Comment & Debate
Martin Albright. “Open carry is a bad idea.” The Truth About Guns. August 24th, 2010: “The final factor is political. Post-Heller and McDonald, gun owners are feeling their oats, flexing our political muscles, feeling ten feet tall and covered with hair. But don’t forget that we’re stnority in this country. A significant, well-organized, well-funded, politically active minority, but a minority nonetheless. it’s also worth noting that a huge number of gun owners would be more than happy to support laws that restricted other people from owning guns. In that kind of political environment, Open Carry has two very negative effects. First, it rubs our opponents faces in the fact that we have guns. Gun rights may be front and center in your world, but it’s mostly beneath the radar for most people. OC creates anti-gunners and generates support from uncommitted voters.”
“Open carry: a bad idea.” Tennessee Gun Owners Association Forum. June 1 2008: “In addition to these important factors that may determine the outcome of a life or death encounter, I would argue that open carry creates additional problems that are just not needed or helpful to yourself or the pro-gun community at large. From experience, I can tell you that exposing a firearm to a none gun person can be like throwing a snake at them. Some don’t care, to be sure, but it is bound to cause an adverse reaction to many people who will then be less likely to support pro gun legistlation. Concealed carry works because we do not cause a disruption to society either via reckless use of firearms or via causing unrest to the braoder public due to unwanted exposure to firearms. Like it or not, most people are intimidated by people with firearms. Exposing more people to open carry is liekly to increase this feeling in the general public and will ultimately work against us in teh form of antigun laws.”