I guess that I don't see what you are trying to acomplish, why would you want to parade around showing your gun?
Isn't a large part of CC to use the element of surprise to get the drop on the bad guy?
The left is always looking for ways to make us look like crazy people that are gun nuts, my
Repair,
These are legitimate questions, and while it's easy to tell you "go look at this or that thread" where the horse may have been beaten, I'll address them AND suggest you look around the site for OC vs CC arguments.
Why parade around showing one's gun? Why parade around exercising the 1A rights of peaceable assembly, speech, and petitioning of government for redress of grievance? The point is that it is a right to bear arms, and if that right is not exercised, it is effectively lost. For example, our own Kirk Freeman was in Broad Ripple a month or so ago, on his way to a range to shoot. An IMPD officer didn't like the fact that his 1911 was on his hip, in plain sight, and gave him a serious case of the red-ass over it, including screaming in his face, etc., and in disarming him, pointed his (Kirk's) own gun at Kirk's leg, understandably causing him some distress. Kirk was doing nothing wrong, nothing illegal, immoral, or unethical, just exercising his rights, and not solely for the purpose of that exercise, but because he was enroute to a shooting activity. That officer was wrong, but if he ever admits that, I have little doubt that it will be only because he was ordered to do so and wants to keep his job.
It's about education and familiarity. I carry a knife with about a 3.5" blade in my pocket most of the time. People are accustomed to seeing other people with knives in their pockets, so no one gives that a second thought, though I do get the
eyes when I draw and open it to use it for something. People are NOT accustomed to seeing large or semi-large knives open in other people's hands. If, however, people become more accustomed to seeing an openly-carried firearm, safely holstered on another citizen's belt, it will be less frightening to them to see it, and we'll get fewer "man-with-gun" (MWG) calls when we do it.You're correct that a big part of concealed carry is the element of surprise. Conversely, a big part of open carry is deterrence. There is the running argument that having that pistol where it can be seen makes the carrier the first target, and while that argument has merit IMHO, I am NOT getting into it here. I merely present it as one factor in this discussion.
You're correct that the Left is forever trying to paint us as crazy nutjobs. How better to dispel that image than to have a group of seven or so nicely dressed men and women show up at a restaurant for a meal, come in and politely wait for a table, sit, order, eat, pay, and leave, (possibly leaving a larger-than-average tip for the server?)
Now.... all that said, I personally choose not to open carry. Speaking for myself, concealed is what I prefer, but if at some point in the future, I have reason to choose to OC, I don't want to be branded a criminal solely because I have an openly-displayed handgun without a badge next to it.
Now... having read this post, you have a reader's digest version of the debate. My recommendation at this point is to search this BB for more info. I'll be happy to continue this with you via PM, if you prefer to do that also.
Blessings,
B
for a little while. Be nice to meet some other forum members.
