Recent content by TravisB

Contrary to the false hype about "zero tolerance" insanity in Montana, it looks like the Board had the freedom to deal with this incident rationally, did deal with it rationally, and that it usually does: Apparently, in five out of five cases now, no student has actually been expelled. While...

I think it is unrealistic to expect gun dealers to stop engaging in this kind of fear-based hard sell when it is obviously so effective. As a group, firearms enthusiasts have demonstrated themselves to be remarkably gullible. When the NRA launched a comically overblown 2008 ad campaign falsely...

At a routine traffic stop in which I am not asked to exit the vehicle, I think I would always prefer not to tell the officer I am armed (if it is legal to withhold the information). I can think of no benefits to making the announcement. The main likely result would be making the officer nervous...

I've tried everything I can get my hands on, and CCI Mini-Mag is the hands-down winner. My finicky AR-7 (aka Henry U.S. Survival Rifle) is the reliability acid-test for me, and CCI MM has always cycled flawlessly in it.

Displaying a gun is not active intimidation. It's passive intimidation. Sure, you have plausible deniability ("Oh, darn, I forgot I was even wearing this thing!"), but that doesn't change the effect of the gun on others. The fact is, the generally accepted message received by a gun display at a...

[facepalm] Yes, because that's exactly how it will be perceived: The people who show up to a political dispute with guns are considered the peaceful ones. The NRA and similar organizations work hard to paint a portrait of gun owners as responsible -- and it's generally true. Those who own...

Since this is a thread not about general open carry but instead specifically the displaying of weapons during political demonstration, let's grant for the sake of argument that people could get used to seeing open carry during typical daily activities. In fact, let's leap ahead into the future...

Back on page 3 I posted this: As far as I can tell, there has been no evidence since introduced that armed political demonstrations have ever been a part of peaceful United States history. But there has also not been any tendency on the part of those advocating for armed political...

What's really going to be a problem is when there are demonstrations of Side A angrily facing off with Side B of an issue. Example: the anti-war and pro-war sides in 2003. One side shows up with signs and puppets. The other side shows up with signs and rifles. I predict that if this happens...

No. hth

Oops, sorry Mohawk, didn't see that you had it covered.

Well, here's a reaction to the AZ gun-displaying protesters from Arthur Frommer, of the Frommer Travel Guides. He's a bit hysterical (stay away from Arizona!) and clearly ignorant about how widespread and generally unproblematic legal open carry has been to date (there's a funny comment at the...

No amount of public-relations work could possibly change the fact that displaying a gun during a political argument changes things. It is not a meaningless act. It is an inherently intimidating act. Every. Other. Person. On. Earth. Can. See. This. You know what would be great public-relations...

Does anyone disagree that if it becomes a trend to display weapons at public demonstrations that many of the unarmed protesters, especially those on the other side of whatever issue it is, will surely feel intimidated? I don't mean are they justified in feeling that way -- rather, can't we be...

As this thread is not about general open-carry, but instead specifically the display of firearms to accompany political protest, I have to ask: Have Americans ever been comfortable with political demonstrators using weapons display as part of their political speech? If there was a peaceful...