imported post
I am not convinced that open carry presents a clear tactical advantage in situations such as the ones mentioned. I think open carry serves the following purposes:
- Deterrence. Criminals are self-absorbed. It's about money most of the time. A criminal may still rob a store, but it probably won't be the one he knows he is risking his life to rob.
- So what? I am always amused at people in my home state who are freaked out by the prospect of open carry. I always ask them something like (pretending to change the subject), "So what did you do today?" and as they describe their travels around town I ask them how many people they walked right by who might potentially have been carrying concealed weapons. It's like the old bit about a tree falling in a forest and no one is around to hear it: just because you can't see the gun, doesn't mean it isn't there. At which point I like to inform them that I am presently carrying a concealed firearm and it didn't even occur to them when they started talking about this that that might be the case.
- As an expression of individual sovereignty. I am sure there are those who carry openly who are not out to make a statement, but like it or not, it does. It broadcasts something very specific about how an individual feels about his rights.
- Normalizes guns. I don't think it's anyone's responsibility to look spiffy when carrying a firearm but I think many people think of Robert DeNiro's character in Taxi Driver when they think about citizens carrying handguns. When people buck that stereotype, it gives people something to think about. Even though it's no one's duty, it is an opportunity to present a positive image of those who believe in self-defense and the Rights of the Individual.
I rarely carry openly (rarely, not never) for the following reasons, but have zero problem whatsoever with other people doing it, and in fact encourage it. I'd be more willing to carry openly in a protest - to make a statement, however:
- I am not comfortable having my back turned to someone - such as in a checkout line, with my gun visible. I will never be comfortable doing this. I don't like the holsters with retention mechanisms (like the Blackhawk Serpas) for a variety of reasons (mainly personal preference) and I just don't like being in close proximity to people who know I have a pistol on me - especially since I carry a Glock with no safety. I would be more comfortable carrying in the backcountry or any environment where I am not in such close proximity to others.
- I do not always want to put the "gun first" in terms of the impression I leave on people. If I know someone is rabidly anti-gun and a direct threat to my civil liberties, I'd enjoy annoying him with a simple expression of my rights, however generally speaking I hate the feeling of intimidating other people, however unreasonable, until and unless I know that person is a threat. Just a personal preference. If I am trying to make a political point, I have no problem open carrying. At the same time, I'm not intimidated at all by open carry and never have been and don't care what other people do.
- Open carry invites attention. I like to be incognito or even invisible, if possible, in public. I don't like strangers walking up to me and starting conversations and I don't like to be scrutinized, generally speaking, and I extend this to others in the way I interact with them.
I would like a world in which open carry didn't invite scrutiny, intimidate people, and so on. So I am willing to open carry for the express purpose of contributing to this, but as a practical matter, it just isn't for me.
But I certainly advocate for the right to open carry, don't think it's at all dysfunctional or strange to do so (even if it isn't for me, in terms of personal preference). What's more honest than open carry? Not much. I am as committed to ensuring the government recognizes the right of open carry as someone who actually does open carry.
People who oppose open carry, either from a legislative angle, or a personal one, are not reliable Second Amendment allies. I'd hate to suggest there's some kind of purity test for anything, but a person who thinks we ought to conceal weapons in shame have the wrong attitude entirely to a right so important it was expressly mentioned in the Bill of Rights. It would be the same as suggesting that while we have freedom of speech, but ought to speak our minds quietly and in private.
