2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
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A look at one aspect of American gun culture, the debate about open carrying of guns.
Where this writer is coming from is the lonely middle ground. Iām not against open carry, but I donāt carry that way exclusively except when wearing a police department-issue uniform. Years of doing just that have left me acutely conscious of the fact some folks are scared of guns, and a few of them would just love to take the gun from you for their own messed-up reasons.
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Points In Favor
I would like to see open carry made legal nationwide without specific license, for any adult with a clean criminal record who has not been adjudicated mentally incompetent. One reason is often a non-gun person becomes a gun carrier out of desperate need when, overnight, they become the victim of a homicidal stalker. Having to wait for a carry permit application to be processedāsometimes 90 days or moreāis not conducive to survival. In some jurisdictions, the wind blowing a coat open to expose a carry permit holderās legal gun to view can be grounds for revocation of the permit, or even criminal charges. Legal, permitless open carry would end such draconian foolishness.
Open carry advocates believe the practice deters criminals, who generally seek easy marks and donāt want to get shot. Open carry opponents say, āShow me one case.ā OK!
In 2013, a 40-ish psycho named James DiMaggio kidnapped Hannah Anderson, the 16-year-old girl his sick fantasies had fixated on after murdering her mother and brother. He fled with his captive into the woods of Idaho. On foot with his victim in tow, he approached a small group of people on horseback with what is generally believed to be the intent of killing them to steal their horses ā¦ and fled when he saw one or more of them were carrying handguns holstered in plain sight. The riders caught on and contacted police, who subsequently closed in on DiMaggio, rescued the teenage hostage, and killed DiMaggio in a gunfight like the mad dog he was.
Where this writer is coming from is the lonely middle ground. Iām not against open carry, but I donāt carry that way exclusively except when wearing a police department-issue uniform. Years of doing just that have left me acutely conscious of the fact some folks are scared of guns, and a few of them would just love to take the gun from you for their own messed-up reasons.
-----
Points In Favor
I would like to see open carry made legal nationwide without specific license, for any adult with a clean criminal record who has not been adjudicated mentally incompetent. One reason is often a non-gun person becomes a gun carrier out of desperate need when, overnight, they become the victim of a homicidal stalker. Having to wait for a carry permit application to be processedāsometimes 90 days or moreāis not conducive to survival. In some jurisdictions, the wind blowing a coat open to expose a carry permit holderās legal gun to view can be grounds for revocation of the permit, or even criminal charges. Legal, permitless open carry would end such draconian foolishness.
Open carry advocates believe the practice deters criminals, who generally seek easy marks and donāt want to get shot. Open carry opponents say, āShow me one case.ā OK!
In 2013, a 40-ish psycho named James DiMaggio kidnapped Hannah Anderson, the 16-year-old girl his sick fantasies had fixated on after murdering her mother and brother. He fled with his captive into the woods of Idaho. On foot with his victim in tow, he approached a small group of people on horseback with what is generally believed to be the intent of killing them to steal their horses ā¦ and fled when he saw one or more of them were carrying handguns holstered in plain sight. The riders caught on and contacted police, who subsequently closed in on DiMaggio, rescued the teenage hostage, and killed DiMaggio in a gunfight like the mad dog he was.
The Case Of Open Carry
āOpen Carryāāguns worn visibly in public, presumably loadedāhas long been a hot-button topic in the world of the gun, and in the last few years, the deb
gunsmagazine.com