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"People are OK with me having a gun, because I have a badge."

H

heliopolissolutions

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Echoing Conditionthree to a degree:

This whole badge bit is a two sided coin.

Will it deter harrassment?

Yes, from the general public.

From LEO? Emphatically no. Based purely on conjecture, I would venture to say that LEO would take even less kindly to seeing a badge and a gun on another person outside their clique, then just a gun.

Will it help the acceptance of open carry? No, probably not.

If you are going to carry to carry, which is to say, not as a form of protest, but in situations where you do not want to raise awareness or rub the grain of the public, then a badge might be useful.

But the truth is, the intent of wearing the badge is to assuage the fears of the public by indicating that you are a specialized individual who is elite enough to carry a firearm, a government agent of some kind. The intent of the badge, by our own admissions is to in some way, impersonate authority, e.g LEO.
 
Gundude

Gundude

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Someone who is hot with a graphics program could create an OC crest. It could be put on a disc and carried on a holster. We can't be responsible for what people think they see. Maybe similar to this one?
 
H

heliopolissolutions

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poothrowingape wrote:
i must have been gone for to long. what is a mall-ninja?
Click to expand...

InternetCommando.jpg




Pretty much sums it up. Wannabes.
 
wewd

wewd

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I think the fat kid should be carrying that 240G instead of the M4.
 
C

CA_Libertarian

State Researcher
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Stanislaus County, California, USA
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Gundude wrote:
sudden valley gunner wrote:
Oh no did she apply for a permit to use arms. And gosh is that body armor?
Click to expand...
I would call that LOC. Looks like an unincorporated area.
Click to expand...
She's also a giant... just look how big she is compared to her pet bear!

What cop is gonna arrest a 40-ft tall woman with a frickin' attack bear?
 
Venator

Venator

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
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Lansing area, Michigan, USA
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Gundude wrote:
Someone who is hot with a graphics program could create an OC crest. It could be put on a disc and carried on a holster. We can't be responsible for what people think they see. Maybe similar to this one?
Click to expand...
I designed thisfor Michigan Open Carry, Inc. It is copyrighted, but thought you might like to see it. The arms represent a belt and holster while trying to obey the rules of heraldry. I think it works okay.
 
Sonora Rebel

Sonora Rebel

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The origins of the badge comes from heraldry of the shields carried by the nobility or their men-at-arms. It's even still called 'the shield'. The 'visual' of a badge imparts some sort of authority of office you don't possess. Nothing says 'wanna-be' dufus like a phoney badge. Carry the gun... deal with the JBT consequences. You peoplehave more to fear fromlocal LE than criminals.
 
mjones

mjones

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Prescott, AZ
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dirtykoala wrote:
Here is how the mall ninja came to be. It's a long read but it's worth it!
http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/
Click to expand...

That site indicates the term dates to 2001 on GlockTalk...I can avow the term is MUCH older then that...back before Al Gore invented the internet.

I clearly remember it as a term being used on the old FidoNet gun forum.Ah, the days of oldschool dialup at 300bps in the mid 80s.
 
