Why Open Carry Is A Good Idea In California

I take a look at why Open Carry is a good idea for all common, law-abiding Californians.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-oakland/the-case-for-open-carry-california

one sentence sums it up

Given the dire economic outlook we are facing as a State and the resulting conditions that have a clearly demonstrated detrimental effect on public safety (Open Carry advocates have never once committed a violent crime in the entire 160-year history of California and any perceived threat that the Open Carry Movement presents is, therefore, purely speculative conjecture), is now the time to make sure that only violent criminals will be armed while leaving all common, law-abiding citizens completely unarmed and defenseless in a public setting?

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Also according to the article:
CA is releasing over 13,000 felons this year.
In 2009 more than 1000 LEOs were laid off. More in 2010.

How can the Brady Bunch look at those numbers, and that quote, and still claim that being defenseless against criminals is good?

It's not a good case for OC, it's a good case for CA to pass a shall-issue CCW law.

coorsleftfield said:

It's not a good case for OC, it's a good case for CA to pass a shall-issue CCW law.

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I won't talk about the case presented in the article. I barely skimmed it. However, OC and shall-issue CC are not mutually exclusive.

coorsleftfield said:

It's not a good case for OC, it's a good case for CA to pass a shall-issue CCW law.

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That, along with sweeping preemption and non licensed OC everywhere you can legally go unarmed would be a basic start.

The problem is that California law and practice doesn't generally recognize the right to exist as a reason to be able to defend yourself, rather for the most part you have to be a politicians friend/partner in crime, or you have to be rich/have a lot of assets at work to protect. Violent felons pose little enhanced risk to the rich and those businesses which can afford armed security, so why would California pull its head out of its ass and believe the lives of the poor and middle class are suddenly valuable? They won't.

MKEgal said:

Also according to the article:
CA is releasing over 13,000 felons this year.
In 2009 more than 1000 LEOs were laid off. More in 2010.

How can the Brady Bunch look at those numbers, and that quote, and still claim that being defenseless against criminals is good?

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Easy. Dispell all rational thought, believe in fairy tales, not to mention outright anti-gun lies, and there you have it.

eye95 said:

...OC and shall-issue CC are not mutually exclusive.

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Aye, why not both?

Well I take that statement about Texas back. I was misinformed. But that's sad about the couple you wrote about.

Aaron Kirpal said:

If you look at the states that have OC, such a's Texas, crime rate is alot lower than states that don't have the law. I have a gun and love guns and going to the range. And I belive we should have the right to carry out in public. Just my opinion.

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Man Texas doesn't has open carry. Where did you get this low crime rate stuff? Look at the FBI reports per 100 thousand.
Yea, we got less crime than California, but come on, who doesnt?
Texas hasn't had open carry since 1872.
As for the crime. It's rampid! I dont live in a very large town and we have so much theft and murder it's almost unreal. Last friday a 75 year old couple was murdered in their sleep. The old lady was raped and then had he throat cut.
http://www.cbs7kosa.com/news/details.asp?ID=25810

coorsleftfield said:

It's not a good case for OC, it's a good case for CA to pass a shall-issue CCW law.

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It's a good case for both. If you were to browse some of the forums here you would see how people OCing have actively deterred crime by the simple action of the BG seeing the gun. We also know that simply being able to legally own a gun reduces crime as seen in Chicago and D.C. after their HG bans were lifted. There's no reason to only support one type of carry as both have their merits.