BorregoWrangler wrote:With that said, different people open carry for different reasons. Still others carry as a form of firearms community diplomacy, to dispel the myth that only cops and criminals carry guns, and to help reintroduce the general public and the law enforcement community to the reality that ordinary peaceful law-abiding citizens possess, use, and carry firearms. Not to feel big or cause fear in others.
While this may be true for a very few, I think you might be drinking the propoganda kool-aid if you are expecting anyone to believe those who support OC are doing so for educational or socially conscientious purposes...come in, that is ridiculous.
I have a much better time believing, as has been presented here before, that OC is to scare criminals from committing an offensive strike. No one is carrying arms in public to blend in, to assist the police, or to educate the general populace - they are doing it for protection, either out of fear, or by creating fear.
I think everyone knows that law abiding people have the right to own guns. But there isn't a consensus, even among gun owners, that open carry is a good idea, let alone beneficial for the "conditioning" of those who might be uncomfortable in the presence of weapons while in public.
As someone who is not in favor of open carry, I can tell you there no number of folks carrying sidearms in public that will make me feel more comfortable - only more concerned for my own safety. I'd suggest sticking to the more rational argument of self-defense, misguided as I think it is...
