Freedom.
I live in Texas. It gets hot in Texas. Not just hot, but damned hot. I'd love to be able to slip out of my sports coat at a restaurant when being seated without having patrons begin shrieking at the sight of a holstered handgun on my side.
When getting out of my pickup truck to fill up with gas, I'd like to not have to mess with a jacket or unbuttoned shirt to keep my crazed handgun concealed and calm.
Etc etc.
I know folks--lots of them--who say they'd never carry openly. Hallelujah and pass the cornbread, it's a free country and that's your choice. But try not to make YOUR choice more important than MY choice.
Oklahoma is on the verge of having an OC law and I salute my Okie brethren to the north of the Red River. They seem to be a helluva lot smarter and free than we are in Texas (except for taxes and crappy roads). *I've just edited this to add that the governor, God Bless her, has signed the bill.
But in reading the article I linked to, I see where some numbnuts sheriffs have "issues" based upon their opinions about Open Carry. According to the article:
We called every single sheriff in Oklahoma to see how they feel about open carry. Ten out of 77 sheriffs support open carry whole-heartedly. Thirteen sheriffs say they support the open carry concept, but have serious issues with the ambiguity of the actual law. Twelve say they can't make up their mind one way or the other. But most sheriffs we talked to say they are against open carry altogether. The rest wouldn't comment or didn't get back to us.
Many of the sheriffs opposed to the open carry law offered these arguments:
- They won't be able to tell the bad guys from the good guys.
- It will be dangerous for the person openly carrying the gun.
- There will be more officer-involved shootings.
- There will be more guns stolen because citizens don't have weapon retention training.
With the exception of the twenty-three real lawmen who are presently sheriffs in Oklahoma, most sheriffs contacted for the article are typical--let me repeat, TYPICAL--law enforcement dumbass administrative types.
"Twelve say they can't make up their mind." *snort* Typical again--friggin politicians sticking their weenie up to see which way the dust is blowing.
But let's look at the other "reasons" the idiots give for opposing it:
• They won't be able to tell the bad guys from the good guys.
Turn in your badges, clean out your offices and get the hell out of law enforcement. All that time spent running your jails and you claim you won't be able to tell a good guy from a bad guy? Dumbasses. Oh yeah, during my time in LE I saw a buttload of criminals openly-carrying in Bianchi or Safariland holsters. . . Yep, saw a lot of criminals carrying nice S&W L-frames in shoulder holsters, or Sigs and Glocks in tactical holsters.
Besides, sheriffs, we don't give a damn if you can tell good guys from bad guys. It's WE THE CITIZENS who need to be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, which brings us to the next point:
• It will be dangerous for the person openly carrying the gun.
How?
Do these sheriffs mean to tell me that less that 1/64" of fabric that would be between my holstered gun and the glory of the outside world is all the makes me safe when I'm carrying?
Well, hell. All I need to do then is continue wearing long-sleeve shirts and sports jackets and just ACT like I'm packing. . .
Or could they be talking about weapon retention? Let's point the finger back at LE on that issue and ask how many cops lose THEIR weapons? I lost count when I was in that line of work. Gun came out while running. Gun came out while entering patrol car. Gun fell out of ankle holster in restroom stall, slid into next stall where patron finished his business and grabbed the gun and hauled ass. Worked with an FBI agent one time that had no idea where EITHER of his issue guns were--and hadn't known where they were for over ten years. He BORROWED other cops' guns for qualifications and simply filled in his SNs. You can get away with that kind of crap in the small remote offices.
• There will be more officer-involved shootings.
Wasn't the same tired old argument used for plain-old concealed carry and didn't we see, unequivocally, that it was patently and blatantly false?
Then there is always the old standby line about how "carrying guns in the open makes other people nervous or it scares them."
Carrying a gun is a Second Amendment right no different than having a bumper sticker on your car is a First Amendment right--and when I see an Obama For 2012 bumper sticker, *I* get nervous and it scares the hell out of me that anyone could be so stupid.
Message to Law Enforcement: When you insist on not trusting us with a gun, why should we, the citizens and your employer, trust you with a badge?
Think about that.
10 comments:
Another issue that I have with opponents of OC is the idea anyone doing it should have to have weapon retention training.
So people are more likely to try to steal my car then my firearm -- should I have to get special training for that?
Or my wallet?
