Ok (cracks knuckles), here we go...
I believe in human rights, liberty, and freedom. I strongly support any law-abiding citizen’s right to openly carry a pistol. My personal choice, however, is to carry concealed when I am in town. I have several reasons for this. The most important is that concealing the pistol gives me an element of surprise...
There is some truth in this. However, by carrying a black firearm in a black holster held against black jeans while wearing a dark-colored shirt, I achieve more than half that same "element of surprise." Simply by turning my body sideways, with my firearm away from a potential perp, I can achieve 100% surprise, but that requires me to be vigilant, which, by the way, is a good thing, not a bad thing.
...and can prevent a criminal from approaching with the intent of neutralizing the weapon or making me a primary target.
This depends entirely on why the criminal might be targeting you. If he's targeting you because he intends to rob you, OC is actually a deterrent, as murder is not their primary objective. They want your money, not your life, and they're certainly not willing to risk loosing theirs in the process.
Another reason that I usually conceal my pistol is to prevent offending people. The presence of a weapon intimidates many people.
Correction: The presence of a weapon intimidates only those who've become accustomed to rarely seeing a firearm, except perhaps on LEOs. It certainly does not intimidate the vast majority of people here in Colorado Springs, where OC is more common than in most areas.
Modern entertainment and education has caused some Americans to develop an unfounded fear of firearms.
True.
Someone who feels uncomfortable when seeing me openly carrying a firearm may be transformed from being largely unconcerned about firearms into an anti-gun activist.
Not only is this unlikely, but the author ignores the other possible outcome: By dressing professionally and being courteous, it's significantly more likely the individual will be transformed into someone who understands and respects others' right to keep and bear arms. In fact, I've known folks who were transformed into being advocates of RKBA, including doing so themselves.
However, I will not tell others how to carry and would never oppose anyone’s right to openly carry a firearm.
I do see some hypocrisy here, as sharing one's opinion is an act of social influence as old as mankind itself. By sharing his opinion, he may not be overtly telling others how to carry, but he most certainly is attempting to influence others to carry in the same manner he does, and therefore a subtle opposition to open carry rights.
