Pat-inCO said:
So VERY many of them are running with the attitude of "IT'S MY RIGHT!" and spoiling for a fight.
Unfortunately there are a lot of escapees from California that should go back. In addition there are others that duplicate the California attitude that they have a "right" to not be offended (sorry goof balls, it's not in my copy of the Constitution). If we can lessen the hassle simply be carrying concealed (at least during the colder periods), why not?
Quite simply, because we shouldn't have to. It is our right. And yes, that is part of the reason I OC. But I would hardly say I'm looking for a fight. Here is the problem right here:
frankie the yankee said:
I think that in many jurisdictions where OC is fully legal it is not accepted by the public at large. And in many such places it is so rare that many LEO's are not aware that it is legal. This leads to unwanted encounters with LEO's for those who OC in such places.
Does anyone else have a problem with this? Yes? Me too. So what do you think the solution is? I can tell you what I'm pretty sure the solution
isn't. The solution is not to talk about it on gun boards and say "Yes, I have this right, but it's too much of a hassle." The solution is exactly what I said above: desensitization.
frankie the yankee hit on exactly the problem, and OC is the only real solution.
Am I carrying to be an activist? Sure, sometimes. Sometimes I'm on my way home from the range, and it's easier to keep a gun on my hip than pack it away. I don't have a real problem here, and I'd like to keep it that way. I feel sorry for the people who
do experience hassles while OCing. I honestly believe the only way to beat this problem is to take an active (but non-confrontational) approach: just exercise your rights.
treo said:
every single one of them is just daring the world to do something about it.
What kind of image of gun ownership does that project to the antis?
I have to say, to me that projects the image that we have rights, and we're willing to fight for them (you know, passively, not by pistol-whipping). I know this is kind of a stretch, but the same thing applies here, I think: Rosa Parks. What was she doing? She was standing up for her rights. How did she do it? She acted in defiance of popular opinion, in essence "daring the world to do something about it." This is how rights are won, and retained: by exercising them, not by hiding them to be convenient.