imported post
The whole premise is completely absurd.
One open carrier sees another open carrier, starts watching him like he's waiting for the guy to try something, then a balloon pops and a baby dies.
Pretty much every step of that sequence is utterly disconnected from reality.
First of all, when one open carrier sees another, both open carriers are like, "Sweet! Another open carrier!"
This is because, even with Vermont carry, criminals prefer to carry concealed as it makes it much easier to "blend in", which is important when you're wanted for past crimes or about to commit a new one. Even the merely irresponsible don't last long if they carry a firearm openly Thus, it's a darn good assumption that any other non-LEO open carrier isn't a violent criminal or someone you need to worry about.
So, when that open carrier sees the other, he's going to be even more put at ease, quite contrary to the notion that two open carriers will set each other on edge. :quirky
Next, a balloon popping is never going to be confused with a gun being discharged in the immediate vicinity (i.e. close enough that someone is going to feel the need to "shoot something" in response). For a gun to sound like a balloon it must be distant enough that the immediate response is going to be "wtf was that?", not "oh that was that guy over there shooting something now I have to shoot him!". :quirky
Finally, even if a gun were to be discharged in the vicinity -- say the other OCer's gun magically discharged in its holster (maybe the Brady Bunch starts working as gunsmiths as their next strategy) -- people aren't just going to instantly shoot the nearest baby. :quirky
That just isn't how it works. When you hear a gunshot, your reaction is not to reach out and flinch at whatever is nearby. The reaction is to take cover. Only after a threat has been positively identified will a person start shooting in response, and even then there is the value consideration of the effectiveness vs necessity of the shot.
I shouldn't have wasted my time articulating how stupid that obviously inane piece of garbage is. Did I mention :quirky?
