Why haven't any "open carry" activists been shot by cops like blacks waving wall

[DefiantSix]

Well said.

I open carry regularly. Motorcycle rides and rallies, rodeos (including the Sheriff's Posse Rodeo), cookouts, evenings out, or going to town for coffee on Saturday morning.

My .45 or .357 is holstered in custom leather, and I don't dress like Tommy Tacticool, a slob, or a whigger. Nobody would mistake me for a clown.

I never have a problem. More people pay attention to Velvet than to me, anyway.

The purpose of carrying - openly or concealed - a sidearm, is to put the question into the minds of thugs, whether they can successfully victimize a chosen stranger, and come away with their life/well-being intact.

It's been my experience that the majority of the population carry themselves in a mental "neutral-zone": so long as I'm not deliberately attracting attention to myself - by dressing/acting like "Tommy Tacticool, a slob, or a whigger", as you put it - I could walk past 90% of the nameless, faceless crowd, open-carrying a brushed nickel 1911 on my hip and they'd never notice.

Contrarily, I don't encounter a lot of trouble with thugs, regardless of which manner I'm carrying that day.  I've learned that the biggest reason for this is the WAY I carry myself: spine erect, eyes up, head casually scanning what's going on around me. Thugs - looking for sheep to prey upon - recognize those traits as VERY "un-sheep like" behavior and will avoid it like the plague. I could be dressed in a business suit, not carrying a weapon of any kind, and the average thug will - just by watching me for a minute or so - decide that there are easier targets elsewhere.

Responsible, respectful behavior goes a LONG way toward accomplishing BOTH goals: keeping the bad guys scared, and the good folks oblivious.

[BlueStateSaint]

About 20 years ago, I was coming back from a fruitless morning of spring turkey hunting, and I went in a local Stewarts shop.  Because I had on Army-issue BDUs with all of the patches and name tapes removed, I had on the long 'coat' top.  Weeeell, I was in there a couple of minutes and realized that I still had my Smith & Wesson Model 60 (3" barrel) on my hip.  I know that the bottom of the closed holster stuck out from the bottom of the BDU top, and I also know that one of the workers saw it there.  I wasn't an asshole with it, I didn't call attention to myself (IIRC, someone else was doing that for himself), and I made damned sure not to call attention to myself, other than to get a black coffee.

I'm going to repeat that last sentence.  I wasn't an asshole with it, I didn't call attention to myself, and I made damned sure not to call attention to myself.

PS--I do not carry into a store now.

[ChuckJ]

I have a friend who started open carrying after some trouble near Atlanta. It's been a while since he told me the story, but I think he and his wife had ran out of gas. It was night. He was out of the car. A thug came up to him using profanity. He noticed that the thug's buddies were slowly starting to circle him. The thug noticed my friend's neck knife and demanded to know what it was. The friend told him it was a distraction. The thug cussed him some more and wanted to know what he meant by distraction. The friend said, "while you're looking at what's on my neck you're not noticing what's in my hand."  When the thug looked down and saw the pistol pointed at him he screamed "he's got a gun!" and everyone scattered.

So far he hasn't had any trouble. He did say that he checks for 'no weapons allowed' signs before going into a place. He said one guy in a convenience store asked him if he was cop. When the friend told him that he was not the guy asked why he was carrying. The friend answered, "because I legally can in our state." He said the guy wasn't scared or concerned. Only curious. The guy asked him some question about gun laws, and they had a nice chat.

[ranger75]

Common sense topic. I don't care where you live, don't try carrying a gun into any courthouse these days, you might get your ass shot. Ditto police departments, hospitals, banks, and especially schools. In fact, any public venue with lots of human traffic.

You're standing near the entry/exit doors at Wal-Mart. Two corn row-haired, gang-bang looking thugs walk in. They've got gang graffiti tattooed all over their anatomies. They each carry an exposed chrome-plated .45.

Your natural reaction is:

A. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
B. Do nothing, because these guys are obviously constitutional scholars just testing the waters of open carry civil rights.     

