Open Carry Wichita
A shrewd, old spook once said that no operational decision/action is perfect; one needs to manage the blowback. How very true this statement is, but blowback is usually not expected to come from one’s own ideological camp. I was shocked to read that we have shooters from Kansas concealed carry discussion boards expressing distain for open carry initiatives.
While I was planning the open carry protest in my hometown of Wichita, I did not dream that I would read about Kansas concealed carry forums having members bashing 2nd Amendment Rights and spouting nonsense about “setting tones of confusion”, “not supporting open carry rights”, “getting portrayed as fanatics”, “rocking the boat for concealed carry”, “being ignorant and short-sided”, “causing media blow-back”, “licensing a Right is a good thing”, and “Brady Bunch causing a shooting incident”. Some on CC forum members seemed to be more worried about their gun lobbyist/lawyers’ agenda and which politician to FOLLOW, than the right of free citizens to protect themselves.
Although one-sided, CC “tactical” debate around carrying concealed vs. open carry was also spewed across the boards. (BTW, I would challenge anyone to a time/accuracy course of fire which consists of just drawing and shooting while they are concealed and I am open carrying.) “Tactically” speaking, when most gun fights involving citizens happen during low-light conditions and end in less than 3 seconds, I believe OC crowd have a speed advantage, especially if they use a properly tensioned, kydex rig, e.g Comp-tac holsters. While I get the argument that OC could make someone a target, one could also argue that it makes someone appear less of a victim to predators. CC can definitely stop an attack, but can it prevent it from happening in the first place? Remember that most violent criminals are lazy and cowards and look for weakness when choosing prey and locations to strike. Although, some might argue that CC folks present themselves as targets, as well, while operating in 108 degree weather wearing blousy tactical shirts and “shoot me too” vests to hide their pistols. At the square, one CC guy proceeded to read the same 5 pages of a news paper for 30 minutes while sitting on a bench in the center of the square, while others enjoyed themselves at local establishments, e.g. Old Chicago. At the end of the day, it should be up to the individual how they choose to legally carry, because everyone and every situation is different; thus no one method of carry is the best for all.
We did see Department of Defense stickers under VIN numbers as we put brochures on cars. This might have been a coincidence, but I thought it was interesting to see two different trucks with DoD stickers under VINS parked near the square. CC community and government officials are watching you if you open carry in Wichita- You have been warned…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm8FxpnzRYk
After Action Comments:
Per my previous posts and communication with WPD, the event was planned to be a small gathering and much of the planning/prep was kept off the discussion boards for good reason. The main objective of the event was to stage a low-key protest to test the waters with WPD, Wichita City Attorney, local media, etc… Of course, KAKE-10 was fishing for drama, but as the CC crowd at the event noticed, the event was pretty mundane and most locals did not care or become bothered by OC citizens. I kept my commentary very dry, while mentioning how we were “exercising our rights”, which usually deflates any liberal spin job. I believe the camera guy in the video thought that the hot weather story at 5:30pm was going to create a larger buzz than our OC event…
Timing of the event on Sunday afternoon also lowered the number of citizens mulling about the square and allowed more control of blowback issues; this let folks “behind the scene” better control. Yes, we had more folks involved on this thing than just 3 guys standing about the square handing out brochures.
Pros: I believe we definitely changed communication and process/procedures relating to how WPD handles OC citizens. I have also heard that the City Attorney’s office is very concerned about violating citizens’ rights and wants to mitigate lawsuits, in general, for Wichita. So, I believe WPD will have more of a global mindset with OC citizens going forward, which is a good thing for all free citizens who carry firearms for self-defense.
Cons: No local media coverage. I believe most citizens from afar assumed we were either LEOs in street clothing or legally allowed to operate with OC pistols, thus we got an agreeable, lackadaisical response from local citizens. CC folks in the bushes and in cafes, seemed more uptight than the rest of people at the square.
Sustain:
- Follow through on OC initiatives e.g. protests, trash pick-ups, etc…
- Education/communication vigilance in Wichita, especially city council
- OC Initiatives…Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and publicly do something for the cause
- Action…Don’t be afraid of making smart decisions using Risk vs. Gamble Philosophy
- Awareness of both friendly, e.g. pro-gunners, and enemy fire, e.g. liberal groups, media, etc…
Improve:
- Communication/intent of initiatives, especially with other pro-gun communities and city council members
- Cultivate and foster more gun leaders, e.g. people who create/deploy initiatives
- Size of next round of demonstrations and timing to attract local media
- Timing and location of event so that more local citizens are out and about during protest.
- Communication material and add banners so citizens truly get that a protest initiative is underway-
SHAKE THINGS UP EVEN MORE!!!!
