OC and body mods

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i can definatly relate to this topic. we'll just see how many ppl will sit down to talk to me at the BBQ lol

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so would you consider a cowboy hat or boots as "respectable looking?.....seeing as the some opposed to OC use the phrase "this isnt the wild wild west" in reference to OCer's or do you think they would also cast OC in a negative light?

and i also have to say that those who say someones preference of attire or body mods will cast OC in a negative light, sound an awful lot like CCer's who say OCer's cast a negative light on gun owners and shouldnt OC.

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That is exactly how I see it. I think people should wear whatever they want regardless but I do think OCing in western gear casts a negative light on OC as well as someone dressed as a gang banger, biker, goth, emo, (insert other style here not considered normal). If you dress outside the norm and OC people are going to think and sometimes vocalize negative things and it very well could leave a negative image of OC in their minds. People in Western gear are gun nuts or think this is the wild west. They are immature and playing cowboys. People with tattoos and body mods are suicidal and aren't mentally stable. The arguments are different but if you aren't dressed "normal" it will leave a negative impression on some people.

The CCers have a perfectly valid claim that OC casts a negative light on gun owners and hurts the gun rights movement. With CC no one knows they have a gun but with OC people see the gun and this can scare people and turn them off from gun rights. Many people don't care if people CC because they are ignorant of it and it doesn't bother them. Many support CC but are against OC for that reason. With OC they see the gun and are afraid, with CC they are oblivious. They say "as long as I don't see it or know it's there then it's ok"

The most important thing though is that it is your right to OC and the whole point is to excercise that right. Why would you waive the right to your appearance in order to OC? You shouldn't chose which rights to excercise because once you give up one right to excercise another you are losing.

I have lived in various places in the country and also in other parts of the world and I have to say people here in Utah are very judgmental about things that are different. People tend to be close minded and think less of people who are different. I am not saying everyone is like that or even the majority. I am just saying compared to other places I have lived, the people here are more judgmental than other places.

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b1ack5mith wrote:

but the thing i have to say to everyone is...

"Judge not, least YE be judged."

people judge on appearance alot, but God knows whats in our hearts

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Respectfully, why do you choose to look the way you do if NOT to draw attention to yourself?

Unless you have some religious or other belief that requires you to "modify" your body with tats and piercings we are not talking about the yarmulkes or long hair that Jews might wear, the burkas or turbans of the middle east, or even the long dresses and other distinctive styles of some of the polygamists or amish.

Now, I really don't much care how you dress or look so long as you do not appear dangerous or threatening to me and are not asking my daughter on a date. And while the content of character is much more important than outward appearance, let's not pretend that our CHOICES in how we look are not indicative of at least SOME of our values. I'm not suggesting that how you look means you are a good person or bad person. But be honest, your choices in outward appearance DO reflect SOMETHING of what is inside you, don't they?

There are aspects about our looks over which we have no choice: our height, color, sex, physical disability, age, injury, etc. And any judgment based on such appearances are indeed unworthy decent, intelligent men. Even inexpensive vs designer clothing or other indications of material wealth are in many cases not at all important.

But if a man CHOOSES to put fish hooks through his lip, or studs in his nose, or stretch his ear lopes out or sport a bright purple mohawk that stands 2 feet tall on his head he can hardly complain if people notice, and having noticed, if they react in some way or try to come to some rational for WHY a person would choose styles and appearance so far from the mainstream.

Now, I expect that most police officers are professional enough that about 5 seconds into visiting with you your appearance will matter FAR LESS than does your demeanor. But I would think you might get a lot more "man with a gun calls" if for no other reason than you are very noticeable (and THAT is your intent, isn't it? I mean if you wanted to blend in, you'd not choose to look the way you do.). Hence, YOU, and your firearm will be noticed by a lot more people than say I and my gun will be.

I speak somewhat from personal experience here being known to wearing a kilt, including with full formal Scottish attire, whenever occasion permits. I get a LOT more attention in that kilt than I do in my normal Saxon attire, even with a gun on my hip in pants. Most folks seem to love the sight of a man in a kilt. A few don't. It's ok because when I CHOOSE to look so out of the norm, I EXPECT, even enjoy, a little bit of extra attention. Judgments ARE made about me when I wear my kilt. Whether flattering or not, accurate or far from the mark I cannot control. But neither will I fault people for trying to make some sense of their world when something unusual is introduced.

Finally, recognize that in the part of the world where you are living while a kilt may be unusual, no small portion of the population views tats and body piercings as contrary to their religious beliefs and teachings, even sinful. Those beliefs are likely to influence how they react to you.

