Some thoughts on open carry...
Kentucky is an "open-carry" state, which means it's perfectly legal to carry a pistol openly. In other words, it's not necessary to have a concealed-carry license to carry a pistol, as long as it's not hidden. There are other open-carry states, but I honestly don't know how many.
I started thinking more about open-carry (OC) after reading a thread on a discussion board. Even amongst those of us who take our gun rights VERY seriously, most of the opinions expressed were decidedly not in favor of OC. What surprised me was that usually the reasoning was that the sight of a pistol on someone's belt tends to freak people out, and that works against us and our gun rights.
Now, for starters, I've never carried my pistol openly (as least not off the farm). I haven't been a gun owner for all that long, so in my case, it's a comfort-factor thing. I still can't relax when I carry concealed. I think that's the wrong way to look at it, though. I need to get over that hang-up, and so does the rest of society.
Look, we see cops carrying guns all the time. That does not mean, however, that the cops are the only ones with the guns. There are thousands of us who carry concealed every day. The only difference is you can't see our guns -- but they're still there. If you could see the gun, you'd have no more reason to worry than when it was hidden.
And that's what bugs me -- it's a problem of perception. We're to the point that the only time we're presented with guns in the hands of anyone but cops is in the context of crime - the "news" howls about it every night. Of course, it's a rarity when they report on someone using a gun to protect herself. So, people get indoctrinated to the idea that guns are BAD ... you see a gun in the hands of someone who's not a cop, and you're supposed to fear for your life. Hogwash.
That's why I think OC should be a GOOD thing. The non-gun-carrying public needs to see guns as they are most of the time ... in the hands of law-abiding citizens, who have the means to protect themselves. Nothing more. By hiding our guns, we allow the "news" media to control the context in which we view guns ... and that context is never positive. Kids need to see people at the grocery store with a gun ... or pumping gas ... or walking the dog. See the gun as a tool ... nothing more. The fact that the gun is visible doesn't mean you're at risk ... on the contrary, it means if some wacko starts shooting, somebody will, at least, be able to shoot back.
I want to change the dynamic. I want to put the discourse back into a proper context. I am a law-abiding citizen (frankly, my nose is so clean it's kind of sad...) I want to carry my gun openly. I wish there were more people like that. Maybe we could change people's perceptions of what it means to carry a gun. I know I can't change things myself, but I'd like to think we, as gun owners, could get it done together.
So, next time you see someone carrying a gun openly (as if that will happen to most of you), don't freak out. You're probably safer around the gun-toting guy (or gal) than you will be when you get in your car & hit the road. You're far more likely to be done in by the dude with the CAR than you are by the dude with the gun. Wake up. Change your perceptions.
I started thinking more about open-carry (OC) after reading a thread on a discussion board. Even amongst those of us who take our gun rights VERY seriously, most of the opinions expressed were decidedly not in favor of OC. What surprised me was that usually the reasoning was that the sight of a pistol on someone's belt tends to freak people out, and that works against us and our gun rights.
Now, for starters, I've never carried my pistol openly (as least not off the farm). I haven't been a gun owner for all that long, so in my case, it's a comfort-factor thing. I still can't relax when I carry concealed. I think that's the wrong way to look at it, though. I need to get over that hang-up, and so does the rest of society.
Look, we see cops carrying guns all the time. That does not mean, however, that the cops are the only ones with the guns. There are thousands of us who carry concealed every day. The only difference is you can't see our guns -- but they're still there. If you could see the gun, you'd have no more reason to worry than when it was hidden.
And that's what bugs me -- it's a problem of perception. We're to the point that the only time we're presented with guns in the hands of anyone but cops is in the context of crime - the "news" howls about it every night. Of course, it's a rarity when they report on someone using a gun to protect herself. So, people get indoctrinated to the idea that guns are BAD ... you see a gun in the hands of someone who's not a cop, and you're supposed to fear for your life. Hogwash.
That's why I think OC should be a GOOD thing. The non-gun-carrying public needs to see guns as they are most of the time ... in the hands of law-abiding citizens, who have the means to protect themselves. Nothing more. By hiding our guns, we allow the "news" media to control the context in which we view guns ... and that context is never positive. Kids need to see people at the grocery store with a gun ... or pumping gas ... or walking the dog. See the gun as a tool ... nothing more. The fact that the gun is visible doesn't mean you're at risk ... on the contrary, it means if some wacko starts shooting, somebody will, at least, be able to shoot back.
I want to change the dynamic. I want to put the discourse back into a proper context. I am a law-abiding citizen (frankly, my nose is so clean it's kind of sad...) I want to carry my gun openly. I wish there were more people like that. Maybe we could change people's perceptions of what it means to carry a gun. I know I can't change things myself, but I'd like to think we, as gun owners, could get it done together.
So, next time you see someone carrying a gun openly (as if that will happen to most of you), don't freak out. You're probably safer around the gun-toting guy (or gal) than you will be when you get in your car & hit the road. You're far more likely to be done in by the dude with the CAR than you are by the dude with the gun. Wake up. Change your perceptions.
posted by Alpineman, RN at 12:00 PM
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