Noticing a picture displayed by OCT at Smashburger, Lagniappe’s Lair notes:
Now aside from the fact that about half of those unattended long guns appear to be “leaning with intent to fall”, A zoom on the AR to the far left, closest to the bald bozo in the Cabela’s shirt, reveals that the safety selector is vertical to the rifle, meaning that it’s set to FIRE. Two of the other ARs have their safeties obstructed by slings or camera angle, but I’m willing to bet that at least one of them has it’s safety disengaged, too; that’s just the sort of half-assed idiots that these half-assed idiots are.
Go have a look for the close up shot. A reader mentioned today that if OCT didn’t exist, Bloomberg would have to invent them. This is truth, so God help us. I can’t imagine what an ND would do to the movement if it happened in one of these “educational” events. These folks have demonstrated they are fundamentally without good judgement. My concern is that poor judgement will be exercised in more areas than just public relations. Just look at the photo from Lagniappe’s Lair; if you were intent on making off with a gun, how much would you bet you’d be out the door with one of those ARs before the people not paying attention to what’s going on behind them even notices?
Bob Ownes of Bearing Arms also looks at the safety violations committed by this group. He correctly notes that muzzle down on a concrete floor is NOT a safe direction. If a firearm discharges, the bullet will likely ricochet off the floor, while also simultaneously sending fragments of concrete out in random directions with enough force to seriously injure people nearby. The safe direction is up in this circumstance.
All this has me thinking I need to start a new category “Clown Show.” I hate putting this stuff in Gun Rights, or even Gun Rights Organizations. That gives them too much credit. Even “How not to Win” is generous.
Since this Smashburger event happened last year I’d *like* to say they’ve gotten better….
This alone shows the ergomonics problems that simply come with the size of long-guns. They’re simply too big to stick in a holster and leave there all live long day.
A gun in a holster is not being touched, it’s secured and (unless the holster is crap) isn’t going anywhere.
OTOH even a slung rifle will have to be fiddled with if you’re going to sit down or get into a vehicle. And heaven help you if it’s unslung.
I submit the idea, the rifles are probably unloaded and pose a danger to no one beyond a visual of bad possibilities.
The point about the safety being set to the fire position is meaningless, if, the AR is unloaded.
The safety can only be moved to the “safe” position after the rifle’s charging handle is cocked.
No round in the chamber would mean the rifle’s safety selector’s only mechanically defined position is the fire position.
I submit the idea, that you’re being an apologist for these clowns.
I feel the need to preface the following with “I wish these asshats would grow some strategic intelligence” but looking at that I hope it is the following: An AR-15 CAN NOT be set to safe if not cocked. With no round in the chamber and hammer down, there is no way to put the selector on safe. I really hope this is the case.
My sentiments, also.
I hope you’re right that they are unloaded. But I have a bad feeling that’s not the case. The reason is that I’ve seen no evidence of good judgement from this group.
My guess is that you are right on this — the hammer isn’t back, and that’s why the safety is on “fire.” But this definitely wins the “bad visuals” award.
The problem is — how is anyone supposed to tell it is unloaded?!?
Simple: All guns are loaded.
Remembering this can keep you alive.
Yes, but the OCT sycophants always bleat out, “but the guns are unloaded!!!”
How is anyone to know this, given the fact that they make EVERY effort to ensure the rifles look fully loaded?
I was using a more general tag of “asshats” for my posts on OCT, but now, I’m throwing in “Clowns; armed”.
I would not be surprised if OCT turned out to be a false-flag organization that was started by a Bloomberg operative.
Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. There’s plenty of stupid fanatics in this world. Think of the really, really crazy anti-gun sorts out there; now imagine their mirror reflection, the sort who will argue whether elementary school vending machines should dispense loaded revolvers.
Exactly. I understand the desire to disclaim these people, but there are plenty of people on “our side” who agree with their actions and support what they are doing. Any group or demographic has it’s fools. These are ours.
I’m not the first to point this out, but these clowns are displaying behavior in public that would get them tossed off a decently run shooting range.
Most of us have been around guns a long time, and we know NDs happen. They happen to people far more competent than these clowns. If this goes on long enough, I fear its only a matter of time.
RP — Oh, no, NDs can’t just happen! Why, a bunch of people on the VCDL facebook comment threads all insisted they’ve been extensively handling guns for 20, 30, or 40 years and never had an ND — so planning as if an ND could happen at any time you’re handling a gun is silly.
