Complacent?

Oklahoma has had open carry for 6 months now. Is this when complacency sets in? Is it just me, or have the number of posts and the number of views dropped in the past few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love that open carry has been, for the most part, a non-event, as it should be. Have we let our guard down? As for me, I don't bother with my recorder much any more. The places I usually go have all been identified as OC friendly or not. And with my schedule the way it is, there is not a lot of incentive to explore new areas. The new has worn off on the general public and not much is said about OC any more. What do we need to do to keep the momentum going. Realizing how difficult it may be with the legislature out for the year, and generally no public debate about gun laws, at least in Oklahoma, what is there to keep the pro 2A crowd active and engaged? Again, I will be the first to point a finger at me, I don't spend the time I used to on the issues, either keeping informed or staying in the debates. It doesn't mean I won't be there at the next battle, just that I will probably grow lazy and fat in the mean time, and have a hard time getting going again when needed.
Musings for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I still carry my voice recorder though I don't always turn it on unless I'm in public. But I look at it as another self defense tool that is there just in case. Just as my firearm is there for just in case, the recorder also is to protect me if a confrontation ever does happen it is kind of a behind the scenes witness in such an instance. If I don't need the recorder then why do I need a firearm? Because I'm not a fortune teller and can't judge the future from the past aka just because I haven't had to deploy my weapon in the past doesn't mean I never will need to in the future, and the same goes for the recorder.

Complacency is bad thing, if we forget the past or past experience then we are bound to repeat it. Let us not live in the past but learn from it and remember it. Let us not be complacent but always remember our accomplishments and the price for those accomplishments and lets us always be at the ready to defend them.

I don't think it's that we let our guard down at all. There has been a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on, like the rally we are trying to do for Tulsa parks. That's why it's important for people to try and make it to our lunches. Not only is it for eating but usually we share information about things going on. We would also like to see new people join us so we can get our support and membership numbers up. There is a lot we can do but we can not do it alone.

Gary, I worry too about complacency, it happens in American society everyday, there is a news story that grabs the publics attention, and sometimes creates the "cause for the moment" if you will, but as soon as there is something else that grabs the publics attention, eyes and ears wander off. That is the effect of social media, mass broadcasting, and information at our fingertips. I look at it at a local level, lets work on who we can reach immediatly, that's is why I am proud to be a member and honored to be on the Board of OKOCA.

You know as well as I we are working on things to spread the word, hopefully this week we can GREEN LIGHT the t-shirts, and that will be a big help in getting out the word here in OK for OC, they are an attractive sign for our organization and for open carry. I would like to see every able bodied ELLIGIBLE adult in OK open carrying a firearm, we would be an almost crime free state IMO.

Dustin

I think there is a degree of complacent actions. One thing is kind of like when we get a new toy like a motorcycle or a new car we love to drive it and show it off. But after a while we just start looking at it as a car or bike.

Shooting is no different and I keep my skills up by attending active shooter courses and range qualifications now a minimum of 2 times per year. It is something that a lot of officers will even tell you that carrying a firearm is something we do but we just lose interest in how its carried so long as it is carried.

being Complacent though is one of the most common killers of police officers and soldiers the world over. We train and we prepare for the inevitable as we see it and soon we are doing things like traffic stops and domestic interventions so frequently we just start losing site of our training. And this is when officers get hurt.

Guys carrying a firearm is a fundamental right but its a lot more responsibility then probably any right on the constitution. If you seriously want to carry one dont just attend an SDA class and think you are prepared for anything. Stay active and when possible attend classes if you can to continue awareness. You can even get together with friends and rehearse situations (Preferably with training firearms or mock firearms) and youll be surprised how little you dont know. Even me with 17 years of experience forget things over time despite my job allowing me ample training and preparedness.

Good luck to everyone and remember a wall alone cant stand but when its joined by at least four walls and a roof it can become strong! Stay active with each other and attend meetings and have fun together!

I still check the forum every day, there just aren't a lot of new posts. I don't post non-issue carry events unless it's someplace I haven't been before.

I think the complacency is on the part of the non carriers, they are for the most part ambivalent about it. Over time, say in the next 5 or 6 years as new LEO come along, there may be more OC issues with police because they may not know about the legality of it, just depends on what their training officers tell them.

Gary S said:

I don't think it's that we let our guard down at all. There has been a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on, like the rally we are trying to do for Tulsa parks. That's why it's important for people to try and make it to our lunches. Not only is it for eating but usually we share information about things going on. We would also like to see new people join us so we can get our support and membership numbers up. There is a lot we can do but we can not do it alone.

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When are the lunches in the Tulsa area? I didn't see the thread on that, only ones near OKC. I am watching the parks "rally" thread though and WILL attend whenever it happens. I need to actually join the OKOCA soon, but it'll have to be next paycheck as I just spent a large amount on a new AR15 (Oops).

lmeidl said:

When are the lunches in the Tulsa area? I didn't see the thread on that, only ones near OKC. I am watching the parks "rally" thread though and WILL attend whenever it happens. I need to actually join the OKOCA soon, but it'll have to be next paycheck as I just spent a large amount on a new AR15 (Oops).

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We have one this Sunday at 2 at the Knotty Pine it is sticky at the top of the forum also you can go to our facebook page under events to get to it. I'll have a membership form with me .

You guys might like this billboard:

http://www.nyfirearms.com/forums/firearms-news/54497-love-billboard.html

Don't get complacent, fellas. Take along that voice-recorder always.

Here in VA, even after several years of cops knowing OC is legal, we still got the occasional cop who wanted to harass an OCer. I'm sure they're still out there--just give them half an excuse to throw their weight around.

Just because they think you know OC is legal does not mean they think you know your 4th and 5th Amendment rights, too. Its not the majority of cops you want to worry about. Its that one who doesn't like OC and thinks he sees a way to get away with a little harassment.