Well, I didn't really think that I needed to stick around to argue my original post. I merely asked some questions that'd occurred to me (primarily in response to one member's oft-repeated opinions), and offered my own opinion.
Eh, the self-proclaimed thing came from the fact that most of you are known only through the internet; having met or knowing only a few of the members here, one has to accept that someone is an advocate of the movement based solely on what's posted on the internet. No reflection intended on the many gentlemen (and ladies) who constitute the bona fide representatives of open-carry, doing all the hard work, putting the public face of OC folk out there, working the gun shows, setting superb examples in Olympia and with the media, having to be dragged unjustifiably through costly legal processes -- these are not the people that create any problems -- it's the posters whose constant, repetitive derogatory jibes at law enforcement no matter in what context LE is mentioned , whose virulent and slanted bias against all things cop come out in almost every single one of their posts (some even make it their sig-lines) -- those are to whom my comments were addressed.
Cops on gun forums? Really? You need to ask? Many, many cops love guns and have a deep respect for anything concerning gun rights. Regrettably, some of you have encountered those that don't share that respect. But it's not the cops on internet forums that you need to be arguing with; if there wasn't some common ground, they (I) wouldn't be here.
I don't notice a lot of cops on gun forums making blanket statements that gun-owners and gun-carriers cannot be trusted, that they lie and love taking away the legal rights of citizens.
self-proclaimed" ? Wondering why you choose to use that word.... no matter.
What do cops reading Open Carry forums have to do with anything? How do you know every cops motives for doing so?
Eh, the self-proclaimed thing came from the fact that most of you are known only through the internet; having met or knowing only a few of the members here, one has to accept that someone is an advocate of the movement based solely on what's posted on the internet. No reflection intended on the many gentlemen (and ladies) who constitute the bona fide representatives of open-carry, doing all the hard work, putting the public face of OC folk out there, working the gun shows, setting superb examples in Olympia and with the media, having to be dragged unjustifiably through costly legal processes -- these are not the people that create any problems -- it's the posters whose constant, repetitive derogatory jibes at law enforcement no matter in what context LE is mentioned , whose virulent and slanted bias against all things cop come out in almost every single one of their posts (some even make it their sig-lines) -- those are to whom my comments were addressed.
Cops on gun forums? Really? You need to ask? Many, many cops love guns and have a deep respect for anything concerning gun rights. Regrettably, some of you have encountered those that don't share that respect. But it's not the cops on internet forums that you need to be arguing with; if there wasn't some common ground, they (I) wouldn't be here.
I don't disagree. But that, sadly, is the reality. OC is a relative new movement that's burgeoned in the past decade. For those of you that love to compare OC's acceptance with the civil rights movement, look how long that took. Further, you've got to look at what's become the cultural norms throughout most of our country and how the liberal, nanny-state PC mentality took hold over our institutions in the past 40 years -- infesting law enforcement leadership -- and our media, television, politics but mostly our public schools -- so look at the new generation coming into the law enforcement professions. Lots of ingrained cultural attitudes to change. Did anyone say it was supposed to be easy?We have the LAW on our side. We shouldn't have to persuade cops to uphold the law. And that sir, is the issue.
An internet search? Woo. Yep, there are some. Far more by CoPs, sheriffs, and the weenie administrators rather than rank-and-file street cops. But many more thousand far more virulent statements toward cops (statists, jack-booted thugs, etc.) by supposed gun people than from cops toward gun people.Really? Do a search and you will see declarations by cops all over the country against open carry.
I don't notice a lot of cops on gun forums making blanket statements that gun-owners and gun-carriers cannot be trusted, that they lie and love taking away the legal rights of citizens.
Really now? That's quite the pithy little jab. I'll have to ponder that ...Look inward first.