All the best.

Charles

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:celebrate:monkey:celebrate

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Those tats are pretty minimal and likely to be missed by most unless something about your face or dress draws attention to you. Of course, you've got the right to dress as you see fit, but I expect that T-shirt will draw a little more attention while OCing in town than would a plain polo shirt. But, of course, a T is usually a little more comfortable for a day at the range which is what this photo seems to be.

Any particular reason your finger is sneaking inside the trigger guard in the photo?:shock: Big no-no there for safety.

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utbagpiper wrote:

...Big no-no there for safety....

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..Noted.

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broncbob wrote:

...I have..."To Keep And Bear Arms" around my left wrist...

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I'm diggin' that.

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(replying to UTbagpiper)

no religious faith "REQUIRES" that i look the way i do... however, religion is a very faint word. In the dictionary, it translates to "A belief." which can range from anything to OC, to the way we choose to live our lives and to whom we pray.

So essensially, my RELIGION requires that i opencarry as often as i can... simply because, that is what i believe. Ibelieve that men should not be prosecuted for having facial jewellery and i believe that the way you look has no reflection on who you are inside (not all of the time anyway).Being a follower of Jesus has nothing to do with religion, yet, it is a way of life.

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b1ack5mith wrote:

(replying to UTbagpiper)

no religious faith "REQUIRES" that i look the way i do... however, religion is a very faint word. In the dictionary, it translates to "A belief." which can range from anything to OC, to the way we choose to live our lives and to whom we pray.

So essensially, my RELIGION requires that i opencarry as often as i can... simply because, that is what i believe. Ibelieve that men should not be prosecuted for having facial jewellery and i believe that the way you look has no reflection on who you are inside (not all of the time anyway).Being a follower of Jesus has nothing to do with religion, yet, it is a way of life.

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My apologies for clouding the issue with poorly explained references to religion. Let me see if I can clarify.

1-How a person CHOOSES to look IS a reflection on certain aspects of who you are inside. It is a reflection of your choices. We might argue about exactly WHAT it reveals or what role such revelations rightly play in interpersonal interactions, but certainly it reveals something.

2-I agree that "body mods" are legal and should not be the basis for prosecution.

3-As I said earlier, I expect that most police officers in utah are professional enough that your demeanor and comportment as well as actual compliance with the law will have far more effect on the outcome of interactions with those officers than will your fashion statements.

4-At least in the area where you have chosen to live, your chosen body mods / fashion statements do make you more noticable, and noteworthy. I suspect this is, in fact, at least part of the reason you have chosen to look the way you do. But being more noticeable, you will be noticed more often. And once you are noticed more often, your firearm will be noticed more often. And that is likely to lead to more "man with a gun" complaints, concerns, or calls which will lead to more interactions with store managers, security personnel, and the police.

5-Somewhat off topic, but still relevant, at least in the area where you have chosen to live, many of your fellows DO view body mods as something akin to self mutilation, contrary to the counsel of God, and generally something to be discouraged. Many will view it as indicative of certain negative traits about who you are. And it is THEIR RIGHT to make such determinations for themselves just as it is your right to choose how you will look. But those determinations, accurate or not, charitable or not, WILL then also color how they react to you being visibly armed.

Now, anyone mature enough to consent to varous permanent, elective body alterations, much less to presume to carry a deadly weapon around in public ought to be mature enough to either:

A-Not care in the least what others think of him and conduct himself in an peaceful, rational manner despite how judgmental others may be; OR

B-To understand certain realities well enough to pick his battles.

Personally, I am FAR more aware of my comportment and demeanor and manners while visibly armed in my Saturday work grubbies than I am when I OC in slacks and button down shirt. On the flip side, while I am even more noticeable in my full formal dress Scottish attire than I am in grubbies, my experience is that almost nobody gives a second thought to the multitude of edged or other weapons that tend to be part of Scottish dress.

I don't presume to tell you how you ought to look while OCing. I will gently chastise a bit any mature adult who consciously and deliberately chooses to look very much out of the local norms at least party for the very purpose of standing apart and being noticeable who then turns around and complains that people are noticing, and having noticed, might be making some judgments about what his choices in fashion reveal about his inner character.

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for once .....and i hope this is no exception i fully agree with what UTbagpiper is saying .... even if some of it is a lil dramatized those are well spoken words!

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Im glad people get body bods. i'm so tired of seeing the same ole humans everywhere i look. its nice to see soem diversity. So, i suppose its all on how you look at it/them/one with mods.