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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
What do you guys think of this open carry law? is it safer to know someone is armed than not? I dont think it would actually make much of a difference in anything other than making sensible people more afraid of going outside. Also is Downey the first actor to be pardoned by the governor because he's rich and famous?
When you show off your weapon in public, you're signalling that you have something worth stealing, and that if someone else wants it, they better get the first strike in.
Contrary to popular believe, most muggers don't actually want to kill people. Which is why they generally threaten you to hand over the cash instead of just erasing a potential witness.
If if it is more likely than not that any given person is armed, and the reasons for the mugger to ply his business aren't gone yet, then instead of threatening their victims, they've been given a serious incentive to just shoot them in the back of the head and loot the body instead.
Also open carry in a store makes things complicated for the staff, as it means they're not able to easily determine if an armed guy coming in is robbing them, or possibly even react properly to some angry guy berating them at the till.
edited 25th Dec '15 3:21:03 AM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranThe problem with those assessments is that you're zeroing in on the gun and ignoring the man carrying it. Take in the whole picture, including the person's dress, behavior, and attitude. If he looks and acts like a scumbag or a gang-banger, then yeah, he's probably up to no good. But if he looks like a decent enough fellow, there's no reason to suspect that he's about to go postal on your ass.
Open carry is not an advertisement that you're rich or that you're begging to be attacked. It's a message to the effect: "It would be best if you don't make trouble." A man carrying a gun is advertising that he can handle himself, but any sane and reasonable person prefers peace and civility to violence. (And I've got a news flash for ya: that includes the overwhelming majority of gun owners.)
Try to curb your hoplophobia. It irks me when people automatically assume Gun = Bad.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank.How is carrying something valuable that won't help you if surprised not providing an incentive for someone to mug you?
Also considering how belligerent customers can often get at shops, there is a risk with staff bring abused.
edited 25th Dec '15 7:16:38 AM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranHonestly, to me what open carry signifies is "This idiot isn't good enough with guns and gun safety to get a concealed carry permit. He's probably going to shoot someone by accident and has no idea what he's doing."
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. DickLooks like a decent enough fellow, huh? What, like this dude?
◊
Extreme example aside, there is a good enough reason to suspect a "decent enough fellow" to go postal on my ass. Open carry is advertising that one can "handle oneself" and that one is going to handle everyone else, because a random assault/burglary he thinks his gun can stop is like his dream come true. We've had "shot burglar fantasies" expressed in this very thread.
Gun = Bad. Period. Period at the end of that period. A gun is a tool meant solely and exclusively for harm. It's not like carrying a kitchen knife that at least has other applicances, though I'd be wary of someone just having one in their hands for no reason whatsoever.
Besides, if you really want to argue for self-defense, concealed carry is so much more beneficial. What kind of braindead mugger will let you draw your gun when he's aiming his at you? At least with concealed carry, you can pretend you're taking out your wallet or something, then draw the gun. It's not much more useful unless you're Ocelot, but it's better than getting shot the moment you reach the holster.
edited 25th Dec '15 7:26:37 AM by Luminosity
Because we all know that people can reliably be judged by external appearances, and that people looking to do something illegal never mask their actions or make any attempt to present a false front to make people less suspicious of them.
We also know that decent enough looking people never have anything going on in their lives, whether it be alcohol or drug habits, stressful situations like divorces, losing their job, the death of relatives, that might make them act irrationally, cause them to snap in anger, etc.
We need all the good guys with guns we can get! Of course, every bad guy with a gun was a good guy with a gun right up until they committed the act that made them a bad guy with a gun... hmm... I wonder
if there's any way to deal with that conundrum
.
edited 25th Dec '15 7:49:24 AM by TheWanderer
| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |I know it's probably Values Dissonance speaking, but if I saw a guy casually strolling around with a Desert Eagle in his hand, I wouldn't think of him as anything else but bad news. Appearance be damned.
It seems like something out of GTA.
edited 25th Dec '15 8:09:00 AM by LogoP
It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.A Desert Eagle in his hand, yes, I'd definitely agree. But how about somebody carrying a plain old .38 revolver in a belt holster? Would you immediately have a heart palpitation over that?
The gun is an inanimate object; it's not going to attack anybody on its own. I'm just saying, look at the overall picture and make an informed decision. Be aware, but don't panic, and don't jump to conclusions.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank.A guy with a pistol in his hand is an entirely different issue than a pistol in a holster.
Leviticus 19:34I smell bad arguments. Smells like gunpowder.
Anyway, re: Open carrying of guns:
I'd suggest that muggers, like most people, are risk adverse. So, they likely would avoid mugging someone who has a gun. What this means though is that they'll just target someone who doesn't. So while as an individual, displaying "hey I'm armed target someone else" might be helpful, for society as a whole, it's a zero sum game.
Statistically, if you have a gun on you or in your home, you are more likely to be robbed. Why? Because guns are big money items that robbers want because they can be traded for quick cash. Wearing one might as well be a sign that says "Rob me and/or my house." There's always a risk in robbing someone, but knowing they have something good on display makes theft more likely, not less.
This is backed up by crime statistics that point to guns making people a target for crime.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick

French ex-President Sarkozy was the son of a Hungarian aristocrat. It all makes sense now.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.