Brass Magnet
Founder's Club Member
I really dont see it in terms of drawing a line. Or winning and losing etc.
There is a way to educate the avg. citizen, unknowledgable LEO etc...in a productive, responsible manner. I do it daily. I open carry everywhere it is legal. When jane or joe blow citizen asks me why I carry or whatever...I communicate to to them why I carry and why I feel everyone should carry. Often it winds up being a decent conversation and hopefully gets them to think. All this while shopping with my 2 daughters (3 & w yrs old). How bad could a armed, big tattooed guy be with 2 little adorable girls...shopping in Walmart? As I said ...perception is key to getting any message across.
Now...should me and a few buds decide to just strap up and march around town, with witty signs and t-shirts, with no true direction....just because we can.....that is irresponsible, antagonistic and just looking for negative attention. The general public will sheepishly be intimidate by what appears (remember...perception is key) to the "irradict" behavior by several armed men. The police will arrive...more bad perception to passerby's. And, the police will now be watching for the "crazies" with guns.
Make no sense to me at all. Why push the issue to it's max when it is your right and you are legal? Just go about your business on a daily basis and deal with the occasional LE problem...why go looking for additional problems.
It's like my grandmother told me when I was 5."Don't be a bully and go looking for trouble. But..if a fight finds you, don't back down. Ever."
Sound advice even 31 years later.
These so-called activists like Ridley, Kwik, Kimberguy...etc are doing nothing to help. They are hurting OC.
But you did draw a line. You can call it what you want but you gave a version of behavior that is acceptable to you and what is not acceptable to you.
Not being from Wisconsin, I'll give you the benifit of the doubt as far as not knowing what has went on around here but people "marching" around in groups was exactly what Wisconsin needed to get the movment going. Without the picnics, trash pickups, and media attention we wouldn't be anywhere near where we need to be.
Once people stop getting harrased by LEO and the right is recognized across the whole state I agree that it can be toned down a knotch or two.
I also like your grandmothers advice. In this case I think she would agree that the "fight" has found us and we aren't backing down. If there wouldn't have been the initial few "out looking for trouble" (if looking for trouble means exercising your constitutional rights) everyone would still be worried about getting arrested every time they stepped out their door OC.
This isn't ancient history in Wisconsin, it's like 2 years ago.