There has been a lot of discussion about gun control (I control my guns) and our 2nd amendment rights. There is a sort of cannibalism going on among us gun rights advocates. Meaning we all want the same thing but we are beating each other up over this issue.

Here’s the issue:

The “Open Carry” crowd (Of which I understand their stance) are exercising their rights in some very “Unfriendly” areas. While there should be NO UNFRIENDLY areas, this tactic tends to get people up in arms (Pun intended) and brings in the anti’s and their media friends.

Some of the “Gun Rights” advocates see the “Open Carry” folks as inciting the anti’s and actually hurting our cause.

So, here I sit after sifting through a couple long threads of “Cannibalism” between gun rights brothers and sisters and I think back to when I convinced an Anti-Gun liberal that he was dead wrong. The start of a friendship and mind opening came about because I had a gun on my hip.

The open carry issue is one I really don’t care for. I’d like to have the ability to Openly carry my firearm or conceal it. Given the choice I’d conceal it every time. My reasoning is simple. IF you can LEGALLY conceal, then you have to expect EVERYONE is carrying. If you can only carry openly, then everyone knows WHO is carrying. I don’t need to flash the iron, as long as I have it.

That being said, IF the only legal way I can carry my firearm is openly, then I’m going to carry it everywhere I can. PERIOD. And that is the fight.

In the P.R.O.K (Peoples Republik of Kalifornia) I can legally carry a firearm UNLOADED openly (I can have a loaded magazine on my belt too, but the two can’t be put together and carried) With that law, I don’t carry openly too often. Which is why the law was enacted. But is carrying in known unfriendly areas helpful or hurting our cause?

In my HUMBLE Opinion, I think the open carry folks can exercise a little more “Tact” in their confrontations. Maybe have one or two guys carrying and a few more advocates there to show support and try and recruit some of the anti’s to our side. The only way we get our rights back now is to get a groundswell of NEW recruits. We can’t lose the debate with facts and common sense, but we can lose it with emotions.

Stay focused on the goal, the goal is NOT to intimidate people. It’s not to create an atmosphere of fear, its to create an atmosphere of safety, and assurance that NOBODY is going to come in and lay waste to your area because you are unarmed.

As with the hunting/trapping community, it’s real easy to start picking apart each groups tactics and each persons methods. But the bottom line is we all want the same thing. We want the right to bear arms, we want to be able to carry our firearms, and we want the government off our ass because they sure as hell aren’t protecting it.

My two cents rendered.