imported post
malignity wrote:
Bikenut,
Invite him to some of our picnics if you can. Tell him he has the option to carry however he wants, and if he's not comfortable OCing, then just tell him to conceal.
The more he's exposed to OC, the more he'll realize it's not a huge deal imo. I used to only OC at picnics, but slowly as my friends started OCing, I realized that if I pulled the 'I'm not gonna hang out with you if you OC' stuff, then I wouldn't have any friends left to hang out with cause they all OC'd. :lol:
I have invited my friend to OC gatherings... and to walk with me in car shows, including the one in his own home town, but his reply is an adamant "No way! I won't be seen with you carrying a gun! People will get scared! I see no reason to scare people!".
Classic case of him projecting his own fears onto others. He is the one who is scared.... scared of being "different".
Picnics and other OC gatherings sometimes helps folks get started. Unfortunately there are some folks that just will not confront their fears and refuse to even expose themselves to anything that shows their fears to be groundless.
And, sad to say, my friend is one of those...... "Don't confuse me with facts!" kind of guys.
We were talking just the other day and he said bad guys will grab my gun and shoot me with it. I said that has, as yet, never happened in the entire country... including Arizona where open carry has been the norm since it became a State. His reply?
"Well it only stands to reason that it had to happen somewhere!"
To him the word "reason" means... because he thinks it should have happened then it must have happened.... whether it really did or not.
Even though OC gatherings help many folks get started ... and are a very good thing.... those who are too afraid are even afraid of discovering that the only thing they really are afraid of is.... their own fear.
I said earlier that ya can't grow balls on a chicken... and it is impossible to do so. But that chicken can come up with endless arguments to justify it's lack of balls.... and even try to make balls look like a bad thing.
Friends have failings... and I have my own... but real friends don't dump a friend because of a failing so, even though my friend is a chicken about OC, he will remain my friend.
Edited to add:
Sometimes we just have to acknowledge that a person is not going to OC no matter what we do.