marshaul
Campaign Veteran
imported post
One of the big reasons I was attracted to this board was the presence of so many people who view open carry as a human right, outside the lines of partisan politics.
I think this is an important distinction from much of the internet gun community at large. As a "Jeffersonian Liberal" (sometimes called a Libertarian nowadays), I have no use for the "conservative" politics of the GOP (nor have I any time for the pseudo-liberal politics of the democratic party -- the only thing I have done fewer times than vote Republican is vote Democrat -- but that is beside the point).
As the membership here has grown, so has the "conservative" slant. This is only to be expected, on a gun-related forum.
I think it's fair to point out that OC is not a partisan issue, and in fact it is a freedom that is in excess of what both parties would willingly grant us, yet not outside the tolerance of rational folks, Republican and Democrat alike.
An anecdote: I have more than a couple democrat-voting friends who view OC as an action inherently lacking any potential for harmful intent, and thus not reasonably subject to "common sense" regulation.
While I have no doubt that every member of this board would disagree with these democrat-voting friends of mine, it's important to recognize that their tolerance leaves them open to the "educational" aspect of OC, which has the potential to demonstrate before everyone's very eyes that the myth of "common sense gun control" is a fantasy.
After all, the sentiment of Thomas Jefferson (paraphrasing the words of Cesare Beccaria) is a product of true of "common sense":
Thomas Jefferson wrote:
Personally, my hope for the future of our fine country lies outside the boundaries of partisan politics, as do my own political views. To me, OC is a great way to demonstrate that human rights are universal, even though political views may not be.
I feel that the open carry movement has great potential; greater than that of most every other gun-rights group. Part of that potential is the ability to demonstrate to naysayers and those "on the fence" that Americans can be trusted with guns. I think we can maximize that potential by working to present OC as human rights issue, without respect to the politics of either major party.
It's not just OC. The 2nd amendment is bigger than "us vs them." Yet, it seems that on both sides, people are content to perpetuate the problem by treating it as a partisan issue.
I think the OC movement should work to change this unfortunate reality.
Edit: pressed "send" too soon. Probably a little late to start writing this...
One of the big reasons I was attracted to this board was the presence of so many people who view open carry as a human right, outside the lines of partisan politics.
I think this is an important distinction from much of the internet gun community at large. As a "Jeffersonian Liberal" (sometimes called a Libertarian nowadays), I have no use for the "conservative" politics of the GOP (nor have I any time for the pseudo-liberal politics of the democratic party -- the only thing I have done fewer times than vote Republican is vote Democrat -- but that is beside the point).
As the membership here has grown, so has the "conservative" slant. This is only to be expected, on a gun-related forum.
I think it's fair to point out that OC is not a partisan issue, and in fact it is a freedom that is in excess of what both parties would willingly grant us, yet not outside the tolerance of rational folks, Republican and Democrat alike.
An anecdote: I have more than a couple democrat-voting friends who view OC as an action inherently lacking any potential for harmful intent, and thus not reasonably subject to "common sense" regulation.
While I have no doubt that every member of this board would disagree with these democrat-voting friends of mine, it's important to recognize that their tolerance leaves them open to the "educational" aspect of OC, which has the potential to demonstrate before everyone's very eyes that the myth of "common sense gun control" is a fantasy.
After all, the sentiment of Thomas Jefferson (paraphrasing the words of Cesare Beccaria) is a product of true of "common sense":
Thomas Jefferson wrote:
Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.
Personally, my hope for the future of our fine country lies outside the boundaries of partisan politics, as do my own political views. To me, OC is a great way to demonstrate that human rights are universal, even though political views may not be.
I feel that the open carry movement has great potential; greater than that of most every other gun-rights group. Part of that potential is the ability to demonstrate to naysayers and those "on the fence" that Americans can be trusted with guns. I think we can maximize that potential by working to present OC as human rights issue, without respect to the politics of either major party.
It's not just OC. The 2nd amendment is bigger than "us vs them." Yet, it seems that on both sides, people are content to perpetuate the problem by treating it as a partisan issue.
I think the OC movement should work to change this unfortunate reality.
Edit: pressed "send" too soon. Probably a little late to start writing this...