[BlueStateSaint]

Common sense topic. I don't care where you live, don't try carrying a gun into any courthouse these days, you might get your ass shot. Ditto police departments, hospitals, banks, and especially schools. In fact, any public venue with lots of human traffic.

You're standing near the entry/exit doors at Wal-Mart. Two corn row-haired, gang-bang looking thugs walk in. They've got gang graffiti tattooed all over their anatomies. They each carry an exposed chrome-plated .45.

Your natural reaction is:

A. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
B. Do nothing, because these guys are obviously constitutional scholars just testing the waters of open carry civil rights.   

I'll take A. for $1000, Alex . . .

[ChuckJ]

Common sense topic. I don't care where you live, don't try carrying a gun into any courthouse these days, you might get your ass shot. Ditto police departments, hospitals, banks, and especially schools. In fact, any public venue with lots of human traffic.

You're standing near the entry/exit doors at Wal-Mart. Two corn row-haired, gang-bang looking thugs walk in. They've got gang graffiti tattooed all over their anatomies. They each carry an exposed chrome-plated .45.

Your natural reaction is:

A. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
B. Do nothing, because these guys are obviously constitutional scholars just testing the waters of open carry civil rights.   

Around here you can't carry anything that may be considered a weapon into a courthouse. In some you can't even carry a cell phone. Most that I've seen have signs informing you that you may be searched.

I went into a courthouse once and set off the newly installed metal detector. The deputy guarding the place asked me if I had any guns or knives on me. I told him no and was going to pull whatever was in my pocket out. He gave me a confused look and asked what I was doing. I told him I was checking my pockets to see if maybe my key ring had set off the metal detector. He waved me on through and said not to worry about it if I didn't have any weapons. I proceeded slowly expected to get pounced on. That deputy didn't know me from Adam. How did he know I was telling the truth?

I did find out that it was my belt buckle that set it off because every time since then when I've set it off they've used the wand.

[Big Dog]

You're standing near the entry/exit doors at Wal-Mart. Two corn row-haired, gang-bang looking thugs walk in. They've got gang graffiti tattooed all over their anatomies. They each carry an exposed chrome-plated .45.

Your natural reaction is:

A. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
B. Do nothing, because these guys are obviously constitutional scholars just testing the waters of open carry civil rights.   

I'm your huckleberry. This is just my game.

To summarize your post, you said:
You see two men whom you do not observe breaking the law, but they are carrying firearms. Your natural reaction is:
1. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
2. Do nothing.

Of course, there is a third option, to go about your business and maintain situational awareness; but you didn't offer that option, did you?

If you haven't noticed, we point and laugh at DUmmies for clutching their pearls at the idea of people carrying weapons in public. And here you have used the fallacy of the false dichotomy to set a DUmmy's snare for the upright citizens of the Cave.

Nice try.

Let's look closer at your choice A. What would that 911 call sound like?:

"911, what is your emergency?"
"I'm at WalMart, and two men just walked in with guns."
"Are they threatening anyone?"
"No, but they're really scary looking."
What kind of guns do they have?"
"Pistols. I can see them in the holsters."
"The men are carrying pistols in holsters, and they are not threatening anyone. Have you observed them to commit any crime?"
"No, but they're scary."
"Why are they scary, sir?"
"Because they look like they're in a gang. They have cornrows and tattoos."
"Let me see if I understand. You called 911 to report that two men with cornrows and tattoos are carrying firearms in holsters at WalMart, but they haven't threatened anyone or broken the law in your presence. What would you like the police to do?"
"I don't know, come out here before they do something."
"Sir, that is considered harassment. If the men are not breaking the law, the fact that you're frightened of them does not constitute a crime, and the police have no reason to contact them."
"Well, I think they're going to commit a crime."
"Why do you think that, sir?"
"I can't say."
"Why can't you say, sir?"
"Because, if I say why I think they're going to commit a crime, this 911 tape will end up on Inside Edition next week and Donald Sterling will be sending me a thank-you note."

Get the picture?

[ranger75]

I'm your huckleberry. This is just my game.

To summarize your post, you said:
You see two men whom you do not observe breaking the law, but they are carrying firearms. Your natural reaction is:
1. Get on your cell phone and call the police immediately.
2. Do nothing.

