Balanced gun article in liberal periodical / CA

[musick]

A little background info:

The San Diego Reader is the largest "alternative" press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed gratis in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements. It frequently presents an opposing viewpoint to the San Diego Union Tribune, the primary printed newspaper in the city. It is the second-largest circulation newspaper in San Diego with a single-issue circulation of 170,000 per week.

The article is about open carry in public. CCW permits are practically impossible to obtain here unless you carry diamonds, are a politician or celebrity. Open carry is just starting to become a form of political protest in my neck of the woods. Here is a link to the article:


http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2009/jul/15/cover/

Note: it is a rather lengthy article, internet-wise anyway.


Please take THR and keep any negative CA comments to yourself. I know some states will issue CCW permits as easily as one can buy a bag of chips, but that is not the case here. At least the weather here rocks year round!
This article sheds some light to non-CA residents on what we have to deal with here.

So my question then is, do you think open carry in California is a valid form of political expression and/or protest? Why or why not?

Do you think the police are overstepping their authority?

Personally, I found the article surprisingly positive. Having previously carried open myself in the past, I can attest that while police contact WILL happen 98% of the time, all of the police officers were very tolerant and respectful.

 

[freewheeling]

That's an interesting article, thanks. I imagine, for many people in suburban areas the sight of someone carrying a weapon is a reminder that they live in a potentially violent society. Even if it's true, people don't like to be awakened from their blissful ignorance. I used to open carry in the northern VA suburbs, though, and was only rarely noticed. People weren't even curious in the local Trader Joe's, for instance. I guess I figured that they didn't notice the gun, because they were distracted by my incredibly handsome face. And carrying concealed made me look fat(ter).

We were noticed once in a Reston restaurant, though... and it resulted in a confrontation with the police and a write-up in the Washington Post. Where I grew up in eastern Washington there was a huge book called *A History of the Big Bend Country* that I used to like to read as a kid. It had an endless series of vignettes about people who'd settled the area in the late 1800s, and there were a lot of stories about people who'd been shot. But it was just regarded as one of many hazards, like drowning in the river, or rattlesnakes, that one just had to live with. Well, I mean in their day, not mine. In my day the only shooting was a woman who got fed up with her husband drinking and playing poker in the bar, so she shot him dead. But everyone agreed she was always a little nuts, even before she was married.

 

[Uncle Curt]

It is always good to see a positive story. Thanks for the artical....

 

[zombienerd]

The gentleman in the article is a THR member, he posted about this in the Activism section

Link: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=462651

He was quite proud that he made the cover

 

[Tim the student]

This was a good article. Thanks for posting it.

 

[musick]

The gentleman in the article is a THR member, he posted about this in the Activism section.

Ahhh...I didnt even think to look in the Activism section...my mistake.

As implied in the article, it seems that open carry is a good way to enlighten people about guns. It can be a hard topic to casually bring up in a conversation, but OC brings the topic to the forefront and invites questions.

This is confirmed at the end of the article:


There have been other meets where we’ve all gotten together for lunch down at El Indio, and there were 20 to 25 people at each one of those. And there’s some overlap, and some people came to the first and not the second, so I’d be surprised if there were less than 100 active people in the San Diego area.”

He attended the El Indio lunch and reports that everyone in the restaurant was respectful and supportive.

“A couple of girls came in and had lunch and asked about it,” he says. “They said, ‘Why are you guys all wearing guns?’ ”

He pauses, laughing at the story.

“And we explained the program to them, and they said, ‘You know, I bet this is the safest place in San Diego right now!’ ”

 

[musick]

That's an interesting article, thanks. I imagine, for many people in suburban areas the sight of someone carrying a weapon is a reminder that they live in a potentially violent society..

Agreed.

It may also help to educate people that; 1) open carry is totally legal and, 2) most gun owners are well mannered, well spoken people and are nothing like the stereotypes media often makes us out to be.

 

[shotgunjoel]

I think that it is a great article. I think that they need to make a lawsuit out of those police checks. That's covered by the 4th. Thanks for posting.

 

[jakemccoy]

That's an informative article. It gave a good description about what to expect if you open carry in California.

However, it's a bad idea to read the article for a summary of the law. The author is a bit sloppy when explaining the law, and is sometimes wrong on the law because of that.

Also, you should say, "I don't consent to a search", regardless if the cop is requesting or demanding. During the search at the cafe, we don't know if the author and her friends said, "I do not consent to a search." Saying this is highly important. Getting that statement on a recording is even better. What would happen if the gun happened to be loaded (for whatever reason) or if a crooked cop planted a bullet, drugs or something else? If the search was not consented, then that evidence would not be admitted into evidence because the non-consented search would be illegal under the Fourth Amendment (assuming no probably cause). Unfortunately, as the way the author explains the search at the cafe, it appears these citizens consented to the search if they didn't expressly tell the cops they did not consent.

Further, am I the only one uncomfortable with the cop handling the guns during the search? I'm uncomfortable with any stranger handling my guns. Merely having a uniform and a badge wouldn't comfort me.

Generally, I'm annoyed with the search all the way around. The search should not have happened.

 

[Quiet]

Generally, I'm annoyed with the search all the way around. The search should not have happened.

I agree that the search should not happen.
But, CA law [PC 12031(e)] says it has to happen.

Blame Ronald Reagan for the search, since he signed the Mulford Act into law when he was governor of CA.
The Mulford Act prohibited the carrying of loaded firearms on one's person or in a vehicle, in any public place or on any public street.


CA Penal Code 12031
(a)(1) A person is guilty of carrying a loaded firearm when he or she carries a loaded firearm on his or her person or in a vehicle while in any public place or on any public street in an incorporated city or in any public place or on any public street in a prohibited area of unincorporated territory.
(e) In order to determine whether or not a firearm is loaded for the purpose of enforcing this section, peace officers are authorized to examine any firearm carried by anyone on his or her person or in a vehicle while in any public place or on any public street in an incorporated city or prohibited area of an unincorporated territory. Refusal to allow a peace officer to inspect a firearm pursuant to this section constitutes probable cause for arrest for violation of this section.