A new law will take effect in Okla. shortly that allows licensed concealed carriers to carry openly. It's not hard to tell which jurisidictions trust their own law-abiding citizens (e.g. Okla.) and those than don't (Ill.). A victory for those who love liberty and don't buy into the fantasy that more guns, and more licensed carriers mean more crime.
P.S. If you're like me, you're burned out on politics. I'm trimming the blog. We need to get back to CL&J more directly.
I agree with open carry, but would personally not practice it offduty. As a police officer, it lets me see immediately who is armed. As a general rule, the criminal element doesn't like to advertise their status to every cop in sight. Most of those carrying openly are law abiding citizens who know their rights and their guns. They are also making themselves primary targets should things go bad. Should a deadly force situation develop, its good to bring a gun to the gunfight. Its even better to bring a hidden gun to the gunfight. My thinking is for citizens to do their homework and decide the best way to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, but by all means, exercise their rights. Be the sheepdog, not the sheep.
ReplyDeleteI completely share your view on open carry. But there are rare occasions when wearing an exposed sidearm works better for given situations. It's for that reason I applaud Oklahoma's new law.
DeleteHam & 44: Thanks for the comments. I agree. Ham, I assume you are a peace officer. Correct?
ReplyDeleteYes, sir, in El Paso.
ReplyDeleteI offer that you never see off-duty peace officers carrying openly --- for good reason. A perp with half a brain will take out the armed resistance first. It's a dance whereby the player who recognizes the opposition first wins, and the only individuals who are observant are well trained, competent officers and dirt bags.
ReplyDeleteRidge: You are probably right. However, where there is a large group of open carriers and only one or a few perps, the group may deter the perps in some circumstances.
ReplyDelete