"Why you carryin' a gun?"

[concealedhunter]

When I see someone open carrying I think "cool, I have backup"

Seriously. Its like CC and seeing a cop: 'Awesome. I have a good witness and someone else with a gun if something goes down.'

 

[Bazooka Joe]

"ma'am"

stare into the distance, hands on hips, chest high

"Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defense and its conscious that he gains protection while he gives it.

I carry this gun because I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for your protection and the protection of this country."

(apologies to Mr Jackson)

Michael Jackson said that? I would never have guessed.

 

[Medic!]

I'm not. The gun is carrying me!

 

[Stomper]

Glock is my copilot

 

[John H]

"Why you carryin' a gun?"
.

Why?? There are too many Trayvon Martins and Michael Browns out there.

 

[Medic!]

''Why?? There are too many Trayvon Martins and Michael Browns out there.''


I see what you did there.

 

[Gunguy45]

My answer, the one time I've been asked about O/C in a public place, was "George Zimmerman."

I used to be very opposed to O/C. I've changed over the decades, but Zimmerman was the final straw. Trayvon Martin would have never attacked him if he'd been wearing his gun in an OWB holster clearly visible. It's the deterrent, not just the utility of the gun.

Criminals are looking for easy targets. They see the sidearm and pick someone else. Too much trouble to try to mug/attack me when there are easy pickins' coming along after me.

 

[revjen45]

Because I'm too old to fight and too fat to run.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

"Trayvon Martin would have never attacked him if he'd been wearing his gun in an OWB holster clearly visible.

Uhm, much the same way Michael Brown wouldn't have ever attacked officer Darren Wilson, at a time when Wilson had his Sig out and pointed at Mr. Brown, telling him, "let go or I'll shoot you?"

I don't care for those odds, nor share the certainty of the supposed "wolfbane effect" of open carry. Some folks aren't afraid of guns, partially because they have an unrealistic attitude about being shot, and may get the drop on you once they know where yours is.

I once heard a guy say he was surprised that he couldn't just get up and walk away after being shot in the spine by a pistol. He'd thought getting shot was a joke, a minor inconvenience, until then. That, my friends, was a dangerous guy, and there are many more where that came from.

But to the question: a co-worker of my mom's was ambushed in Portland and driven out into the woods and murdered by a lunatic on LSD. The same year, I was robbed at knife and gunpoint by 2 guys. That tore it. I selected as my major Law Enforcement and got reasonably proficient at shooting.

I still can hit something most of the time, but I prefer to keep my weapons out of sight, unless paid to do otherwise.

 

[teflon6string]

...I still can hit something most of the time, but I prefer to keep my weapons out of sight, unless paid to do otherwise.

+1 on that. I'm not at all comfy with the idea of some lunatic spotting my weapon (before I can see any sign that he's a lunatic) and deciding I'm the first one he needs to take out, from behind, when he slips a cog.

 

[Gunguy45]

I'm just not aware of some significant number of cases where civilians open carrying were victimized either by a gun grab out of the blue or murdered in cold blood by a store robber. I've heard the arguments about not painting a target on your back before, but there just isn't any evidence to back up the claims. With 300 million people, I'm sure you can point to a few cases. But you can point to people struck by lightning multiple times too.

I highly recommend "Meditations on Violence" by Rory Miller. One of the things he points out is that people who are willing to commit murder or serious mayhem are a TINY percentage of criminals. Lots of guys might be willing to shoplift or steal a car, very few are willing to do armed robbery. And fewer still are willing to commit cold-blooded, unprovoked murder.

I'm quite comfy with the odds O/Cing. And the deterrence factor should not be dismissed. It might not work all the time, but it does more often than not. My desire is to avoid ever needing to use my gun in anger. I tend to think the odds of me being victimized BECAUSE I'm open carrying are remote in the extreme and the odds of a bad guy choosing an easier target are pretty darned high.

But, carry or not, as you wish to. Different strokes and all that.

 

[Flopsweat]

I'm just not aware of some significant number of cases where civilians open carrying were victimized either by a gun grab out of the blue or murdered in cold blood by a store robber. I've heard the arguments about not painting a target on your back before, but there just isn't any evidence to back up the claims. With 300 million people, I'm sure you can point to a few cases. But you can point to people struck by lightning multiple times too.

I highly recommend "Meditations on Violence" by Rory Miller. One of the things he points out is that people who are willing to commit murder or serious mayhem are a TINY percentage of criminals. Lots of guys might be willing to shoplift or steal a car, very few are willing to do armed robbery. And fewer still are willing to commit cold-blooded, unprovoked murder.

I'm quite comfy with the odds O/Cing. And the deterrence factor should not be dismissed. It might not work all the time, but it does more often than not. My desire is to avoid ever needing to use my gun in anger. I tend to think the odds of me being victimized BECAUSE I'm open carrying are remote in the extreme and the odds of a bad guy choosing an easier target are pretty darned high.

But, carry or not, as you wish to. Different strokes and all that.

Well you just saved me a lot of typing.

 

[belcher]

"Why do you carry a gun/knife? Why do you own an assault rifle? Why do you need so many guns?"

BECAUSE AMERICA!!

 

[Mark W.]

Because sometimes I just don't have the time to deal with all the crap that happens. So if I carry a gun 90% of the crap will never start and if the other 10% gets going at least I know I have a chance.

 

[The Heretic]

What with them eating so many donuts and all.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

I'm just not aware of some significant number of cases where civilians open carrying were victimized either by a gun grab out of the blue

Seems to me that the logic is, if you're not aware of something, then there is little danger from it, like being unaware of consuming polonium-210?

OK here's one from Portland, though I am dubious that it is likely to budge some who choose to ignore facts in order to cling to an ideology, probably 100 such stories would be equally unpersuasive:

<broken link removed>

How significant a number would be required, I wonder? On the reverse, how many incidents can be cited where OC'ing a weapon prevented a crime?

 

[belcher]

I would have given him a bullet instead..
that's just me I guess..

 

[Gunguy45]

Seems to me that the logic is, if you're not aware of something, then there is little danger from it, like being unaware of consuming polonium-210?

OK here's one from Portland, though I am dubious that it is likely to budge some who choose to ignore facts in order to cling to an ideology, probably 100 such stories would be equally unpersuasive:

<broken link removed>

How significant a number would be required, I wonder? On the reverse, how many incidents can be cited where OC'ing a weapon prevented a crime?

Um did you even read the post?

"With 300 million people, I'm sure you can point to a few cases. But you can point to people struck by lightning multiple times too."

As many people as O/C pistols in this country, I would be expecting to hear about it rather a lot if what you're describing was anything like a serious risk. Deterrence works, most of the time. And of course there's no way to measure crimes that didn't happen because of deterrence.

I'm not going to argue the point further. Carry as you see fit. I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree.

 

[oknow]

Because I'm too old to fight and too fat to run.

I resemble that remark

 

[mkwerx]

View attachment 115358

What with them eating so many donuts and all.

View attachment 115359

That is one big ol' boy. Can't tell for sure as a lot of troopers uniforms look like that, but are those guys OSP?