since the newbie has already opened this necropost...
gripping hand said:
I'm not getting how people doing what they want to do equates with a visible firearm making someone else uncomfortable
Because apparently some people are uncomfortable seeing a LAC, and some people are uncomfortable seeing a gay couple, but the discomfort matters not one bit because both actions are legal.
GH said:
How long have you OC and what drove the decision? Is CC an option you rejected?
When I first became a LAC, our state did not allow cc.
Now that we do have cc (licensed, regulated, pay a tax, etc.) I still OC. It's comfortable, simple, helps education, helps preserve civil rights, faster to access in an emergency, and
deters crime rather than requiring me to respond to one in progress (at which point probably both of us are getting hurt).
I also cc. (We do not have CC, thanks to our idiot governor who went back on his promise of supporting a CC bill... instead he insisted on one with a training mandate. I'd love it if our state became one of the ones honoring the Constitution!)
GH said:
What I'm looking for is an explanation of the point of OC other than "because I can"...
I would just like to have someone explain the tactical or political advantage
It's simpler.
It's more comfortable.
It's faster to access in an emergency.
It reminds people of their rights.
It preserves my rights.
It sparks conversations where people can be educated about rights & laws.
It prevents crime instead of making me look like a soft target. Therefore I don't get hurt & I don't have to hurt anyone. Much less stress, much less paperwork, no legal fees, no hearing damage.
I think all arguments boil down to one of 3 things:
It's my right
Education
Ease / simplicity
GH said:
Not everyone you meet is going to be comfortable with it ...
How do you address the issue of people made uncomfortable by your choice?
Other than myself, there's only 1 person whose mental comfort concerns me, and random strangers on the street are not that person.
I don't care if someone is not comfortable with me wearing pants, driving a car, being visibly armed, or discovering s/he is an idiot and far out of her/his league. As long as I'm not harming anyone, not breaking any laws, I'm going to go on being the person I am.
GH said:
I just don't understand why Marshaul seems to be the only one interested in helping me deal with an honest desire to understand OC.
Because you don't really want to understand, you want to argue.
If you wanted to understand, you'd read the fora, use the search function, instead of asking things which have been answered a thousand times over (on this site and others).
GH said:
I think open carry has more tactical disadvantages than advantages.
You're welcome to your opinion.
OC
prevents crime, prevents me from getting hurt, by allowing criminals to make a fully informed decision about exactly how bad of an idea it would be to try to hurt me.
Concealed carry makes you look like a soft, easy target. It requires you to respond to a crime in progress, which is always slower than being on the offensive (which is what the criminal is doing). Of course, if you
want to shoot someone, cc is a good way to get there.
OC is faster to access in an emergency. You may not have both hands available to get your clothes out of the way & grab the grip.
GH said:
No one on this site seems willing to take responsibility for the discomfort some people feel
Because it's not our responsibility.
If I feel disgusted by seeing a man & a woman holding hands, the responsibility for that feeling is all mine.
GH said:
Does this community address appropriate security holsters and belts? What about retention training?
Both are very good ideas, and yes, there have been threads addressing both issues.
The search function is your friend.
GH said:
How do you respond to the idea that the proliferation of "no firearms" signs is a result of more OC? And how do we fix it?
In WI, we saw a few places put up "keep out, evil gun owner" signs when our cc law went into effect.
Most businesses welcome all customers.
Many of the places which mistakenly put up signs simply did not understand the law. Our law says that a place which posts such a sign
loses their immunity from liability, so when something goes wrong they can be sued. In fact, it can be argued that they created a dangerous situation by prohibiting self-defense, then not doing anything to protect customers.
GH said:
If these questions are too hard or embarrassing for you, just say so and I'll look for a less defensive forum where people are willing to share and discuss issues that affect all of us.
Having an attitude is hardly the way to win friends & influence people.
And since several people have answered the questions you've repeatedly asked, the conclusion I draw is that either you're not reading them, not understanding them, or refusing to accept the answers because they don't agree with your opinions.
Glocklover20 said:
she informed me that I was not allowed to carry my gun if I was not a cop
To which the answer is either "I believe you're misinformed", or "thank you for your opinion", and then walk away.
I finished the encounter by telling her if she didn't like it she could go voice her concerns to the manager
Bad idea. Don't challenge the mentally unstable people.
she chose rather to follow the guy with the gun, that she obviously had a prob with, all around the darn store with her husband while my girlfriend and I finished our shopping... She followed us after we checked out and we parted ways in the parking lot.
So she stalked & harassed you.
Call the local nonemergency cop number & report it. Give a description of you & her, what she's doing, etc. Point out that if she really were worried about you, she would not follow you, so you can't know what she might try to do to you or your girlfriend, and you're concerned for your safety & don't want to have to hurt her if she does something stupid.