I carry concealed because I don't want anyone to know I have one, including the police...what people don't know won't hurt me one bit.
That being said, if I did live in a place where lot's of people carried openly, it would be more normal to everyone. We all are different, police officers all completely different too, nobody thinks the same.
There are some wingnuts out there that don't mind attracting attention to themselves and want to wear them in the open when nobody else does...guess if the State see's fit they can change the law, otherwise there is not much anyone can do about it. There are also some good people that would rather wear them on the outside too, maybe if more people did it, it would not be such a big deal, it certainly does not scare me the few times I have seen a person with it on the outside here. I am also armed 99 percent of the time, but nobody knows. I like it that way.
I notice the police in these parts are all different, some think nobody but them should have a gun (very few, but some), some would rather actually see them, because they know lot's of people are packing, they just don't know who...and some don't care either way, they know darn well Michigan is a gun State and know the laws. They deal with it.
That being said....I would not run at a cop with a gun on my hip in the open either.
To the other side of that, anyone points a gun at me, they best use it, including a cop, because I don't like guns pointed at me...unless I do something dumb,...in which case I would expect it. I'm lucky enough to live in a state where civilians can defend themselves from ANY threats, no matter what or who.
The police do not have it quite that good in this state...they should, but they get scrutinized a whole lot more than we do in simple self defense cases. That's a shame. Like Bubbinator says...you can pretty much tell a nut anyways.
If people don't do it,then it never becomes common. I tend to think that in some places that are not ready for it,it hurts the cause. In some places though,there is no choice,if you want to carry a gun,it MUST be open. As for not doing it even though its perfectly legal and your right to do it,because it will cause trouble for you,that's a personal choice that each person needs to make. That being said, if you are harassed out of exercising yo++S
ur rights,you don't have them,just the same as if the law said you didnt.
Someone earlier mentioned that rather than wear a gun openly,because concealed was illegal where alcohol was server but open was OK,he would leave it in his car. Thats a terrible idea. I REFUSE to leave a gun somewhere where some punk breaking into parked cars will steal it. (and I have seen enough of these kind,going through a parking lot screwdrivering doors or just checking for unlocked cars)
Consider this,laws against having a gun where alcohol is served are NOT about drunk people with guns. If that were the case,then it would be illegal to have a set of car keys to a car in the parking lot there too) You COULD drink 10 beers and stagger out to the parking lot and drive home. The thing is,you COULD simply not drink,have a Coke,no rum,and then drive your drunk friends home. The potential results of having a gun in a place that serves alcohol is exactly the same as having those car keys. You drink,you act irresponsibly and someone dies. The solution is the same too. Here,you can walk into a bar with a loaded gun,either concealed or openly carried. Just like with the car (ok,I used keys as an example,because the car wont fit into the bar,but really,your not in control of the car until you get behind the wheel,but still...) you cannot be intoxicated and be in control of a firearm. In places where it IS about being safe with the weapon,that's how it is. In places where its NOT like that,its not about safety,its about making it inconvenient for you to carry your gun.If they make it hard enough,they know you will just leave it at home. Unfortunately if your going some places like the post office,they win on that point.
As for generally carrying openly,its rather hot here,and its so much easier to carry a gun openly,especially if your outdoors hiking or fishing or something. In those cases I wear my gun openly. The thing is,Im not going to go to the trouble of carrying a separate holster and trying to conceal it for the drive out and the drive back and if I need to stop off and get some nice fat worms at Walmart (ok,the Walmart worms are scrawney and limp,but they are cheap) I therefore walk into Walmart,with a gun in an open holster (ok,it has a flap covering the gun,but unless your really dumb,you know exactly whats in it) If someone wants to call the police on me,they can go ahead. The cop will show up,Ill probably be long gone by then and the officer will read THEM the riot act for wasting his time,especially after he sees the picture of the guy with a gun,a knife,a leatherman tool,and a gps clipped to his belt,wearing hiking boots and one of those stereotypical hats you wear when fishing,buying worms. Hmmm,I wonder where he is going.
