Comments on: Thoughts on Dickson City

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:04:24 +0000

I have faith in you guys. But I do worry. The media love to paint gun owners as nuts.

By: gnbrotz

gnbrotz — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:58:32 +0000

Hang in there…..the ‘public relations’ on this story is just beginning.

By: chris

chris — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:48:11 +0000

i open carry several times a month… i dont have my CCH yet so i dont carry all the time, but i do carry when practical…

usually to and from the range, and any stops in between… and sometimes when out and about running errands…

since the courts have ruled that the 2nd amendment does not restrict states from passing concealed carry laws… the right to open carry is THE only thing that is valid about the “and bear arms” part of the 2nd… this is one of those things that has been restricted over and over again yet it is one of the key foundations of the 2nd amendment…

as with any right, if enough people stop exercising it, it becomes very easy to loose it completely

By: Rob K

Rob K — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:50:20 +0000

I think in the current climate that we need to be careful about open-carry, but I want the presence of a gun to be no more notable than the presence of my pocket knife or multi-tool. You obviously don’t think of having your pocket knife down in your pocket as “concealed carry” do you? I want guns to be about the same. I don’t want to have to worry about not being able to remove a jacket or over shirt because doing so would expose my gun. I want to be able to go to a restaurant and sit at the table with my gun on my belt completely unnoticed, just like the multi-tool on my belt goes unnoticed. That’s only going to happen if people become accustomed to the idea that people around them are carrying, and that’s only going to happen with education. Maybe we all need T shirts that say in big letters “open carry is legal” (where applicable).

I think also that the idea of keeping the bad-guys guessing as to who’s carrying is a bit unrealistic right now. I bet most of them don’t think about it at all, implicitly assuming that no one is carrying. Open carry can be a reminder that people are indeed carrying guns.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:10:23 +0000

Robert,

I think open carry has it’s place. I don’t think it’ll ever be common, because even as passionate as I am about carrying for self-defense being legal, I seldom open carry. When I have, it’s generally been in the woods (a S&W N frame is a bit rough to conceal), or at gun related events where it wouldn’t be out of place. Nonetheless, we benefit from it remaining legal an accepted.

By: acanback

acanback — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:04:20 +0000

If I operated a public business, I would post a sign saying- ccw permit holders get a ten% discount. This might get the attention of anyone with bad intentions.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:59:43 +0000

I think that these dinners violate the principle of discretion, which is what CCW is all about. You can’t clamor for the right to carry discreetly and then have a public even where everyone flashes or brandishes their weapon. By doing so, you’re taking advantage of the tolerance of the non-gun-carriers.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:24:35 +0000

One of the news reports said it was the OCB manager. And as for the cost to local businesses…. people who carry guns regularly are a small percentage of LTC holders. Gun rights activists are an even smaller minority. I mean, I agree with not patronizing businesses that don’t want your dollars, but the fact is, the main reason most places don’t want to post is that it send a signal to consumers that the place might be dangerous. Not that most people think like us when presented with a gun free zone, more like “Well, if they had to post a sign, it must be the kind of place that has those kinds of incidents.”

By: Nathaniel

Nathaniel — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:37:51 +0000

There’s a thread on PAFOA now describing the OCB manager’s take on open carry dinners–doesn’t seem to be really opposed to them, but they make his life difficult. I don’t recall reading that he called the cops; I was under the impression that a customer did.

I think your general conclusion is right, however–if it’s an event big enough that the media could get involved, we need to minimize their opportunity to portray the event negatively, because if they are able to do that repeatedly, PA’s liberal open carry law might not last too long.

By: wallbanger...

wallbanger... — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:35:30 +0000

One can vote for local officials at the polls. One can also vote for local businesses with their dollars. Perhaps a loss of dollars can help reframe this issue to local businesses.

Art H….