Is carrying an exposed gun to everyday shopping & social events OK manners wise?

It’s one and the same act.

Then why bring one?

If you really fear such a disaster, then youir fear is irrational.

You don’t know anything about my feelings on firearms.

This is exactly the kind of bullshit I’m talking about. I’m not afraid of guns, nor do I think they’re evil, nor am I unfamiliar with them. I support gun rights, and I actually enjoy the occasional bit of target shooting out in the country. Just because somebody diasgrees with you about a matter of ettiquette doesn’t mean they’re “afraid” of anything.

It’s more responsible just to leave the fucking thing at home, Clint Eastwood.

No, no and no. Those are all reasonable measures aginats plasible threats. Going into a 7-11 strapped is not.

What I said was that it is inappropriate to carry a gun into any setting where it would not be appropriate to fire one.

You’re missing the point again. What I’m saying is that no one who carries a gun has the right to call me a coward for not carrying one.

You just did it in this very post. What was all that crap about “if I was afraid of guns?” I’m not afraid of guns, buddy, I just don’t feel the need to carry them to grocery store with me.

I disagree that yoiu’ve explained that. All I’ve seen are contrived excuses to do it.

Protect his life from what? There are no threats to his life. Why is he so fearful?

No other reason is needed for those in uniform.

You really can’t think of a setting where it would be inappropriate to fire a gun? Ok, how about a church.

At times, you’re damn right I do, but at least that’s nnot the purpose of a car.

And how many times has this scenario actually happened? (Inside your head, of course, does not count).

Again ignoring my point about driving home from the shooting range, and being a bit hungry or thirsty, and not wanting to wait another 45 minutes to get home before I am permitted to stop and buy a soda and a Hostess apple pie.

That’s the answer to ‘why.’

Leave it in the trunk of the car.

Why, Dio wouldn’t be Dio otherwise.

Not really, but at least in his own home, there’s less chance of collateral damage.

By the way, there are also plenty of anecdotal stories about people shooting their own family members because they mistake them for intruders. Anecdotes aren’t really worth much.

Don’t, like, thousands of people get killed every year in America by criminals?

Most murders are related either to domestic violence or some sort of organized crime/gang violence. It is the exception for the average Joe just to get murdered willy nilly at the local Baskin-Robbins. Carrying a gun is not going to help most of them anyway. Displaying a gun is just a neon sign saying “shoot me first.”

The guy in the picture in the link you provided looks like a big fucking loser.

Anyone who wants to openly carry a gun while drinking coffee at Starbucks or having a milkshake at Dairy Queen is a moron. This is not the Wild West anymore. You are not Wyatt Earp.

“Dude, 1865 called, and it wants its holster back from your pasty white latte-sipping ass”

See post #107.

Well, I mostly want to leave you fellows to enjoy your gunfight amongst yourselves, but I think this comparison of public gay kissing to wearing a gun is absurd. Guns have been used for generations to kill people. Gay kissing has never been used to kill people. Here is an example where a gun was taken from someone else’s holster and used to commit murder. I hope that puts to rest the idea that guns are just as safe as two gay people kissing on the street. Unless you have an example (just one needed) of a gay kiss being used to kill someone, ever in the history of humanity, kindly drop the comparison. You may now resume your pissing contest.

Actually…no.

I’ll answer that. Yes. His ability to defend himself effectively and appropriately is diminished outside of his home. And here’s why:

Inside your home, you know the layout. You know who should and should not be in there. You are also inside your house which is more likely to contain errant shots. And generally, if you decide to stay and fight it out instead of beating a tactical withdrawel, you (and your family I suppose) are the only ones who are at risk.

Contrast that to an unknown situation on the street. You have only moments to assess the tactical situation. You have to determine who is the threat and who isn’t and you better make damn sure your rounds go towards the right one. Which isn’t so easy when there are potentially dozens of paniced people running around you. Policemen and soldiers go through extensive tactical training for such situations and still accidents and less than desireable outcomes happen. We’re supposed to trust the judgement and skill of the average guy on the street with no combat training?