Of course, there is a third option, to go about your business and maintain situational awareness; but you didn't offer that option, did you?

If you haven't noticed, we point and laugh at DUmmies for clutching their pearls at the idea of people carrying weapons in public. And here you have used the fallacy of the false dichotomy to set a DUmmy's snare for the upright citizens of the Cave.

Nice try.

Let's look closer at your choice A. What would that 911 call sound like?:

"911, what is your emergency?"
"I'm at WalMart, and two men just walked in with guns."
"Are they threatening anyone?"
"No, but they're really scary looking."
What kind of guns do they have?"
"Pistols. I can see them in the holsters."
"The men are carrying pistols in holsters, and they are not threatening anyone. Have you observed them to commit any crime?"
"No, but they're scary."
"Why are they scary, sir?"
"Because they look like they're in a gang. They have cornrows and tattoos."
"Let me see if I understand. You called 911 to report that two men with cornrows and tattoos are carrying firearms in holsters at WalMart, but they haven't threatened anyone or broken the law in your presence. What would you like the police to do?"
"I don't know, come out here before they do something."
"Sir, that is considered harassment. If the men are not breaking the law, the fact that you're frightened of them does not constitute a crime, and the police have no reason to contact them."
"Well, I think they're going to commit a crime."
"Why do you think that, sir?"
"I can't say."
"Why can't you say, sir?"
"Because, if I say why I think they're going to commit a crime, this 911 tape will end up on Inside Edition next week and Donald Sterling will be sending me a thank-you note."

Get the picture?

OoooooKaaay. Thanks for setting me straight on that one. I feel so humiliated and dirty. I think I'll go take a shower and scrub myself down lye soap. 

[Big Dog]

OoooooKaaay. Thanks for setting me straight on that one. I feel so humiliated and dirty. I think I'll go take a shower and scrub myself down lye soap.

Do you remember this? I do:

I worked in PSYOPS. It was my job to drive people crazy.

First impressions can be a difficult thing to overcome, Tom. You should not be surprised to find people don't trust you, given your first 50 posts here.

If you came to the Cave to have serious discussions about serious subjects, then there are plenty of us who will take part - even if you are honestly arguing from a different point of view. If you're here to point and laugh at the DUmpmonkeys, then pull up a chair and join the fun. If you want to tell a joke, talk about your favorite food or cigar, share pictures of cats,  or talk guns, then there's plenty of that here, too. I enjoy all of those things, except for cat pictures.

But if you are here to piss on people's shoes, don't be surprised if you get pissed on in return. As I said, that's just my game.

[ranger75]

Do you remember this? I do:

First impressions can be a difficult thing to overcome, Tom. You should not be surprised to find people don't trust you, given your first 50 posts here.

If you came to the Cave to have serious discussions about serious subjects, then there are plenty of us who will take part - even if you are honestly arguing from a different point of view. If you're here to point and laugh at the DUmpmonkeys, then pull up a chair and join the fun. If you want to tell a joke, talk about your favorite food or cigar, share pictures of cats,  or talk guns, then there's plenty of that here, too. I enjoy all of those things, except for cat pictures.

But if you are here to piss on people's shoes, don't be surprised if you get pissed on in return. As I said, that's just my game.

Don't take yourself so seriously. You'll stroke out over nothing. Let me ask you, when your dog is driving the truck, are you back in the bed hopping from side to side, staring down the road at 65 mph, the wind whipping your hair, your tongue lolling out, with a huge smile fixed on your mush? I only let my dog drive the truck when we're off-road.

[Big Dog]

Don't take yourself so seriously. You'll stroke out over nothing. Let me ask you, when your dog is driving the truck, are you back in the bed hopping from side to side, staring down the road at 65 mph, the wind whipping your hair, your tongue lolling out, with a huge smile fixed on your mush? I only let my dog drive the truck when we're off-road.

You got it backwards. I am the driving dog.

Me again


On the job


Happy Birthday to me!

This is, as one pundit calls it, "illustrating absurdity by being absurd."

