Is this good or bad? I think Bad...

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Just because you can doesn't mean you should

I know it is legal, but this just gets people excited. It serves no purpose. Stunts like this only inspire people to start saying,"There should be a law."

I think before people do something like this they should take the time to think. It is not that we are not all proud to be gun owners, but don't flaunt it. Not to mention, this individual has gained national press over this situation and now everyone knows he is a gun owner. Is that really wise?

There is legal precident you can study regarding the slow loss of our rights. Look up some of the restrictions to the 1st amendment. Journalists have in the past tried to write anything they wanted to. That is when regulation started popping up. If you force the government to get involved they always do. In many cases, the regulation held up because they claimed it was for the good of national security. Given such a broad term; don't you think that a man walking around a park with an AK could be classified as a threat to national security?

Just because we have a Constitution and can legally own firearms doesn't mean we can practice our right with reckless abandon. The government has and WILL come in to regulate.

This stunt makes me wonder if Leonard Embody is on the Brady payroll.
 
One more thing-The reporter did a good job.

So often we bash reporters on this forum for being inflamitory. I thought the AP writer did a good job and summed up how I felt about the situation. Also, he called the firearm an "AK-47 style semi-automatic pistol." Not an AK-47. Obviously, someone who knows something. This is the article I read-
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20091226/NEWS01/912260321

He did his job and reported the news. He didn't inject his own opinion into the story.
 
Not all of us think open carry is a good thing. I don't.
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Certainly you have company here that shares your view, some for reasons of tactics, some for reasons of discretion, some out of fear of public censure.

But you cannot say that either the practice of open carry or the movement in general are not respected, accepted, and quite well represented here on THR.

For the "gunnie" community there are two camps.

One says, "Yes it's legal and that's as it should be, but let's not let the general public know what we (and they) could legally do. If they know what's allowed, they'll get scared and try to take this right, which we aren't using anyway, away from us. And maybe some others, too. Exposure = risk. We'd better not exercise our rights or we'll have them taken away."

The other says, "It's our right, it is legal, we should do all we can to make sure our fellow citizens and our local law enforcement officers understand what is legal and that, even if they are initially a bit unnerved by it, they'll begin to see that no harm comes from it. And, the more people know what they may do, the more will choose to do so and join our side. By exposure, we become stronger."

There are strong arguments for both sides. If I met this guy while out walking with my family, I'd certainly notice that his appearance is out of the ordinary. Like any encounter (hopefully) my situational awareness would be heightened. Until and unless he proved to have ill intent, that's as far as things would go.

Having said that, I don't think I'll ever be able to align myself with those who say, "hide -- a right used is a right risked." That smells like self-defeat.

-Sam
 
I think there's a third camp that you alluded to in your first paragraph - tactics. I don't think I'm ATAS or tacticool, but I see no reason whatsoever to inform anyone that I'm carrying. The whole idea behind me carrying is so that I can defend myself or my loved ones. If I've broadly painted a target on my back by open carry, how can I do that?

There are too many different and complex scenarios to paint out exactly what you'd do in the case of a public shooting, personal attack, etc., yet I see no purpose served by letting a shooter or other genuine bad guy know that I am armed. I want you to know I'm carrying a very brief instant before I shoot you.

fwiw, my $0.02.
 
I think there's a third camp that you alluded to in your first paragraph - tactics.
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I certainly agree, and tend to fall into that camp most of the time myself. I'm not convinced by the argument that criminals will target someone who visibly is armed, but I'm also not entirely convinced that there aren't a few very specific situations where it might happen.

My point previously is not the tactical debate, however, which is completely legitimate. No one gets completely bent out of shape and calls someone a fool, idiot, jacka$$, and "on the Brady payroll," because they don't agree with his tactics of OC. They cast their aspersions because they're afraid of what will happen to them because of the stand this guy is making.

