Kinda hard to educate without discussing.
I suppose one could wordlessly hand them a card. Perhaps throw in a glare for good measure?
Allow me to provide you with a real world example of what I'm talking about that happened earlier today that exemplifies exactly what I was attempting, but apparently failed, to communicate in my previous post.Kinda hard to educate without discussing.
I suppose one could wordlessly hand them a card. Perhaps throw in a glare for good measure?
I had occasion to enter a medium-box office supply-tech store today as I needed some DVDs and CDs for burning drivers, customer files, etc. While standing in line I saw an older man who was wearing a Marine Corps cap. When I see such men I always ask if they were stationed at Camp Lejeune because the water there was poisoned for some 35 years and is killing a great many of us.
He said he was and I then asked if he knew about the contaminated water. He said he did and that he had been checked out. Then he sees my lawfully and properly holstered firearm and goes off into a (loud; maybe he's deaf) blow hard diatribe that I didn't want or need at the time. It wasn't prudent or necessary and it drew exactly the kind of attention one doesn't want.
This is the kind of guy you DO NOT want representing open carriers or even open carrying although I wouldn't deny him that right. I just wouldn't want to be around him when he did.
My position when open carrying isn't to draw attention to myself although that's hard to do in many cases during Spring, Summer, and parts of Fall as the firearm tends to do that on its own. Since I open carry on the front of my belt pretty much over my zipper where I can guard the firearm instead of the back and on my hip where its vulnerable, it's hard to miss when facing someone. Additionally, a very few percent of people look at other's crotch area as a given rule.
Thankfully (maybe), another store employee took me at another register. Although it was at the other end of the store and opposite the exit which leads me to believe someone might have been armed and looking through the one-way glass mirror behind the cashier, which just happens to be the office of this store as well, supposing I had ill intentions maybe?
Anyway, I keep the firearm talk to a minimum when open carrying in public and might state that Alabama is a traditional open carry state if asked as well as addressing the recent legislation, but that's about it. If people want to be educated they will have to do that themselves and I give them this website url. No one can do it for them.