Zee,
I was not aware that Missouri was so advanced in the gun debate. I thought Alabama was ahead of the curve. I carry all the time, including “No Go” zones so I always carry concealed. We are just blessed not to live in one of the socialist/communist states with the large mouths and little brains.
Sincerely,
Larry…
“A Friend is a person who knows you and still likes you.”
“Megan Martin via USCCA Community” [email protected]
Zee
August 2
Larry5:
I don’t like causing undue alarm or drawing attention to myself but am capable of
dealing with situations that might arise with the edge of stealth. No one should be
alarmed at seeing a gun but that was back before the propaganda machine took
over the media and schools.
Ok, this is kinda long, but there’s a good story in here, I promise…
In our region of Missouri Open Carry is NOT equivalent to alarming random people. Open Carry IS equivalent to one glance and move along minding your own business. That was not true even 15 years ago so things can be changed, and quite rapidly.
In my area of Missouri, we never see people react with alarm. My husband OCs, I typically CC but sometimes OC, and my granddaughter always CCs. My hubby has been OCing since it was made legal state-wide, and MO is now constitutional carry. We’ve never been approached by LE regarding our carry status, either OC or CC, and people don’t even give my hubby’s or my OC a second look. And its not like “everybody does it”… a very small percentage of folks OC here, occasionally we see someone besides my husband, but certainly not every time we’re out and about.
It doesn’t actually take a lot of time for people to change their expectations and behavior…
In 2013, at the Walmart in Marshfield MO, 4 women who were open carrying stopped into the Walmart Subway for lunch. They were 911’d by some concerned shoppers and then confronted by the responding Marshfield deputy. Their OC was legal, however the deputy was very “show me your papers” and “nobody is going anywhere until I determine if a crime has been committed”. After an hour of detaining and questioning the 4 women and a gentleman friend, the Marshfield Chief of Police was called to the scene and, correctly, gave them thumbs up on their firearms practices, and released them with a “have a nice lunch”.
Today, we shop at that same Walmart all the time with my hubby OC and nobody even notices… 6 years and OC is a totally non-event.
Between 2003 and 2015 the gun laws in Missouri changed virtually every year. Unifying laws to be consistent across the state, OC, castle doctrine, stand your ground, option for schools to allow carry on campus, permitless constitutional carry - all became legal during that time. When these laws were voted in, some were vetoed by the governor, and then the vetos were overwhelmingly overridden.
The state population, as a whole, gets it about firearms and 2A, but it is by no means an opinion held by every resident, and certainly wasn’t when these changes were initially being pursued. OCers were 911’d a lot early on - and as law enforcement did a better job of educating their officers to the changing laws, the challenge stopped being “Why are you carrying a gun?” and became “Why are you wasting police time by calling 911 about people who are doing nothing illegal?” And guess what… people have largely stopped dialing 911. They don’t clutch their chests, and they don’t even stare.
Open carry DOES work as an educational effort, when done correctly and politely within the local laws by “normal” people. Normalizing open carry changes how people behave and react, and I believe it changes how they see firearms in general. The evolution in people’s attitudes in our little corner of MO is pretty good evidence that it’s a thing worth doing.
To those that worry they’re creating unnecessary alarm - I’m going to say you are creating NECESSARY alarm - so those folks can have an opportunity to change their experience, and their information, and their fear, and their behavior.
Yes, it might draw some additional attention - and you may get to speak to more officers about it if you’re in an area where the laws are evolving… but that contributes to the officer’s education as well.
Not everyone needs to carry this lesson to the public, but where we live I can see the very direct result of some folks doing so and I’m 100% with those who are willing to do it.
