Oh No! Another Open Carry Story.....

[Aran]

Let's say that some guy in your neighborhood likes to walk down the street wearing nothing but a big diaper, bonnet and carrying a big rattle, occasionally falling down and bawling his eyes out. Are you going to call the cops on him?

No, I'm going to sit here and laugh at him.

 

[TallPine]

My question then is - why is open carry important

For one thing, you may do it without asking permission in many states.

 

[3KillerBs]

Let's say that some guy in your neighborhood likes to walk down the street wearing nothing but a big diaper, bonnet and carrying a big rattle, occasionally falling down and bawling his eyes out. Are you going to call the cops on him? It's perfectly legal as long as he's on the sidewalk, right? Sure it makes you uncomfortable, but it's his constitutional right and you should just deal with it.

I would have some justifiable concern that he could be a decoy for greater trouble or that he may be deranged in a way that presented a danger to me and my kids. Such a situation would probably justify a call to the police and an inquiry. HOWEVER, should they determine that he is not deranged and not high on something there would be no justification for his arrest.

Should he be identified as a neighbor I would be free to refuse to associate with him and to refuse to permit my kids to play with his kids. Should he be identified as a local business owner I would be free to refuse to do business with him.

But if that behavior is legal and he is neither presenting a true threat or breaking local noise ordinances he can wear his stupid costume and put on his stupid act without interference because it is LEGAL to act like an idiot in public (OC is, however, not acting like an idiot).

Living in a free country means that people are free to engage in harmless weirdness if they so choose and that others are not permitted to enforce their definition of social acceptability as if it were law.

Once again, police have no authority to arrest a person for a crime they suspect he may commit in the future.

 

[NonConformist]

Posted by 3KillerBs:


We in the United States of America are citizens of a free country, not subjects under a police state. There is a difference.

Unfortunantly a lot of people have forgotten this fact and have fallen for the BS revisionism of Liberal talking points and are convince excercising their rights is silly and accept having to ask to excercise their 'rights'

 

[jahwarrior]

If you engage in behavior that is out of the ordinary, expect to be questioned by the people you pay to monitor society for out of the ordinary behavior.

this argument has been used, not just by police, to harrass and kill minorities for being in the "wrong" neighborhood. i know, it's been used against me.

 

[Blackbeard]

We're not talking about arrest. The OP wasn't arrested -- he was questioned. E.g. Who are you? What are you doing here? Why do you have that gun? If OC is not the norm in your area, you have to expect to be questioned about it.

On the other hand, you could take a proactive stance and ask to make a short presentation to the LEOs in your jurisdiction about OC and the legalities involved. Make an appointment with your Chief/Sherriff and talk it over.

 

[Armueller2001]

We're not talking about arrest. The OP wasn't arrested -- he was questioned. E.g. Who are you? What are you doing here? Why do you have that gun? If OC is not the norm in your area, you have to expect to be questioned about it.

There have been a few cases when people were arrested, illegally detained, or had their CCW license revoked.

This story was just funny because the LEO's didn't have a clue what the laws they were supposed to enforce were.

 

[gp911]

The OP wasn't just questioned, he had an officer telling him he couldn't open carry, that it was illegal, and that he had better put the gun away. The officer then called back to base trying to come up with a reason to further harass the guy because he apparently thought open carry should be illegal, though he wasn't really sure if it is illegal.

People acting like he was furious over being questioned, or furious at all, need to try reading for comprehension next time instead of projecting their own biases into the situation.

gp911

 

[SCKimberFan]

It seems to me that the media is close to accomplishing their mission: GUNS ARE BAD!!! Even in the gun carrying (CC or OC), this is obvious by those who oppose OC. What is wrong with doing something that is entirely legal? Why should anyone be harrassed exercising their rights? Why should you tell them they are wrong for their choices, that are perfectly legal and harming NO ONE? The OP was standing on a sidewalk for Gosh Sakes!

You can't carry a gun on a public sidewalk when it is LEGAL to do so in PA, as was held up by NUMEROUS court cases? What is wrong with everyone who opposes anyone's right to carry a firearm open or privilege to carry it concealed?

It is our job to educate those who are not aware of the laws to make them aware. From the OP, you will note that the cops KNEW they were wrong. Otherwise, he would have been arrested.

Sorry for my rant. Some folks just tick me off.