-Sam
 
I'm glad the arguement shifted from being about his choice of firearm. I don't understand how people can say one gun is "bad" and another is a better choice. As people aren't we better off where open carry is not taboo? Where armed people aren't only looked at as the bad guys? He was probably looking for shock, and he got it. If he follows through with law suits for his rights being trampled or at the very least knowing the laws better than the leo that hassled him, that may in the end help us all. Only time will tell.
 
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Call me crazy... but I support the guy 100%

He has broken no laws and has not violated anyone's rights and I like the shock value... I'd like to see our countrymen carry firearms (rifles too) without judgment and scrutiny. I only wish I had the guts to do the same.

Has firearms intolerance become a hate crime yet? haha

I would carry the Draco with a sling, with a loaded magazine, but empty chamber.

Kwikrnu, best of luck to ya.
 
I'd rather have my AK pistol with the 75 round drum when the zombies are taking over. I think the guy with the 1911 who calls an AK a purely offensive weapon is wrong. Those zombies come in bunches, in every movie I've ever seen. You also never know when the chinese are going to finally invade. They have been aborting girls for 20 years and now they are out of women. I don't know the details of this particular case, but if he was made wearing the gun he wasn't concealing it like he should be.
 
I don't know the details of this particular case
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Obviously.

but if he was made wearing the gun he wasn't concealing it like he should be.
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"Should be?" Says who? From the original post:
the man is in the right and had a carry permit, and was 100% legal
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The most you can say is that YOU would choose to conceal YOUR gun (either for tactical reasons or so that you can remain discreetly politically correct), or you could say that you'd prefer that everyone hide the fact that they are armed (out of concern as to whatever harm you think others' actions will cause to come your way), but you really can't tell him what he "should be" doing when he's violated no laws.

It's good to read all the way through a thread to find out the facts before jumping to assumptions.

-Sam
 
I remember that some students were expelled from an SECC college campus for just possessing airsoft weapons when I was still enrolled there. Kentucky is the 49th (i believe) most gun friendly state according to the Brady gun grabbers (BGG) and I still think you would draw odd states and warrant the police pulling you aside should you go anywhere with an AK slung over your shoulder.

Ignorant idea coming from an incompetent individual for the wrong reasons.
 
kwikrnu has heard the criticisms over having the muzzle nut of the AK pistol painted orange and, by popular demand, he has removed it.
In the process of removing the paint from the muzzle nut, he decided to paint the AK pistol.

orangeak.gif
 
I would not recommend carrying a firearm larger than what would be considered necessary for an altercation you would find yourself in. Apparently this guy anticipates being involved in an extended urban firefight against a platoon of trained enemy soldiers.

Concealed carry I think is a defensive measure. One of the tenants we always went by when I took Martial Arts was being aware of your surroundings and your location so you don't find yourself in a situation you don't want to be in if it could have been avoided. Openly carrying a weapon such as an AK-47 style pistol, or even a military rifle draws attention to yourself and is almost a challenge to attackers. So no I do not think carrying a large weapon that is highly visible is a good idea unless you are looking for a gunfight instead of looking to avoid one.
 
Ahh... choose your battles, eh?

I would not recommend carrying a firearm larger than what would be considered necessary for an altercation you would find yourself in.
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Yeah, I could carry my Sig P238 as a primary, counting on those pansy little .380 rounds to stop a motivated attacker in his tracks... but I just... well...

What kind of altercation do you think you will find yourself in?!

I feel underpowered with my 1911 and 22 rounds of .45 ACP. There is some small measure of comfort that, if we're at home, my wife or could potentially reach the 12 gauge shotgun.

Honestly, if I had the option, I would very much prefer to carry a concealed weapon that had much greater lethality than the 1911 I carry now. I mean, .45 ACP ain't no joke... but compared to any rifle or shotgun, it's still just a piddley handgun. If I have to use deadly force, I would kind of appreciate the ability to drop my adversary in one shot.

Maybe some of you would prefer that the criminal have a fighting chance, but I do not.