I did run into an idiot in the supermarket coming back once (I didn't catch any fish that day,but I gotta eat) He said "is all that necessary" I asked "what?" I said all that and pointed at my belt. I told him,"I gotta clean the fish" He said "Do you shoot the fish" I replied "Ever seen a mountain lion face to face? Ive seen my cat play with a mouse,I dont want to be the mouse!" He said "Oh...." in that tone of voice that shows he realized he was being an idiot and wandered off.
The bottom line is,I used to live in California. I felt uncomfortable wearing a gun openly and thought the same that some people here do of those that insist upon doing so. After a while of carrying it around though,I found many situations where its just more convenient for ME to carry it openly. After a while,I decided,'screw it'. If its perfectly legal,and a whole lot more convenient for me,then Ill do it,and who cares what the idiots think. For the most part,no one cares. Most people are silent. Some ask me questions,like if Im going hunting or something. I just explain that Im going hiking or fishing and that usually answers the question. (Either they GO to those places and realize that there ARE dangerous animals out there and although its rare,attacks do happen,or DONT go to those places,and are probably scared of all the big dangerous animals that live out there)
Mike,why WOULDN'T you write an editorial? You could do it under a pen name. I might not agree with you on that or I might,as I don't really know what the particulars of what you think of them are,although I personally think that too many people confuse justified anger with these immigration criminals (that's my new anti-PC term for illegals) with racism. What I mean by that is that at one extreme you get people who confuse peoples anger AT these criminals FOR racism,and on the other you get some who confuse their own racism for anger at the illegals (they really just hate Mexicans,they hate illegals too,but mostly because they are Mexican). Thats neither here nor there,as its rather off topic. Still,if you feel strongly about something,by all means exercise your rights and write an editorial. If they don't publish it (that's the newspapers right) ,then take advantage of the gift given to us by the ex 60s hippie computer programmers that made the internet and throw it up on the web for everyone to see.
The thing is,if you don't use your rights,that's one thing. If you are AFRAID to use your rights,that's quite another,although there sill may be little help for you. If you are afraid to use your rights because you fear reprisals from an agent of the government,then you don't have those rights at all.
Jcn. God given rights are irrelevant. In fact,people of the same faith cannot even agree what God wants,and often read what they want from their religious texts and scriptures to justify whatever they want to do good or bad. Its the same with all religions,and all systems of ethics and morality for that matter. Its why we don't live in a perfect utopia,everyone reads what they want,good or bad,and no one can agree. People find excuses for what they want to do. Sometimes its legitimately in there,sometimes its not. One thing does matter though. There is a constitution of our nation. Its the fundamental document upon which our government is based. It spells out a lot of things,some clearly and some (unfortunately) not so clearly. The people that wrote the constitution however created an entity,the Judicial Branch,to answer those questions and settle those disputes. It doesn't work perfectly,sometimes it doesn't even work well,but it works.
That brings us to rights,god give or other wise. God given rights don't matter,what matters is rights,that in the opinion of the judicial branch,were given by the constitution. Thats whats important. It turns out that they say the right to protect yourself,using handguns no less,was given by the constitution. We can argue all day long whether God even exists much less gives us a right to defend ourselves (Jesus said get rid of the weapons,yet the Old Testimant is filled with stories of God being on the side of those using violence on a large scale (war) to defend themselves. ) The supreme court however said the constitution gives us the right to use guns to defend ourselves. That debate is over now. The new debate is what are the limits that government can impose. (As I said,the judicial branch often does not work well but usually in its own odd way,it DOES work,even if you or I dont agree with their decision,or perhaps cant even agree with what the decision SHOULD be. When was the last time you had an argument with someone about whether or not the Bible endowed you with a certain right,pointed out a page that supported your argument and that was that).
