Personally I think they stupid. A good way to get yourself and others killed.
You have the right to bear arms. Not walk around menacing people with them.
Despite being an adamant defender and supporter of the 2nd amendment I agree this was extremely ill advised. I also agree that’s an excellent way to get others and yourself hurt and at the end of the day you only damage the cause with actions such as these. This goes way across the line of respecting someones 2A rights. I think those people had every right to be frightened/worried with someone walking in like that.
I’ll never agree with taking away any of our gun rights, but when people pull stunts like this what can we expect those who are borderline on the issue to think? If I ever feel like I need to strap an AR, Shotgun, etc on back and body armor on to go out in public I think I’ll just find somewhere else to live. I sure as **** wouldn’t do it just to see if my rights were respected… I carry everyday, and extremely rarely but sometimes open carry, and my rights are never disrespected. I would expect people to feel unsafe if I had M&P 15 strapped on me…
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I love the 2A and the 1A. This is almost tantamount to yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. People could easily get hurt, and tends to make gun owners look like Homer Simpson’s stupid cousin Dumber Simpson.
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This was reckless and irresponsible.
He’s lucky he didn’t get shot. Yes we have rights however we have a responsibility to use those rights responsibly.
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I think they are stupid and unneeded. The Gun Guy analyzed a 2A audit video that involved the police: Testing Cops with Open Carry AR Pistol - Wise or Foolish? - YouTube
They waste the police’s time when they could be dealing with serious issues.
As far as the guy in Walmart, if it was a 2A audit, he could have been killed very easily. “Young and dumb” maybe?
Done properly I don’t really have a problem with it.
The stunt this kid pulled though was unconscionable particularly in light of the recent shootings.
I hope they fine the snot out of him for creating a public disturbance.
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People who walk around the streets with weapons clearly in the open are simply asking the police to stop and ask them questions, I understand the right to bear arms as well, however, to walk around town or into local stores is simply illogical and scares way too many people, what if a concealed weapons holder sees this person and perceives a threat and shoots the 2nd Amendment moron? Who is right and who is wrong? Guns are made for hunting, gun ranges, and your home or car, not to carry around displaying them to act all self-righteous and cool.
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I cannot think of anything more stupid. In the current environment C/C should be your only choice.
Kentucky has allowed open carry since at least 1891 when the Commonwealth’s third and current Constitution was ratified. Police cannot detain someone for openly carrying a firearm unless they have reasonable suspicion or probable cause justifying the stop. They can walk up to the person and speak to them consensually but they cannot detain them. I am not a fan of open carry, not because of people being unreasonably upset by it, but more because most people who i see open carrying do not have their weapons appropriately secured with more than a concealed carry holster. When I was in uniform and open carrying, my weapon was in a double or triple retention holster. I trained with the holster to draw proficiently and practiced retention drills with it to assure I was the only one who could draw it. If the weapon is secured, have at it.
As for marching around town with a rifle strapped over your shoulder, again, I am not a fan, but really don’t care if they do. If I am around them, I will watch them just like I watch others, especially if it appears they have weapons.
That said, I do not think 2A audits do much for building public trust, although it has been used to educate a police officer or two on the details of the law.
I don’t necessarily want to see someone walking the street with their AR over their shoulder any more than I want to sit at a restaurant across from a woman who is breastfeeding. There’s nothing wrong with either, but I could do without both.
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It sometimes seems a shame that we can’t do something about people acting Stupid
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If stupid were illegal I would guess that we would all be in prison.
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Here’s my take,
If you see me open carrying a long gun, it’s my Mossberg, and it’s hunting season. Same for a hand cannon. Deer season. It is the right, in some places to open carry, even a long gun. It’s like pulling into a parking lot, with your stereo cranked up, and a big Rockford Fosgate sticker in the window. It looks cool to some, and it gets attention. It also atracts unwanted attention. Maybe open carry deters some ne’er-do-Wells. Maybe, it’s makes the carrier a target. In light of recent events, I wouldn’t walk into a Walmart open carrying. Also, in light of recent events, I would sit in my porch in Ferguson, Missouri with a rifle in my lap if I owned a business.
I don’t think I mentioned prison. Please don’t put your words in my mouth.
Simply carrying a long gun slung does not reach the level of an imminent deadly threat where it is legal.
In order to justify even threaten the use of deadly force in such a situation you’re going to have to be able to clearly articulate something else about their actions, demeanor, or say a verbal threat to commit a crime with it.
In this case as big of an idiot as he was absent the similarity to the recent Walmart Shooting the guy who stopped him would have been on shaky legal ground.
One of the biggest lies told so far about the EP shooter is that his conduct under Texas law was perfectly lawful right up until the moment he pulled the trigger.
In fact as soon as he took the gun in his hands and started flagging others with it he’d crossed the threshold to where deadly force would have been lawful in stopping him.
Had it been slung over his shoulder or against his chest his conduct would have not reached that bar but someone would have been justified in say putting their hand on and/or exposing their side arm and challenging him verbally to stop him and ask him what he’s up to.
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It has been successful in two ways here.
One, in stirring up a lot of derision for the “activists”.
Two, People no longer tend to get immediately panicked and run when they see these activists coming.
Most people have learned that as long as they aren’t waving it around in their hands there’s no immediate threat.
OC of handguns was predicted of course to be a complete wreck but the public for the most part quickly adapted.
Fortunately we can when the level of stupid crosses over into illegality.
We can’t though have a free society if we’re going to outlaw everything some people may find upsetting.
There are many millions of Americans who live in terror at the mere thought we’re allowed to have firearms period and many millions more terrified by the thought we’re allowed to carry them even when concealed.
The clips from the recent socialist convention meeting show just how restrictive some people would like our behavior to be regulated and that’s terrifying to anyone who understands and appreciates the meaning of the word “Liberty”.
You didn’t say make illegal either. I didn’t put words in your mouth. I made a statement, although not completely true since we do criminalize some stupid behavior when it rises to the level of criminal negligence (reckless or wanton), for instance drunk driving, reckless homicide involuntary manslaughter, or wanton murder to name a few.
Just let it be known I’m a patriot. Not extreme right or left.
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not arguing about
I’m not sure I know what a 2A audit is.