Posted on 06/03/2014 5:12:35 AM PDT by driftdiver
The National Rifle Association has issued a strongly-worded criticism of a fellow gun rights group, calling its practice of so-called "open carry" demonstrations "downright scary."
The criticisms of Open Carry Texas were noted in an unsigned post published Friday on the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action page. Open Carry Texas members have become known for gathering in public places, mostly notably restaurants, carrying large, high-powered rifles.
Most recently, Sonic, Chipotle, and Chili's joined Starbucks, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, and Applebee's in banning firearms from their premises after protests by Open Carry Texas.
"Let’s not mince words," the post on the NRA's site said, "not only is it rare, it’s downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself. To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one’s cause, it can be downright scary. It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I wonder if these same ninnies get scared when they see a cop openly carrying.
Pushing the boundary back is exactly the point.
Question to any actual lawyer in the group - Could that person be charged with anything? Would that be a case of reckless endangerment since the nearby crowd would be falling all over themselves trying to get away? Please, no lawyer wannabe opinions.
Personally, I think open carry is just poor tactics. I want the first recognition by the bad guy that I have a weapon is when multiple rounds go thru his center of mass.
It is no more scary than say, an Occupy Wall Street [or other local] demonstration, or a Greenpeace, Environmental, or Illegal Alien demonstration, or seeing two Black Panther goons with billy clubs outside a Philadelphia polling place.
Frankly, I don’t feel entirely comfortable that the NRA represents me and my rights fully. I have stopped adding “round-ups” to all my purchases from on-line gun parts sites that have that option.
Fox News slinging a bit of that gun-grabber bullsh!t terminology.
NRA surrender monkeys.
People on nra board think guns are for hunting, at least some of them. Busch left the board because nra was too strong on gun rights.
They are very powerful and I think we’re better off bringing the nra to the light then forsaking it.
Thats kinda the way I feel. Got into a discussion yesterday on another thread about open v/s concealed carry. Alot of different opinions about it. Guess it's just personal preference.
Open carry is poor self defense tactic but good for normalizing lawful carry by law abiding citizens.
Isn’t one of the purposes of the 2nd Amendment to make certain people afraid?
“It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates.”
I agree with this. I don’t appreciate the bully-tactics used by those who support the gay agenda and I don’t think these tactis will work for the Open Carry guys either. It’s going to backfire... no pun intended.
I haven’t seen all of the photos, but the one of two men in a Chipotle, one wearing dark sunglasses (indoors) and holding his rifle in the low ready position made me cringe.
I wouldn’t have a problem if they popped that particular guy for brandishing. I don’t want to be around some yahoo who is finger**** a loaded rifle in public.
Slung AR-15, muzzle pointed in a safe direction - no problem.
I open carry when in Arizona. I make sure to dress nicely, haircut, shave, handgun in a retention holster and I do not touch my sidearm.
I had a talk with the guys at my workplace about this, too. They know I have my CCW (I’ve taken a few of them shooting) and they asked, “Wouldn’t you freak out if you saw these guys walking in the place where you and your family were eating?”
I told them, “If they weren’t breaking any laws, I wouldn’t. But I’m not the kind of guy who’d tell others what they should or shouldn’t do because it made me, ‘FEEL,’ uncomfortable.”
This is exactly the thing. There have been several ugly incidents were someone carrying accidentally showed and someone flipped out. Those need to stop. Education is the key and open carry is one way to do it.
Shouting those words, in the circumstances where a uniformed peace officer is simply wearing a firearm, would not be protected speech. Whoever was shouting that could be charged criminally and punished. Charges could range from Disturbing the Peace to various more severe charges if anyone were to be injured.
The most famous case on point here is Schenck v. United States 249 U.S. 47 (1919). In that U.S. Supreme Court opinion, written by Justice Holmes, we see the emergence of the “clear and present danger” doctrine: false and dangerous speech is not protected, such as falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater.
Oh, but it’s true, one may say, that the officer does in fact have a gun? Well, in the year 1919, when the Schenck opinion was published, people commonly smoked tobacco in crowded theaters. They ignited their cigarettes, cigars, and pipes with matches (little fires). That was just normal behavior and no cause for alarm. Likewise, in the year 2014, peace officers commonly wear sidearms. It is no cause for alarm.
they walk around in israel with these weapons and nobody blinks.
i guess the nra has no ide of the concept of conditioning. it will become norml and accepted. again.
Since open carry of pistols/revolvers is against the law in Texas, I guess this is the only legal way for this group to express themselves. Many of us that are CHL holders have a concern that this activity and handgun open carry legislation could have the negative effect of more businesses putting up 30.06 signs, which they have every right to do. Very few are doing it now. More 30.06 signs would be a backward step for gun rights and differentiating between open carry and concealed carry in that regard would be quite complicated.
Unless I was in rural areas, I would not carry openly. The BG doesn’t need to know that I am carrying. That doesn’t mean I am opposed to open carry. But it does mean that I don’t want my rights restricted (30.06 or similar) because of the actions of this group or any other group. BTW I’m sure the IRS/ATF/NSA and all the other gestapo in the banana republic know from all the surveillance and pics of these people who to go after first.
In any event if conservatives maintain the balance of power in the Statehouse, open carry of handguns will likely become a reality in the next session of the legislature. Be careful what you wish for.
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