One thing this thread has proven: there are going to be stupid reactions when people see other people carrying firearms in a way that they don't personally agree with.
But how would the general public react to you open carrying your pistol in your hand, as some of the rifle and shotguns are being carried in TX?Have no problem with OC do so all the time in AZ where legal, no one even notices, since in Texas you cannot open carry a pistol, many folks are open carrying a rifle or shotgun, I have no problem with it. If you fail to exercise a right, you will soon lose same. Just read the 2nd Amendment again.
But how would the general public react to you open carrying your pistol in your hand, as some of the rifle and shotguns are being carried in TX?
In the 8 or 9 years I've been open carrying daily I've had many positive responses and only two negative encounters. In both my response was calm and polite as I countered the hysteria of the anti person with facts. I knew the anti wasn't interested in facts but all the people who were watching ME were getting a lesson in the contrast of how calm, polite, and factual I was and how agitated, aggressive, emotional, hysterical, and fake, the anti person was since everyone understands those who use the excuse that they are afraid do not run up and start yelling at the very person they purport to be afraid of. Especially if I point that out using my "make sure my voice carries" public speaking voice during the encounter.
They should be afraid...
Very, very afraid...
Link Removed
I wish people would understand that rights, all rights, are exactly what they are.... rights... but the ability to exercise those rights has become a privilege controlled by someone's opinion of what is "reasonable", "appropriate", or "acceptable".
Every living human being has the right to bear arms. It is those who think they are more important than others who want to be in control of what is "reasonable", "appropriate", or "acceptable" when it comes to actually bearing arms.
And so it goes for all the other rights human beings have just because they are human beings. And there is always someone who wants to be in charge of who is, and who IS NOT!, allowed to exercise those rights. It is easy to recognize who those control freaks are because they always use the words "reasonable", "appropriate", and "acceptable" when describing what they think should be ..... allowed. But it really comes down to is what is NOT "allowed".
And the only difference between an anti gunner and a gun owning anti gunner lite is the degree of gun control considered "reasonable", "appropriate", and "acceptable".... but it is all still gun control.
Until you understand that THE ONLY agenda of the politicians is to be re-elected then you really don't understand politics. There hasn't been any true Statesmen for years.We need politicians who support the constitution, not who are afraid of their constituents.
You, just like the anti gun Bloomberg funded group Mothers Demand Action did with the Chipolte photo, are taking a photo completely out of context in an effort to push your agenda of wanting everyone to only carry in ways/places you personally think are "reasonable", "appropriate", and "acceptable".
I'd like to address the part of your post I put in bold by quoting a portion of an earlier post of my own ....
Now ..... did you have the intellectual honesty to actually follow that link and find out what positive effect openly carrying a shotgun into a library in Michigan had on it being illegal for any portion of government except the State legislature to make gun law?
Did you know that it only took about 8 years for open carry in Michigan to go from being largely unknown to a common sight in everyday life because what you consider "mental midgets" and "idiots" actually got off their asses and open carried pistols AND RIFLES? During the first few years there were many lawsuits for illegal police detentions (those suits were won too), there were many police depts. that were retrained in the legality of open carry, and the media had a field day with quite of bit of coverage... lots of it quite negative... and the end result was the media ended up educating Michigan's population by spreading the fact that open carry in Michigan was perfectly legal.
And all that happened because some folks understood that hoping to keep your rights by not exercising your rights because someone might not like it is backasswards thinking since giving up your rights for fear someone might not like it means you, out of nothing but your own fear, have voluntarily given away your rights.
By the way....
The "let's compromise in hopes we will be allowed to keep our rights" mindset is how we got all the gun control laws in what you call "today's world". And THAT is the reality.
A personal comment not directed at any individual or group of individuals...
I am so sick and tired of rabid anti gunners and gun owning/gun carrying anti gunner lites who try to push an agenda of "Do what I say is "reasonable", "appropriate", and "acceptable", because I know what's best!" using the tired old tactics of ridicule, insults, demeaning, diminishing, redirecting, avoiding, and obfuscating, as a way to support their transparent "I wanna be in control of how you exercise your rights." argument.
Until you understand that THE ONLY agenda of the politicians is to be re-elected then you really don't understand politics. There hasn't been any true Statesmen for years.
I have a quick answer for you. All the rights a person has exist on private property. All the rights you personally have exist on my private property as long as you have permission to be on my private property. If you do not have my permission to be on my property they neither you... nor the rights YOU have... are allowed on my property.I just have a quick question for you Bikenut.... These "rights" you are talking about in the quote above, do they also exist ON YOUR PROPERTY? or do they only exist out in PUBLIC?
Sorry, couldnt resist, and no, you dont have to answer this post....
I have a quick answer for you. All the rights a person has exist on private property. All the rights you personally have exist on my private property as long as you have permission to be on my private property. If you do not have my permission to be on my property they neither you... nor the rights YOU have... are allowed on my property.
You see Axe... it isn't about rights in general... it is that YOU... YOU PERSONALLY... and by extension everything about you, your body, your thoughts, your clothes, all the things you have hidden in your clothes, and your rights too... are not allowed to be on/in my property without my permission because it is YOU personally that is not allowed.
Now... back to the topic at hand.
Not in the Army it's not (or at least it wasn't when I retired). taking that shotgun off his shoulder was an unnecessary and unsafe act. I have no way of knowing if he had a round in the chamber or what his intentions were (remember we're in a warzone and fighting an guerilla enemy who doesn't wear uniforms). I can't speak for the Navy but in the Army his actions would have been unacceptable and this E7 would have fought your ass all the way to the Division Commander
There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. If you disagreed with what the individual was doing, you should never embarrass him in a public place and definitely not drop him for pushups there. If I had been there and you did such things, it would have been your azz that got jacked up, but in private, then marched to your Orderly Room for further counseling with your chain of command. That would have been leadership and also not make you look like a dork. They used to teach NCOs to set the example!
I don't know what the culture was in the units you were in but I never heard that dropping someone for push ups was "embarrassing". If he was an NCO I wouldn't have dropped him in front of the troops but lower EM he would have done some pushups.
In either case I would have corrected his behavior and explained very clearly why you don't take the weapon off your shoulder
In the incident referred to here, the individual was in something akin to a PX and open to the public. Dropping him there for pushups would have been totally out of line and not the preferred method to remedy the situation. Around troops would be a different story unless he was an NCO.
NCOs should never be berated in front of lower grade troops and, for that matter, other NCOs. If you have something to say, take them aside and do it privately. As the senior NCO, you should set the example.
How do you respond to an obviously hostile person who clearly trying to enter your space and appears fixated on your weapon?