Open Carry on Front Cover of Creative Loafing in Atlanta

imported post

This is an excellent story you have to read for yourself.

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/gun_toting_in_georgia/Content?oid=528311



There are no comments after the story, but the magazine is inviting them.



From Creative Loafing:

We thought you might be interested in reading this week's cover story about
the new Georgia gun law, H.B. 89. Please feel free to pass the link around
and also please comment if you have anything to add, if you agree or if you
disagree with the content of the story. I think you will be very interested
in it and we would love to get a conversation started in the comments of the
story.

Here is the link:
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/gun_toting_in_georgia/Content?oi
d=528311

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Let's give them some good comments!

It's not everyday that a reporter writes about his journey from anti-gun to open carrier, and then reports on it positively! Give them some positive feedback.

imported post

Very good article. You have to register on their website to leave a comment.

imported post

That was a good read, funny too! Thanks for posting it.

imported post

+1, although he wasn't exactly "anti" to start, just very nervous about carrying.

imported post

That's great. I lived in GA for 4 years and loved Creative Loafing. It's a shame the NoVa area has no counterpart. Reading about the author's journey from having the gun in the (hopefully) gun safe at home to riding MARTA with his Beretta OCed was very familiar. I imagine this type of gradual approach is typical of many people who make the same transition from gun owner to Open Carrier. If I ever go back to Atlanta and see this guy in a bar, I'll have to offer to buy him a (root) beer.:dude:

--RedKnightt--

Zombie Squad has it right: “We hold fast to the belief that if you are prepared for a scenario where the walking corpses of your family and neighbors are trying to eat you alive, you will be prepared for almost anything.”

imported post

Really enjoyed the article, but didn't want to register to leave a comment.I don't need more spam.

imported post

He carried in Chuckee Cheese! Who hasn't?

imported post

That is a GREAT article, and I loved the end!

imported post

TheMrMitch wrote:

That is a GREAT article, and I loved the end!

Click to expand...

FTA:

I carried my gun in public because I was writing this story, and one thing that surprised me was how quickly I became comfortable with it. But I don't think it's going to become a habit. It's still a big deal to carry a gun. Guns are intended to kill people, or at least to threaten to kill people. That's really not a message I want to convey, even if it's not the message people seem to get when they see me with a gun.

Click to expand...

:banghead:

imported post

asforme....I DO understand your chagrin....no story is perfect. But it was, indeed, a great story not withstanding the usual anomalies.

imported post

I know nothing will be perfect. I wasn't so mad as I was disappointed. Here's this guy who goes through all the trouble we all have of finally getting comfortable with OC, then passes it off as just an experiment and goes back off into anti-carry la la land.

imported post

"It's a huge steak; you can have half," I said.

"Two dudes sharing food," he replied. "That's gay."

LMFAO:lol:

imported post

asforme wrote:

TheMrMitch wrote:

That is a GREAT article, and I loved the end!

Click to expand...

FTA:

I carried my gun in public because I was writing this story, and one thing that surprised me was how quickly I became comfortable with it. But I don't think it's going to become a habit. It's still a big deal to carry a gun. Guns are intended to kill people, or at least to threaten to kill people. That's really not a message I want to convey, even if it's not the message people seem to get when they see me with a gun.

Click to expand...

:banghead:

Click to expand...

asforme, I agree. The article was great until that paragraph. Actually I had 2 issues with the article:

1) There are 2 pics of him in public with his firearms unholstered (sitting at a bar and in a park). Even for the sake of a dramatic picture, what happens with the person who walks in that restaurant and sees 2 handguns on the bar even if there is a photo-session taking place? And in the park it appears to have been unloaded but where was it unloaded? In the park itself? Both of those pictures made me cringe.