DUmmies and their fellow Leftists believe that imagining something is the same as being it, and must be accepted by everyone else as whatever is imagined. To a DUmmy, a man who imagines himself to be a woman, really is one. A woman who imagines herself to be a male panther, really is a male panther. A stay-at-home housefrau who imagines herself to be a journalist, really is one.

So, to illustrate the absurdity of the DUmmy mindset, I use an equally absurd premise. I am a dog because I want to be a dog. Not just any dog, but a black Basset hound named Dewey...

- unless I want to be a German Shepherd who drives a truck, or a Water Spaniel Veteran of the Spanish-American War.

Whomever said "a Dog's life" was a bad thing, has never been a dog.

[obumazombie]

Don't take yourself so seriously. You'll stroke out over nothing. Let me ask you, when your dog is driving the truck, are you back in the bed hopping from side to side, staring down the road at 65 mph, the wind whipping your hair, your tongue lolling out, with a huge smile fixed on your mush? I only let my dog drive the truck when we're off-road.

This thread was approximating the enjoyability of a nads thread until you came along like a wet blanket stick in the mud.

By the way dutch...it's a proper thread with a right proper poll !

[Big Dog]

This thread was approximating the enjoyability of a nads thread until you came along like a wet blanket stick in the mud.

Our new friend Thomas is good at wetting the blanket, and sticking the mud.

[ranger75]

Our new friend Thomas is good at wetting the blanket, and sticking the mud.

Right. If I see any examples of acerbic wit or humor germane to the thread, I'll be sure and report it to the admins immediately, Big Cat. I know I certainly won't have to peruse your posts for any incriminating evidence. 

[obumazombie]

Right. If I see any examples of acerbic wit or humor germane to the thread, I'll be sure and report it to the admins immediately, Big Cat. I know I certainly won't have to peruse your posts for any incriminating evidence.

Was that an attempt at humor ?

[olde north church]

Right. If I see any examples of acerbic wit or humor germane to the thread, I'll be sure and report it to the admins immediately, Big Cat. I know I certainly won't have to peruse your posts for any incriminating evidence.

Acerbic wit?  What's your husband's name, Rick or Steve?  Did you have two grooms on your cake and was it chocolate fudge?

[dutch508]

Acerbic wit?  What's your husband's name, Rick or Steve?  Did you have two grooms on your cake and was it chocolate fudge?

Thomas writes for the Atlantic Quarterly. Freelance.

 

[olde north church]

Thomas writes for the Atlantic Quarterly. Freelance.

 

"I did not know that."
          J. Carson

[Big Dog]

Thomas writes for the Atlantic Quarterly. Freelance.

 

Is this it, Thomas?

http://saq.dukejournals.org/

Founded amid controversy in 1901, the South Atlantic Quarterly continues to cover the beat, center and fringe, with bold analyses of the current scene--national, cultural, intellectual--worldwide. Now published exclusively in special issues, this vanguard centenarian journal is tackling embattled states, evaluating postmodernity's influential writers and intellectuals, and examining a wide range of cultural phenomena.

[dutch508]

Or maybe it was the Atlantic Monthly...

I couldn't find any bylines, but his Vietnam Vet buddy Randy White told me about it.

[dutch508]

Or the Atlanta Monthly...


definitely something with an A in it.

[GOBUCKS]

Or the Atlanta Monthly...


definitely something with an A in it.

East County Magazine, maybe?

You can never have too many trained journos.

[Big Dog]

Or the Atlanta Monthly...


definitely something with an A in it.

I hope it is that vanguard centenarian journal, the South Atlantic Quarterly.

I am looking forward to reading our new friend Thomas' bold analysis of the current scene; and I want to ask him if they actually have any 100 year old journalists covering the beat, center, and fringe.

[wasp69]

OoooooKaaay. Thanks for setting me straight on that one. I feel so humiliated and dirty. I think I'll go take a shower and scrub myself down lye soap.

Or you could take your stereotypes and go **** yourself with them.

[olde north church]

Thomas writes for the Atlantic Quarterly. Freelance.

 

Then I see "acerbic" and "germane" in the same sentence?