My last two trips to our little town of Branson West resulted in seeing private citizens with a pistol holstered.
I was right behind one in line at the bank and the other one came in to shoot the shit with the barber cutting my hair. The only thing holding the second guys gun in the holster was gravity, no strap.
I am pro gun and all for peoples rights, but why? Why does someone feel they need to be packing heat while running errands?
It makes me pretty uncomfortable to say the least. Is this person stable enough to packing heat? Is he or she sober? Are they worried about a jealous lover or spouse gunning them down? Is there going to be a shootout?
What is your opinion? Are we all going to have to be packing soon? Are we going to regress to 200 years ago, like the wild west?
Who vetted this person to have this weapon in public? [Reply]
It doesn’t bother me at all, and I’m a proponent of gun control. If someone feels the need to open carry in public, they are just another unintelligent plebe not worthy of attention or interacting with. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Why Not?:
Yeah, living in Arizona for so many years got me pretty used to seeing open carry. It always actually gave me a sense of security for a few reasons
I think I've told this before, about a couple weeks after moving here I was at a pool store getting some chlorine. I was on crutches and it was just me and my wife and one other dude in the parking lot. He asked why I was on crutches and was then like "oh I had surgery on my abdomen a while back" and lifted up his shirt to show me the scar and had a gun tucked into the waist band of his shorts :-)
In Chicago I'd of just immediately handed over my keys, wallet and phone and said something like "we didn't see your face!" but instead dude wished me a speedy recovery, hopped in his car and left
So I just assume everyone here is packing and its really just up to people to find out if they want [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rausch:
Not to be insulting but that's a you problem.
Not some, but most people shouldn't be driving. They don't know the rules of the road, they don't pay attention, and most people are driving while on their cell phones. Fatal car crashes happen all the time.
None of those people could save your life in a violent situation. The person with a firearm can. The gun is a tool. If you're scared of it, to a degree, you should be. You shouldn't start shit with other people. You shouldn't cut people off or cuss people out. What people don't understand is the person that really wants to kill you will. Period. There's very little you can do about it. Everything in your environment is a weapon and can be used to kill you.
No one has the right to limit someone else's freedoms. When people choose bad behavior they take themselves out of those freedoms. We don't need less guns - we need more. People need to understand that they aren't safe and there is no safety - it's an illusion that people are addicted to. You are responsible for protecting yourself and the people you care about. No one else.
Exactly this.
My wife carries every day. Her hobby is being a firearms instructor. She’s bad ass. Frankly you want people like her out there in society. Also you are troubled by the people with weapons that you see. Let me tell you there are 10x the number of people out there that don’t have it on display. You would never know my wife is packing.
And as for you comment about it not being strapped in. It shouldn’t be. And if they are legit there will be one in the chamber ready to go. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bwana: It really boils down to what the laws are in any given state. I'm not sure it is allowed in a bank. I was under the impression that it was pretty much a no no. (A federal entity)
If I carry in a city environment, I conceal, I don't open carry. If I'm in grizzly country, I have my .500 S&W and I have a chest holster for that. That would not be an easy gun to conceal. As far as I'm concerned, open carry pretty much makes you a target in a city environment, in a dicey situation.
Yeah, this is what triggered my concern standing behind the guy at the bank. I had assumed he was law enforcement, but he got in an old beater suburban when he left.
Originally Posted by blake5676:
I would venture to guess there’s quite a lot more people carrying around me than I would ever actually think. Especially in a mid western state like Missouri. I’m admittedly not a gun guy. Honestly, they make me nervous but mostly just because I’m not familiar with them, didn’t grow up in a family that owned them and I’m aware of their lethality. Combo that with the fact that people are mentally unstable and guns just overall make me slightly uneasy.
That being said, I’m also aware the vast majority of gun owners and certainly the concealed carry type are insanely responsible with firearms and take gun safety extremely seriously.
