There is a time and a place for everything. Getting a snack is neither the time or the place for packing any long arm in the current political environment in the lower 48. We’ve seen mass shootings. We’ve seen Swattings. We’ve seen all manner of mindless and or intentional evil and anything to do with an AR-15 or AK variant is exceptionally scrutinized by the media and the public at large. The left is salivating over gun control. And you taking it upon yourself to openly carry your rifle to order your Bacon Double Cheeseburger isn’t helping “The Cause”.
We all know about our Rights. We all know about the Constitution. What is very evident though, is we do not all know about Optics. And I’m not talking about optical gunsights. I’m talking about How Things Look from the Outside. Because like it or not, we are not living in an area where seeing people in civilian clothes packing long guns is a normal thing in Urban Areas. You are not helping. What you are doing is making people nervous as hell. You are not teaching them. You are not educating the public. You are actually, if anything, making everything worse.
Quick thank you to Miguel Gonzalez for getting me worked up about this.e
You see, people can not read minds. No one knows you have benign intentions. What what’s been happening, you might be working yourself up to cut loose. No one knows otherwise. But what everyone does know – is that you look like one shady dude that needs to be greeted as soon as possible by the local law. That’s all we know.
Look, there has been times when I myself have openly packing all manner of long arms. From AR’s to AK’s, to PSL’s, to Tactical Shotguns and even Sterling SMG’s. While riding motorcycles. Yes… I did that. But I was also out in the middle of nowhere in Rural Utah Flyover Country. Not in a Suburban Area where I’m going into public places and places of business and ordering up a Smoothie while Exercising my Rights to Keep and Bear. Through the majority of this country, it’s ill advised to even keep that rifle in the back window of your truck.
Hell, we had that in our High School Parking Lots when I was a kid. I used to do that myself! But even that is a poor idea most places, most times these days. As much as I hate it… America has changed. We have to be smarter. We have to be more cautious. We have to be more subtle. At the same time we have to be Ready, yes. Always. Just don’t be That Guy that draws attention to yourself for hells sake. With Red Flag laws being a thing now, you could have a co-worker that drops a dime on you and next thing you know, there’s a knock at your door and people are outside waiting to come in and search your shit and to take away all your guns. Go ahead and beat your chest and spout off your bravado. The nail that stands up is the nail that gets hammered. There is a time and a place to make your stand. Pick your battles. Read THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu.
Ohh, for the days of squirrel rifles and shotguns in the pickup rifle racks, waiting for classes to end in high skrool so we could hit the hunting woods on the way home…. But you’re right, all it does today is hurt us, and set your self up for a red-flag SWATTING.
Damn them all.
I remember taking a Ruger Single Six to school so I could hunt squirrels in the woods on the way home. That was a LONG time ago.
Did a play in jr high and it called for two guns in the script so the teacher producing the play brought two .32 caliber revolvers she owned to be used on stage. No one said anything about them except she yelled at us to stop pulling the triggers and making the clicking sound when running out lines!
First: you are fretting over the sensibilities of people that don’t give a rat’s ass about yours. The people that will scream and bitch about this won’t be mollified by shaming you out of openly carrying your gun. They’ll be ENCOURAGED.
Now, they will try to shame the guns out of your home. “You need to store the guns so kids can’t get at them!!! Lock them up! Separate from the ammo of course, which also has to be locked up. Yannow what? We’ll just take away your AR’s and AK’s…”
That is how these guys work. Rest assured, any compromise you make, any concessions… will only be met with demands for more. That’s the way these guys roll. You can know-tow to them but I am done.
The boys at Black Rifle Coffee said it best:
“F*ck your sensitivity”.
About the only thing I’d add is this: F*ck you liberals too!
Fretting about others? No, son… I’m just not wanting to have to keep an eye on a strange armed motherfucker with one hand on my concealed weapon.
With a few exceptions I consider long arm open carry, or any open carry, to be absolutely stupid and counter productive. Visible long arm in your vehicle, dumb but acceptable unless your going to the Post Office.
I agree with Mike. Put simply, I don’t want anyone to know that I am carrying.
That first picture is the po-po. No need for them to be totin’ all that iron, either, but it’s not Joe Sixpack with a Bushmaster.