Actually, I am not the type of guy who wanders out into public with a weapon publicly displayed just to see what kind of reaction it incites. This is the trouble with most open carry events, it's not about having the right do so, it's about seeing the resulting riots that take place.
And my opinion of walking the streets with a video camera hoping to catch police officers in wrongful actions, it's just plain wrong. The rookies are just plain ignorant, they haven't been taught many laws when they are cut loose from the academy and field training. It's not their fault they are so stupid. And a wrongful open carry encounter is just a fresh blemish on their record. It follows them around for the rest of their career.
How about the fact that some of us citizens just feel that self defense is important enough to provide the most efficient means as a part of our everyday life, and also that we enjoy the company and conversatio of friends and others who may share that sentiment as one of the many things we have in common with each other?
Nobody is gathering for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner with the purpose of "seeing what kind of reaction it incites." You say that is "the trouble with most iopen carry events". I would very much like to know how you arrived at that conclusion.
While I can only speak with absolute authority for myself, I will share that many discussions have been had with others - OCers, CCers, and non-carriers - about whether or not any of our gatherings have been done with the intent of poking a sharp stick in the eye of the public. Yes, some events have been planned and carried out with just that intent - but to my knowledge none were breakfast/lunch/dinner gatherings.
There is a part of me that really would like to Badger you with questions about how you come to the conclusion that the risk of a negative police encounter is so great that it is almost unavoidable. But then I look at all the posts about folks going about their daily lives with
no interaction from the cops, or "even worse" a positive interaction! The majority of OC Experience posts are "I went to so-and-so and did such-and-such and NOTHING HAPPENED!" A small number are accounts of discovering places that are OC-unfriendly, or of inconsistencies in responding to OCers. But over the last several years the OC Experience reports have gone from
The rookies are just plain ignorant, they haven't been taught many laws when they are cut loose from the academy and field training. It's not their fault they are so stupid.
to "The cop just smiled and went on with <what they were doing>" or "We had a (good) conversation about <type of sidearm> both were carrying" or, even better, about why the cop "wished he could carry <type of sidearm> instead of the brick his department issues."
Just where are all those stories of OCers that are being cuffed and stuffed by rookies who just do not know any better? Where are the reports of malls/restaurants/sidewalks being locked down and SWAT responding to MWAG calls because the horses fainted and the women stampeded at the mere sight of a sidearm? Where are they?
stay safe.
