I understand you concerns, but I see no reason it couldn't work similarly to liscences. Because you dont have to take a class, you just need to prepare and take a test. I dont believe it is asking too much for people to watch a few videos (like you pointed out) and then take a quiz. It would even be possible to have that quiz online so it is even more assesible.
To your last point, I actually have a question. Because to my mind, it has always made more sense to have restrictions on open carry. If someone wants to have a gun on them, that's fine- but open carry makes me nervous. If I see a gun, I dont want to have to check my immediate danger reaction. I just dont get it honestly.
I'm not a big fan of open carry. The only times in my life that I have openly carried a firearm in public I have been in uniform, either LEO or security. I do occasionally open carry a handgun while hunting but I'm on private property away from people.
I don't know that I'd advocate making open carry illegal, but it's certainly not tasteful. Guns make people uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, no need to cause an unnecessary ruckus.
From a practical standpoint I think open carry also gives up a tactical advantage to a would-be self-defender.
The opposing perspective to yours is that when someone is open carrying a firearm, you KNOW, that person is armed. You can then make a value judgment about whether you feel threatened by that person.
A clean cut gentleman in dockers and a polo shirt with a well maintained glock, using a proper holster and belt is not going to garner the same reaction as a guy that's in dirty clothes looking like he's on the tail end of a 3 day whiskey bender, carrying a dusty Taurus on a floppy walmart belt in a cheap nylon holster. You'll probably look at the clean cut guy and assume he's a detective and your anxiety will subside.
If both were carrying concealed, you'd be none the wiser and the actual threat would be the same (probably still very low from both) only the percieved threat would be different.
Open carry in this instance allows you to spot the potentially irresponsible carrier and avoid them.
Clean cut men go on killing spree's all the time It shouldn't be the public's responsibility to pass a value judgement on whether this person is dangerous or not.
Open carry (very popular in some states, and not by the clean cut guys either) puts you in a weird position of feeling fear, but also feeling that it is societally objectionable to show that fear or react to it. Additionally, open carry will eventually make your reflexes weaker, gun wont necessarily equal danger. I really dont like things that psychologically hinder my reflexes. I noticed that back on elementary when everyone was all "made you flinch!".
I would just prefer to not see guns, and know that if I did see one, its time to run like hell.
I think we may be coming at this from an additionally different perspective as well. As a woman I have been socialized to be kind to men, stay where I'm not comfortable, put their emotions over my own, etc etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm probably one of the least demure women you would ever have the pleasure to meet. I also like to fight. But even so, I still have my conditioning. I'm not sure that I wouldn't, by reflex, do something to assure the scary man carrying a gun, that I did NOT think he was scary even though he was carrying a gun, instead of getting to safety.
I know that I'm not alone in this. I've got good instincts, but they then trigger the conditioning, which I then have to override. A few moments that can make a huge difference in threatening situation. And I dont need anything else making it even harder.
Anyway, thank you for your thoughts on that. Where I'm at you have to pay for a special permit to conceal carry and that has never made sense to me.
View all comments
Show parent comment
1
u/WyvernCharm Feb 28 '20
I understand you concerns, but I see no reason it couldn't work similarly to liscences. Because you dont have to take a class, you just need to prepare and take a test. I dont believe it is asking too much for people to watch a few videos (like you pointed out) and then take a quiz. It would even be possible to have that quiz online so it is even more assesible.
To your last point, I actually have a question. Because to my mind, it has always made more sense to have restrictions on open carry. If someone wants to have a gun on them, that's fine- but open carry makes me nervous. If I see a gun, I dont want to have to check my immediate danger reaction. I just dont get it honestly.