The title is a bit of a joke, with maybe a bit of a truth.
BTW, this might be a long read.
The fact is, I am anti-open carry, I just want to be honest about that. I read the rules and it seems like it's ok for me to still post here.
Just to be clear, in my opinion, I'm not trying to cause trouble or disrupt the board. I'm just wanting intelligent conversation on the topic.
Because this is my first post, and kind of a heavy one, I think I'll start out with a bit of background about me. I am a gun owner, I consider myself pro 2a...but likely a lot of you will disagree. I come from a mostly liberal Jewish family. My mother is very liberal, the "I would never vote Republican type". My dad is more independent, he will vote either way. My dad was a gun owner during my childhood, he taught me how to shoot. My mom wasn't thrilled, but accepted it (mostly). Guns weren't a huge part of daily life, dad owned guns, they were locked up. They came out when we went target shooting, which was maybe 5-10 times a year. There were no real discussions about gun ownership, gun rights, etc. It was basically like having a hammer, mostly put in it's proper place, taken out for use, put back for the next time it was needed. No real reason to talk about it, if you get what I'm saying.
When I turned 18, I bought my first gun (Ruger 10-22), and really enjoyed it, started going to gun shows, collecting old guns, getting on forums..getting tossed off of forums. Basically I'm saying I became somewhat "active" in the gun community/culture.
Ok, enough with the intro.
Lately I've come across a number of youtube videos of people open carrying, particular rifles, and getting stopped by police, causing a rigamarole, one ended up in a year long legal battle, found guilty, and is currently appealing the decision.
Basically, why open carry?
It seems to me from watching most of these videos the answer is "because we can". And sure, I get that's an answer, of sorts. But it seems childish.
Most of the videos seem to just be people who are trying to get stopped by police for the attention.
Anyway, before I get too long winded, I just wanted to say "here is someone who thinks they are pro 2a, but is against open carry, particularly of rifles, and is willing to have a long civil and hopefully thoughtful conversation on the topic"
So if you're interested, lets chat.
And if you think I'm just a troll for posting this, at least let me assure you that everything I've said is in fact honest. I made the decision to start a new thread as my first post specifically so as not to disrupt the board but giving my opinions in various threads. That way, if this gets shut down, it was just one thread, I will take the hint, and look for conversation elsewhere. Minimal disruption....so I guess there is that.
Thanks
BTW, this might be a long read.
The fact is, I am anti-open carry, I just want to be honest about that. I read the rules and it seems like it's ok for me to still post here.
Just to be clear, in my opinion, I'm not trying to cause trouble or disrupt the board. I'm just wanting intelligent conversation on the topic.
Because this is my first post, and kind of a heavy one, I think I'll start out with a bit of background about me. I am a gun owner, I consider myself pro 2a...but likely a lot of you will disagree. I come from a mostly liberal Jewish family. My mother is very liberal, the "I would never vote Republican type". My dad is more independent, he will vote either way. My dad was a gun owner during my childhood, he taught me how to shoot. My mom wasn't thrilled, but accepted it (mostly). Guns weren't a huge part of daily life, dad owned guns, they were locked up. They came out when we went target shooting, which was maybe 5-10 times a year. There were no real discussions about gun ownership, gun rights, etc. It was basically like having a hammer, mostly put in it's proper place, taken out for use, put back for the next time it was needed. No real reason to talk about it, if you get what I'm saying.
When I turned 18, I bought my first gun (Ruger 10-22), and really enjoyed it, started going to gun shows, collecting old guns, getting on forums..getting tossed off of forums. Basically I'm saying I became somewhat "active" in the gun community/culture.
Ok, enough with the intro.
Lately I've come across a number of youtube videos of people open carrying, particular rifles, and getting stopped by police, causing a rigamarole, one ended up in a year long legal battle, found guilty, and is currently appealing the decision.
Basically, why open carry?
It seems to me from watching most of these videos the answer is "because we can". And sure, I get that's an answer, of sorts. But it seems childish.
Most of the videos seem to just be people who are trying to get stopped by police for the attention.
Anyway, before I get too long winded, I just wanted to say "here is someone who thinks they are pro 2a, but is against open carry, particularly of rifles, and is willing to have a long civil and hopefully thoughtful conversation on the topic"
So if you're interested, lets chat.
And if you think I'm just a troll for posting this, at least let me assure you that everything I've said is in fact honest. I made the decision to start a new thread as my first post specifically so as not to disrupt the board but giving my opinions in various threads. That way, if this gets shut down, it was just one thread, I will take the hint, and look for conversation elsewhere. Minimal disruption....so I guess there is that.
Thanks