Tasered for openly carrying rifle in Texas

[J.Galt]

I just don't understand how open carry does anything that concealed carry doesn't.

For me guns are about self defense. I have guns because I enjoy shooting and I want to be able to protect myself.
Open carry is just....it's a political statement. It makes all gun owners look bad when someone with a cell phone camera records a video like this.

What exactly do you guys want society to look like? What is the big deal about open carry for you folks? And don't say "exercising your 2nd amendment rights" because that just....doesn't mean anything. My right to protect myself is not in danger until an anti-gun law comes up, and then I email the legislators, donate to NRA-ILA, and go about my business. Nothing positive is being achieved by open carrying.

I'm not saying open carry should be illegal. I'm saying it doesn't make any sense. Like the cop was telling the kid, you have to be smart about firearms, and walking down the street with a rifle strapped across your back just isn't smart.

An inch away from the police assaulting people who are legally open carrying is police assaulting people they find concealing with a CCW permit.

[IVC]

I don't see the connection whatsoever. I must be incredibly stupid.

You are telling us what we should do, then are completely surprised when we tell you it's really non of your business.

If you have a case of why you should have the right to tell us what to do, by all means go ahead. If you can formulate a legitimate reason to ban open carry (legitimate = passes strict scrutiny), by all means do.

Otherwise, you're just preaching your personal morality and are genuinely offended that we don't take it for granted.

[IVC]

I am not passionate about open carrying at all, and that is the problem with the perspectives here. I don't want to open carry. I want the government to NOT harass and taze people who open carry. THAT is what I'm passionate about.

Beat me to it.

Besides, open carry is EXTREMELY important to prevent arrests for printing or inadvertent exposure. Not to mention that it is very useful when camping or when in the nature to avoid spending a night in the jail for some inadvertent code violation.

[Artema]

The cops don't see this guy as somebody exercising his rights to open carry.

They see him as a guy with a gun, not different from many other people with guns they've had to deal with over the years. When he doesn't even tell them his name, they're not thinking about civil rights. They're thinking about their own safety. Their objective is not to harass, their reaction would have been the same if the guy had been carrying a fire axe down the street.

They just wanted to find out who this guy was and wth he was doing.

That's their own problem. They are supposed to uphold the law, not harass people while they piss themselves. Look up north where open carry is expected. People interact without worry. Seeing someone carry is not unusual, and the cops don't bother people who are NOT breaking the law in the same manner.

[IVC]

The cops don't see this guy as somebody exercising his rights to open carry.

I don't really care what police think. They are there to enforce laws, not to keep peasants in line.

[IVC]

That's their own problem. They are supposed to uphold the law, not harass people while they piss themselves. Look up north where open carry is expected. People interact without worry. Seeing someone carry is not unusual, and the cops don't bother people who are NOT breaking the law in the same manner.

Heh, beat me to it again .

[Jimmybacon43]

I'm not telling anybody what to do. If you want to open carry then sure go ahead. I'm just saying you have to understand that people will react to that in a very unfriendly way.

I'm not trying to ban open carry.
I'm not preaching my own personal morality. I made a comment on the video, I was surprised that anybody had a problem with it.

I really don't see the connection between police harassing open carriers and police harassing CCW. If done right, not even the police will know you're carrying concealed

[IVC]

An inch away from the police assaulting people who are legally open carrying is police assaulting people they find concealing with a CCW permit.

That's another good reason to eliminate discretion when enforcing laws. If it's legal, think three times before doing something stupid.

I certainly cannot go and shoot people doing something legal, then say "it didn't seem right to me" or "I was afraid." Why should police be any different?

[J.Galt]

They see him as a guy with a gun, not different from many other people with guns they've had to deal with over the years.

The people they've seen with guns over the years weren't calmly walking down the street with it strapped to their back.

When he doesn't even tell them his name, they're not thinking about civil rights.

You don't see this as a problem?

How far will you accept police infringement of your rights? What if they decide that tazing him wasn't enough and a good beating was deserved too. Like Kelly Thomas in Los Angeles? Oh and whoops you died. Oh well, we were just trying to subdue a suspicious individual who wasn't cooperating.

Its just like free speech. Once you start accept censorship of someone you dont want to hear, your right is jeopardized, not just theirs. If you start accepting police harassment for a legal firearm activity, get ready to have your favorite legal firearm activities be deemed "suspicious" next.

[IVC]

I'm just saying you have to understand that people will react to that in a very unfriendly way.

We know. That's what must change. At least to the point where their negative reaction gets *them* in trouble, not those who "upset" them.

[Artema]

I'm not telling anybody what to do. If you want to open carry then sure go ahead. I'm just saying you have to understand that people will react to that in a very unfriendly way.

I'm not trying to ban open carry.
I'm not preaching my own personal morality. I made a comment on the video, I was surprised that anybody had a problem with it.

I really don't see the connection between police harassing open carriers and police harassing CCW. If done right, not even the police will know you're carrying concealed

People regularly do not react poorly to open carry. It is only in certain areas where people get scared about it, and fear cannot be legislated. Laws are laws, and police should work to enforce them, not to attack people who are within the law.

[Jimmybacon43]

All right....well I think what we've learned today is that we fundamentally disagree with eachother.

Is there anything in your posts you would like me to answer or comment on before I leave this thread?

[Artema]

All right....well I think what we've learned today is that we fundamentally disagree with eachother.

Is there anything in your posts you would like me to answer or comment on before I leave this thread?

I go to visit my brother and father in Alabama occasionally. In the donut shop my dad likes to go to there was a guy with a big full sized Glock (I'm thinking 21) on his hip. The only looks he got were from me, as I don't see that in California. Why weren't people FREAKING OUT because the guy had a gun within plain site?

[Jimmybacon43]

I go to visit my brother and father in Alabama occasionally. In the donut shop my dad likes to go to there was a guy with a big full sized Glock (I'm thinking 21) on his hip. The only looks he got were from me, as I don't see that in California. Why weren't people FREAKING OUT because the guy had a gun within plain site?

Different area. People react to guns differently in different locales. Obviously nobody had a problem with this guy carrying a gun in that area of Alabama. I have no problem with that.

My whole problem with the kid open carrying was that he was doing it in a place that was obviously not used to seeing people walking around with firearms, and I thought the whole point of him doing that was because he wanted to elicit a response.

[IVC]

All right....well I think what we've learned today is that we fundamentally disagree with eachother.

I don't think so.

I believe that you're engaging in an honest conversation and are enough open minded to have a civil discussion. The purpose is to give you something to think about and have you try to come up with good arguments to support your view. If you can't, you'll see our angle much better.