I don’t know if he was just joking but it didn’t sound like it.

The same fear was about CCW permits and the history has shown that most of those people are safe to carry firearms.

Carry provisions are really a matter of convenience. Robb beng in a hot climate wants OC since that is more convenient. I want carry so I can have one on my leg when I am riding or in a purse when traveling by car and in cities.

I just want the laws to allow carry whether open or concealed. I do not want to have to get a permit to do so. I do not think we can get to that in most states, unlike Alaska which was a very pro gun state to start with, unless we show to the publice that carry is safe. CCW does not promote that since it is not seen. Only OC can promote that.

Cases like Insty had where the guy had an empty holster and was told he could carry and others at th restaurant becomes used to seeing a person carrying and going about their business.

OC at rallies if more common and nothing bad happening would help that message to the public at large.

The case in Seattle though where one guy grabbed the gun and innocents got hurt was bad. The gun carrier had a permit but got into an arguement that went bad.

Really the fault was on the other person who disagreed with the gun carry.

The Az rifle guy was prepared for that possibility since he had a possible hostile ACORN crowd. Instead their precaution worked and no issue occured.

The more common OCbecomes the more used to it they get. I believe that Kevin Baker found that out in AZ and so did Breda.

Will Pa gun folks carry OC more , Maybe, it has been increasing in the last 20 years.

I do not see unicorns in MD since no one has carry permits. I do not see it that much in Va but I am not there much. But people have heard accounts and getting to know it is allowed and OK.

Va gun rights have been expanding even with a Democratic governor and two Democratic Senators. Those politicain have accepted the pro gun rights. Did VCSL have any impact, I think so. Do VCDL carry OC?, Yes they do at meetings to make a political statement and at restuarants since that was law.

Va was trending blue, PA is also. But Pa gun rights have not been as effective. Sucess breeds sucess.
PA OC people have been vindicated in court , That was important.

If Greg Rotz and those start attending the meetngs at the towns and getting organized with strong supporters who show up that would be more effective.

In these kinds of matters there’s never really absolute truth or certainty. If you’re successful, each faction will take credit for the success, and if you’re a failure, each faction will blame the other. Did the Civil Right Movement succeed because of the non-violent King faction? Because the Black Panthers scared the shit out of whitey? Would Civil Rights have come faster if it wasn’t for all the political violence? I have my views on the matter, but can you say for certain the Black Panthers helped or hurt? I tend to doubt it.

But I also think there’s a difference between just going out and OCing, and using it as a tool for activism, and I’m supportive of the former and not the latter. My reasons for being skeptical of it aren’t based on concrete facts, I will admit it. It just doesn’t make any sense to me based on how people generally think about topics, and based on how the media treats the issue. It’s very difficult to convey information to the public at large, and in the public sphere. It’s a soundbite world. I think the way the media covers the issue tends to send out memes and soundbites that people have little context to be able to put it in perspective. You get a lot of focus on the gun, which someone who does not own guns has no tools to understand. You get a lot of focus on “Why would someone do this?” which people who do not carry guns have a difficult time understanding. I don’t think it’s good to have the public dismissing the issue as attention whoring or kookery. In short, as a method of activism, I think there are too many things that distract people from the message of guns being used by ordinary average people for self-protection.

Can you illustrate a turn from support for the 2A that coincides with OC activism? Because all I’m getting right now is that you feel it hurts, but have given no concrete proof of it.

Even where it is legal, it is rare, so any OC is bound to cause stares. However, bi racial marriages are also rare, and people tend to notice the black guy with the lily white wife. But the difference is, as rare as it is, it’s accepted and it was done so by people simply being out in public showing affection to someone not of the same skin tones. That didn’t convey a whole marketing brochure’s worth of literature either.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not putting 100% stock in OC being the silver bullet to push gun rights all the way, but I see no harm in it at all, even when done like these gentlemen did. Let the news try to portray us as a bunch of angry white men with guns and a hatred of “The Other”. It’s pretty easy to prove them wrong to a rather large audience.

The argument that it promotes the social acceptance of guns in society is an interesting one, and often made by open carry folks. I’m still on the fence about that. I could be convinced it’s effective. But I’m not convinced enough people are going to open carry in places like Pennsylvania to really make a difference in that regard. It’s tough to convince a large number of people to put up with the downsides of not carrying concealed.

Yes, I do. Because I don’t think it’s a good one. I accept many people don’t agree with me on that, though… and it’s not going to suddenly cause me to stop favoring it being legal, or making it legal (TX and FL) where it’s currently not. But I don’t hide that I don’t think it’s effective activism.

NJ suffers from cowardice on the gunrights community to resist gun restrictions. If NJ gunrights community operated as VCDL to change the laws in their favor the the one gun a month rule may not have suceeded. The VA GOP candidate has said he regrets the one gun a month rule. He was supported by VCDL in past elections and he has progressed to stronger support of gunrights.

Lost and stolen is a new tactic. Use Aliinsky against these supporters. Demonize, use ridicule against those that support this.Did the PA gun rights community attend the town councils that approved Lost and Stolen and argue against it? If so I never read any thing.

Those who have standing take these towns to court since it violates premeption. Refuse to obey an ilegal law.

These are tactics and endruns because the antigun forces lost the big battle that we do have a right to have a gun.

I have yet to see an effective organizarion such as VCDL in PA., partially because the gun carry organizations are not for OC they prefer CCW and do not support OC with whole heart.

Gun rights activists pushed for CCW and then rested. They are protected so those who do not have a permit are left to twist.

OC is pushing for Texas to approve. Tenn has had sucesses. They focused on getting the right people elected.

Your new focus on the mayors is a good tactic to fight back.

The Brady bunch are the old enemy and they have been mostly defeated. Bloomberg is the new enemy.,If we are effective taking down his mayors,then we neuter him.

I do not say you are anti gun rights or even anti OC. But your blog also continually argues against OC as a political tactic.

You blog is a political tool. So what is wrong with political demonstrations? Do you think OC is bad? If not then support those who go into battle supporting OC by carrying and figting the police hassles.

So do you think that it would be better if OC is accepted or not? If so then support those who do it.