Response to UK article on OC

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For those of you who don't know, a July edition of Marie Claire UK features an article on Open carry. It is definitely slanted but not completely horrible. Here is one discussion about the articlei found on a UK forum.Apparently they hate me

i have prepared a long response inviting them to OCDO but you have to create an account, which I cant do at work bc you need to verify your email address.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/987865-Has-anyone-read-the-Open-Carry-article-in-the-July

There is also a question on yahoo answers that mentions the article. should be interesting to see what comes out over the next month or so...

here is what i plan to put as my response.

Well, as the mother with the toddler in the article I can say that my daughter is fully aware of the dangers of guns and knows, likely better then children who have not been exposed to guns, that she is never to touch it and that the results could be deadly. As for napping with a gun on my hip, (which I personally have never done) please google "retention holster" and understand that will there are foolish persons who would leave guns unattended around children, this is the exception, not the norm. I don’t know one person that would not agree that this is a horrible mistake with potentially deadly outcome. But, just as one should not allow their child access to prescription drugs or other ^potentially^ dangerous items, it is each individuals responsibility to keep their children safe. Eliminating a gun from the household of a careless parent does not eliminate all risks, but properly storing and caring for legally owned weapons and educating ALL members of the family does.



Additionally, the slant of the article making it an issue of paranoia is erroneous. The women I have met and associated with are anything but paranoid or ignorant, many with university level and advanced degrees Being prepared for the worst ^possible^ outcome is not paranoia just as wearing a seat belt in the slight chance that you might get into an accident is not paranoia. Pretending that there is no possibility of dangerous attacks is naive and foolish.



To correct another misconception, open carry is not a movement mostly formed by woman, but since the article was in MC, it focused on the female side. Also incorrect is the assumption that we carry our weapons on school property - which is illegal, and the OC movement is strictly focused on the law-abiding citizen's right to protect themselves. And to think that ‘a bit of I'll teach you' would cause any mentally stable person to hurt someone is ridiculous! People who would do something like that are the exact people OC'r (and I would hope all gun owners) would take issue with. It is the mentally unstable (like the attacker here -http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_bdce0d68-7e3a-11df-9367-001cc4c002e0.html)that will hurt or kill someone even if a gun is unavailable. Look at the knife crimes in the UK (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/knifecrime) Should the victims not have a fighting chance?



Honestly, I can't imagine having a constructive discussion on a web forum nor do I believe that changing someone's long held misconceptions would even possible without a real interaction. But, I invite all of you to engage in an open discussion with real people and see for yourself that we are not the paranoid nutcases you might believe us to be. Opencarry.org is a website that offers points of view from throughout the US and even some posters from the UK, each with different lifestyles and reasons for carrying a gun.

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Very niceand to the pointresponse, Harper. Carry on.

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Is this the article we've been waiting for by Andreina Cordani who joined the board to get interviews from female OCers?

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Carry when picking up or dropping off is legal in several states.

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OK, after a Google search I found it. This IS the article that we were asked to help with.

Here's the link: http://netnemesis.org/misc/UK%20Marie%20Claire%20July%202010%20-%20Girls%20With%20Guns%20by%20Andreina%20Cordani.pdf

I wouldn't take insult at the "homely" comment. In England it carries more the meaning that it refers to something associated with a home, something normal, natural, or familiar. It rarely means unattractive as it does here in the US.

Also, keep in mind that the author of this article comes from a background in which gun ownership is the exception rather than the rule. For example, I have a brother-in-law from Scotland who still finds it odd that anyone would want to own a gun. In that light, the article is not anywhere near as anti-gun as it could have been.

As to the Melanie Hain section, I would hazard a guess that the piece was sharply edited down from what was originally submitted. Most feature articles are subject to heavy editing, and many authors complain that the tone of their work has been skewed by a heavy-handed editor.

I do agree that the Brady statements did not go unchallenged, and in a lifestyle type of magazine, I suppose one has to accept that - it's not a hard-hitting news feature, but it tries to give an overview of a gun culture that is foreign to the intended audience.

I hope Andreina Cordani logs in and comments.

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Yes it is the same gal. She apparently posted on several pro-gun forums around the US while looking for opinions with regard to her article. I could not find the article itself online though.

I posted there a bit ago with my own comments. My apology though to the OP. I misread his post and thought he had copied a remark already in there about about retention holsters and securing things like drugs and cleansers in the home.

I also commented on open carry at schools by civilians, teachers and parents. The half-dozen comments on that Mums site were generally anti and negative.

My response was as follows:

Hello. I'm an American who just dropped by and wanted to mention a couple of things that you might wish to consider in your discussion. I'm here to neither criticize your system nor glorify ours, only address your questions and concerns if you care for a true discussion.

With regard to the picture of the lady holding her child in the chair, you need to be aware that most parents who carry openly are responsible enough to use holsters which prevent the gun from being easily removed or fired from inside the holster. As someone mentioned, it is no different than securing prescription medications, cleaning fluids or sharp knives in a household with children. The greatest danger of this would, of course be in the homes. I know of only one incident nationwide in the last few years where someone open carrying was reportedly disarmed and shot by someone else.

As for carrying around schools, like the UK school shootings, most of our shootings are the product of a deranged adult who goes on a rampage. I cannot recall any shootings by parents at schools as a couple of you state you fear. Equally, those who shoot up malls are mentally disturbed individuals with depression or other issues.

Many of the states allow carry on school grounds only while picking up or dropping off the child. A very few are now allowing carry by teachers and responsible adults, again with no reslting rampages or bloodbaths.

The article also should make it more clear that a great many more people (men and women) are carrying concealed than openly. Probably on the order of 95% of those with weapons carry concealed by clothing, purse, pack or briefcase. There is a view that keeping the gun concealed allows for tactical surprise if you are attacked or otherwise victimized in a violent criminal event.

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Just a little criticism. You might want to do a grammar correction here:

"...please google "retention holster" and understand that will there are foolish persons who would leave..."

I'm not sure what it is you're trying to convey in this line and if you're going to be bringing a point to the "other" side, it might be beneficial to carry yourself and others with similar interests in mind in the most educated way possible. Not trying to be rude or anything, everything else was pretty good.

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onlurker wrote:

Just a little criticism. You might want to do a grammar correction here:

"...please google "retention holster" and understand that will there are foolish persons who would leave..."

I'm not sure what it is you're trying to convey in this line and if you're going to be bringing a point to the "other" side, it might be beneficial to carry yourself and others with similar interests in mind in the most educated way possible. Not trying to be rude or anything, everything else was pretty good.

Click to expand...

"Understand that there are foolish persons"


There are other typos as well, would be a good idea to proof read it.