In your face
Names changed to protect the, well, fine people
In the early 1990s, I knew this girl who we’ll call Allison. Two things about Allison were that she was 1) smoking hot and 2) queer as a football bat. Seriously, we’d go to the mall and ogle chicks together. She was very nice, smart, fun to hang out with, and just generally good people.
She had another lesbian friend who we’ll call Tammy. Now, Tammy and Allison were not a couple. That always surprised me because, honestly, how many lesbians can there be on a Baptist college campus in Jefferson City, Tennessee? I’m guessing that market was pretty small. But I digress.
This ain’t a post about that. It’s a post about this. When your average person met Allison, they’d never know she was queer as a plaid rabbit. She was just a regular college chick who happened to be hot.
Now, her friend Tammy was different. Within a few minutes of meeting her, you’d know she was queer as fish feet. Because she’d tell you. Over and over. She’d even remind people who already knew. And she’d up in your face asking you if you had a problem with it and why it made you uncomfortable. It was quite annoying. To the point folks stopped asking her to come around.
I get that same vibe from a lot of open carry activists some time. Seriously, don’t interrupt someone’s dinner to make your point. All you’re doing is pissing those folks off. And you’re scaring the white people.
Whether your issue is gay, gun owner, your race, your religion, or hobby; people don’t like you in their face.
Update: In comments, Chris says:
these people had cooperation of the restaurant including that they had microphones and a sound system… that is no different than the golden corral hosting the lions club… now if one guy stands up at the olive garden and spouts that he has a gun, that is a problem… but the incident where the people raised their hands was pre-planned and even featured local politicians as speakers…
Did not know that.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 am
That speaks to me, and sometimes I’ve not heeded that good advice. I generally try to mention gun rights when others bring it up and try to “shoot it down”. As for open carry…just do it. Most people won’t even notice–except maybe for the “in your face” anti-gun types.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Exactly!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:41 am
2 points:
1. Smoking Hot Lesbian. Photo proof required.
2. No one likes an in your face activist of any kind. Lead by example, not preaching.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’m with Alan. This thread is useless without pics! 😉
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
Well, if I had some, I’d post them.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
So you’re saying for us not to open carry?? Isn’t that like saying to gay people don’t hold hands in public or do anything else that anyone who hates you might find offensive no matter how reasonable, and especially legal, it is for you to do so? Some might go to far as to say gay people have a right to love each other, just the same as my right to open carry…
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
No. Read above.
Open carry in public is different than meeting as a group, going to the local eatery, then standing up and giving a fucking speech to all the other people who are there enjoying dinner.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
“Open carry in public is different than meeting as a group, going to the local eatery, then standing up and giving a fucking speech to all the other people who are there enjoying dinner.”
Right. it’d be rude & obnoxious for any group to do that no matter what their cause.
However, If a large group of hot lesbians decide they want to meet up for a public makeout session I’m all for it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 am
However, If a large group of hot lesbians decide they want to meet up for a public makeout session I’m all for it.
I’ll bring the jello.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
More importantly, i’ll bring the camera.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Here, here. One of the few things I hated about college (aside from the classes) were all of the various activist groups (both students and external) who would accost you on the walkways to and from classes… No one likes being bugged – just go about your business doing whatever it is you were doing, and people will just get used to it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:29 pm
OK, I have two comments.
First, right on. I never thought about how my gun nuttery was stuck on 11.
Second, if a hot lesbian wants to demonstrate how they do things on the island of lesbos by throwing it in my face, I mean, eh, hell yes already.
A bathtub full of jello? OK, who said, “I was hot, and I was hungry.”
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I respectfully disagree with Uncle on this one- except the part about being confrontational. No speeches, no lesbian lapel-grabbing or finger wagging, but I think targeted open carry events in public can be a really good public education thing.
Plus, if you are prepared, it can be a loot-busting case against folks who operate outside the law but under color of authority.
One of my former students who has done several Iraq and Afgan tours said most contacts with the enemy were either “shaping” attacks or “spoiling” attacks. They were trying to see how you would react and influence you to rush into a prepared battlefield, ambush or booby trap. I think of public, legal, open carry events in much the same way.
If you are keeping up with the Dickenson City, Ohio incident and resultant Federal suits I think you will see what I mean.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Link to Dickinson City. Great suit if you read the actual complaint.
http://guntruth.blogspot.com/search/label/Dickson%20City
I think some of the little kids were eating jello. They did need some lesbians.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
‘I think targeted open carry events in public can be a really good public education thing.’
I don’t disagree. but if I take the family to the local food joint, i don’t want a bunch of guys interrupting my dinner by being preachy.
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
these people had cooperation of the restaurant including that they had microphones and a sound system… that is no different than the golden corral hosting the lions club… now if one guy stands up at the olive garden and spouts that he has a gun, that is a problem… but the incident where the people raised their hands was pre-planned and even featured local politicians as speakers…
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
EVERYONE ignores the biggest reason not to open-carry: weapons retention. If you open carry, then you MUST be wearing a Level-3 holster, you MUST be highly trained in gun retention, and since those holsters must strap to a heavy stabilizing gunbelt of either leather or thick nylon, you probably won’t want to do that often.
If you carry concealed, and have paid even a little attention to your personal carriage of body, plus wearing good concealing garments over your sidearm, then you are hardly a candidate for a gun-grab attempt.
It’s just that simple to me: carry openly and have to worry about all the above, or carry concealed and don’t worry about it.
There is a special name reserved for those who burden themselves with un-necessary stress: fools.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Yeah, I don’t really see the point of open carry. Seems to me like it would set me up to be the first one shot by anyone out to do Very Bad Things.
Not that we’re usually dealing with the smartest criminals, but any smart bank robber who is serious, for example, knows to incapacitate the security guard first.
I guess I just don’t really get it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
But I don’t even own a handgun, let alone carry concealed, so I have no idea what the fuck I’m talking about anyway. Just sayin.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
“Whether your issue is gay, gun owner, your race, your religion, or hobby; people don’t like you in their face.”
Well said. I’ve known a lot of people like the ones that Say Uncle describes.
There’s a time and a place for preaching one’s ideology. (Hint: it’s not all the time, and everywhere.) There’s also the manner of presentation. (Hint: it’s not acting deranged.)
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Rivrdog,
Easy for you to say. You live in Portland. Open carry is illegal in Portland, even though Oregon is open carry. You’re also an ex-cop so you get to carry anywhere in the country. Even those places forbidden to mere peasants like the rest of us.
We’re all equal. It’s just that some of us are more equal than others.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Rvrdog,
Wow, we must must we? I have a level 2 retention holster which is all that I need for OC. Heck, I have OCed quie a bit with nothing more than a thumbreak securing the weapon. A bit of situational awareness and acting on that awareness and the problem is solved.
Admittedly, if someone tried to snatch my firearm they would be dealing with broken bones, but then a lot of my training transfers seamlessly over to weapon retention though I have not been trained at all in so called weapon retention.
The best reasons here in AZ for getting a ccw are, safety from BS charges resulting from ones seatbelt obscuriong the firearm during a traffic stop, errant clothing obscuring the firearm, but not the holster, and the whole avoidance of the nics crap.
In fact I have had more trouble from LEOs who don’t like to see non badge wearers armed than I have ever had from the less savory types.