So, we’re using Dio language for this one again, right? The one where carrying is the same as brandishing, possession is equivalent to a death threat, and having a gun on your hip is exactly the same act as exposing a concealed gun with intent to intimidate.

No, I’m not so sure that I misunderstand you at all, Dio. For someone who claims to have no problem with firearms, you sure seem to have a lot of fear regarding people carrying them in public. Why else would you persist in your hysterical opposition to the practice, and your relentless characterization of everyone who disagrees with you as a cowboy wannabe or a dangerous psychopath?

Can you answer me with some cold, hard statistics indicating that people who lawfully carry concealed handguns are a menace to society?

See above. This is what you seem to be assuming. Why?

Elaborate, please. If you accept that a taser is a measure against a plausible threat, why is it not also acceptable to carry something more reliable than a taser?

And again and again, I and others have tried to point out that it is possible to have a legitimate reason to fire a gun in almost any setting. You are assuming that it is not, therefore supporting your conclusion that there are no appropriate places to carry a gun. This is called “begging the question.”

And I agreed with you. Your point?

Ahhh, nope. Sorry, read it again. I was responding to your suggestion that my choice to carry a gun comes from fear. I never made any suggestion that your choice not to carry a gun was made through fear, or that the act of not carrying a gun indicated cowardice.

…What? Are you saying that it’s okay for the uniformed to intimidate people by carrying openly, simply because they’re in uniform? Please explain your response here; I really cannot understand how this is even a reply to my question.

Oh. Right. A church. You mean like the New Life Church shooting in Colorado last year, where a churchgoer volunteering as a security guard brought down the gunman with her own handgun before he could do any more harm? Is that the kind of situation you mean where it’s inappropriate to discharge a gun in a church?

Yes. Because the purpose of a gun is to be brandished at children. Good show, sir, good show. :dubious:

So, let’s see. Your arguments against open carry are as follows:

1. Bill White looks like a big fucking loser. (Not sure this is objective. Personal opinion?)

2. Anyone who wants to openly carry a gun while consuming coffee or dairy-based beverages is a moron. (Assertion? I’m sure we can find some supporting facts.)

3. This is not the Wild West anymore. (Use of popular term - might need definition.)

4. You are not Wyatt Earp. (Vacuously true - original Wyatt Earp died in 1929. Also, fails to account for possibility of other individuals named Wyatt Earp.)

5. 1865 apparently called, demanding the return of a holster from someone with a pasty white ass. (Verify this: I think it’s more likely 1865 would send a telegraph.)

Well, at least you had the good sense to couch your argument in terms that weren’t senselessly rude or abusive, especially considering that this was ostensibly a thread about etiquette.

</tongue-in-cheek> :wink:

That was a police officer’s gun, which I see you didn’t mention. So I’d say that doesn’t much help your point, since everyone in the thread on your side of the argument seems to be saying that they’re not at all worried about police with guns.

Why didn’t you mention it was a police officer’s gun?

My side of the argument? What side is that? I don’t give a shit if someone wants to wear a firearm in the street. I’ve only seen it once myself, in Arizona, and at that time I thought it was pretty cool. My beef here is your bizarre assertion that a person carrying a gun in public is no more dangerous than a gay couple kissing in public. Guns can be used to kill, gay kissing cannot. Even in a holster, a gun is still far more potentially dangerous than a kiss. To claim otherwise is weak.

OK, how about data? As I mentioned upthread, Virginia has 152,267 active carry permits.

Not one crime from any of those people. Not one. That’s not anecdotal. That’s data.

Well don’t count on the anti-gun people to acknowledge it as such. If there’s one thing that they’re good at, it’s blatantly ignoring the evidence against them.

Ran out of edit time because the board timed out, so I want to be crystal clear:

Not one gun crime from any of those people while carrying. Not one. That’s not anecdotal. That’s data.

It’s certainly possible that one of the 152,000 folks cheated on their income tax or caught fish without a valid license. But not one gun crime.

If I may presume to speak for Bricker here, I don’t think the question is whether same-sex kissing is dangerous. Rather, the question is whether it is offensive or socially unacceptable.