jpm84092
Regular Member
Psychologists have defined "Normalcy Bias" as a tendency for people to see things as they have previously been, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.
Wisconsin citizens are used to seeing other Wisconsin citizens as "normally" unarmed. Thus, seeing an armed citizen who is not wearing a uniform creates "cognitive dissonance" and is difficult to process. Thus, "normalcy bias" goes a long way to explain why many citizens of Wisconsin who open carry are not even noticed by their fellow citizens. It also goes a long way to explain why store clerks, left leaning citizens, and the uninformed, sort of "freak out" when they do notice an armed citizen who is not also wearing a uniform. They strain to find a badge or other "data" that would confirm their personal belief that only Law Enforcement should be armed.
By way of example - I wear a black pants and a black shirt with my (Cloth) Utah Concealed Firearm Instructor Badge (issued by the State of Utah) on my shirt when I instruct a Concealed Firearm Permit course. When I stop for food or gas along the way, I am greeted with "good morning / afternoon Officer", even though I am not a law enforcement officer. The cloth badge and open carry firearm fit the image that people have of "authorized firearm holders" (translation: Law Enforcement) so they make the "leap" that authorized means Law Enforcement. I suspect that many people who notice a Citizen who is openly carrying a firearm MUST be a law enforcement officer, since they are not trying to hide the fact that they have a firearm.
Let us hope that the Open Carry movement in Wisconsin makes the general populace of the State used to seeing people who have handguns strapped to their sides. Only then, will a real ground-swell of the general population support the concept of permit-free carry, open or concealed (Constitutional Carry).
Wisconsin citizens are used to seeing other Wisconsin citizens as "normally" unarmed. Thus, seeing an armed citizen who is not wearing a uniform creates "cognitive dissonance" and is difficult to process. Thus, "normalcy bias" goes a long way to explain why many citizens of Wisconsin who open carry are not even noticed by their fellow citizens. It also goes a long way to explain why store clerks, left leaning citizens, and the uninformed, sort of "freak out" when they do notice an armed citizen who is not also wearing a uniform. They strain to find a badge or other "data" that would confirm their personal belief that only Law Enforcement should be armed.
By way of example - I wear a black pants and a black shirt with my (Cloth) Utah Concealed Firearm Instructor Badge (issued by the State of Utah) on my shirt when I instruct a Concealed Firearm Permit course. When I stop for food or gas along the way, I am greeted with "good morning / afternoon Officer", even though I am not a law enforcement officer. The cloth badge and open carry firearm fit the image that people have of "authorized firearm holders" (translation: Law Enforcement) so they make the "leap" that authorized means Law Enforcement. I suspect that many people who notice a Citizen who is openly carrying a firearm MUST be a law enforcement officer, since they are not trying to hide the fact that they have a firearm.
Let us hope that the Open Carry movement in Wisconsin makes the general populace of the State used to seeing people who have handguns strapped to their sides. Only then, will a real ground-swell of the general population support the concept of permit-free carry, open or concealed (Constitutional Carry).