Arizona_Mike said:
We have lost a lot in the last generation. I'd like to get it back.
The problem is that (as far as we know, based on what their stated purpose is) is that they were carrying solely to exercise their rights. Your examples indicate that even children were carrying firearms "back in the day". The difference is that they were carrying them for use, to shoot either at the school firing range, or on the way home from school if they lived in the boonies.
There's little reason to carry an AR15 downtown, miles away from the nearest location you could legally shoot it. They were intending to cause a scene, and test the police's reaction to their actions.
I can understand pistol open carry at all times without purpose as there is a legitimate defensive purpose that can be understood by a neutral party. I can understand rifle open carry WITH PURPOSE, heading to a location where it can legally be used. Walking around a Mall or downtown corridor with a slung rifle serves no purpose, other than to urge neutrals and anti's to contact their representative to stop such behavior. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.
That's my opinion. Everyone has a right to their own, that's just where I draw the line.
In regards to the actual video, they should have stopped wasting his time and simply asked if they were being detained, and if they are free to go. If you're not going to answer questions, why act like you're going to have a conversation? The cop seemed pretty understanding, and does seem like a "gun guy", beyond being a level headed individual. I'm bothered by the cop's desire to know if the rifle is loaded, since it's legal in either condition, why wouldn't you assume it was loaded and go about your business? I'm assuming he was going to take down the serial number, but who knows. I certainly wouldn't hand over my weapon unless being detained, and even then would likely ask the officer to remove it from me personally.
Also I can see the cop being given a hard time for offering to hand over a full auto weapon, in a public area, with little security. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. At the range, sure. Otherwise, seems like a bad judgement call in a public area, regardless of how neat it'd be. For one thing, the person in question is carrying an AR already, and without a pat-down, you don't know for sure they don't have a space mag available, so unloading it doesn't seem to be enough "safety" in my opinion.
EDIT: In regards to the full auto paragraph above, I'm not implying that he shouldn't have handed over a full auto rifle because it's some kind of weapon of mass destruction. Even if it was a 12guage shotgun, it just doesn't seem necessary, and seems to create unnecessary liability for the citizens he represents.