imported post
I completely understand the concept of open carry to push the envelope and make a point, and push back against gun laws that serve no legitimate purpose. I have a PLR-16, which is a large .223 pistol in a class similar to your AK pistol. I've considered open carrying it for political and educational purposes, but I haven't done so yet because in me estimate, there hasn't been an occasion where openly carrying the PLR-16 would result in a net gain for gun rights. I may find an opportunity in the future, though. There is also a PLR-22, the .22 LR version that looks almost exactly like the PLR-16, and that opens possibilities for educating people about gun laws based on appearance, or enforcement that's based on appearance. My goal would be to demonstrate that a particular law makes no sense and only serves to create enforcement problems and deny us our unalienable right to keep and bear arms.
One of my complaints with the way you were treated was the way the first ranger let you go but made a radio call to set up an armed ambush. I understand that he probably felt under gunned and thought he was being smart to arrange for someone with a shotgun to ambush you. To me, you had behaved legally and answered his questions and been cooperative. If he still believed you were engaged in illegal behavior, he should have had enough information from you to call in and instead of setting up an ambush, first check out your story to determine the legality of your actions, rather than assuming you were guilty.
However, I believe you engaged in duplicitous behavior first when you painted the muzzle of an AK-47 pistol bright orange which is universally recognized as signifying a non-lethal device such as an airsoft. Yes, you may have the legal right to paint the muzzle of an AK-47 pistol airsoft orange, but it's a deliberately act of deception, and that gets the encounter off to a bad start. You have essentially opened with a lie, and that is almost certain to engender distrust.
You can't have it both ways. If you're going to carry an AK pistol and educate the public and law enforcement agents that an AK pistol is a pistol and is legal to be carried openly in Tennessee, you shouldn't paint the muzzle orange to fool people into thinking it's an airsoft pistol. A deception such as that does not reflect well on responsible gun owners. I have no problem with your carrying of an AK-47 pistol. I'd argue that an AK-47 rifle should be legal to carry too (as it is in Kentucky, for example), but I am bothered by the inherent lie of the orange muzzle. At best, it's an ill advised joke. It's also likely to result in more convoluted gun laws. If the complaint you filed with the police department gets enough attention and the wrong people learn that you disguised an AK-47 pistol as a toy, then Tennessee is likely to have laws passed that prohibit orange muzzles on real firearms. Laws like that are passed as a proposed remedy to a problem, in an effort to legislate common sense. That's not possible, but it doesn't prevent them from trying.
My opinion? Carry the AK-47 if you like. Explain the law to law enforcement officers when you're stopped. Printed literature may help educate them. Don't act squirelly or twitchy or hostile. Lose the orange paint.
