Open Carry

[basscatfan]

I carry a concealed weapon with me ALL the time. I would never pull my weapon unless

it was it was a life or death situation. I'm sure I'll never have a reason to pull my weapon but I'd hate to think that if I was ever in a restaurant and some lunatic started shooting that my best plan to save my family would be to hide under a table and HOPE he didn't come to us. I have the mental and physical ability that I refuse to be a victim without at least trying to protect my family. There is definitely a lot of people who should not carry but if you are a qualified and responsible adult I feel it is a disservice to society not to CC. Every time I hear of some crazy that shoots multiple people I always think that if the person next to him would have been carrying that some lives could have been saved. Like I said it's definitely not for everyone but it is for me. Jmo

[jtram]

The world would be a safer place if more people thought in that way.

[MOBass]

There is a person in my extended family that has a hell of a gun collection. He was asked if he wanted to go coyote hunting and he said "sure". Then he realized that out of the 28 firearms he owned not a one of them was suitable to hunt coyotes with.

Every gun he owns is nothing but a device for shooting PEOPLE.

Makes me wonder how disappointed he is going to be if he never gets the chance.

If I owned 30 guns at least ONE of them would be a sweet varmint rifle.

Maybe he is into three gun, likes to punch paper, pop some tanerite targets for fun, or just likes them. Maybe he is not into varmit hunting so having a safe queen that doesn't get used isn't his style. It is highly unlikely he has any desire whatsoever to go shoot someone.

Before drawing conclusions maybe you should ask him to make a range trip with you. Bring your varmit rig and ask him to bring some stuff. Maybe you both will learn a little.

[MOBass]

basscatfan sums things up pretty good. Simple exercise....If you have car insurance and wear a seat belt do you go out with the intent to get in an accident? Of course not. But if you are in an accident you will be grateful for those things. No one goes out looking for trouble, generally those that carry will go out of their way to avoid trouble. That may mean making a longer drive to avoid the bad part of town, walking the long way around the block and not cutting down an alley, and being more aware of their surroundings in general. Before anyone gets worked up that this sounds paranoid....Do you run red lights? Generally you probably don't. Why? Because you are aware of what is going on and know doing so has potential risk.

Back to the OP....Open carry, concealed carry...Do what you like. If you open carry it generally won't be noticed by Joe Public anyway. Wear a polo shirt, khakis, and look clean cut and most people will assume you are a LEO. Look like a bum and you might have invited the man into your life.

[David Unnerstall]

I don't carry. Now I live up here where most of you would refuse to even drive through but I believe that firearm has an equal chance of keeping me from getting killed or getting me shot when I would not have gotten shot if I didn't pull it out.

But if any one breaks in my house there will be a terrible mess to clean up.

[drew03cmc]

Even a good shoot is likely to cause legal issues. However I would never not protect myself or family based on that concern. The great thing about a Constitutionally guaranteed right is that you don't have to exercise it for it to be valid. You do have to watch the political process which would happily strip all rights in the name of what's good for you.

Contrary to popular opinion, nobody wants to prevent gun ownership. Also, to the person who stated they are exercising their 2nd amendment right by carrying or having the option to, reread the amendment please. Concealed or open carry isn't mentioned, neither is the right to access any weapon you please. You can own firearms all you wish, but please do so responsibly.

[MOPanfisher]

Hmm there are interviews of very nice lady named Diane Feinstein. I believe saying she would outlaw all gun if she could, and there are other like her. Believe me or not but I not of of the "we should be able to own anything we want" crowd, but there are folks who would outlaw them all as if it would work anyway.

[Old plug]

Well hust read carefullu what ketchup posted earlier. You want to pull a trigger outside those bounds good luck to ya. Good luck to ya anyway.

[Al Agnew]

basscatfan sums things up pretty good. Simple exercise....If you have car insurance and wear a seat belt do you go out with the intent to get in an accident? Of course not. But if you are in an accident you will be grateful for those things. No one goes out looking for trouble, generally those that carry will go out of their way to avoid trouble. That may mean making a longer drive to avoid the bad part of town, walking the long way around the block and not cutting down an alley, and being more aware of their surroundings in general. Before anyone gets worked up that this sounds paranoid....Do you run red lights? Generally you probably don't. Why? Because you are aware of what is going on and know doing so has potential risk.

Back to the OP....Open carry, concealed carry...Do what you like. If you open carry it generally won't be noticed by Joe Public anyway. Wear a polo shirt, khakis, and look clean cut and most people will assume you are a LEO. Look like a bum and you might have invited the man into your life.

Please understand, I'm not against concealed carrying. But there is a problem with your analogy. You buy insurance and forget it until the next bill comes due. It's not exactly an inconvenience nor anything that you have to be aware of all the time. Carrying a gun is entirely different in that regard. And theoretically, the insurance will always cover you. The gun won't always solve your problems. It's as I said before; you're taking some slight risk in carrying a loaded weapon around, and only you can weigh that risk against the chances of needing it and being able to use it effectively. Personally, the risk and the incovenience of carrying far outweighs the very, very small chance I'm going to need it. I do all the things you mentioned, avoiding dangerous and questionable areas at bad times and being situationally aware, and I figure that's good enough. With hundreds of thousands or millions of towns, schools, churches, and other places where some mass murderer COULD go off the deep end, I figure my chances of it happening at the local McDonalds when I'm there are infinitesimally small. LIke most people, I spend more time at home than anywhere else, and I suspect my chances of needing a gun at home are greater than anywhere else, so the 12 gauge is under the bed and the shells are separate but easily reachable. I call that good enough.

[Otis Roostertail]

A man carrying a concealed gun thanks to a new Kansas law says he helped thwart a group of alleged robbers at a sporting goods store on Friday afternoon, according to reports.

Joey Tapley, 24, forced one of three teens who allegedly stole firearms and cash at gunpoint from a Topeka Academy Sports + Outdoors to let go of some of the cargo with his non-permitted, concealed weapon, he told WIBW-TV. The new law allowing Kansans to pack heat without a permit or training took effect July 1.

Officers from the Topeka Police Department captured the three males on Friday night and recovered the rest of the goods they had stolen, Lt. Bryan Wheeles told The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Authorities incarcerated the teens, whose names aren’t being disclosed because they’re minors, in an area juvenile detention facility on aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary charges, according to the local paper.

The department released surveillance camera images on Friday that appear to show the teens holding handguns with bandanas over their faces during the 2:44 p.m. stickup. Police say they fled the scene in a stolen white 1996 Dodge Intrepid, and officers told the Capital-Journal they located the teens with a female accomplice at around 9:30 p.m.

But Tapley impeded the robbery suspects on their way earlier Friday, he told the local TV station. He and a cousin were buying ammo at the 1133 SW Wanamaker Rd. outlet when he says he saw the masked apparent thieves piling up weapons from the store’s racks and running away. The good guy with a gun chased after them into the store’s parking lot, yelling “Drop the guns!” and warning that his weapon was loaded, he says.

One of the suspects made eye contact and continued fleeing for a second before dropping the two guns he had in his arms and booking it, Tapley told WIBW-TV. An officer with the police department said no one was available early Monday to comment on his account of the incident.