Open Carry Is Not Illegal And Not A New Idea
Open Carry is has been around in our history and is not illegal. The videos below are just a small example of news coverage stating just that.
Open Carry is has been around in our history and is not illegal. The videos below are just a small example of news coverage stating just that.Open Carry Rally in Sussex, WI
Open Carry March through Battle Creek
Silverdale Waterfront Park -- Open Carry
Open Carry at Starbucks
Open Carry: Guns Mixing with Espresso Shots at Starbucks
Open Carry at Zoo Boise
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April 1st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
In many states including my home state of New Jersey open carry IS illegal and will get you a jail sentence. Also carry permits are not issued to any citzen as the extreme leftist controlled government here does not trust peaceable citzens to carry firearms in any way shape or form. The ONLY way that you can take a firearms from home is in a locked case to and from a shooting range, gunsmith, gun shop or when hunting with a valid hunting license.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:21 pm
In Colorado it’s supposely fine except in Denver and Breckenridge. However, I have been told by a deputy sheriff that open carry can get you arrested for disturbing the peace or whatever BS charge they need to use to remove you from the scene. The way to defeat this is to have a many people carry at once at the same location.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Open carry is legal in Tennessee, although, it is discouraged as not to scare the sheep. Also, if you have a permit, you may also carry a rifle loaded, but not chambered in your vehicle. Damn, this is a great 2nd Amend state!!!!!
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:54 am
The longer it goes unchallenged(the unrealistic fears by the public) the worse this is going to get.
first video ,future victim:” I dont like guns.I dont even want to SEE one”
TV programming has work so well for the masses(satire)
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:09 am
Also in Tenn. Have carried open since Nov 4 2008—you can determine the significance of that date.
April 5th, 2010 at 4:32 am
I apologize in advance for a rant that I’ve been keeping to myself for a long time. I know I’m not alone as a long time veteran police officer when I say that I don’t have a problem with people openly carrying their weapons. First, in order to get a licence to carry a citizen must show that they don’t have a felony record, are not mentally unstable, have references, and in general are just plain law abiding citizens. I’d rather see a weapon than not see one that’s present.
Secondly a lot of us peace officers know that law abiding citizens are not the problem, in fact they are our backup when the real bad guys do something. It takes us about a minute to assess whether or not a gun is legal and/or whether the carrier is competent. If there’s a problem we contact the local Chief of Police and let them know. As a long time detective, undercover, and plainclothes officer I’m so used to trying to conceal the damn thing I know how vulnerable people could be if I wasn’t a police officer. I walk into banks, offices, businesses, have conversations with uniformed officers and other people that have no idea I am armed.
It also pisses me off that many police officers and some police agencies lean towards restrictions on the second amendment while they themselves, have their own protection. These are the same agencies and police officers that think “regulations” are important and are the ones out there that are messing with the poor bastards driving to work who are trying to earn a living for their families or regulating citizens to the point where they actually fear them. As a veteran I also have seen that many of these guys are so arrogant they become tactically careless and actually exacerbate problems and situations needlessly.
Any cop with half a brain knows we can’t be everywhere at the same time to protect everybody. I watched police officers disarm law abiding citizens during Katrina and it made me sick to my stomach knowing those people were rendered defenseless after police intervention. That type of attitude leads to citizens thinking that we’re working against them and not for them. Don’t believe me? Look at the recent arrests of the militia that targeted police. They saw police as their adversaries and not protectors of their rights which upsets me greatly. To them we were just an arm of the government that was going to take away their rights. I openly question the circumstances that led to such a situation and the interactions with the local authorities that allowed a bunch of nuts to rationalize such a thing. I’m not questioning the investigation and arrests but I do question the previous years and situations surrounding the whole thing.
I hope I’m not a dying breed of police officer that still sees that it is an honor and privilege to serve the community instead of a narcissistic self-image boost for people that want to impose their will on others. I KNOW I’m not alone since I have been a member of Oathkeepers and have read and listened to others that agree with me.
I have seen a trend within the law enforcement community supported and championed by politicians that is going to get a lot of us killed or hurt and I have to say something. This attitude that only law enforcement officers should carry weapons, we should restrict citizens on second amendment rights and so on is the complete opposite of what we should be doing. We’re pissing good Americans off by doing it. First we’re trampling on their Constitutional rights and secondly we’re insulting them. They’re good people that will help us if we need them to. They obey the law and give us little or no headaches. They support us when it matters.
My advice to young officers that find themselves in organizations that aren’t exactly “citizen friendly”, that have quotas, whose officers are judged by how many regulations they enforce or think police work is an exercise in cynicism and that everyone hates us, so to hell with them all… don’t fall into that trap. Treat everyone like they were your mother, wife, son, daughter, or uncle, like you would want to be treated yourself, and you won’t have to adjust or change for every call. You’ll be surprised how well you can do your job and at the inherent goodness of people that are treated kindly and fairly. People under arrest don’t need lectures from you and sometimes letting them save a little face after screwing up might mean the difference between a compliant prisoner or one that hurts you and worsens their own situation. Never make them feel their life is over and always give them an option that offers them some hope for their present situation.
I give this advice because it applies to everything, including a citizen’s right to carry weapons, feeling comfortable with their law enforcement authorities, and the way we are viewed. Militias should not be viewing us as enemies, they should be calling us to give training on weapon safety and the laws. They should feel just as comfortable with us as they do with each other instead of plotting to kill police officers at funerals. Sometimes desperate people are only desperate because they can’t see hopeful alternatives or feel they are being oppressed instead of being protected. Public safety is not a pissing match between the public and law enforcement, it’s a partnership and it’s about time some of us realized it.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Dave B,
Nice to hear from a peace officer. The one peace officer that I know well tells me he would have to arrest me for disturbing the peace IF another person complained that they fell threatened by my open carry. Seems like BS to me.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:16 am
Joe: it depends what the local laws are. In general exercising your constitutional rights are in now way a violation of law. There are exceptions however. For example we all have a right to assemble yet if it becomes tumultuous it can be declared an unlawful assembly. It also might depend on what you’re doing while you “open carry”. For example if you make a threat and point to a weapon that would be a problem. Drinking at a bar might not please the Police Chief that issued the permit and so on. That’s why I like the idea that the movement is trying to de-sensitize people to seeing weapons because the public has been traumatized by the media about something so basic, so constitutional, so natural in this country as being able to arm yourself.
April 7th, 2010 at 4:53 am
In my state of Arizona, a permit is required to carry concealed. Is this still true? Governer Jan Brewer has just signed into law that guns/ammo manufactured, bought, sold transported within state lines are not subjected to federal laws. Thank You
April 7th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Dave B,
Thanks for thr rant. we need more people to see
that Peace Officer agree with us and are supportive of protecting rights, not taking them away.