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http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=62&articleid=20100530_62_G2_JanetP662403
Letter to the editor: Off target
By Mike Stollenwerk, Alexandria, Va.
Published: 5/30/2010 3:48 AM
Last Modified: 5/30/2010 3:48 AM
Janet Pearson misfires by characterizing open carry as an "exotic" practice ("Ready, aim . . . argue!," May 22). Open carry is hardly "exotic" considering it is legal in 43 states and was recognized in 2008 by the U.S. Supreme Court as the core right protected by the Second Amendment.
Additionally, Pearson offers no support for her so-called "fact" that open carry "makes it more difficult for law enforcement to 'sort out the good guys and the bad guys,'" with evidence from any of the 43 states where open carry is legal and usually requires no license. Moreover a 2006 FBI Study found that criminals universally conceal their guns and rarely even use holsters.
Finally, Pearson's lament that "fewer than 100,000 Oklahomans have obtained concealed-carry permits" misses the target again. Oklahoma's growing gun-carry permit numbers are in line with most states as a percentage of population and constitute one of Oklahoma's largest single-issue voter blocks. And these voters have elephant memories.
Editor's note: Stollenwerk is co-founder of OpenCarry.org.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=62&articleid=20100530_62_G2_JanetP662403
Letter to the editor: Off target
By Mike Stollenwerk, Alexandria, Va.
Published: 5/30/2010 3:48 AM
Last Modified: 5/30/2010 3:48 AM
Janet Pearson misfires by characterizing open carry as an "exotic" practice ("Ready, aim . . . argue!," May 22). Open carry is hardly "exotic" considering it is legal in 43 states and was recognized in 2008 by the U.S. Supreme Court as the core right protected by the Second Amendment.
Additionally, Pearson offers no support for her so-called "fact" that open carry "makes it more difficult for law enforcement to 'sort out the good guys and the bad guys,'" with evidence from any of the 43 states where open carry is legal and usually requires no license. Moreover a 2006 FBI Study found that criminals universally conceal their guns and rarely even use holsters.
Finally, Pearson's lament that "fewer than 100,000 Oklahomans have obtained concealed-carry permits" misses the target again. Oklahoma's growing gun-carry permit numbers are in line with most states as a percentage of population and constitute one of Oklahoma's largest single-issue voter blocks. And these voters have elephant memories.
Editor's note: Stollenwerk is co-founder of OpenCarry.org.