Laws Against Open Carry Are For The Purpose Of Shaming Gun Owners
BY Herschel Smith
7 years, 7 months ago
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Critics are promising to push back on a new bill that would allow gun owners to carry their weapons with or without a permit, but it’s not clear when the proposal will be up for further debate.
Republican members of the South Carolina House Judiciary subcommittee approved H. 3930 late last week in a meeting lasting only minutes and without input from two Democrats who could not attend.
The bill was introduced just two days before the subcommittee vote by lead sponsor Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens.
Pitts was the only subcommittee member to comment during the meeting.
The bill is similar to a measure backed by Pitts that gained full House approval last year but failed in the Senate.
Senators also overwhelmingly rejected similar so-called “Constitutional carry” legislation in 2014.
Right now, 31 states allow the unconcealed carrying of guns, and they also allow owners to do so without a permit, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
But the proposed legislation still concerns even some gun owners who have permits. Jeff Diehl is one of them. He runs a restaurant called Chickadee’s in Columbia, where he welcomes gun owners with CWP’s, but feels open carry could be dangerous and bad for business.
“That’s an open gun,” Diehl said. “That’s not a police officer. Nothing that says police officer. That’s scary to me. Let’s get out of here. Let’s fight, let’s run, let’s panic. Whatever. To me, it’s inherently dangerous, whether it’s a restaurant or hospital.”
There are some who love their enslavement to the state. They traffic in hysteria, and they revel in contradiction such as a concealed handgun isn’t dangerous but an openly carried one is. And those people use tactics like this to shame gun carriers who desire to carry openly.
You understand that, don’t you? Laws against open carry are for the purpose of shaming. I don’t disparage concealed carry, and I do it myself under certain circumstances. I would rather it be customary to openly carry at all times, because I believe that’s more gentlemanly and well-bred, while it’s ill-bred, pedestrian, ill mannered and coarse to conceal weapons. You may disagree, but that’s my position and it is incorrigible. I only do it sometimes to avoid the kerfuffle with people who want to shame gun owners, just like the man in the article.
Laws against open carry are bigoted, prejudiced, vengeful, ill tempered and spiteful. Oppose such laws and don’t be like those people. And point out to anyone who makes remarks like Mr. Diehl that he is attempting to shame peaceable, good men for no reason other than the hatred in his own heart. You should be able to carry concealed if that’s your wish. So too open carriers should be able to carry openly. It’s a matter of minding one’s own business, another characteristic of well bred and educated men.
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On March 14, 2017 at 11:02 am, Archer said:
Laws mandating a government-issued permit or license to carry serve much the same purpose. It requires legal gun owners to “out” themselves before they are allowed to exercise their rights.
The training and background check schemes, ostensibly “to make sure nobody is licensed who shouldn’t carry”, are just a cover and an added expense to attempt to discourage people.
On March 15, 2017 at 8:18 pm, Blake said:
“Jeff Diehl is one of them. He runs a restaurant called Chickadee’s in Columbia, where he welcomes gun owners with CWP’s, but feels open carry could be dangerous and bad for business.”
Someone should point out to Mr. Diehl that if he thinks open carry would be problematic in his restaurant, he’s free to post a sign prohibiting open carry. Someone should also point out that his hysteria regarding open carry should not affect everyone else who disagrees with him.
As an advocate for gun rights, I’m also a huge believer in property rights. Mr. Diehl is free to let me know he doesn’t need my business and I’m free to take my business elsewhere.
On March 20, 2017 at 5:44 pm, Duke Norfolk said:
Good grief, what a hysterical little woman that guy is.
On March 21, 2017 at 10:28 am, Bad Cyborg said:
Here’s a challenge to any of Herschel’s readers who live in states where open carry has been in effect for a good while. You don’t have to go all OCD about it, but try to get a count of how many non-LEOs you see with a visible side arm.
There was a small flurry of OC here in Texas last year but I cannot recall the last time I saw anyone carrying. I do know I can count on one hand (without resorting to either binary or chisan-bop) I have noticed anyone carrying in New Mexico when I’ve gone to see my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids. What am I getting at, you ask? Just that I do not expect it ever to be common, much less a thing of the majority. For good or ill, I believe that we are too far down the the road to sheeple-hood for carrying to be common.
On March 21, 2017 at 10:44 am, Herschel Smith said:
You could be right. I’ve seen a number of people openly carrying in NC, but we’ve been a traditional “gold star” open carry state forever. I’ve seen guys openly carrying 1911s in restaurants before. I don’t usually openly carry unless I’m outside. I might decide to otherwise depending upon where I intend to go. My wish is that it would be more common, and we should all remember that a right that doesn’t get exercised will be foreign and scary to people when it finally does, and it will eventually disappear.
On August 4, 2017 at 9:32 am, Jeff Diehl said:
Blake – I don’t need your business.
Duke – Don’t let your tongue get your teeth knocked out.
On August 4, 2017 at 11:02 pm, Herschel Smith said:
So for my readers, here’s what’s happening. Jeff Diehl is trying to bait you into making ugly statements, perhaps even threats (when in reality, he made a threat in the last part of the comment). I could conceivably contact the FBI for someone using this forum to make threats across state lines.
But he wants you to initiate contact and make even more obvious threats to him, something that won’t happen. It’s called trolling, and I’ve seen much, much better than him. He’s an amateur.
As for the content of what he wrote, this is the wonderful thing about America, yes? He should get to prohibit you from carrying in his establishment, and as peaceable men, we shouldn’t be bossed around by the law. Deihl wants it both ways, and his crowd is probably the urban progs down in the lower part of the state.
The progs don’t just want to give him property rights. They want to control every little thing you do. The children of the hippie movement are annoying control freaks.