I respect your right to your opinion, but I also note that the Tony's incident, the Burke Lake Park incident, and others have clearly shown how few people have a lick of observation ability.
And for the record - Down Syndrome does not necessarily mean mental challenges that prevent normal functioning.
Thanks for the info about Down Syndrome. This I did not know. The only people who I've met with DS were all emotionally challenged, meaning they'd get upset about things and/or more upset than "normal" people.
Lets do recall that Burke Lake Park was for
mere open carry. Reported by someone who really just didn't know OC is legal.
And, the Tony's Incident was about
mere open carry. Reported by someone completely hostile to lawfully armed citizens.
Neither were about someone witnessing a playful gesture.
So, if the concern is "having ten squad cars respond" because of a concerned citizen, lets do differentiate and recognize that a concerned citizen is one who is calling about mere open carry, not the playful gesture. And, if he's concerned about mere open carry, he's gonna call whether he sees a playful gesture or not. Which is the risk VA OCers have everyday, and has nothing to do with playful gestures. As I mentioned earlier, nobody who can observe the playful gesture is going to miss that it is a playful gesture and call the cops because they mistake it for a real robbery or something. If they call the cops, its going to be because they don't know OC is legal, or hate guns, which are both entirely different matters, and as I mentioned, something we risk every time we OC.
One might say, "Oh, but the playful gesture calls attention to the gun that the concerned citizen might have never noticed without the playful gesture." Except, a big reason I OC is so that people
do see the gun. I
want people to see the gun. I want them to know the right exists and can be exercised.