The summers here, and the time is right for open carrying in the street

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Sadly it looks as though I won't be able to make them, but it's warm out, the Lansing meet was a great success, and I say it's time to plan some more! Not just the next one, but 3 or 4 more.

What I suggest is that you guys suggest a meeting place, and if at least one other person decides to go, you have a meeting! While I don't wish to suggest a specific location since I'm leaving the state and won't be there, I do think south east michigan should be visited by the group at some point. There are numerous members in this area, and it's probably where people are the most accustomed to seeing only cops with visible guns. If a non event happens as it has when I OC, it will give more people around here confidence to OC. If the cops were called, it would be a good and educational experience for them.

I'd also suggest meetings in other areas of the state where they have not yet happened, just so that we can say we've covered more ground as a growing group, also so those who can't make it down here get a chance to be involved in group OCing.

As I said last time I made a thread like this, BE WILLING TO CARPOOL if it's convenient. Folks on here are extremely nice and nobody is known to bite. So carpool, save some gas money, and make it out to the meetings.

So how about it my friends, when and where do you propose the Michigan Chapter of OCDO meets next?

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Corunna gets my vote!! Id be lying if I said the only reason is because it's close to home for me.

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jhanson25 wrote:

Corunna gets my vote!! Id be lying if I said the only reason is because it's close to home for me.

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Naw, The chief never crossed your mind--- yeah right--- Don't forget we do have a meeting scheduled for June 14th at Rocky's in Flint. 10am till ????

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HAHAHAH They have a Chief? I was under the impression that a chief knew the laws and how to enforce them properly while upholding the integrity of the department. My mistake.

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I'm heading to Chesaning on Saturday... haven't been up the MI in a while..

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May 3rd is National Home Brew day. (thats THIS Saturday)

I'll be at http://www.homebrewing.orglearning how to brew up a batch of beer properly.

There will be a bunch of guys there with their own brew kettles also. If you want to learn how to make beer come on out. They will have many samples to taste also.

If you want to taste, gotta leave the gun in the car. duh

I'll be drinking Diet Pepsi and open carrying

I think President Washington would be proud.

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I open carried at the Coffee Beanery in Dundee last Thursday evening. I was travelling through and stopped for a coffee and didn't feel like putting my sweater back on just to cover my pistol. As I was standing there waiting for my cappucino, I realised that being across the street from Cabela's they probably see open carry relatively frequently. so it really wasn't likely a big deal. Noone noticed I don't think.

I plan to attend the car show at Rockys and I'll be OCing on my bike.

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I doubt many in either Dundee or Fenton would be really concerned about a person OCing. Those areas are way too pro gun for that. Kinda like the first meeting in Brighton. If people noticed, they didn't care.

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why not plan one in metro detroit downriver or detroit. looks like the places you always plan one is a gun friendly area. to me that's not really doing anything. like the above post southeastern mi.

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I would love nothing more than for open carry to be a reality in Detroit like it is in some other areas. People there walk around with their hands in their pockets so you don't know if they are armed, and few people offer a polite hello to passers by. As we have all seen, open carry makes everyone in the area polite. Armed = polite and peaceful.

Just the same, I absolutely do not reccomend a get together in Detroit at this point. The police are largely corrupt, nuts, and unfamiliar with many laws. I won't name specific cases, but they have swept under the rug a number of murders by police officers. Not that I would be scared of getting shot neccesarily, but the city of Detroit is crazy, and unafraid of law suits. There are a lot of things that can and have happend to open carriers, like Dan Sayers for example, and Detroit would probably be the best place to make a similar thing happen in Michigan. At this point, I don't think Detroit is a great idea.

When I say southeast Michigan, I'm thinking more of southern oakland county. That's right in the heart Michigan's suburban concrete jungle, where open carrying, and indeed guns in general, are the least understood and accepted. Only place that might be more anti gun is Ann Arbor.

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bossbart wrote:

why not plan one in metro detroit downriver or detroit. looks like the places you always plan one is a gun friendly area. to me that's not really doing anything. like the above post southeastern mi.

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I don't know if you could call Lansing a gun friendly area.

This is what one of the Lansing Police officers wrote after my article on open carry, after reading it, it doesn't sound too friendly to me.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/OPINION02/712090666/1085/opinion

F. Holmes: Carrying gun openly is horrible idea

It may be legal to carry gun, but it's not safe thing to do

I just read Brian Jeffs' informative, insightful and incredibly irresponsible commentary (Dec. 2) about Michigan law on carrying a handgun openly.

Jeffs has effectively opened the door to doubling every police agency's calls for service in the area of citizens trying to openly carry firearms into banks, hospitals, universities, just to name a few.

I'm sure the educated, informed and responsible public will heed his suggestion they review state and federal law before attempting this ill-advised idea. That will cover about 15 percent of the population.


Does he really believe that the same vast population who are unable to read the two or three sentences on a Michigan Vehicle Registration requiring the registered owner to sign the back of the document are going to visit a state or federal law library or even go to a Web site to read multiple complex and restrictive legislation?

Jeffs' audience for this article was meant to be the informed, intelligent and responsible citizen. That part I understand. What Jeffs fails to recognize is he is also addressing the lazy, apathetic and yet to be identified disturbed people. The very same people who believe owning and operating a motor vehicle, no matter how extensive and abusive their record may be, is a "right" and not a privilege.