 

[akodo]

Wyatt Earp carried concealed, why won't you? John Wesley Hardin preferred concealed carry because it was prudent. It reality you are not going to arrest abyone ever, defend a stranger or join the police in fighting off hoards of criminals or bank robbers. Chances are good the terrorists of the world won't decend on you while you are sitting in a parking lot playing with a rat.

This ladies and gentlemen is what we refer to as a strawman

 

[tpaw]

Let's say that some guy in your neighborhood likes to walk down the street wearing nothing but a big diaper, bonnet and carrying a big rattle, occasionally falling down and bawling his eyes out. Are you going to call the cops on him?

Only if he open carried........

 

[hopelessjoe]

Put yourself in their shoes though. They know that even though it's legal, they try to convince everyone it isn't and so how can you blame the typical guy or girl on the street (who knows nothing about carrying a gun) when they freak out and call the police when they see a civilian on the street brandishing a weapon? If you keep doing this, the cops may be called several times each week because you are out there showing a weapon.

Brandishing and open carry two wholly different things.

Open Carry is just that...Brandishing is intimidation with a weapon in order to demand compliance.

You might want to invest in a good dictionary.

 

[1911sup420]

I would be afraid to open carry just on the basis that criminals will know right about when you are armed. I would rather keep it hidden so no surprises.

 

[hopelessjoe]

Lonegunmen

In any state that open is legal it should go like this...

Cop: "Are you legally allowed to have a firearm in accordance to our state's restriction on convicted felons having firearms?"

Carrier: "Yes, I am perfectly legal."

Cop: "May I have your ID to confirm that?"

Carrier: "Here you go."

Two to three minutes later....

Cop: "Thank you for being patient while I do my job....Be safe and have a good day...I hope I didn't keep you from any pressing business."

LoneG...

I will second the motion that you are an ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hopelessjoe]

Chances are good the terrorists of the world won't decend on you while you are sitting in a parking lot playing with a rat.

Actually, considering that most people around the globe consider rats to be disgusting carriers of plague...

a terrorist is likely to think twice about messing with a guy who open carries and chooses to have a big nasty rodent for a pet...

Have you ever known someone to chooses to own and actively love a BIG tarantula or snake...

most of us are not comfortable with these animals in a cage...

terrorist are squeamish too...

please apply logic to your posts from here on out.

 

[tpaw]

Cop: "Thank you for being patient while I do my job....Be safe and have a good day...I hope I didn't keep you from any pressing business."

"I hope I didn't keep you from any pressing business"

Nice touch, but I think it's unnecessary.

"Thank you for being patient while I do my job....Be safe and have a good day..."

Sufficient.

 

[hopelessjoe]

"I hope I didn't keep you from any pressing business"

Nice touch, but I think it's unnecessary.

They are officially called CIVIL servants. Being polite is being civil.

I'm polite, even if they don't deserve it.

"Thank you for being patient while I do my job....Be safe and have a good day..."

Sufficient.

And when was the the last you heard anyone "complain" about cops treating the "serfs" as equals.

I has happened to to me two times (while being under their gun...so to speak) in my 33 years on this planet.

I have no criminal record or prosecutions and I am a CCW'er, but I am still treated like dirt by the police at any time I have to deal with them and I do not do things that warrant their attention.

The cops here are looking take anyone down for anything because that is where most of their funding comes from.

Can you say "corruption''?

 

[Aran]

I don't think the police should ever stop someone purely on the basis of "Well, he was open carrying".

Ever.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Unremarkable

In an earlier open-carry discussion, I expressed a viewpoint that Oleg mentioned some time back. Here's my [post=4401192]actual post[/post].

One of our objectives is to make firearms ownership and the carrying of them unremarkable.

As we make progress toward ubiquitous ownership and carry, we should keep in mind that our goal is to make it entirely a matter of personal choice.

At some point in the future, the only remark you should hear about someone's open carry is, "Why would you carry a chromed gun with that suit? Dude has no fashion sense."

I want to walk down the street and see holsters as fashion statements wherever I go. I want to see six-shooters and 1911s given -- openly and with pride -- as graduation presents at all respectable schools.

I want to live in an armed, polite society.

My view is pretty much the same today.

I look forward to the day when furniture manufacturers have to take into account the presence of a holster on one hip or the other.

Ergonomics, you know.

 

[3KillerBs]

At some point in the future, the only remark you should hear about someone's open carry is, "Why would you carry a chromed gun with that suit? Dude has no fashion sense."

I love it!

And for we ladies the designers would start coordinating lines of shoes, belts, purses, and holsters so that we could look well put together.