"Oh my, he has a GUN! Call the Cops!"

[Garufa]

Once again...is OC really a good idea?

[East_TN_Patriot]

And that’s how it should be. Trust me, you don’t want dispatchers deciding if you really need help or not. If there is nothing to it; the Officers will determine that when they get there.

Most people don’t know the motor vehicle laws, and they all drive them. What makes anyone think they would know gun laws when they don’t have any?

I carry concealed. Mainly for security and tactical reasons, but also because I don’t want to deal with the drama. If I decided to open carry I would expect that at some time I would be stopped.

Agreed 110% on that one!

[Guest TargetShooter84]

Thats why I CC instead of OC.

[eapking]

Hardly. You'd be surprised how many bible-thumping, right wing conservatives are completely clueless about and scared of guns. It's especially prevalent in urban areas.

This is true. A whole lot of them just voted for Haslam.

[Gun Smith]

Legal or not, those who open carry do a real disservice to us. All it does is add more fuel to the granola crunching, gun busting groups fire.

[Guest xd9sc]

You see a man in front of your business.....not in uniform.....with a gun on his side.....talking on a cell phone....you have to expect trouble!! It happens on TV allllllllll the time!

As a gun owner and hcp holder... if it's in a holster I'm much less worried. I can see how those who are not comfortable with guns would definitely think trouble though!

[daddyo]

Legal or not, those who open carry do a real disservice to us. All it does is add more fuel to the granola crunching, gun busting groups fire.

Not really sure how. What crimes are they committing? How are they being unruly?

[Gun Smith]

Not really sure how. What crimes are they committing? How are they being unruly?

As I mentioned, it's not a matter of being legal. It's perception. OC makes the anti gun folks uncomfortable, which in turn draws negative attention, which in turn causes businesses, parks, etc. to post, not to mention dealing with foolish 911 calls and such. All of this makes it more difficult for those who want to legally carry all because someone wants to push their legal right to OC. This is why I consider it a disservice to those who want to go about their day to day lives quietly, not drawing unwanted attention to themselves, yet able to legally carry.

[Punisher84]

As I mentioned, it's not a matter of being legal. It's perception. OC makes the anti gun folks uncomfortable, which in turn draws negative attention, which in turn causes businesses, parks, etc. to post, not to mention dealing with foolish 911 calls and such. All of this makes it more difficult for those who want to legally carry all because someone wants to push their legal right to OC. This is why I consider it a disservice to those who want to go about their day to day lives quietly, not drawing unwanted attention to themselves, yet able to legally carry.

To the bold portion I say...

[daddyo]

As I mentioned, it's not a matter of being legal. It's perception. OC makes the anti gun folks uncomfortable, which in turn draws negative attention, which in turn causes businesses, parks, etc. to post, not to mention dealing with foolish 911 calls and such. All of this makes it more difficult for those who want to legally carry all because someone wants to push their legal right to OC. This is why I consider it a disservice to those who want to go about their day to day lives quietly, not drawing unwanted attention to themselves, yet able to legally carry.

It's all in the attitude. I don't see someone "pushing" their right to OC just because they aren't carrying concealed. If they are doing it responsibly and it's obvious they aren't a threat to anyone else, then I support what they are doing.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It's all in the attitude. I don't see someone "pushing" their right to OC just because they aren't carrying concealed. If they are doing it responsibly and it's obvious they aren't a threat to anyone else, then I support what they are doing.

I feel the same way. That "perception" thing gets in the way from the sheep herd in this country.

Too many feeble minded nutcases need to grow up.

I don't see anything wrong with OC. If I am forced to put up with political correctness, they

should put up with seeing our guns. I don't OC, unless I have to, and it's because I don't like

whiney biotches.

[Fallguy]

The only way I would ever carry openly is if it were common practice and the general public considered it no big deal. Even then, I might still carry concealed.

I don't really OC either...however many think that if more did, it might be seen as common practice and/or the general public more likely to consider someone armed as no big deal.

[mikegideon]

I don't really OC either...however many think that if more did, it might be seen as common practice and/or the general public more likely to consider someone armed as no big deal.

It's a really steep hill to climb.

[Fallguy]

It's a really steep hill to climb.