To the OP’s point, I was in line at a Chipolte a few years back. Restaurant was busy, line was long and there was some douchey redneck kid in front of me with his GF that had his gun on his hip with his tshirt untucked everywhere but the gun side where it was tucked behind so the world could see it. He looked about 16 but I imagine he was maybe a bit older. He was clearly making a point to let everyone SEE his gun and was generally just acting like a teenage turd. It made plenty of people around uncomfortable, clearly.
So if there a way to keep loser kids from making everyone around them uncomfortable, I’m all for that law. Otherwise I’m just going to keep going with the ignorance is bliss mindset that if people around me in public are carrying, they’re the type of people I WANT to be armed.
Yeah, this is part of my concern. A lot of these youngsters are used to hitting reset on their video game and everyone is alive again.
The conceal carry laws of Missouri give me more confidence in the vetting as there is an actual permit required which I would assume involves some vetting. I hadn't paid much attention to these laws until these incidents as I had never even considered carrying a gun in public..
Originally Posted by 493rd:
I used to carry often when I’d be out and about, especially if I knew I’d be eating in a restaurant. But my firearm was always concealed so it’s not the same. I think there’s likely a contingent of open carry clowns who think they’re bad asses showing their guns to people. You’re not wrong to question things.
Yeah, this was my impression of the guy in the barber shop, kind of a smart ass making sure his gun was out front and everyone could see it. The fact that it didn't have a strap to hold it in the holster like the one I have for my Glock left a bad impression. [Reply]
A business like a bankcan post signage saying no guns allowed. Thats their right to do so. But they are the ones who have to enforce it. There are no laws being broken. They can ask a person to leave. And as I said many people you would never know actually have it on them. Big difference between a bank private business and something like an airport that has federal laws prohibiting firearms on airplanes [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rausch:
Not to be insulting but that's a you problem.
Not some, but most people shouldn't be driving. They don't know the rules of the road, they don't pay attention, and most people are driving while on their cell phones. Fatal car crashes happen all the time.
None of those people could save your life in a violent situation. The person with a firearm can. The gun is a tool. If you're scared of it, to a degree, you should be. You shouldn't start shit with other people. You shouldn't cut people off or cuss people out. What people don't understand is the person that really wants to kill you will. Period. There's very little you can do about it. Everything in your environment is a weapon and can be used to kill you.
No one has the right to limit someone else's freedoms. When people choose bad behavior they take themselves out of those freedoms. We don't need less guns - we need more. People need to understand that they aren't safe and there is no safety - it's an illusion that people are addicted to. You are responsible for protecting yourself and the people you care about. No one else.
There is the real world and the fictional world you believe exists. Not everyone is responsible. In fact, most people aren't. Even people who THINK they are level headed and even keeled, you give them a gun at almost all places they can go and all it does is escalate situations and in most cases make more danger. Most people shouldn't even be near a gun, let alone be able to open carry one. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Why Not?:
Yeah, living in Arizona for so many years got me pretty used to seeing open carry. It always actually gave me a sense of security for a few reasons
1. Obviously nothing is certain but the pistol in his side holster guy is probably not the guy you need to be worried about shooting up a place. To be fair, I never saw anyone open carry an assault rifle or whatever.
2. Most mass/public shooters are cowards. Especially the “I want to still be alive at the end of my mayhem” types. They have multiple targets to choose from. Why even bother with a situation where someone on site can shoot back? It’s kinda like a radio interview I heard years ago with a reformed house robber who was giving people tips on how to make their home more safe. He said the number one thing he avoided was houses with a dog. Hell, even a “beware of dog” sign chased him off. His thinking was that there are so many homes without dogs, why risk an attack or the loud noises of a dog. Same basic thought here. If a loony sees another person who is armed and can ruin their 15 minutes, why risk it?
3. If point #2 fails, open carry guy is probably getting shot first which can give others a few extra seconds to get away or mount their own counter attack.
You make very good points, but I guess it does bring awareness to issues some of us prefer not to deal with on a daily basis.
My first time seeing open carry was in a Mexican restaurant with the Mrs. and there were two couples in the booth across from us with both guys carrying. They were enjoying beer with their meals.
Thank you for everyone's responses, I thought it would be an interesting subject in the offseason and I am learning some things. [Reply]
