of us were on motorcycles. We all piled into a McDonald's for breakfast on the way back to our rallying point. Many folks brought their weapon inside, some guys absent-mindedly as they had been wearing them for 45 minutes or so. I heard one of the cashiers (who looked worried) talking with the manager who replied to her along the lines of "This restaraunt has probably never been safer."
Law abiding citizens being law abiding citizens shouldn't be frightening or noteworthy.
Law abiding is fine, but the guys bringing in semi-automatic weapons are really going too far. I've seen them trying to enter banks - which is a huge no, no - and then they get pissy when they're told not to come in. Look I understand people want to bring attention to the issue, which I think is perfectly alright, but the thing I've learned over the years is if you bring the gun along with you into places where tensions run high you're going to want to use it.
ReplyDeleteThat's spoken from a man who's been shot at on three occasions and had knives pulled on him from more occasions than I can remember.
Like any group doing a demonstration these guys are noisy brats. I myself know many gun owners but I only know 2 people with weapons like these guys are carrying one is an EMT the other a very left-wing union activist so these guys as demonstrators are pushing good taste.
ReplyDeleteA business should have every right to say what customers can and can't bring into a place of business.
I'm law enforcement, and I conceal carry just about everywhere. I am very pro gun, but just like you don't drive your car into Walmart's sporting goods section, I don't see the need to bringing rifles slung over your shoulder to go to the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteThere are carrying cases for such times.
Besides, a concealed handgun will be more effective in any confrontation where a firearm is a game changer. No one is robbing your from 100 yards away and "stand your ground" laws aren't going to help when you pick off the feeling felon at range.
One of my gaming buddies open carries his 9mm so frequently I don't even notice it on him anymore. But that's a pistol in a holster not the same mental image as a half dozen demonstrators taking their rifles for a walk in the store.
DeleteNot rare enough, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI mean no disrespect but IMO gaming and politics are a poor mix.
Not bothered I don't do it much. You have a right to your opinion. I was risking a lot by posting this here as the issue can draw a lot of nutters from all angles; the public commentary on the piece in the Mother Jones site is so full of ignorance and hate it's sickening so a brief sane comment is refreshing in contrast.
DeleteI never mind people walking around with pistols on themselves for self-protection, but I never got the whole Open Carry movement. I grew up in a bad neighborhood, so to me, the only people who strut around with their arms on display, thinking they are big-shots, are thugs. I have been living in the boonies for some time, and I know a number of hunting and gun enthusiasts. There are a number of gun-owners who I respect—they lock-up their guns, they are sensible about self-defense, and they support background checks and the like—but there are others who I do not trust with any kind of firearm. Those are the ones who get a little too twitchy in an avoidable confrontation, feels weak without a gun, even in a peaceful area, and are generally careless with their stuff, to the point of treating their guns like toys! They have the same attitude and baring as the thugs I moved away from.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that make Open Carry demonstrators feel thuggish to me, are the ones that go to restaurants that publicly announce their policy on baring customers from carrying guns into their establishments. The employees are not going to tell a bunch of armed to get lost—they are not payed enough for that. Even store owners who abject get intimidated by them. Yeah, no one is going to rob the place, but at the same time, people are not going to eat at a place that feels like a rest stop for guys waiting out the Zombie Apocalypses! To most sane, reasonable people, the only place you'll need a assault rifle is in Somalia or Afghanistan.
I do think the demonstrators are blurring the message, or sending the wrong one by choosing the most politically charged weapons they may own.
DeleteI support your constitutional right to carry wherever and whenever. Period. I really mean that. I don't find legal 2A demonstrations wrong in any way.
ReplyDeleteI am heavily involved in politics and the RPG hobby community, but I am careful to never let them mix!
Mixing politics and RPGs is a recipe for hurt feelings and Internet flame wars.