It’s hostile and aggressive and maladjusted and I wouldn’t want them around my kids (and the comparison to kissing is ridiculous. Kissing does not represent an attempt at physical intimidation. Unless it is required as part of your job, displaying a firearm anyplace it would be inappropriate to discharge one is antisocial in the extreme.
I used to carry a gun and large amounts of cash for a living. About once a month or so I’d get a negative comment from some living bag of fear about my gun. :rolleyes:
Funny how some people will feel fear and discomfort in the mere presence of a gun, but somehow be brave enough to say something foolish and inappropriate to the man carrying that gun.
Well, that’s true, but hardly a complete or useful analytical statement.
We could equally point out that the children’s birthday cake should be scooped apart by hand, because if it’s cut with a knife, then there’s a possibility someone will be stabbed.
But that’s obviously foolish. We don’t make such judgments based on the mere existence of possibility. We weigh the reasonable probability associated with the danger – the risk, if you will.
And I think you probably knew that. Which makes me wonder why you said what you did.
If you break a child’s bones, I assure you, the cops are not going to be on your side, and neither would a prosecutor. You have legal right to use reasonal force to prevent a child from grabbing your gun. You do not have a right to go beyond that.
Whoa nelly. You could have germs on that hand.
And how do you know there’s not someone in the room with a severe wheat, egg or sugar allergy? Won’t someone think of the diabetics?
Birthday cakes are irresponsible hazards. 
You and I can differ on that point. It’s not something that’s likely to be tested.
Why? Are you going to shoot them?
And why is it that the people who don’t have the guts to walk down the street without a gun always accuse the people who do have the guts of cowardice?
First of all, there is no place that you’re afraid to go without a gun that I will not go unarmed.
Second of all, it isn’t the guns that people are wary of, it’s the twitchy Travis Bickels that are carrying them around.
I agree that those people are quite foolish. Of course, I’m not one of them.
I don’t honestly know why I dislike guns so much, I come from a military family and they were around when I was growing up. I grew up in the country and hunting was of course common, so even more guns.
I don’t know where you live.
Where I live, no permit is required for open carry. So the presumption would be that anyone openly carrying a firearm is doing so legally.
Your suspicion is wrong.
I testified in front of the Virginia Assembly during the hearings that preceded the change in Virginia’s concealed carry law from “may issue” to “shall issue.” I prepared for that testimony with a fair amount of research into gun crimes committed by permit holders in Virginia and in other states. The answer was that such crimes were vanishly small.
Getting a little twitchy yourself there Diogenes? Perhaps you should take it to the pit.
My job was to carry a gun and money. No part of that was “didn’t have the guts” and you’re stepping out of line and out of reason to attempt to make it so.
Second of all, it IS about the guns, in my personal experience.
The people I spoke of stated clearly that they didn’t like guns and didn’t like seeing someone carrying one, even when it was my job to do so and I was in uniform. Personally, I don’t give a flying fuck if they don’t like it. It was my job. Walking up to me and making a point of going on about it is fucking stupid. Did they honestly expect me to say “You know, you’re right. I don’t need to carry a gun while I walk down the street with $250,000 in cash! People won’t try anything stupid just because I’m not armed!”
Outside that job, I’ve met more than enough people who have a passionate dislike and even fear of guns without reason. Like the example above of the gun sitting on the table. Some people honestly DO think that a gun by itself will kill us all! At least, that’s what their unreasoning fear tells them, and that’s how they’ve expressed it to me. Of course, upon discussion they realize that their fear is unfounded and change it to be about the people who own guns, but even that it an unreasoning fear of the unknown, not a rational fear of something specific.
My apologies on my suspicion. As for what you say, I have never in my life seen someone engaging in open carry. It would be a new experience, and I don’t know what to expect from someone engaging in such behavior. The comparison to SSK is inapt, unless, again, the observer of the kiss thinks they might catch teh gay from looking. My fear is that someone who engages in open carry is looking for trouble, and while this may be ignorant, I’ve yet to see the compelling facts that dispel my ignorance.
To be clear: are you saying that the number of crimes committed by people engaging in permitted open carry is vanishingly small? If so, mind if I move the goalposts a bit and ask about the number committed by people who carry openly, regardless of the legality of their carrying a firearm? After all, if I’m observing a stranger, I don’t know whether they just got their permit, or they just got their parole.
Daniel
My God, this is like clockwork. Another question hijacked into oblivion, and a decent one at that for a change.
You guys have fun beating each other senseless. I’m out.
edit: nevermind
The answer to the question is that yes, of course it’s rude. Brandishing a gun in a situation where firearms are not called for is a borderline death threat. People who do that (unless it’s their job) are intentionally being hostile and antisocial and hoping to scare people.
I should also state that it was incredibly stupid on their part in that I’m carrying a large amount of money and am therefore in a state of hypervigilance. So having someone walk up close to me and attempt to engage me in conversation - a negative conversation about their irrational fear of my holstered firearm - is something that tends to set off alarm bells in the mind of anyone in that job. That person is invading my space and attempting to distract me. It is possible that it is a diversion for a more serious act.
Simple reality folks. You don’t walk up to an armed guard carrying a bag of money and attempt to talk about the weather. Even moreso, you don’t walk up and be a dickhead about him wearing a gun.
Would I shoot him? Fuck no. But I could have him taken in for questioning on suspicion, just by waving down the nearest cop. We called the cops more than once on people who seemed a little too interested in following us around.
[Full disclosure: I used to have a concealed carry license and a gun. Now I no longer have either, although I do not object to others doing so.]
With that said, here’s my question… say you’re some place that can be loud, frenzied, crowded and possibly serving alcohol (a ball park, bar), yet they allow open carry. With that in mind, since people can easily establish who has a firearm among them, how simple would it be for a group to disarm them? I agree it would be an unwise thing to wear your gun at a child’s birthday party, despite the fear that a kid could take it away being pretty much nil, therefore it would be more of a situation of not doing so out of manners than necessity. However, I could easily see a drunken bunch overtaking someone and using the gun as they wish under the wrong circumstances. Which, in my humble opinion, would never even be a possibility if firearms remain concealed.
So, what sort of odds are we talking here? Would this be next to impossible to do? Or would the situation very seldom lend itself to that? An infinitesimal chance(s) to worry about in the first place?
If not, I could see that being my reasoning for feeling it’s not a good idea. Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with it if it’s legal. Even to the point that some people believe certain things should be pushed no matter how uncomfortable they make others because it’s for the right reasons. Hell, I’ll even agree to Bricker’s side of that argument (if you can truly compare the two – I think not, but still, I see SSM as important enough regardless) to fight the side I’m and that which I’m against.
You didn’t figure it would happen?
The OP is pretty simple, requiring a yes or no answer, and most if not all of us have said No in some form or fashion.
Suspicion of what? There’s no law against asking you questions.
Cops are funny about people bugging armed cash delivery people. God knows why.
I guess that depends on how you define “bugging.”