Why do you Open Carry?

Pond Scum said:

Whaaaaattt?? But Bronson, you are my hero! Every time I think about CC'ing I just ask myself, "WWBD -- What Would Bronson Do?". Then I just OC! It makes my life so much simpler!

I have been OC'ing much more this summer because riding the bike it is much easier and more comfortable. Also, trying to OC on some normal shopping trips.

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kubel said:

I liked everything about this piece except this part:



Somehow that part didn't sit well with me. Not because I'm a type 3 (I'm certainly not), but because types 1 and 2 are about as extreme and undesirable to Fudds as type 3 is to us. "You give the rest of us a bad name" is the EXACT same argument that Fudds use against those of us who legitimately open carry, and it's the same thing people here say about LGOC. It's a very bad argument to make to someone who understands that their liberty is theirs as an individual, not because they belong to a group. When I hear that argument, my libertarian rebelliousness starts showing- "I'll do whatever the hell I want to do, your name is of no concern to me and my rights!", even though I reject type 3.

Telling someone to not open carry is not our place. Telling someone their individual actions somehow gives us a bad name--- to me, it implies group rights, something I think we should all get into the habit of abandoning. We should be clear in affirming that what someone else does DOESN'T impact our good name, since they are acting as individuals. We shouldn't be acknowledging that what they do impacts our name! In fact, all open carry should be an act of individuals. Some of us choose to band together for strength and support, not for our rights to be acknowledged as a group right. Still, those people open carry as an individual act of their liberty.

Instead, our place should be to tell people what we do and what we don't do. For example, I don't open carry to seek attention from police. I don't open carry to invoke fear or discomfort in the public. I do open carry to positively desensitize the public about my right to carry. I do carry for self-defense. I do open carry as a public political statement expressing my love for my liberty.

That's a very positive message that encourages even the most defiant libertarian amongst us, without any demands for disarmament or any implications of group rights.

But again, that was just a small part of this piece that I didn't like. Everything else was spot on.

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TheQ said:

Here is an example of such a person: I once knew a man who would walk up and down downtown streets when there was a lot of police officers present and make it a point to flip off every police officer he saw.

Is this the type of person that we want representing us?

I too am a libertarian, I totally understand individualism. Unfortunately, most of the world doesn't and they still cling to stereotypes.

It is because of this we need to call out the undesirable behavior amongst ourselves and make it clear that that doesn't represent most of us.

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griffin said:

Oh, you mean like this guy? (This was taken from another OCDO thread). Warning: NSFW language.

[video=youtube;wdlIxi3J4ws]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdlIxi3J4ws[/video]

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Bronson said:

In truth I haven't OCed in quite a while. The crazy hot weather this year has made wearing a tucked in shirt a non-option for me. That coupled with losing my recorder and not having a holster with, IMO, good enough retention has left me CCing. I've replaced the recorder and the holster and was planning on OCing up at Mackinac this past weekend but again it was too bloody hot for a tucked in shirt so it was CC all weekend.

Bronson

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DrTodd said:

Why not just un-tuck your shirt?

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Bronson said:

Ummm, I do...which is why my gun is concealed. I don't like to put the tail of an untucked shirt behind the gun because, well...I think it looks doofy.

Bronson

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