sigh...

[t1m0thy]

I don't worry about other people. I've got enough of a problem worrying about myself.

If someone else has a problem, guess what? Someone else has a problem. I don't have a problem.

Agreed, his feelings of inadequacy should not be applied to everyone else.

That is the biggest problem we face as open carriers. The idea that we are inconsiderate of others with our big bad guns out on display. If someone is afraid of my gun when I am behaving like a normal individual and simply carrying it is irrational and I refuse to acknowledge that as a valid reason not to carry, but it is the biggest one used by the anti open carry people. We are big bad bullies trying to intimidate people and frighten children to them and even those who support gun rights will succumb to this idiocy by placating it and backing down. Too many people think that it is only appropriate to conceal based on these facts or because they don't want to "offend" anyone. I accept conceal carry as an option for tactical purposes but not on the grounds above which is the rationale of many anti gun and pro gun individuals alike.

[P7hk9]

Multiple contradictions and flat irony in a single, short paragraph. How can you be at a loss about people that don't trust themselves with firearms?

Forgive my horrible post. I can't believe I typed that.

Let me try to clarify: I can't abide by people that think everyone acts like they do. If person X doesn't carry because he's afraid he might do something stupid, he cannot assume that everyone that carries will do something stupid.

I have been carrying for 22 years, and I've never done anything dumb with my weapon. I resent people that think I will do something stupid or illegal simply because I am carrying.

[ungawa]

Got it. I'm certainly down with that.

[TaePo]

When talking today with an NRA supporting hunter and gun owner he said he does not carry because he feels that people who do carry tend to misuse it and regret it later and he stopped carrying because of that. He doesn't object to others carrying but he prefaced it with the above statement. I regurgitated the age old saying that its better to be judged by twelve than carried by six but it didn't sink in.

I am so tired of this stupid, asinine logic. I know its a personal decision but people who don't trust themselves to carry can't help but project their shortcoming onto everyone else. This is why its so hard to get ahead with carry rights. There are gun owners that just don't get it nor understand the importance of the right to carry openly and freely in a free society. A gun isn't just a tool for self defense it is a symbol of individual liberty and self-reliance. A gun in the hands of a law abiding citizen represents the opposite of everything the statist stands for. Anti-gun and anti-carry in any form is the debasement of the individual and the acceptance of the need for societal dictates to govern the destiny of the masses. The more I carry the more I realize why the forefathers made it the 2nd amendment. I know it may sound strange to some but the more I carry the more confidence I have in myself...not a cocky brash egotistical confidence but a surety that comes in knowing that I am the master of my own destiny. The first time you open carry and step out boldly its like a veil is torn and you see at once all the lies and distortion that kept you from doing it before. I never even saw how my mind had been distorted by the media and popular culture until that moment.

One other thing I notice, and going back to the conversation with the gentleman above, is that this permeation of our subconscious and culture to hold instinctive disdain for those who carry is frightening. The debate between those who support open carry and those who do not favor it should keep in mind this thought: that open carry of firearms is the one tool we have to reverse the trend. No matter what the media depicts if the number of we who carry openly grows and the irrational fear portrayed is confronted with a daily reality of encounters with law abiding gun owners we will see the end to the hysteria and common sense take hold. That is why open carry is so important and not just an option but a necessity for all who carry if they want to keep that right.

Tell your friend to carry an underpowered mouse gun. No one in their right mind would go around starting crap when they are already behind on firepower. So you get some protection, but not enough to entice you into starting something!

[K.C.]

What we really need unfortunately is some worst case scenario to develop and then be stopped by an open carrier or someone carrying concealed. To hear the people go on and on on the national news about how "this person" really saved alot of lives by having that gun would turn the debate to a positive.

[Philbert]

Neither do I...the problem I have is the projection onto others the same weakness. The casual observation of "most people who carry" is what set off the red flag for me.

You are correct. Fortunately this point is easily provable, most people who carry are never convicted of any crime involving a firearm. A small minority of people who carry do something stupid. If he feels that he might be in that minority, or that carry is otherwise an unacceptable risk for him, then so be it. I wish more people were honest about when they should or should not carry. But there's no need to make up nonsense to support that decision.

[t1m0thy]

bumped in response to this locked thread...

http://forum.pafoa.org/open-carry-14...ut-factor.html

One other thing I notice, and going back to the conversation with the gentleman above, is that this permeation of our subconscious and culture to hold instinctive disdain for those who carry is frightening. The debate between those who support open carry and those who do not favor it should keep in mind this thought: that open carry of firearms is the one tool we have to reverse the trend. No matter what the media depicts if the number of we who carry openly grows and the irrational fear portrayed is confronted with a daily reality of encounters with law abiding gun owners we will see the end to the hysteria and common sense take hold. That is why open carry is so important and not just an option but a necessity for all who carry if they want to keep that right.

I want to emphasize that I do not think those who CC should be frowned upon anymore than those that OC should be frowned upon for freely expressing their civil rights. The idea behind OC not complying with some people's version of common sense is the guilt placed on them by the irrational fear of others. Just because it may disturb someone does not mean your actions should be repressed to coddle their incapability to think rationally. All you do is surrender ground by supplanting your civil right to bear arms openly and feed the idea that those who fear guns irrationally are in fact correct. If your decision to conceal carry is a tactical one, so be it; if it is in fear of the whimsical notions of an ignorant populace then I would ask you to study further the writings of John Locke and Thomas Paine as well as the writings of our founders to gain a more astute comprehension of the necessity of individual liberty and free expression of those said liberties.

[TaePo]

bumped in response to this locked thread...

http://forum.pafoa.org/open-carry-14...ut-factor.html



I want to emphasize that I do not think those who CC should be frowned upon anymore than those that OC should be frowned upon for freely expressing their civil rights. The idea behind OC not complying with some people's version of common sense is the guilt placed on them by the irrational fear of others. Just because it may disturb someone does not mean your actions should be repressed to coddle their incapability to think rationally. All you do is surrender ground by supplanting your civil right to bear arms openly and feed the idea that those who fear guns irrationally are in fact correct. If your decision to conceal carry is a tactical one, so be it; if it is in fear of the whimsical notions of an ignorant populace then I would ask you to study further the writings of John Locke and Thomas Paine as well as the writings of our founders to gain a more astute comprehension of the necessity of individual liberty and free expression of those said liberties.

Some people have a fear of clowns. They may try to avoid clowns and clown-like objects as is their perogative, but they should not attempt to legislate clowns or clowning. Should we have clown-free zones, spider-free zones, non-phobic inducing zones? We cannot. Because one person is afraid of enclosed spaces and another fears open spaces. It is impossible. So we forego limitations and the person must attempt to get along with the general populace as best they can or seek professional help.

I use clowns as an example and do not wish to belittle anyone who is afraid of them. Let's admit that Stephen King used the clown exceptionally well in IT. I, for example, dislike spiders though it is not quite phobic (but pretty close!)