I think all of us are in agreement, here, that mass verbage is a pain in our backsides.
Tell you what. Break down what you ram-dumped into appropriately, English-sized digestibles, and we'll help you ferret out the details.
If that's too much for your, I'll give you a number by which I can address your concerns on an individual basis.
Just read the article...a few thoughts....
He strikes me as someone who tries to mean well but is looking at things from the wrong point of view. Several times he mentioned that Open Carry is a form of political protest. Not for me. I've carried openly and concealed for many years. I carry openly more now thanks to sites such as OCDO and LOCAL where I'm able to read and understand the law and the limits on our ability to OC in certain areas. For me it has nothng to do with politics and after talking to many OCers I believe it's the same for most.
He also assumes that the OC movement is largly propelled by those living in places where it is difficult to get CCpermits. Actually, places like Virginia and Arizona were some of the early leaders in the beginning of OCDO and the renewed "OC movement". Those States had Shall Issue permits for years.
He mentions that it takes time to unholster and load a pistol. I assume he is talking about places like Utah or California where the gun has to be unloaded when carried or some other nonsence. This misinforms the readers who are in areas where pistols may be carried Conditon One.
Let's look at his list of 8 OC tips-
1-"OC is a legal right."
Not everywhere. Some States (Florida, Texas, Ark, etc...) restrict OC. More misinformation to the general public reading this article.
2-"Understand that — as with any belief that people feel strongly about — open carry is a form of political protest."
Some OCers do so as a political statement but the vast majority state that they simply carry for comfort and to educate the masses of this right. The idea that if the general public sees it and understands it then they won't be freaked out by it.
3-"Targeting open carry by finding ways to charge people with other violations and then ticketing or arresting them may backfire and could be very expensive in the long run."
Duh, but still we often get word that some departments or individual officers are still harrassing OCers. Keep your recorders running and be aware.
4- "Know the letter of the law and the interpretations of the law in various districts."
Good luck with that. LOCAL is doing it's part by contacting various Law Enforcement agencies and personell to get the word out but training is sorely lacking.
5-"Even if you don’t agree with open carry, stay objective and keep your feelings to yourself."
Good advice. I don't care if you don't like to see two guys holding hands while walking down the street, a fat girl eatting an ice cream cone or a citizen with a holstered pistol on his belt. None of these things is against the law and I don't really care to hear your opinion about it.
6-"It still takes time to draw and load the firearm."
Unless you live in a State like Louisiana where your firearm can be kept locked and loaded while it's holstered on your hip.
7-"Follow good judgment. IF THERE IS PROBABLE CAUSE to treat them as an armed criminal, by all means do so."
Great Zeus, I hope all LEOs use good judgement on every part of their job. I would hope this goes without saying but we all know better.
8-"From a officer safety perspective, at least you KNOW that they are carrying a weapon!"
There is that. And the bad guys will know it too and that knowledge may be what makes them decide to look for a softer target. Maybe that soccer mom over there with the shopping bags.
While not perfect, the article gives OC some publicity and does attempt to educate LEOs to the situation even if the author doesn't get things completely right.[/QUOTE]