2) The paragraph quoted by asforme above caused me to roll my eyes. He makes the statement that guns are for killing, not defending, killing, so he still has that mindset after all of his experiences. Then he goes on to acknowledge that other people don't see it that way. Instead of thinking about the fact that others not seeing it that way could be a clue-pon to him that he is thinking about it wrong, he fights to hang onto an underlying "guns are bad - they kill people" philosophy at the bitter end (and yes, I mean bitter end as that paragraph left a bitter taste in my mouth despite the well written rest of the article).

imported post

It appears that many of you are dissappointed in the story primarily because you have to look so hard to find something to complain about. It wasn't any kind of pro or anti gun article that you normally see and for the most part his experiences were the complete opposite of what I read on here so often. :cuss:

He openly carried a gun around Atlanta, rode Marta, ate at a restuarant that serves alcohol and never once got arrested or detained or tazed or anything. Maybe if he had been in Farifax he would still be trying to find a lawyer to get his out of jail. :banghead:

I suppose I am just saying that he wrote about his personal experience and how he was scared at first but became comfortable. In the end he came away with a different opinion about being able to carry but not necessarily the need to carry and that seems to have upset some. The best part was he did it all with humor which we need more of around here. :celebrate

The Brady fellow says "It's ridiculous to claim licensees are all upstanding, law-abiding citizens," and if you argue with that you are ridiculous. How many is up to whatever stats you want to use but it is small percentage that are BG's. In fact the number of BG's in ther general population is small. Most people are law abiding and most LEO's are fine people. But just because you have a permit or a gun doesn't automatically turn you into Mr. Squeaky Clean as some try to make out like it does. And just because people carry a gun doesn't mean they will ever have to use it, most will not.

I really liked the article and thought it was way more pro-gun than anti even if heisn't convinced that he can't go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without his gun.

imported post

Excellent summation, PT111.:dude:

imported post

PT111 wrote:

It appears that many of you are dissappointed in the story SNIP

Click to expand...

Many? asforme is the only one who expressed disappointment. *shrug* I am the only other one who had any negative comment on the article and I had 2 very specific issues and stated that it was great besides that two points. I wasn't disappointed and given the anti nature of his editor as related in the story it may be that the paragraph I have issue with may have been edited to that slant by an editor.

I still think the pictures are objectionable as they give the wrong impression to someone just popping over to the story and not reading it through.

So to reiterate, except for the 2 points I made above, great article and MUCH better press than we usually see.

imported post

Don't get me wrong, it was good exposure for the OC movement and overall positive. I just got into the story and was waiting for a happy ending with another person realizing the importance of carrying. Instead it turned out to all be just an experiment about carrying the evil killing machines.

imported post

asforme wrote:

Don't get me wrong, it was good exposure for the OC movement and overall positive. I just got into the story and was waiting for a happy ending with another person realizing the importance of carrying. Instead it turned out to all be just an experiment about carrying the evil killing machines.

Click to expand...

I disagree. It wasn't against us, so it's positive IMHO.

I learned that lesson from Vernon Ferrier (RIP), who started the Ohio Open Carry walks.He sure taught this young whippersnapper a few things.

Someone doesn't have to actively campaign for your beliefs to be of benefit to you.

The author did all these >gasp< awful things like carry in a restaurant, and carry on public transport, and, and, and - NO ONE fainted, screamed in terror, and the author didn't even blow away any innocents.

TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE!!

I thought it was an excellent article.

imported post

I disagree that this was good for the OC movement...


<preach>
Listen up folks, this is the kind of stuff you MUST be very careful of.
I understand this was an experiment by the author, but someone could be duped into doing this by the media very easily...

This one pic:

...has the potential to do WAY MORE HARM than the rest of the article does good.

Seriously.
There is no nice way to say it; This was a terrible lapse in judgment Downright stupid, IMO.
There is NO reason to unholster in such an environment, no less for a pic like that? I'm very disappointed. It undoes the image we fight so hard to spread. It paints a image EXACTLY like what some people who do not know what OC is think when they hear about it but do not witness it first hand. It is extremely counterproductive.

Please, THINK, people! let this pic sink in real good as an example of what NOT to do! </preach>

imported post

Pa. Patriot wrote:

SNIP but someone could be duped into doing this by the media very easily...

Click to expand...

What? To mix blue with stainless? God! How gauche!



All kidding aside, I've become less worried about the details in the press stories.

Yes, some details are important; but not all are equally important. I think the vast majority of gun owners are smart enough to recognize that its not smart to draw your guns and lay them on the counter like your hat. Also, who would want to have to keep an eye on them to prevent theft?

I don't think the nervous-nellies are going to come away with the idea that people are going to suddenly leave guns lying about on tables and bars. They'll probably get all wrapped up in the presence of the gun, period. On a table or in a holster, it won't matter to them.