imported post
Here's the letter I sent to the editor. They don't publish any on Saturdays.. we'll see on Sunday. I'm not holding my breath!
As one of the organizers of the Open Carry picnic, I cannot let Mr. Roelligs rant stand without a response,
I'll go point by point. You obviously didn't read the guidelines you mentioned early in your article. They specifically prohibited alcohol and long guns, also unholstering the weapons was
banned for safety and legal reasons.
Regarding your preference for a dress code, The majority of the "black T-shirts" were worn by the owners and employees of certified firearms training businesses. Many businesses provide
for uniform dress codes so customers can easily identify them. Many of the other variously colored Wisconsin Carry T-shirts were worn by the members and organizers of the picnic,
once again to provide attendees with an easy way to find someone to answer questions and get more information about the picnic and the organization. This was, after all a picnic, not a
trade show. Even the bankers, health care professionals, college professors and other "suit and tie" types probably felt more comfortable dressing casually on a weekend and in the type of
setting we provided. By the way, it was a beautiful day, the sun was out, so sunglasses were common, from the cheap kind to my prescription $400.00 ones.
Your denigrating comments about various modes of dress, the way they look, how they walk, your name-calling and your unsupportable perception of their "attitude" just shows your prejudice.
Were I to publicly espouse a view that demeaned such a wide variety of socio-economic classes, age, ethnic groups, life-styles etc, as you did I would be blasted in the media as a bigoted, racist, insensitive troglodyte!
The Tribune, by giving you a huge space complete with graphics and pictures to do exactly that, is complicit and that is appalling.
I am glad you didn't feel the "need" to go get your Glock. A person who isn't comfortable carrying a gun most certainly should not! I agree with you in that if one is going to carry a weapon one should carefully consider the consequences and get some training. I hold permits to carry concealed valid in around 30 states.
If you are not willing to defend yourself, don't waste your time putting it on. Defensive use of a gun is always going to cause everyone involved huge problems. I never put on my gun in the morning with visions of "Dirty Harry" in my head. I never want to have to use it, period, ever! The thought of having to actually draw it, much less fire it is frightening. But if I ever am in a situation where I (or my loved ones) are in serious danger of death or serious bodily harm, and retreat is impossible, I am willing and able to defend myself. No one ever knows what
they'll do in that moment, but to be in that moment and defenseless is no longer acceptable to me.
Apparently unlike you, I mourn the loss of life regardless of whether it is caused by law enforcement or by a bad guy. I am not a cop wannabe or a conspiracy theorist. I've never developed a plan for when the FBI comes knocking because I've never done, nor do I plan to ever do anything to draw their interest. I'm sure there are some of those types in almost any group of people you come upon, and there may have been some at the picnic. I didn't meet any, and clearly you didn't either, as to do that you would have had to interact with people, which you say you didn't do.
We'll get the same reaction from the anti-gun people that we always do. We hold no illusions that we're going to convert Sarah Brady or her bunch to our way of thinking. What we try to do is
answer the questions and provide information and resources for people who are mis-informed, interested in learning more, or are unsure of what their rights are. I get questions from people
all the time. I've never had a negative interaction with law enforcement, who in this area, are well trained and aware of our rights.
No one has anything to fear from "our kind". Carry on!
on't get your undies in a bundle over this guy. I respect his right to freely express his opinion-- no matter how stupid, asinine, ludicrous, imbecilic, ridiculous, ignorant, daffy, simpleminded, inane, irrational, mindless, witless, loony, silly, naive, thick-headed, nutty, illogical, half-baked, absurd, preposterous, feeble-minded, puerile, artless, incoherent, doltish, inarticulate, vapid, boring, hackneyed, trite, monotonous, uninteresting, senseless, inconsistent, specious, inaccurate, casuistic, erroneous, invalid, deluded and just plain dumb.