Totally agree...

[Gun Smith]

Don't get me wrong, other than not having the element of surprise, I'd much rather OC. It's more comfortable and practical. That's why LE, military, etc. OC. I just don't believe it's the wisest choice in in today's environment.

[AMSting]

I think it depends on your local environment. In many places out west, OC is much more common than here. There, people are more used to seeinhg people carrying guns, and therefore less likely to freak. It's just not that way here.

I think if people really want to make a change where OC is not common, it should be a mass effort. If everyone from Knoxville or Nashville or wherever with an HCP picked a day to OC, it might go over better. Sort of like people who were meeting at Starbucks. When sheeple see other people who look "normal" carrying, it might start turning their minds to think that not everyone with a gun is a nut or a criminal. I just don't see one or two people every once in awhile OCing making a real change in perception.

[Alpha13]

I think if people really want to make a change where OC is not common, it should be a mass effort. If everyone from Knoxville or Nashville or wherever with an HCP picked a day to OC, it might go over better. Sort of like people who were meeting at Starbucks. When sheeple see other people who look "normal" carrying, it might start turning their minds to think that not everyone with a gun is a nut or a criminal. I just don't see one or two people every once in awhile OCing making a real change in perception.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Alpha

[Oh Shoot]

... I just don't see one or two people every once in awhile OCing making a real change in perception.

I hate to say it, but the rare one or two I've generally seen aren't necessarily a PR plus for us.

- OS

[Guest DRO]

I hate to say it, but the rare one or two I've generally seen aren't necessarily a PR plus for us.

- OS

Funny and true.

[DavidD]

I hate to say it, but the rare one or two I've generally seen aren't necessarily a PR plus for us.

- OS

Funny and true.

Yup, a guy named quik comes to mind....

[Guest mosinon]

I've seen, since I've been aware of it, two people open carrying.

One guy was at a park and was very obvious about it. The holster thing, the obvious weapon thing and so forth. But he also had that shiny Permit Holder badge on his belt so from a distance most people probably thought he was a cop or something.

The second time I noted someone carrying openly was in Home Depot. This guy had long flowing locks and so forth and he was carrying a smallish glock openly. I made a note to myself that the stereotype I had about gun owners were wrong and didn't worry about it. But here's the thing: I couldn't say if it was a conscious choice or not but the holster and weapon almost matched the color of his pants perfectly. I just happened to notice that it was a gun, anyone unfamiliar (or more unfamiliar than me) with guns wouldn't have even noticed it.

In retrospect I probably only noticed it because some other customer was (honestly) packing a toy poodle in their cart and I wanted to shoot it.

As far as carrying tactics goes it would have been easy to disarm that guy and shoot him with his own gun. I think that would be fantastically rare though.

[7dogguy]

At my place of business, i occasionally visit other like businesses to compare strategies and get a feel for how they are operating... Yesterday, i was in a loan office asking how their accounts work and their rates etc, when a man walked by on the sidewalk. He was on his cell phone, and stood outside the glass storefront for about 5 minutes. I noticed he was Open Carrying, and was in mid sentence making a comment about exercising your rights when the girl helping me turned around to the other employees and said "Oh my, he has a GUN!!! Call the Cops!!"

Our conversation then turned to the 2nd amendment, that it was his right to carry if he had a permit. These people had no idea what i was talking about. The one girl even said that she read Obama "made it illegal to have a gun outside of your home."

A man came out of the back office on the phone with 911, saying that there was a man outside with a gun and asked what to do. The 911 dispatcher advised him to lock the door until an officer arrived, but the man had already walked off down the sidewalk. I asked a sheriff deputy relative of mine about the 911 employees experience with the actual laws... All he could say is that theyre trained to take a call and provide a location to a deputy, and that's it!

This is why we have the biggest problem with our rights and freedoms! Half of the populous doesn't even know the actual laws... All we were fed growing up in public schools is that guns are bad, guns kill people, and we should be subservient to the government.

/rant

I agree people are ignorant (and some kids get indoctrinated against firearms, sadly). But I don't think a Dispatcher should decide the action, only send an Peace Officer to the scene to assess and manage. I do count on our Peace Officers knowing the law, though, and have faith they do.