Mike
Site Co-Founder
imported post
Commentator states Philadelphia radio host Steve Corbett says Philadelphia has an ordiance against open carry and other localities should follow suit - obviously they miss the legal reality that there is no ordiance - just a hard coded requirement that open carriers hold a License to carry Firearms in Philadelphia, apparently obtained by Philadelphia legislators who don't trust their onw constituents.
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http://www.timesleader.com/pittstondispatch/news/Random_notes_on_the_news_05-24-2008.html
SMILES AND FROWNS
May 25
Random notes on the news
by JACK SMILES - jsmiles@psdispatch.com
On Friday, May 9 about a dozen people from the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association (PAFOA) carrying guns in holsters had dinner with their families at the Old Country Buffet in Dickson City. One of the other patrons called 911. The police arrived, handcuffed one of the gun guys and took his gun. Turns out the cops were wrong.
Until this happened I didn’t know that Pennsylvania is an open-carry state, meaning it is legal for persons who are not prohibited by law from owning guns to openly carry a handgun in plain sight with no license. “Openly” being the key word here. A permit is required to legally carry a concealed weapon.
Because I, and lots of other people including one lawyer I talked to, didn’t know that open-carry is legal, isn’t an excuse for the police not to know it and the Dickson City chief admitted he didn’t know.
But I’m not writing about this to criticize the police. I find this fascinating because it illustrates divergent ways of thinking.
Some people are horrified. They deride the gun-carriers – Who do they think they are, Wyatt Earp? What is this the Old West? This is Dickson, not Dodge City – like that.
On the Steve Corbett radio show, Corbett said that Philadelphia has a local ordinance against open-carry and that Dickson City and other towns should consider doing the same.
Then the Old Country Buffet put up a sign on the door. I’m not sure exactly what it said – that gun carriers wouldn’t be served or what – but it was an attempt to ban patrons from openly carrying guns in the restaurant.
Steve Corbett loved this because he believes that law-abiding citizens carrying guns made the restaurant unsafe.
I say exactly the opposite. That restaurant was never safer than it was for the hour or so that the PAFOA members were there having dinner. Criminals are mostly cowards, but they are not all stupid. They wouldn’t try an armed robbery in a place where a dozen law-abiding citizens are carrying guns.
That’s why, in my view, the sign banning guns is stupid. The sign might as well say: “Want to pull off an armed robbery. Come on in. We promise you’ll be the only ones with guns.”
And how is it that the Philadelphia ordinance against open-carrying makes Philadelphia safer than other parts of the state? Is Steve Corbett saying the safer place is the place where only the criminals have guns? Get it? Law-abiding citizens with guns are the problem, not criminals with guns.
It reminds me of Virginia Tech, which was by the decree of its administrators, a gun-free zone. Open-carriers and concealed-weapons permits holders were not allowed to take their guns on campus and were disciplined when they did. A bill was introduced in the Virginia state to allow permit-holders to carry guns on campus. When it was sidetracked, a Virginia Tech administrator cheered and said that students, professors and visitors would now “feel safe” on campus. And these people are educators?
As though Cho Seung-Hui, the VT killer, would stop and read a sign declaring VT a gun-free zone and then slap himself in the head and say “oh damn, I guess I can’t kill 35 people here today. I forgot this is a gun-free zone.” We all know how that worked out.
Who obeys laws? Who obeys rules? Law-abiding citizens.
All gun-free zones do, all ordinances against open-carry do, is guarantee that only the criminals and the nut-jobs will have guns.
Commentator states Philadelphia radio host Steve Corbett says Philadelphia has an ordiance against open carry and other localities should follow suit - obviously they miss the legal reality that there is no ordiance - just a hard coded requirement that open carriers hold a License to carry Firearms in Philadelphia, apparently obtained by Philadelphia legislators who don't trust their onw constituents.
----
http://www.timesleader.com/pittstondispatch/news/Random_notes_on_the_news_05-24-2008.html
SMILES AND FROWNS
May 25
Random notes on the news
by JACK SMILES - jsmiles@psdispatch.com
On Friday, May 9 about a dozen people from the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association (PAFOA) carrying guns in holsters had dinner with their families at the Old Country Buffet in Dickson City. One of the other patrons called 911. The police arrived, handcuffed one of the gun guys and took his gun. Turns out the cops were wrong.
Until this happened I didn’t know that Pennsylvania is an open-carry state, meaning it is legal for persons who are not prohibited by law from owning guns to openly carry a handgun in plain sight with no license. “Openly” being the key word here. A permit is required to legally carry a concealed weapon.
Because I, and lots of other people including one lawyer I talked to, didn’t know that open-carry is legal, isn’t an excuse for the police not to know it and the Dickson City chief admitted he didn’t know.
But I’m not writing about this to criticize the police. I find this fascinating because it illustrates divergent ways of thinking.
Some people are horrified. They deride the gun-carriers – Who do they think they are, Wyatt Earp? What is this the Old West? This is Dickson, not Dodge City – like that.
On the Steve Corbett radio show, Corbett said that Philadelphia has a local ordinance against open-carry and that Dickson City and other towns should consider doing the same.
Then the Old Country Buffet put up a sign on the door. I’m not sure exactly what it said – that gun carriers wouldn’t be served or what – but it was an attempt to ban patrons from openly carrying guns in the restaurant.
Steve Corbett loved this because he believes that law-abiding citizens carrying guns made the restaurant unsafe.
I say exactly the opposite. That restaurant was never safer than it was for the hour or so that the PAFOA members were there having dinner. Criminals are mostly cowards, but they are not all stupid. They wouldn’t try an armed robbery in a place where a dozen law-abiding citizens are carrying guns.
That’s why, in my view, the sign banning guns is stupid. The sign might as well say: “Want to pull off an armed robbery. Come on in. We promise you’ll be the only ones with guns.”
And how is it that the Philadelphia ordinance against open-carrying makes Philadelphia safer than other parts of the state? Is Steve Corbett saying the safer place is the place where only the criminals have guns? Get it? Law-abiding citizens with guns are the problem, not criminals with guns.
It reminds me of Virginia Tech, which was by the decree of its administrators, a gun-free zone. Open-carriers and concealed-weapons permits holders were not allowed to take their guns on campus and were disciplined when they did. A bill was introduced in the Virginia state to allow permit-holders to carry guns on campus. When it was sidetracked, a Virginia Tech administrator cheered and said that students, professors and visitors would now “feel safe” on campus. And these people are educators?
As though Cho Seung-Hui, the VT killer, would stop and read a sign declaring VT a gun-free zone and then slap himself in the head and say “oh damn, I guess I can’t kill 35 people here today. I forgot this is a gun-free zone.” We all know how that worked out.
Who obeys laws? Who obeys rules? Law-abiding citizens.
All gun-free zones do, all ordinances against open-carry do, is guarantee that only the criminals and the nut-jobs will have guns.