B
Bikenut
Guest
The post below is not intended as "cop bashing" but is offered as food for thought.
Words have power... words spoken by a uniformed officer of the law have great power especially when the average citizen has the expectation that officers know the law and the knowledge that uniformed LE have great authority. With that in mind I'd like to present something that disturbs me greatly.
Over the past year or so I have heard several LEO's say words to the effect of:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."
when responding to a complaint or a question about someone open carrying.
This disturbs me because those words carry the implication that there is something wrong about a legal activity and there should be something done about legal open carry.
And there is also the implication that not only should something be done about it but that LE itself doesn't approve of it in the first place.
While I have no doubt that some LEO's do not approve (and, to be fair, some do) I suspect that LE higher ups and politicians definitely do NOT approve... I also understand the power of words and how words can be used to further an agenda...
If, when dealing with a complaint about an open carrier, different words were used... such as:
"Yes, it is legal to openly carry a gun in a holster."
then the implication is the exact truth... that it is legal to openly carry a gun in a holster. But using those words does not convey what, in my opinion, is the agenda behind the words:
"There is nothing we can do about it."
and that agenda is to put legal open carry, and those who do it, in a bad light. The agenda is to imply that even though there is nothing they can do about it they surely don't like those who do it.... and something needs to be done to stop it.
This leaves the person who complained or asked a question with the perception of:
-The police don't like to see people carrying guns in the open so if I were to do it the police won't like me and I just don't need to have any trouble with the police...
Put it all together and open carriers come out looking like bad guys.
Now... it is my opinion! that the words:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."
were intentionally chosen by higher ups in LE, perhaps at the urging of politicians to discourage open carry, to be used for the purpose of engendering exactly the implications I mentioned. And I would not be surprised to discover those words are included in LE training sessions for how to deal with questions/MWAG calls concerning legal open carriers.
So, with all that in mind, legally openly carrying a holstered sidearm is only half the battle... the other half is countering the carefully chosen words that are intended to diminish, demean, marginalize, and engender fear for the agenda of keeping the general population from realizing that openly carrying IS legal... and that any law abiding person can do it... in the hopes that this will keep open carry from becoming an accepted practice by the majority of the people.
In other words.... if open carry can be cast in a bad light then open carry can be.......... controlled and kept to a minimum.
Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into the words:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."
Words have power... words spoken by a uniformed officer of the law have great power especially when the average citizen has the expectation that officers know the law and the knowledge that uniformed LE have great authority. With that in mind I'd like to present something that disturbs me greatly.
Over the past year or so I have heard several LEO's say words to the effect of:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."
when responding to a complaint or a question about someone open carrying.
This disturbs me because those words carry the implication that there is something wrong about a legal activity and there should be something done about legal open carry.
And there is also the implication that not only should something be done about it but that LE itself doesn't approve of it in the first place.
While I have no doubt that some LEO's do not approve (and, to be fair, some do) I suspect that LE higher ups and politicians definitely do NOT approve... I also understand the power of words and how words can be used to further an agenda...
If, when dealing with a complaint about an open carrier, different words were used... such as:
"Yes, it is legal to openly carry a gun in a holster."
then the implication is the exact truth... that it is legal to openly carry a gun in a holster. But using those words does not convey what, in my opinion, is the agenda behind the words:
"There is nothing we can do about it."
and that agenda is to put legal open carry, and those who do it, in a bad light. The agenda is to imply that even though there is nothing they can do about it they surely don't like those who do it.... and something needs to be done to stop it.
This leaves the person who complained or asked a question with the perception of:
-The police don't like to see people carrying guns in the open so if I were to do it the police won't like me and I just don't need to have any trouble with the police...
Put it all together and open carriers come out looking like bad guys.
Now... it is my opinion! that the words:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."
were intentionally chosen by higher ups in LE, perhaps at the urging of politicians to discourage open carry, to be used for the purpose of engendering exactly the implications I mentioned. And I would not be surprised to discover those words are included in LE training sessions for how to deal with questions/MWAG calls concerning legal open carriers.
So, with all that in mind, legally openly carrying a holstered sidearm is only half the battle... the other half is countering the carefully chosen words that are intended to diminish, demean, marginalize, and engender fear for the agenda of keeping the general population from realizing that openly carrying IS legal... and that any law abiding person can do it... in the hopes that this will keep open carry from becoming an accepted practice by the majority of the people.
In other words.... if open carry can be cast in a bad light then open carry can be.......... controlled and kept to a minimum.
Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into the words:
"There is nothing we (I) can do about it."