I've got a family to come home to.

Anyway, on the OP's topic... I applaude this guy for making a statement. I didn't feel that way earlier on, but I've come around to that through the course of this thread's discussion.

By the way, folks, I've come back to this thread to find it going long after I thought it would have died... and covering a lot of great territory... and I've been swayed in my beliefs. There is great value in discussion. Not everyone has their mind made up.

He was not just carrying that thing for self defense. He probably would have concealed it if he was. He was, by his own admission, bringing light to a heated subject that needs more attention. If we RKBA supporters are indeed righteous, then we need publicity... any publicity. Only by rendering the argument onto a larger stage can we hope to educate more people and generate support for our contested freedoms. Greater interest will breed greater familiarity and the truth will become evident to the masses. The simple fact is that he committed no crimes. The more examples of that we have, the better. Strength in numbers, though.

I agree: "Silence = Death"

My suggestions:

1. Carry concealed, in defense of yourelves and your families.
2. Organize and carry openly in groups to raise awareness. Don't be labeled as the lone wolf "radical."
3. Be prepared, in any event, to educate people... especially when OC'ing.

Can anyone say "Open Carry Convention?"

Ooh! What about a "Trenchcoat Convention" for those who can carry larger weapons and conceal them?! Then the message is "you don't know who is carrying a handgun, or a more powerful weapon, or nothing at all, but we are all here just as peaceably to raise awareness and to educate! Not all who walk heavy are dangerous!"

Great discussion so far!
 
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I think most agree he was doing nothing illegal. I agree. However with the past mall, church…. ect. shootings it would not be wise to ignore someone looking like this guy.

Quote from his own post.

“I went to the Tennessee State Radnor Lake State Park this afternoon to take in some nature and get some exercise. I dressed in boots, blue jeans, t-shirt, vest, and an old military issue gore-tex woodland camo jacket. I carried my new Romanian Draco AK pistol”

Maybe he did go to the park for exercise. Then again maybe he had other plans and chickened out. Who knows?

Maybe I am just being paranoid but I would keep an eye on this guy.
Dallas Jack
 
We all need to be responsible gun owners. Pulling stunts like that only hurt us. You can say it is his right, but rights can and have been taken from us. I say exercise your rights, but be smart about it.
 
My mom as an expression for folk like this idiot. "He left the house determined to show everybody his @$$."

With the recent history of shootings in churches and army bases, we're all lucky this guy did not get challenged by a more sane HCP holder carrying legally in the park.

What would a real gunfight have done for the public's support for handgun carry in general and parks in particular? We can stand on the ideal of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms all we want. But in the real world, when enough people really want us all disarmed we will be. I'll bet plenty of folk left the park that day with a little more support for disarming citizens.

That's why I care what soccer moms think. They vote.
 
LibShooter said:
What would a real gunfight have done for the public's support for handgun carry in general and parks in particular? We can stand on the ideal of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms all we want. But in the real world, when enough people really want us all disarmed we will be. I'll bet plenty of folk left the park that day with a little more support for disarming citizens.

That's why I care what soccer moms think. They vote.
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If the guy had been challenged, and a gun fight broke out then in all likelyhood the HCP holder doing the challenging would be the aggressor.

The reason I care what soccer mom's think is the same as you, but hiding away in a dark place your guns so as not to scare those soccer moms is counter productive long term; precisely because when they do see a gun they freak out worse, and gradually the social culture shifts to gun owners being deviant and dangerous, and when that happens there will be no more gun owners, it happened in the UK 20+ years ago. It's already started here too, with Media descriptions of "pro-2nd amendment right wing extremists", precisely because we're oh so concerned about scaring people.

How is what this guy did any different to this...?
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=489504

Yet I'm sure that you support that, but I'm also sure you rationalize it as somehow different. He like that rally are doing nothing illegal, they're minding their own business, which I think is something that we should take notice of, and mind our own business.
 
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