Businesses Prohibiting Open Carry
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 3 months ago
You’ve seen the lists, whether open or concealed carry. What gripes me is when gun writers participate in the self-immolation and embarrassment of carrying a gun. Witness Karen Townsend.
As I wrote earlier this week, this is a solution looking for a problem. Open carry isn’t common, even in gun-friendly Texas. Just as I said about being a Kroger customer, I’m a Walgreens customer and I have never seen anyone take advantage of open carry laws in the store I patronize in Houston.
None of the retailers are saying exactly how they will enforce their decision. In Texas, a retail store must post signs in English and in Spanish that state that store’s gun policy. Store management can ask a customer to leave or call law enforcement over violations to the posted policy.
So according to Karen, if more people did choose to open carry, she wouldn’t have a case to say this is a solution in search of a problem. In other words, it actually would be a problem demanding a solution.
Folks, the right reaction isn’t to say that open carry isn’t really practiced that much. That’s saying that there isn’t much exercise of our rights, which is a sad admission of failure on the part of the gun community. Don’t defend gun ownership that way. Don’t respond to the controllers by saying that the practice isn’t really that common anyway.
I’ve observed elsewhere that “All of these things are signs and symptoms of the fact that gun owners have been taught by society to respond like dogs or other pets by “operant conditioning.” The first time you ever openly carried caused you some degree of self consciousness, didn’t it? Just go ahead and admit it. It’s useful to demonstrate my point.
Gun owners, and in particular open carriers, are treated like second class citizens, inferior men, uncouth savages, like those who have no etiquette, when exactly the opposite would have been true two hundred years ago. That’s one reason I openly carry when I can. In some small way I want to change all of this. I open carry “For the peace, good and dignity of the country and the welfare of its people.” So should you.”
Don’t allow them to shame you.
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On September 9, 2019 at 7:49 am, Sanders said:
I open carried for years, being from Arizona, then New Mexico.
At some point, I decided I’d rather carry concealed. Not because I was embarrassed to carry openly, but because we got better concealed holster choices instead of a shoulder holster and jacket; and because I decided I’d rather it be a surprise to the bad guy that I was armed.
But you are correct that too many gun owners are embarrassed by their gun ownership, not to mention carrying their gun. Try seeing how many CCW holders ever carry concealed. It’s like they are afraid to do so. Now turn that around to folks carrying openly. They dang sure won’t carry openly if they are even too afraid to carry concealed.
On September 9, 2019 at 7:52 am, RCW said:
Captain:
I’ve given the matter of open vs concealed carry some serious and lucid thought and I fail to understand the rationale for open carry except maybe intimidation. It seems to me discreet concealed carry offers two material advantages, in the event one chooses to defend persons and/or property:
– if the thug(s) intent on death & destruction sees someone(s) openly carrying, they immediately know who stands in their way, and must be dealt with 1st before carrying out their caper
– if the thug(s) doesn’t know who’s carrying, this situation gives the defender(s) the advantage of surprise, should the latter decide to try to foil the former’s plans
I don’t disagree with the right to openly carry rather, in my mind, the lack of thinking things fully through. Am I missing something obvious?
On September 9, 2019 at 8:10 am, Fred said:
In the case of Kroger, nobody seems to have read the full statement from Corporate Affairs. Kroger is calling for police to make war on you by way of the witchcraft of divination about unknowable future events. “…and remove weapons from those who have been found to pose a risk for violence.”
Solzhenitsyn said that they DESERVED everything they got for failing to fight back. What will you deserve?
Perhaps police should throw some chicken bones or toss a virgin into a volcano. Surely this will help. Oh, no no no, we are much more advanced, sophisticated even, proper in our enlightened understanding, we are modern, evolved, we have rearranged 1’s and 0’s in an electronic box, we are the ones, we are finally able to order all of mankind into a system of love and peace because we are the smart ones, the good ones, the only ones that know and understand what is good and right and proper. We are the very special chosen to lead us all into the new Garden that we will build with our own minds. This is what they think about themselves. You should be very afraid.
This is the Revolution. This is what it looks like. Every time this has happened the people didn’t believe it, didn’t admit to themselves what was coming, wouldn’t come to grips with the reality of it. I’ve studied this. I know what a communist/socialist Revolution looks like. America is well into it. The Republicans, Trump included, whether knowingly or ignorantly DOES NOT MATTER, are all in on it. The final move is coming, it comes quickly, usually you wake up with a new government/governmental structure literally overnight. How will Kroger stay in business? There is NO FOOD in the humanists self as a god utopia. They are ignorant fools.
On September 9, 2019 at 9:23 am, Frank Clarke said:
I’m from Florida where open carry is strictly a no-no except when hunting or fishing(!!). The first time I open-carried, I was visiting a cousin in Albuquerque. We were going on a short walk down to see the gurgling Rio Grande river and I thought this would be a good opportunity to experience open carry.
You’re right. It felt odd for the first half-hour or so, sort of like wandering downtown in one’s underwear (I dreamt I open-carried in my Maidenform bra? :-) ) After that, having passed several other walkers on the street with nary a blink of an eye, the feeling faded — somewhat — but it still felt a little odd.
On September 9, 2019 at 9:24 am, Frank Clarke said:
P.s.: If open carry were legal in Florida, I would OC -ALL- the time. How do you conceal in 100-degree temps and 90% humidity?
On September 9, 2019 at 9:51 am, Papa said:
Maybe some have OC concerns about being a crap magnet, and piss-poor sign placement by businesses create a legal minefield.
Multiple run-in’s with leo’s, and other “exciting life events”, might lead one to desire a quiet, peaceable, life.
On September 9, 2019 at 10:36 am, Michael (from Utah) said:
I’ve open carried off and on for the last six years. Typically, I OC during the summer because I really don’t like having my shirt untucked. I’ve had a number of positive comments and only one incident in which I was told I couldn’t carry (a local thrift store), so I left.
For the first while, open carrying was a bit nerve wracking, because I figured everyone noticed. I quickly discovered that most people don’t notice and the few that do are usually positive about it.
I may have to adjust going forward since my wife regularly shops at a Kroger-owned store locally.