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Open Carry: Educating the Public

rtr1122

New member
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
1
Location
Middletown
Is anybody aware of literature, or pamphlets that are published and available to educate the general public in the 2nd amendment and open carry?
I'm a police officer in PA and very STRONG supporter of the 2nd amendment and oc. However, as most oc people already know, when you oc, the general public tends to become concerned/alarmed/scared/etc... As a police officer, I've gotten a call or two from the public about a 'man with a gun' only to turn out to be a legal oc'er. My interactions have (so far) been positive, brief and only minutely intrusive. (After all, when I get a call, I have to respond).

I would like to get a hold of some 2nd amendment /open carry information to provide to the public and also to oc'ers so they can better educate the public. Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
Welcome to OCDO, and thank you for your stance on the issue.

Start here http://www.pafoa.org/ - it ought to provide much of what you are looking for, If not they probably will be willing to work with you on putting something together.

stay safe.
 

Curmudgeon

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
307
Location
York, Pennsylvania, USA
Is anybody aware of literature, or pamphlets that are published and available to educate the general public in the 2nd amendment and open carry?
I'm a police officer in PA and very STRONG supporter of the 2nd amendment and oc. However, as most oc people already know, when you oc, the general public tends to become concerned/alarmed/scared/etc... As a police officer, I've gotten a call or two from the public about a 'man with a gun' only to turn out to be a legal oc'er. My interactions have (so far) been positive, brief and only minutely intrusive. (After all, when I get a call, I have to respond).

I would like to get a hold of some 2nd amendment /open carry information to provide to the public and also to oc'ers so they can better educate the public. Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks


Just for starters: http://www.pa2a.org/wiki.php?wid=50

Download the .pdf, take it to your local printer. Looks pretty nice in full color. I have about 20 in my glove box right now.

Here's another you may like: http://www.pa2a.org/wiki.php?wid=52

It's the MPOETC update on Open Carry from 2009.

And of course, skidmark knows of what he speaks. PAFOA.org and Pa2A.org are sites you ought to check out
as they are both rather busy.
 

FallonJeeper

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
576
Location
Fallon, NV
Welcome to OCDO.

I would first educate dispatchers, to inform people of legal activity. Perhaps asking questions for man with a gun call such as "what is he/she doing with the gun?" or "is the gun holstered?". Unless they can indicate, clearly, that there is unlawful activity, the dispatcher should inform the caller, it's legal activity. Department manpower should not be wasted, investigating lawful activity.

If the caller is persistent, a pamphlet presented to the caller, by a responding officer would go a long way.

Thanks for attempting to make a difference. Every little bit helps!
 

Red Dawg

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
399
Location
Eastern VA, with too many people
Welcome to OCDO.

I would first educate dispatchers, to inform people of legal activity. Perhaps asking questions for man with a gun call such as "what is he/she doing with the gun?" or "is the gun holstered?". Unless they can indicate, clearly, that there is unlawful activity, the dispatcher should inform the caller, it's legal activity. Department manpower should not be wasted, investigating lawful activity.

If the caller is persistent, a pamphlet presented to the caller, by a responding officer would go a long way.

Thanks for attempting to make a difference. Every little bit helps!


Yep, sounds like this officer is trying to do exactly that. Have a little pamphlet, or card to give to the hoppies that make the call...Good on ya...
In VA here, we have a great guy that makes them up, and gets them out, if you ask for them....pert near free..Sounds like you guys up there have the same thing going....
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
Welcome to OCDO.

Others have nicely answered your question, so I will touch on three other things.

1. Someone questioned the requirement for you to respond to a call. I have zero doubt that your job has been defined to have such a requirement. No law need be cited, as there is likely no law that makes response a requirement. It is surely a matter of being disciplined for not responding when dispatched as a matter of departmental policy that creates the imperative. So let's dispense with that distraction.

2. Responding does not necessarily mean contacting the carrier. May I suggest in most cases just observing the carrier to verify that which is most likely true--that there is no reason to think that he is doing anything wrong--is, in fact, the case? If you do happen to come into more direct contact, issue the same greeting you would any other person. If the carrier initiates conversation, then the polite thing to do would be to engage him on his subject of discussion. If these unobtrusive actions yield RAS, act appropriately and with all due respect. If the RAS develops because the carrier is doing something grossly illegal and dangerous, such as waving the weapon around, that is the time to show zero respect for him as a person, and bloody him as necessary to end the threat. Until then, HE is in charge of the encounter!

3. Ignore violations of unconstitutional gun laws. So what if a person was carrying in his car without a State-issued permission slip and in a manner other than the one prescribed for that unlicensed carry? At most, if I were an officer, I'd alert him that what he was doing was a violation of the law as written and that he could end up being the test case to throw out the law (at great personal expense), and that other officers would not be so understanding that he was simply exercising his RKBA.

Again, welcome. And thank you for a refreshing respect for our rights. I hope you can maintain it while working in a culture containing a vast amount of disrespect for individual rights. Have you heard of Oath Keepers?
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
...As a police officer, I've gotten a call or two from the public about a 'man with a gun' only to turn out to be a legal oc'er. My interactions have (so far) been positive, brief and only minutely intrusive. (After all, when I get a call, I have to respond)...

Has your response ever been to the caller or dispatcher, and along the lines of: "Well, what's he doing with it?"
 

MamaLiberty

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
894
Location
Newcastle, Wyoming, USA
Welcome indeed! Good answers here, but I'm sure you're not independently wealthy and might appreciate some help with the expense of these pamphlets or booklets. Consider going and talking to some of the gun clubs in your area. Hopefully, at least one or two would be interested in helping with such an outreach program and at least give some financial aid to purchase the printed materials. You might find you have quite a fan club that way too. Don't try to go it alone in any case. :)
 
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