D

Diesel-n-Lead

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Roy wrote:
538d. (a) Any person other than one who by law is given the
authority of a peace officer, who willfully wears, exhibits, or uses
the authorized uniform, insignia, emblem, device, label, certificate,
card, or writing, of a peace officer, with the intent of
fraudulently impersonating a peace officer, or of fraudulently
inducing the belief that he or she is a peace officer, is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
[/b] (b) (1) Any person, other than the one who by law is given the
authority of a peace officer, who willfully wears, exhibits, or uses
the badge of a peace officer with the intent of fraudulently
impersonating a peace officer, or of fraudulently inducing the belief
that he or she is a peace officer, is guilty of a misdemeanor
punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year,
by a fine not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by both
that imprisonment and fine.
(2) Any person who willfully wears or uses any badge that falsely
purports to be authorized for the use of one who by law is given the
authority of a peace officer, or which so resembles the authorized
badge of a peace officer as would deceive any ordinary reasonable
person into believing that it is authorized for the use of one who by
law is given the authority of a peace officer, for the purpose of
fraudulently impersonating a peace officer, or of fraudulently
inducing the belief that he or she is a peace officer, is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to
exceed one year, by a fine not to exceed two thousand dollars
($2,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.
(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), any person who
willfully wears, exhibits, or uses, or who willfully makes, sells,
loans, gives, or transfers to another, any badge, insignia, emblem,
device, or any label, certificate, card, or writing, which falsely
purports to be authorized for the use of one who by law is given the
authority of a peace officer, or which so resembles the authorized
badge, insignia, emblem, device, label, certificate, card, or writing
of a peace officer as would deceive an ordinary reasonable person
into believing that it is authorized for the use of one who by law is
given the authority of a peace officer, is guilty of a misdemeanor,
except that any person who makes or sells any badge under the
circumstances described in this subdivision is subject to a fine not
to exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).
(d) (1) The head of an agency that employs peace officers, as
defined in Sections 830.1 and 830.2, is authorized to issue
identification in the form of a badge, insignia, emblem, device,
label, certificate, card, or writing that clearly states that the
person has honorably retired following service as a peace officer
from that agency. The identification authorized pursuant to this
subdivision is separate and distinct from the identification
authorized by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of
Section 12027.
(2) If the head of an agency issues a badge to an honorably
retired peace officer that is not affixed to a plaque or other
memento commemorating the retiree's service for the agency, the words
"Honorably Retired" shall be clearly visible above, underneath, or
on the badge itself.
(3) The head of an agency that employs peace officers as defined
in Sections 830.1 and 830.2 is authorized to revoke identification
granted pursuant to this subdivision in the event of misuse or abuse.
(4) For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "honorably
retired" does not include an officer who has agreed to a service
retirement in lieu of termination.
(e) (1) Vendors of law enforcement uniforms shall verify that a
person purchasing a uniform identifying a law enforcement agency is
an employee of the agency identified on the uniform. Presentation and
examination of a valid identification card with a picture of the
person purchasing the uniform and identification, on the letterhead
of the law enforcement agency, of the person buying the uniform as an
employee of the agency identified on the uniform shall be sufficient
verification.
(2) Any uniform vendor who sells a uniform identifying a law
enforcement agency, without verifying that the purchaser is an
employee of the agency, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a
fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(3) This subdivision shall not apply if the uniform is to be used
solely as a prop for a motion picture, television, video production,
or a theatrical event, and prior written permission has been obtained
from the identified law enforcement agency.




Now the question remains if merely wearing the badge....
Click to expand...
Did you catch the part about "...which so resembles the authorized
badge of a peace officer as would deceive any ordinary reasonable
person..." The language on that is so broad and vague that if you catch an officer in the right moodor rub him the wrong wayit's very likely he'll book you. The absolute best way to minimize the risk of someone calling in is to look as clean cut and professional as possible. Face it, people prejudge you by your looks. They are more likely to call in on someone wearing shorts and a t-shirt wearing a holster than they are a person wearing Dockers and a polo and having a clean shave and haircut. Definitely steer clear of any type of metallic badge though, IMO.

2₵
 
O

oc4ever

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Oct 23, 2009
Messages
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I have to agree with the statement about looking and dressing as professionally as possible while OC'ing. Without getting into a discussion about a person's race or neighborhoods.... if you dress like you belong in gang area and wear a "wife-beater" shirt, baggie clothes,sunglasses, and have lots of tattoos, you are going to get a different response at a public location than a man in nice dress attire. This goes for both business owners and the LEO's. This is one constant that will not change for a very long time, like it or not.

If one of your goals is to educate the public and LEO's (as well as for self protection) when you OC, then your body language and dress(good or bad) will have a influence on how you are positively or negatively perceived by the public. No bad guy is going to try to rob/assault a guy that looks professionally dressed ,like he may be a cop, and is wearing a gun. If you dress like a"homie", you may just be another drive-by target to pick off.

Some people become crime victims because they present themselves as easy targets. A cleancut well dressed guy wearing a large gun, that keeps looking around watching his surroundings, is not a easy mark. Criminals will move on to a easier target. The old saying "dress for success" is still valid today. It will also keep most of the LEO's from doing a full court felony stop on you if your in very nice clothes. I know this from experience, it works.
 
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