VonKonig
Regular Member
imported post
Here was my post -- more appropriately posted here onthis thread:
"Thanks for your reply about Alderwood Mall. I'm new to concealed carry and have obtained my CPL and have been reading like crazy all the laws pertaining to it, but lately have become very interested in open carry.
"The whole concept of openly carrying a firearm on one's hip, in urban society and in the 21st Century, was intriguing to me. Three-and-a-half years ago my home was broken into andshortly thereafter I boughta weapon and excercised my right to bear arms by obtaining a permit to carry concealed. I read a lot about it and saw the logic in the idea that, if a person can have one's home broken into there is also a random chance one can be violently assaulted (with no provocation!) in or away from one's home.
"But, it had never occurred to me that a person could open carry, like I said before, in an urban environment and in this day and age. Pardon my candidness and my prior ignorance, but I had assumed that that sort of thing had been regulated away as a possibility long ago. I figured the idea of open carry had gone the way of the Old Western Gunfighter.
"And that is exactly why, when I tripped upon some links that led me to this site and others where I had the chance to read about real live people exercising their rights to bear arms in an open and visible manner, I became very interested in the whole idea.Questions began to enter my mindafter realizing that it wasn't just a possibility, but was being done by a growing number of people around the country -- questions like,
"WHY would someone want to:
-risk being looked at like a deviant by friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances of any kind. (Beingcast as a "deviant" by people in these categories never helps to bring one's character into a favorable light in court when a prosecutor is trying to build a case, or when one is inthe middle of adivorce or child custody proceeding);
- risk being set-upon, questioned, harrassed, even assaulted and arrested by a majority (as it seems to me) of misunderstood law enforcement officers;
- risk the possibility of putting one's family finances in jeopardy if one happens to step out of line (evenina very infinitesimally small manner) while carrying a weapon openly and is prosecuted for this small error with the full force of the law -- simply because a liberal-minded prosecutor happens to get a hair up his wazzu about YOU, the new standard-bearer of the gun-toting, right wing militant population heperceives you represent.
- risk all the attention, all the double takes, the possibility of some busy-body "calling you in" onhis cell phone, the store managers coming up to you to ask you to leave his store, the looks of disdain, the pointing children,and so on... (It seems to me many of you, me included, are not types to go around seeking attention. I'm sure I only need to mention the term "Grey Man" to this readership and the concept is fully understood if not fully embraced.)
- and most importantly, riskthe possibility that a violent, disturbed, hell-bent person who now has the jump on you because heKNOWS you have a gun andKNOWS you have no clue he's even there, grabs your gun from behind and renders you a non-threat in one manner or another (The readership here likes to be prepared and that is why we carry, so should we be any less prepared for this eventuality?...)
"So these are some of the bigger questions for which I've been seeking answers, and which I've been asking myself as I consider the idea of OC'ing. One thing I can say is that I have tried it and it was a thrill. I wore my FNP-40 in a holster on my belt on my right hip and my magazines in a carrier on my left and went out my front door, got into my car and drove to Sam's for some plinking. After target shooting there, with a whole team of ATF watching, I walked around the store and bought some Hydra Shock rounds and then left, got into my car and drove home -- all without so much as a raised eyebrow (though I did notice some furtive glances from the ATF guys while I walked around the store).
"... and WHY did I decide to do that on that day a couple of weeks ago? Because I had the RIGHT to, and because I owned a firearm and could carry it openly, I decided to do it simply to EXERCISE that right. Is Alderwood Mall the next place where I will choose to take my rights out for a walk? Maybe. It's nice to know there's no signage and that others have OC'd there. Talk about a great place to desensitize a few thousand people toward the idea of legally and openly carrying a firearm!
"But still, the questions remain, so I thought I'd post them up here to see if any of you have the same questions, and if any of you have come to any conclusions."
Here was my post -- more appropriately posted here onthis thread:
"Thanks for your reply about Alderwood Mall. I'm new to concealed carry and have obtained my CPL and have been reading like crazy all the laws pertaining to it, but lately have become very interested in open carry.
"The whole concept of openly carrying a firearm on one's hip, in urban society and in the 21st Century, was intriguing to me. Three-and-a-half years ago my home was broken into andshortly thereafter I boughta weapon and excercised my right to bear arms by obtaining a permit to carry concealed. I read a lot about it and saw the logic in the idea that, if a person can have one's home broken into there is also a random chance one can be violently assaulted (with no provocation!) in or away from one's home.
"But, it had never occurred to me that a person could open carry, like I said before, in an urban environment and in this day and age. Pardon my candidness and my prior ignorance, but I had assumed that that sort of thing had been regulated away as a possibility long ago. I figured the idea of open carry had gone the way of the Old Western Gunfighter.
"And that is exactly why, when I tripped upon some links that led me to this site and others where I had the chance to read about real live people exercising their rights to bear arms in an open and visible manner, I became very interested in the whole idea.Questions began to enter my mindafter realizing that it wasn't just a possibility, but was being done by a growing number of people around the country -- questions like,
"WHY would someone want to:
-risk being looked at like a deviant by friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances of any kind. (Beingcast as a "deviant" by people in these categories never helps to bring one's character into a favorable light in court when a prosecutor is trying to build a case, or when one is inthe middle of adivorce or child custody proceeding);
- risk being set-upon, questioned, harrassed, even assaulted and arrested by a majority (as it seems to me) of misunderstood law enforcement officers;
- risk the possibility of putting one's family finances in jeopardy if one happens to step out of line (evenina very infinitesimally small manner) while carrying a weapon openly and is prosecuted for this small error with the full force of the law -- simply because a liberal-minded prosecutor happens to get a hair up his wazzu about YOU, the new standard-bearer of the gun-toting, right wing militant population heperceives you represent.
- risk all the attention, all the double takes, the possibility of some busy-body "calling you in" onhis cell phone, the store managers coming up to you to ask you to leave his store, the looks of disdain, the pointing children,and so on... (It seems to me many of you, me included, are not types to go around seeking attention. I'm sure I only need to mention the term "Grey Man" to this readership and the concept is fully understood if not fully embraced.)
- and most importantly, riskthe possibility that a violent, disturbed, hell-bent person who now has the jump on you because heKNOWS you have a gun andKNOWS you have no clue he's even there, grabs your gun from behind and renders you a non-threat in one manner or another (The readership here likes to be prepared and that is why we carry, so should we be any less prepared for this eventuality?...)
"So these are some of the bigger questions for which I've been seeking answers, and which I've been asking myself as I consider the idea of OC'ing. One thing I can say is that I have tried it and it was a thrill. I wore my FNP-40 in a holster on my belt on my right hip and my magazines in a carrier on my left and went out my front door, got into my car and drove to Sam's for some plinking. After target shooting there, with a whole team of ATF watching, I walked around the store and bought some Hydra Shock rounds and then left, got into my car and drove home -- all without so much as a raised eyebrow (though I did notice some furtive glances from the ATF guys while I walked around the store).
"... and WHY did I decide to do that on that day a couple of weeks ago? Because I had the RIGHT to, and because I owned a firearm and could carry it openly, I decided to do it simply to EXERCISE that right. Is Alderwood Mall the next place where I will choose to take my rights out for a walk? Maybe. It's nice to know there's no signage and that others have OC'd there. Talk about a great place to desensitize a few thousand people toward the idea of legally and openly carrying a firearm!
"But still, the questions remain, so I thought I'd post them up here to see if any of you have the same questions, and if any of you have come to any conclusions."