My daughter and wife are very attractive ladies -- given the statistics they are in more danger of being raped then having a gun stolen -- what specialized training should they have before they are allowed to venture out into public?
Personally, I think Officer safety would be increased due to Open Carry -- cops would be able to tell quicker and easier who is carrying.
And the last point -- I don't care about increased or decreased officer safety (that is a training issue) as much as I care about MY RIGHTS.
And my health. I have asthma - guess what aggravates it during the summer? Can you say "heat"?
Yep....my right to carry a firearm, my right to keep myself alive and healthy while doing it out weighs the very slim (practically nil) change in danger for the officers.
I suport OC. That way you can tell the men who have little dicks. I don't know how many men I've 'known' over the years who carried guns and were just a teeny deficient down there, lol. Either that or they had mommy issues.
Wow Liberalmann -- can you say "psychological projection"?
Give it a try....I know if you work at it, you can do it. You may never admit you have a problem but just saying the words might be a start.
Seriously, do you feel that people should have to practice their religion in hiding? Speak only in private?
Is it a specifically enumerated, Constitutionally protected Right -- what is so hard about understanding that?
What is hard about understanding that crime rates are dropping even as more and more people are Carrying -- Openly and Concealed ?
All good points AOA, especially the LAST ONE!!! :-)
Even though I primarily CC, I like the option of OC sometimes. It is way more comfortable for one thing,.
I can not for the life of me figure out how folks in law enforcement are so ignorant of the issues surrounding law abiding citezens carrying guns. None of the dire, blood in the streets, arguments ever come to fruition. Every time there is a law passed in favor of the people, the "experts" claim all hell will brake looses and it never, ever happens. .
At least when you come to Virgina later this year, you CAN open carry with out it being an issue. I always marvel at TEXAS of of all places being open carry illegal.
BobS--You make a SUPERB point about not caring about officer's abilities to tell good guys from bad guys--it IS a training issue. The issue is all about OUR rights.
LE swear an oath to defend the Constitution--not a whine script to pursue an easier road in defending it.
Lib--As usual, you are full of it. I also HIGHLY DOUBT you are a veteran as you once claimed a few posts back, especially given the field you claimed you worked in.
Sorry pal, but for those of us veterans here, there are ways we identify ourselves and what we did, and ways we don't.
At least you didn't claim to be a sniper (the latest fad, replacing SEAL, Green Beret, PJ, Recon, Ranger, et al)--that would've been the ultimate irony.
Your comment about carrying and dick-size is actually something that makes almost all gun-owners snicker.
Old NFO--I'm pretty big on "if you can't trust us with a gun, we can't trust you with a badge." This has pissed off a few present day cops I know. My response? Deal with it. You work for me, not the other way around and by God, do NOT ever forget that.
My Favorite Girl and Her Gun--I'm still blushing over yesterday's post on your blog (I blush rather easily anyhow, even at my age) but I agree with you.
There is a disconnect between law enforcement and the citizenry that grows wider with each passing day.
I think as responsible gun-owners and citizens, it's not only our responsibility, but our DUTY to try and close that gap.
Gets tiring, I know, and I'm as bad as anyone about getting po'd over prevailing cop attitudes. But still. . .
45ACP+P--No kidding. . . of all places, TEXAS makes OC illegal. Of course, in MANY rural areas here in the Lone Star State, we ignore that (ranching country especially) and I've yet to see the lawman raise a fuss.
But still, it's a law that needs to go. . .
--AOA
Just a note to Liberalmann...Just why are you so 'interested' in the size of male genitalia? Just why does it pertain to you anyway? Penis envy perhaps?
Now as for me I live where CC and OC is quite legal. And since I too have lung issues, I appreciate the ability to CHOOSE my method of carry to suite the conditions I move around in.
Oh and just to make sure that there are no misunderstandings, I am a retired soldier and former police officer. Not a tab ranger but a CIB awarded infantry NCO. To any who don't know what that means..I have seen the elephant and learned some tough life lessons.
No Bob, what I'm saying is those who carry or are obsessed with guns have little dicks. It's true. Really.
With the way OK and TX play 'keeping up with the Joneses,' you'll have OC in no time flat. I plan on continuing to conceal much of the time. But, I'll be wearing my guns out from time to time too - mostly to show off my craft though. I'm actually devising my own OC rig recently.
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