Gun shirts & stickers, pro or con?

[Aw4g63]

How do you guys feel about gun shirts and stickers?

I refuse to label my truck with stickers since I carry and sometimes lock my gun in my truck. Plus my neighbors/passers don't need to know I have guns in my house when it's parked there. I had a Ohioians for CC while that fight was going years ago but that was just until it was passed.

But gun shirts on the other hand I like, to an extent. I don't like the tacky saying shirts but I do own some others. Magpul, Condition0 (Some local guys) and a gun show classic "infidel".

I also saw at Gandier Mountain S&W has some ok looking shirts now too.


How about you?

 

[NG VI]

I've got a Comp-Tac hat and shirt around here somewhere, I love those guys. And it isn't an obvious gun related shirt, unless you are a competitor or concealed carrier and have done business with them.

In which case I don't care if you recognize the origin.

 

[glassman]

I don't wear advertisments for anything on my clothing or put stickers on my truck, gun related or not.

 

[mljdeckard]

I have NRA stickers on all my vehicles, I have a Molon Labe sticker on one.

I wear brand t-shirts and caps all the time, I could care less who sees them. It's like the open v concealed carry argument. A lot of people wear them here (this is Browningville,) and I think that the possibility that you will attract aggression is at least offset equally by the likelihood that you will deter aggression. Big fat who cares.

 

[Sam1911]

Well, this one comes up pretty frequently here on THR.

You'll find the answers break evenly between two camps:

Camp 1:
"I won't be cowed into hiding."
"I'm proud of my sport."
"It's a kind of advocacy -- the more people see gun-related images and messages the more folks will recognize how many of us there are and that we're the GOOD guys."
"I've ended up taking out shooting dozens of folks who only approached me because they knew I was a shooter because of my ball cap, bumper sticker, t-shirt, or -- of course -- NRA ascot and monocle."
"Guns are part of who I am and a big part of my social persona."

Camp 2 says:
"I won't advertise my belongings to thieves."
"I won't advertise my beliefs to others who might make life less pleasant for me."
"Advertising NRA membership of gun ownership gets extra attention from the police."
"It's nobody's business but mine."
"I don't advertise for ANYONE or ANYTHING, ever. I'm no hick -- stickers and printed t-shirts just ain't my style."
"Guns are very private. We don't talk about that in public."

There are a lot of good reasons behind each "camp." And chances are, we can discuss it forever, but we won't change anyone's mind either way.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Camp #3

Most if not all are horribly unfashionable, so no, I wont' wear them.

 

[Sgt_R]

Opsec

I don't publicly advertise my personal posessions, political opinions, or professional associations any more than necessary. When traveling, this also extends to my state / country of origin if possible.

I've been told that my haircut is a dead giveaway, but some things can't be helped.

R

 

[hso]

Depends

A sticker for a RKBA organization as a political statement, sure.

Anything else, nope.

 

[Cosmoline]

"Women come and go, but a Mosin-Nagant is forever"

 

[One-Time]

I dont hide my hobby/right, I still scream 'COP' to most anyway so its a moot point anyhow

 

[HGUNHNTR]

^ As well as your user name.

 

[davepool]

This is the only sticker i have on my truck,not really an advertisement, but it gets a smile from the guys at the range that know what it is

 

[Wildyams]

I have a good ol' "protected by smith and wesson" sticker on my car. no ones broken into it yet

 

[tasco 74]

i have a few of the smith&wesson shirts i wear on occasion......... like when i go to any of my grandkids school functions and games..... i am really sick of the schools indoctrinating
my grand kids so i like those pasty faced educators know where i stand........... maybe...........

LIFE IS SHORT.....

 

[SheepNutz]

No stickers, but being both a gun nut and a chemist, I had to get this shirt!

This is another one I plan on getting soon, it's perfect for the Zombieland fan in your family:

 

[alsaqr]

My vehicles have NRA stickers and alumni stickers from my colleges. I'm not into gun T shirts.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i have 2 pieces of gun related clothing that i wear...besides various hats, which i only wear to the range.

both are either tasteful...Kalashnikitty T-shirt...which the ladies loves at the Daycare and the casinos
or
functional...SigSauer zip-up hoodie...which is thermal lined, comfortable and warm. very few people recognize it, maybe because i wear it with a matching Mercedes cap

 

[Zotter]

I have one sticker on my truck:

"WARNING"
Driver determined to be a possible
terrorist by DHS. Approach with caution.

My own protest of this:
(article about) http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/election/1006
(copy of report) http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf

 

[dakotasin]

i have no problems w/ shirts, hats, or stickers...

my truck and my wife's car have nra stickers.

i was coaching my daughter's soccer team this evening in a cci t-shirt and remington ball cap.

i have one of those glock keychain things hanging in my office. most people know exactly which model glock it represents; there's no wondering if it is a gun, though.

don't care who i offend... ain't skeered!

 

[Big_E]

I have a Browning T-Shirt that i wear, just has that vintage advertisement look and says outdoors gear. I also really like the Browning deer silhouette logo. I don't like wearing shirts that have large prints of guns unless I am only going shooting (depends on the locale though).

Bumper stickers that are only logos that I think only fellow shooters will recognize I am cool with. But the words "Glock" or "Sig Sauer" are no-no's. But the Leupold "L" could stand for anything.

 

[GIJOEL]

I use an old canvas tool bag for a range bag, most "range bags" look too much like range bags. I live in a less than ideal neborhood and shoot 1-2 per week in the winter. No sense in advertising that I have guns. Anyone who has gone to a shooting range knows what those bags look like... Just a thought.

 

[fireman 9731]

I have a Barnes Varmint Grenade t-shirt. The only people that know what they are the only ones that need to know.

I also like Davepool's sticker a lot too. To most people that is just some band symbol or something. But to the ones that need to know, Its an AK bolt face.

Thats more my style.

 

[Aw4g63]

No stickers, but being both a gun nut and a chemist, I had to get this shirt!

I like those!

I just bought a few of these off some local guys here in Cleveland (Condition0). I think they're pretty slick...Meet them at a show, good dudes.

 

[Aw4g63]

A lot of good points in this thread. I'm not saying either way is right. I find myself at both sides of the spectrum a lot. I was just curious on what the majority stance is, which I don't think is possible to find. haha

 

[P.O.2010]

Unless I was at a gun oriented event (i.e. an NRA meeting or a gun show) where everyone is automatically assumed to be armed I would not wear or display anything that suggests that I was carrying a firearm.

If you're going to wear a t-shirt that says "From my cold dead hands", plaster NRA, GOA, JPFO stickers all over your car or anything similar you might as well open carry, assuming your state allows it. Are most ordinary people going to pay attention to how you dress and say to themselves "Hey, that guy's probably armed"? No, but experienced criminals will and you will be the first person they kill when the time comes. If you want to walk around in condition orange all the time, hey, more power to you. Otherwise you might want to dress conservatively.

If you're carrying concealed you don't want people to know you're armed. Period. Don't dress to make a statement, dress to blend in. In an armed encounter you want every conceivable advantage you can get. You should look unassuming and meek. Your assailant should only know you're armed when he sees your muzzle flash or hears your weapon's report.