I think you’re under a mistaken impression here. If you watch the video, you’ll see that each person with a long gun who is exercising open carry is doing so by means of the gun being slung around their shoulder by means of a strap – in other words, the gun is not in their hands. If it were, they would be brandishing the gun, as opposed to simply carrying it.
As a general principle, brandishing a firearm is in fact considered a deadly threat. So in the circumstance you describe, the owner would be within his rights to protect himself by shooting. As would a police officer standing next to the owner.
But the scenario you envision requires something that none of the open carry people are doing: brandishing their weapons as opposed to simply carrying them.
Recommend you check the video in the OP. At least one person is cradling their long gun in their arms as a soldier might while out on patrol (he’s wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and a baseball hat). In the still photo at the end, at least two individuals have hands on pistol grips (fingers outside the trigger guard but resting along the edge of the guard) while cradling the barrel in their other arm. I don’t know if that rises to the level of brandishing, but it’s definitely more than just having them slung. Which is the point.
In addition quite a few of them have front three-point slings (combat harness) and are carrying the weapons low.
Look at the video and tell me if you’d feel comfortable with your child around people you don’t know behaving that way.
My point is that for some people, mundane movements with an AR-15 might look like ‘brandishing’ (for example, the gun might interfere with going through a door and must be moved out of the way), and therefore carrying such weapons into businesses (I believe) is more likely to cause deadly violence than to end an instance of deadly violence.
I think, bengangmo, there is a good chance you might say: “Drop it or join the Choir Invisible.”
I also think that if I were the owner of a small business like a gas station or a tavern and someone walked in with long guns openly, I might decide to whip out a handgun and blow them away on the assumption they were there for another massacre. In some states you could probably get away with that under the Stand Your Ground laws.
But that won’t happen. This is a small group of people, so small that showing up at Sonic was such a strange occurrence that they were asked to leave. The exposure idea only works if there are enough people doing it so that they don’t stand out.
Because the thing with exposure therapy is that it’s a two-edged sword. Done correctly, it decreases fear. Botch it, and fear increases. The same technique that fights phobias can create them.
Instead of making a loud protest that scares people, these guys need to be trying to convince people to even want to open carry. Or at least convince people that there is a good reason for anyone to want it.
I’m not even clear what open carry accomplishes that concealed carry doesn’t. I can see that brandishing the weapon might make you better prepared, but, as you state, that is illegal. And open carry is about intimidating the people who might harm you–doesn’t concealed carry work better, so they don’t know who has a gun?
Don’t you know that the background check processes, especially for concealed carry permits, guarantee the soundness, stability and safety of the gun carrier? Good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns, and bad guys with guns a) were always destined to be bad guys with guns and b) must have gotten their guns illegally.
Our gun types here readily acknowledge that they practice their quick draw in preparation for the inevitable confrontation they imagine coming. So, in your scenario, the good guy with the gun will clock the other guy who is open carrying. Let’s face it - they will probably be able to identify whether the open carry guy is a bad guy with a gun on sight (he’ll probably be black and shuffling with his pants low on his ass if he’s a bad guy with a gun).
So, the good guy with the gun will lay his best steely glare on the interloper and will probably whip out a great opening line. Then, the bad guy will give a particular look, and will make a clear twitch revealing his badness, and the good guy will quick draw him and put him down.
It’s pretty straightforward, especially if you practice for it every night in your bedroom.
This is going to come as a huge shock to you but some members of this Board- and of American society- don’t find your remark to be as amusing as you do.
Yeah that’s a really good comparison right there and doesn’t at all speak of your desire ti willingly misstate the position.
How many people were accidently killed by a voodoo doll?
How many voodoo doll training accidents have you read about?
How many robberies were conducted by a voodoo doll?
You may want to presume that your experience is what all military bases, and all branches of service, do.
You are, in fact, wrong.
I was an armed guard. It wasn’t common, but I was. And I’m non-MP. When I was, I received the lecture on the authorized use of deadly force. I don’t know what branch of service you were in but you don’t speak for all branches. Certainly not the Marine Corps.
And let me be clear, I do not speak for all of the Corps. Only for my experience while in it.
Late to the thread as usual, but as someone who carries concealed and has taken many, MANY gun safety courses, I understand that the rights of the property owner supersedes my right to carry a gun into his/her business. When I see a sign banning guns, I either don’t enter, or I lock my firearm in the car. Usually I don’t enter, but its not because I don’t feel safe in the store…but because if my firearm isn’t locked up in a gun safe, I don’t want it to leave my body. I want to have complete control over my firearms at all times.
Someone could break in to my car and steal my gun and then it would be my legal and moral responsibility if it was used to hurt someone.
I was in Arizona when Congresswoman Giffords and 18 other people were shot by someone who was later judged to be insane.
According to the reports I remember, there were at least 3 people who were armed and they didn’t fire on Loughner because they couldn’t get a clear shot.
There are a small number of gun carrying people who use the to swagger around and look cool. There are many more of us who hide our guns because we don’t want to scare anyone, but things happen.
I actually did use my weapon to save 3 lives once. I used a shotgun and it was a feral pig who was upset because we had accidently gotten into her territory. I still feel badly about that. I know that I shouldn’t, those critters are dangerous and a real problem, but still. If I ever have to kill a human (oh, please god don’t let that ever happen), I will remember it for the rest of my life and it won’t be a happy memory.