Which brings me to Jeffs' other flawed argument. He makes a huge contradiction in his article when he says "carrying a weapon is a great responsibility each person must consider." Yet his entire article is intended to shed light on every person's right to openly carry a firearm.

In today's world of drugs, violence, terrorism, school shooters and the general unstable element in every society, does it really sound like a good idea to try to carry a firearm openly? Even if you are a model citizen who has educated himself on the law, I can tell you how it will play out.

After multiple 911 calls, the police will respond with lights and sirens blaring. Numerous officers will confront you with high-powered rifles. They will not ask you whether or not you are a law-abiding citizen. They will not even ask you your name.

Best-case scenario is you are forcibly disarmed and humiliated. Worst case, you will be injured or killed if you do something stupid.

When it's all said and done you may have been legally right, but the first rule of law enforcement is "go home to your family at the end of your shift!" That rule is not up for debate, and I can tell you from experience who is the odds-on favorite to win that fight.

This is an unpredictable and often times cruel and unfair world. People make bad decisions every day with sometimes tragic consequences. I think that it's careless to encourage society to undertake such inherently dangerous activities just because you think it's your right to flirt with danger.

Besides, will it really be worth it if something did go tragically wrong because you exercised a right society already provides trained professionals to undertake?

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Venator,

I read that reply to your post a while back and I know I am preaching to the choir here. I immediately thought that this cop was sensationalizing the whole police response to the "man with a gun" 911 call. They would not respond like a SWAT team to a legal open carry situation. They may approach the individual with care, but when a normal person is walking down the street attending to normal 'every day' business it is clear to any reaosnable man that that person is not causing trouble and probably does not intend to do so. Warchild's recent experience proves that. The cops came in and stopped him but they didn't have their "assault weapons" charged and aimed. IIRC, they didn't even have their sidearms drawn. It seems like they approached a show of force with a like show of force and I would expect that to be modus operandi in any typical police response.

I'll admit the extreme response could be possible given the right set of circumstances, but it is IMHO extremely unlikely. The more open carry becomes known in Michigan, the less likely we are to have one of these extreme responses.

There is a really good thread in theIdaho forum about how Boise police learned that open carry is legal there. The OCDOer responded very well, and ended up educating the department and nearly turning some of them into OC advocates. If more of those cases occurr, then more of the general public and morepolice forces will learn that OC is legal and then we'll be more free to do so without harassment.

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Graydon wrote:

Venator,

I read that reply to your post a while back and I know I am preaching to the choir here. I immediately thought that this cop was sensationalizing the whole police response to the "man with a gun" 911 call. They would not respond like a SWAT team to a legal open carry situation. They may approach the individual with care, but when a normal person is walking down the street attending to normal 'every day' business it is clear to any reaosnable man that that person is not causing trouble and probably does not intend to do so. Warchild's recent experience proves that. The cops came in and stopped him but they didn't have their "assault weapons" charged and aimed. IIRC, they didn't even have their sidearms drawn. It seems like they approached a show of force with a like show of force and I would expect that to be modus operandi in any typical police response.

I'll admit the extreme response could be possible given the right set of circumstances, but it is IMHO extremely unlikely. The more open carry becomes known in Michigan, the less likely we are to have one of these extreme responses.

There is a really good thread in theIdaho forum about how Boise police learned that open carry is legal there. The OCDOer responded very well, and ended up educating the department and nearly turning some of them into OC advocates. If more of those cases occurr, then more of the general public and morepolice forces will learn that OC is legal and then we'll be more free to do so without harassment.

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Agreed!

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They can't be all bad in Lansing. Of all the Lansing officers that had to have seen our sidearms on Sunday, none of them cared.

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This seems like as good of a place as any to mention that I am leaving for Arizona tomorrow. I don't know when the next time will be that I get online since I don't have a laptop. It could be a few weeks before I post, but I'm definitely going to be remaining an active poster in the Michigan forum. It's been great meeting those of you I have met, and I look forward to being a part of OC meets in Michigan when I come to visit, or maybe even move back some day. Sucks that I gotta go, but hey, gotta follow the money. Take it easy until I see you guys and gals again.

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Michigander; Best of luck to you and hope you do well. Glad to know you and hope to hear from you soon. :uhoh:

Jerry

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See you in the Arizona forum!

Signed,
-Another Michigan Transplant.

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Michigander wrote:

This seems like as good of a place as any to mention that I am leaving for Arizona tomorrow. I don't know when the next time will be that I get online since I don't have a laptop. It could be a few weeks before I post, but I'm definitely going to be remaining an active poster in the Michigan forum. It's been great meeting those of you I have met, and I look forward to being a part of OC meets in Michigan when I come to visit, or maybe even move back some day. Sucks that I gotta go, but hey, gotta follow the money. Take it easy until I see you guys and gals again.

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Good luck out west. Stay in touch and hope to see you when you get back for a visit. It was nice meeting you and I'm sure you will be succesful in any career you choose.

My best,

Brian

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Michigander wrote:

This seems like as good of a place as any to mention that I am leaving for Arizona tomorrow. I don't know when the next time will be that I get online since I don't have a laptop. It could be a few weeks before I post, but I'm definitely going to be remaining an active poster in the Michigan forum. It's been great meeting those of you I have met, and I look forward to being a part of OC meets in Michigan when I come to visit, or maybe even move back some day. Sucks that I gotta go, but hey, gotta follow the money. Take it easy until I see you guys and gals again.

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Vaya con Dios, Amigo.