Seriously. That’s what they said. Including people who I recognize as having been “movers and shakers” in VCDL for ten years or longer. And VCDL is one of the best state level groups I’ve seen.
I agree that the notion that an ND is inevitable is not true. But the law of averages says enough clowns with enough guns, and the likelihood of it happening approaches certainty. I also know some competent gun handlers that have had NDs. I also know many more who haven’t.
File it under attention whoring. Really, stop giving them press. These mental midgets can’t delineate good press from bad press. They crave attention. Stop giving it to them. They are real life trolls and we know not to feed the trolls.
You have to post to show that you do not condone this behavior or the general public might think that we all think this is acceptable behavior. And with regards to it not being unloaded, the general public would generally think that nobody would carry an unloaded weapon or what’s the purpose right? And if we can’t tell, those of us who use an own these weapons, how would they know? Someone who has no passing knowledge of guns sees that the safety is off, would think it is a loaded gun with the safety off. It is our responsibility as gun owners to not give those who vote the wrong idea about our culture. We are all ambassadors even if you don’t want to be.
Has anyone with an ounce of rational gun-toting pro-gun sense even attended one of these Raging Bozo Hootenanny’s?
I’m seriously inclined to think they’re a false-flag operation. The Left is very-very good at False-Flag ops and running Agent Provocateurs, it’s practically their whole thing when they talk about “action.”
The reality is that not every gun owner is rational or has common sense. With how many of us gun owners there are, why do you find it hard to believe that a portion of us are just idiots?
The Open Carry Texas web site sums it up as, “our intent is to make people as comfortable with guns as gay pride parades made people comfortable with gays.â€
Except it’s not gay pride parades that “made people comfortable” with gays. In fact, having seen several gay pride parades, they make the average heterosexual extremely UNCOMFORTABLE—what’s on display is not normal behavior, but extreme, stereotypical and abnormal behavior, it’s a circus. Gays have received more tolerance and people have gotten more comfortable with them by MEETING THEM and realizing that for the most part, they are just normal people from all walks of life and all different beliefs—just like gun owners are. It’s their normalcy that sways people; it’s realizing that most homosexuals are generally NOT anything like their more flamboyant and extreme members that made people more comfortable around them.
Walking around town with an AR in a tactical sling is NOT normal behavior, and nobody will ever see it as such. If OCT really wants to compare themselves to attention-seeking people covered in glitter with a bullwhip sticking out of their asses, then they’re just proving our point.
Actually, it sums it up pretty well: if a gay pride parade in all its’ “glory” is an exercise in civil rights that must be allowed, so is open carry.
Remind me – did these gay pride parades take place inside Target, Jack in the Box, Starbucks, or Chipotle?
To all you attention whores: you have no right to go inside someone else’s private property and make an ass out of yourself with a rifle slung across your chest. That right doesn’t exist, never has, and never will.
Not to worry, the Idaho Federation of Teachers is encouraging college instructors to “educate” their students about the stupidity of Idaho’s new law allowed concealed carry on campus by teaching with long guns across their backs.
Silly commies. All they need to do is ask the Idaho legislature to outlaw gun violence on college campuses. And thus, gun violence on Idaho college campuses will be absolutely prevented, absolutely.
Obviously, mike doesn’t realize that there is no such thing as private property any more. You open a business to the public, you serve everyone whether you like it or not. Ask the Colorado baker who he has to make wedding cakes for.
The baker in question had violated a state law saying that gays are a protected class and can’t be discriminated against.
Remind me – when did attention whoring rifle open carriers get the political clout to have themselves declared a protected class? Seems to me they’ve been busy making themselves into pariahs instead.
A right that depends on the whim of the majority isn’t a right.
Their argument is that gay pride parades made homosexuality “normal” to society at large. And what I’m saying is, no, they didn’t. So trying emulate the “success” of something that had nothing to with normalizing homosexuality is pointless. And since gay pride parades actually make a lot of people uncomfortable with homosexuality, then I guess the analogy with OCT is pretty accurate. OCT is the gun equivalent of two dudes in assless chaps fencing with dildos on Main Street.
Safety in the Fire position on an AR… (didn’t read the 25 other comments).
Cruiser Ready. Mag (loaded) Hammer down / dust cover closed.
Safety cannot be engaged while in “Cruiser Ready” – this is SOP for some agencies.