I'm going to stir the pot, respectfully:
I've read your information page, some points of view, and multiple pages of comments on this forum. I must say that although many of you are giddy with anticipation of carrying at this weekend's festival, I'd like to enlighten you on some things, from a police officers point of view.
For starters, some members on this forum are overly infatuated with their firearm and holster. Some of the comments made and issues discussed reminds me of the addicted video-gamer, who spends all of their time learning every cheat code available, buying the best controller, and then spending most awake hours trying to beat the game. It appears almost addictive to some, although 99.9% of those who do carry will never, ever, ever, use it. Although these same people might be "law-abiding" citizens, most certainly doesn't preclude the fact that many of these infatuated gun collectors are mentally unstable, criminal record or not.
Which leads to my second point...mental stability. "I'm ready to defend my family, my country, and my honor..." Well, that's great. But, have you ever killed anyone, much less shot anyone? Have you ever had to make that final decision and triumph over fight or flight? Well ladies and gentleman, I have and it sucks. The zeal of some posts regarding how ready the are to battle all evil, whether at the Arts, Beats and Eats Festival, the Cherry Festival, or even the local library, is a mirage. I'm astounded by the number of people ready to strap on their combat pistol with the latest military holster right out of Afghanistan, and have no idea how to mentally prepare to actually put a muzzle against another humans head and pull the trigger. Pulling the trigger is the easiest part, people...what lies ahead in the years to come isn't.
Which brings me to my third point...why exposed? Why not concealed? Do you really think just because you're .50 cal is hanging off your Levi's means no one's going to test you? I carry a pistol, ok, two pistols, every day to work and do you think that stops people from telling me to f*** off? Has that stopped not one, but two people during my tenure as an officer of trying to take my life? Nope...not at all. If you think just because you're strapped up and ready to go that all problems fall to the way side, you're wrong. Problems multiply because rather than just walking away as most do, that piece of courage on your hip may get you into trouble.
And lastly...if not concealed and open to everyone to see, how many hours have you trained in weapon retention? Hours, minutes...oh, I have a game plan in my mind if it happens? People, weapon retention takes YEARS to become proficient at, and even then, you can still fail at retaining your weapon, should someone try to disarm you. I know, because the first person that tried to take my life, attempted to disarm me of my Glock. He lost. Why? Because I trained at it...standing and on the ground. If you sign up for such a huge responsibility like Open Carry, you signed up for weapon retention as well.
I'll end by saying that I don't disagree with citizens protecting themselves, but believe it should be concealed and bi-annual training be required. I'm against Open Carry on the hip and I'm also very unsettled by the amount of almost juvenile gusto about carrying a loaded firearm hanging off the hip like Han Solo, around an art fair and thousands of kids. I'll bet that nearly every poster on here has never had to punch a hole in the side of someone's head before and has no idea the events that transpire afterward. The nightmares, the therapy, the civil lawsuits, the media scrutiny (you shoot someone at the fair this weekend, you can bet CNN will be interviewing your ex-wife), the lawyer fees, etc., etc. You ACCIDENTALLY shoot someone because you don't practice firearms safety, weapon retention or target acquisition, and you'll be the first Open Carry practitioner to land in prison. Not county jail, prison. No fun.
I respect your rights, but that doesn't mean that it's right. I suggest that you carry concealed, train with it often, along with weapon retention, and really, really dig deep inside and assess if you can handle being involved in a shooting. Really assess if you have the patience, fortitude and maturity to Openly Carry a firearm in public. Really understand that if you pull the trigger and something goes wrong, you will lose your life over it (prison). Accuracy in a stressful shooting is for $#|t, and if you decide to pull the trigger this weekend at a festival and hit a bystander, you're *%@. You, your wife, your kids...everyone is @#%&. Forget about paying for little Timmy's college or holding onto that ranch in the suburbs, 'cause you'll be in prison and you're family will be in a studio apartment living off of food stamps. I paint a @#$% picture folks, but it's the truth. This is not a time for whimsical thoughts of being Billy-Bad Ass with the latest and greatest on your hip, as many posters seem to be. This is the ultimate responsibility where you can have absolutely no error...NONE.
DM
DM I respect you position but please maintain decorum and don't use foul language in your posts. I have edited them out for you.
Thank You Moderation Team
