Not exactly. Traffic deaths (proportionally speaking) in the US are far, far lower than in countries without good government-run traffic safety programs and driver licensing.
I don’t think so. I think it would be more like presenting someone with a loaded gun at a firing range, with an instructor present, and grading them based on how they handle the gun.
And I bet lots of folks would fail the first time, when they inadvertently pointed the gun away from downrange, or failed to ensure the range was clear, or failed to verify the status of the gun, etc.
You know, like a driver’s test (which lots of people fail the first time).
And how exactly does your gun discourage people? Does it have anything to do with its intrinsic injuring and killing properties? Or do you have the “good” kind of gun that only prevents injuries and death without any of the negative effects of causing injury and death? Well golly, why don’t we just only sell the “discouraging” guns and ban the “destructive” ones? Brilliant!
Are you actually interested in working towards that utopia or are you committed to descent towards the total opposite of that utopia in the name of freedom and the 2nd amendment?
I agree that preparation is a good thing. I disagree that you’ve decided to take this vast generalization to justify your specific example of carrying guns. If every single barista, stockboy, and cashier was geared up to prep for some sort of post-apocalyptic nightmare it would be a bad thing.
The barista needs to wear an apron so he/she can be prepared against coffee spills. The stockboy needs to be armed with a mop so he/she can mop up that spill. The cashier needs to have access to nickels so he/she can give you proper change. Your generalization has the barista aproned up, mopped up, changed up, gunned up, bear maced up, first aid kitted up, fire extinguished up, etc. because… hey… preparedness = goodness.
… which is either a disingenuous argument or a stupid one.
This was my earlier point. I’ve owned guns all my life. I spent a career in the military, with both combat and peacetime experience, routinely handling and firing all manner of weapons, and even worked as a range coach. I worked as a volunteer police officer for several years during that time, going through modified weapons training with regular officers and being exposed to dicey situations where anything could have happened.
Given all that, I MIGHT react properly and calmly in a confrontation situation. Armchair tough guys and internet commandos, despite their bravado, are more likely than not going to panic, because, to paraphrase Bruce Lee, “paper targets don’t shoot back”. A store clerk with a gun is dangerous to everybody around him. A store full of such people is a recipe for mayhem. It’s a rare person who can control fear and overcome adrenaline rush in bad situations.
I’m not talking about laws for limiting guns. (Though that would be nice if it worked.) Have all the guns you want in your closet. Just don’t bring them into public spaces. Leave them at home with your paranoia.
Life is a risky proposition. For sure. What I’m talking about is risk management. Just like the type of risk management people practice by avoiding walking into sketchy situations.
Here in RI, I would leave and immediately call the cops. There is no open carry without a permit from the Attorney General, and I have never seen anyone not in law enforcement open carry around here. So I would assume some weird shit was afoot, and let the proper authorities take care of it.
I grew up around guns and shooters. One thing I learned: most people are careless and make bad decisions with guns, especially when the adrenaline is pumping. Even the highly-trained people.
And I doubt that store clerks are going to be particularly highly trained.
My feelings would be, “Uh oh, did something happen that I didn’t hear about? Was there an armed robbery in the neighborhood? Did someone shoot up some other Walmart?”
In other words, I’d think it was in response to some incident, and I would reserve further judgment until I learned what it was in response to.
I have been is small retail establishments, like Pawn shops where the employees were armed. No biggie. Jewelry stores, check cashers, liquor stores, etc.
And, most of the posters here have been in many such establishments, and nothing happened.
You just didn’t notice/know. Generally only in gun stores do the employees carry their guns mostly openly.
So next time you go into a Pawn shop, etc- that employee is almost certainly armed. (YMMV, state by state, of course)
To answer your first question, the point at which you pull out your gun is when the crook points a gun at you. In all likelihood he ‘doesn’t want any trouble’. He just wants to rob you and has no intention of shooting. Pulling out your gun and shooting him will put an end to that. Also, in the eyes of the law it ensures that you were acting in self defense.
To reply to your second question, sure, no guns would be great, but how do you propose we get there? How are you going to get the bad guys to promise to start robbing stores without them? One of my far right wing friends posted some picture on facebook the other day that I felt dirty for agreeing with (in my head), mostly just because it made sense. Something along the lines of ‘taking guns away from good guys won’t stop the bad guys from from shooting us’.
That’s what I don’t get. Sure, all the ‘good guys’ are all to happy to say ‘let’s all give up our guns’, but A)how many of them have guns to give up and B)why do they think all the bad guys are going to give up theirs?
I’d ask the proprietor who their premises liability carrier was, as I’d think it is really unusual, and I’d like the name to give to other businesses that would otherwise allow their licensed employees to carry.
Fwiw, one need not be openly carrying a handgun in order for someone to be able to tell that they’re carrying. Fanny packs and photographer’s vests are gimmies, but pay attention to what people clip on their belts sometime.
No, the OP’s situation wouldn’t bother me at all, absent some horseplay. I was concerned about a bartender here, openly carrying, not because I was worried the gun was going to hurt anyone, but because I didn’t want the bartender lit up for open carry in a 51% establishment.
And would end up without enough steady customers to support his business model. The free market in action. Free to run a business the way you see fit and free to see your business model fail. I’d encourage all business owning gun owners to try this out for themselves if they really want to practice democracy. Maybe some will be successful and gun totters will have a place to go and eat their happy meals with their kids in safety.
Again, agreed. Some people prepare by hanging out where good guys with guns can shoot the bad guys. I prepare by not hanging out where good guys with guns can shoot me by mistake, whether by accidental discharge or poor aim.
Yes, if that happened and I got shot I would leave. 