A Vote Against “Transparency”

I get why people open-carry.

Logistically, it’s less of a hassle; wearing a holster on the outside is more comfortable, and quicker to get to if, heaven forfend, you need to use your gun in a hurry. And I get the political motivation behind the “Open Carry” movement as well; “If you don’t use your rights, you lose them”, say its proponents, and I don’t disagree.

But if I (hypothetically) did own a firearm, and did want to carry (again, hypothetically), I imagine I’d still carry concealed. Partly it’s because I see no reason to let any neer-do-wells know that I’m the guy they have to worry about first. And partly because the urban culture among which I live has so painstakingly trained the law-abiding citizen to be such ninnies around guns.

As we see in this story from Fort Worth, in which the news reports claimed fast food workers ran for the freezer at the sight of guys with guns:

It turned out the men, some of them from the group Open Carry Texas, were just staging a demonstration of their right to bear arms, Fort Worth, Texas, Police Sgt. Raymond Bush told ABCNews.com.

“When police showed up, there were four to six men carrying rifles,” he said. “The employees were in fear for their lives.”

No arrests were made and the gun owners went home after their demonstration.

Of course, the media are among those that’ve been training urban society to be ninnies, so you can usually count on them getting the story wrong:

[Demonstration organizer CJ] Grisham denied reports employees hid in the freezer, claiming they were the result of a customer’s false 911 call.

“There are a lot of people in that area who completely disagree with gun rights,” he said. “They have been doing this to us for months now – call the police with false reports of us waving around guns, scaring people.”

It’s worth noting that here in the Twin Cities, a pro-carry group has been staging such demonstrations for months, now . And even in ninny-run Saint Paul, their “demonstration” – which involved eating at a Culver’s on University Avenue – went smoothly, with neither gunfire nor police response.

Still – I figure that if I owned and carried firearms (hypothetically), I’m one ninny away from having a very complicated day. And I have enough complications – and that’s not hypothetical.

Posted

May 9, 2014

Gun-“Free” Zones, Victim Disarmament

Mitch Berg

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Comments

10 responses to “A Vote Against “Transparency””

Bill C

May 9, 2014

I agree. If we can convince the beast to leave us alone by not making it notice us, it’s rather foolish to go up to the beast and poke a stick in its eye, given its past history of oppressive behavior.
bikebubba

May 9, 2014

It strikes me that the reason one ought to carry concealed is the same reason that a large man does well in many situations to take steps not to emphasize his size and strength. It simply intimidates people.

(smile when you’re carrying, right?)
justplainangry

May 9, 2014

Regular holster is soooooooo much more comfortable! Just wear a shirt on the outside, or a jacket to cover it, right? Not so fast. Problem is – firearm has to be either FULLY concealed, not even an imprint, or completely out in the open. So no middle ground, if I understand statues correctly.
Joe Doakes

May 9, 2014

just plain angry – what state statutes are you talking about? My instructor claimed that in Minnesota, my Permit to Carry allows me to carry a pistol completely concealed, or printing under a t-shirt, or out in the open like a cop in uniform. But every state has their own laws so check yours carefully and maybe get a second opinion from somebody like the NRA?
Joe

May 9, 2014

Open carry, just for the sake of it, basically sends the message, “Shoot me first. In the back.”

Carrying unconcealed is a lot easier and can allow the carrier more firearms options. However, doing it just to annoy others sends the same message that the “open nurser,” the woman who insists on breastfeeding her child in the most visible public place available, sends. You can frequently see examples of this at the MN State Fair where there are even private lounges set up expressly for this.

Both are legal and beneficial activities. However, both also tend to cause consternation when engaged in publicly without apparent concern for the presence of others. Discretion would do a lot to promote both causes …
Joe

May 9, 2014

I should have deleted ” annoy others” and inserted ” make a point” in the second paragraph. However, the two are often interchangeable …
justplainangry

May 12, 2014

Thanks for clarification, Joe. Indeed – no mention of imprinting in MN statutes.
Scott Hughes

May 12, 2014

JD is right, some states have laws against printing. If I remember correctly TX doesn’t allow for open carry, or printing for that matter, for their CHL (Concealed Handgun License). There are a number of groups trying to get those restrictions changed. The folks that worked on the language for the MN “Permit To Carry A Pistol” recognized that the restrictions applied in other states’ laws are inherently problematic, we owe them our gratitude for their work in getting one of the best written laws in the country passed.
Scott Hughes

May 12, 2014

In MN if you were carrying concealed and your weapon inadvertently became exposed (or printed your cover garment) you wouldn’t have a problem like you might in some other state. If you choose to open carry (I know some who do so on a regular basis, including instructors) you haven’t broken any law. However you may attract attention of LE if some bed-wetter were to complain. Also I think that open carry compromises the surprise element and as others have said may even make you the initial target of a BG up to no good.
Andrew Rothman

May 13, 2014

Carrying openly or concealed is a personal choice that each Minnesota carry permit holder can make at any time.

I tend to open carry from time to time, because I believe that a right unexercised IS a right lost, and because I enjoy the conversations that inevitably result.

When I do open carry, though, I make sure that I am clean-shaven, well dressed, and on my best and most friendly behavior.

Oh, and the “get shot first” concern? Turns out to be almost entirely hypothetical. Criminals aren’t ninja assassins, but opportunists. They don’t want a gunfight.