You probably think this essay is about promoting concealed carry and damning the open carry of handguns. Nope. This is about why and how we’ve arrived at a place where we must hide our pistols or be ostracized.
We Let This Happen
Human nature has always been to hide the things that make us/others uncomfortable. We did it with segregation by putting blacks in different schools and making them work in the back where the upstanding folk would not see them. We did it with non-heterosexuals in the Army, thinking that “don’t ask don’t tell” was the civilized thing to do. And we did it with alcohol in the 1920s, and even continue the practice to this day by limiting its sell and consumption to dimly lit places with darkened windows – except in the better restaurants of course.
This started with guns a long time ago, in 1837 the state of Georgia passed a law banning handguns, and in 1865 several southern states made it illegal for blacks to possess firearms. Maybe the most famous early anti-gun law was instituted by an iconic hero of firearms aficionados – Wyatt Earp – when he made the possession of firearms in his town illegal. Heralded as a savior of the good townsfolk, Earp’s attempts to disarm a few cowboys led to the most famous gunfight in history. Interestingly, the most obvious impact of anti-gun laws has been to inspire citizens – good and bad – to carry their guns, hidden.
At some point in our history there was a meeting somewhere, where some politician suggested guns should be allowed. I’m sure there was some arguing and some discussion, before the false sense of added security trumped the right of personal protection, and some foolish anti-gun law was passed. What if – just imagine – what if when that man proposed the first anti-gun law, several of his fellow citizens had just dragged him out into the street and beat his ass?
Oh my, you say, that’s Neanderthal, harsh, and uncivilized. Yep. But someone should have done the same thing to those who suggested segregation and a host of other policies and laws that were at one time, socially acceptable. My grandfather once told me that most of the bad things in life can be sorted out with an ass whipping.
Irony and Foolish Ignorance
The irony is that now the concealed carry of a handgun is considered socially acceptable and polite. You might disagree, but how else could pro-concealed carry laws have swept the nation the way they have during the last decade? Well, you might say, “It’s because we finally have some conservative pro-gun politicians in office.” Of course, that’s the reason, but you get elected with the most votes, and you get the most votes by representing the most folks. If you want to carry a handgun today – legally or illegally – as long as you hide the damned thing there won’t be any problems.
Those on the anti-gun side of the aisle are staunchly against open carry because it makes them uncomfortable, and we’ve already discussed the bad things humans can do to other humans when they’re uncomfortable. We can argue – and will shortly – the tactical considerations of open carry, but a question we must first address is why does seeing another person with a gun have such a chilling impact on so many people?
Well, it’s partly ignorance and partly foolishness. Our now civilized selves have not been properly educated about firearms. In the 70’s when I was in middle school, part of my physical education class involved taking the hunters/firearms safety course, learning to load ammunition, shooting BB guns in the gym, and shotguns on the baseball field. Today, hunters/firearms safety courses are regulated to weekends – hidden – and if you try to have any sort of regulated and disciplined gun related program in school, the Federal Government will pull your funding. Half of our elected representatives do not want our citizenry to understand firearms and be comfortable with them. What does that tell you?
What’s just as foolish as it is shameful is that society has decided that it’s fine for you to carry a gun as long as no one knows you’re carrying a gun – don’t ask, don’t tell, again! It’s like we think that the bad guys will carry their guns out for all the world to see. Maybe that’s a popular notion because society thinks bad guys won’t carry concealed because they cannot qualify for a permit, or maybe it’s because they think that only a bad guy would want anyone to know he had a gun.
At the same time, those tasked with serving and protecting, proudly open carry. Not only do they flagrantly display their firearm, but they also show off all the extra ammunition they have for it. Think about this for a moment. The police – the nationally recognized citizen defenders – open carry, but if you – the good citizen – does the same, you’re considered a white supremacist. Don’t misconstrued this to think I’m anti-police, quite the opposite, I worked the street for 13 years, and one of my best friends is a cop. I’m just saying, cops open carry as they should, and it’s OK with most of us. (Some fools would like the cops to armed with nothing but good manners.)
What is also foolish and shameful is that if you get out of your truck to pump some gas, or run in Lowes to buy some lumber, and you have a handgun in a holster on your side, folks are likely to look at you as some sort of menace to society or a Timothy McVey militia-type lunatic.
The Pros & Cons of Open Carry
I said we’d discuss this, and I’m going to give you some facts. But before we get into the good and bad of open and concealed carry, I suggest you read a Shooting Illustrated article by my good friend, Sheriff Jim Wilson.
Most firearms experts/trainers suggest open carry is a bad idea, and there are four popular reasons they cite to support their claim. These are detailed in this article by a cop who does not support the practice.
Reason #1: Open carry will cause hassles with other people and eventually the police.
There’s some truth to this, but it’s mostly because our society has been conditioned to assume a visible gun is a bad gun. If you’re seen open carrying a handgun, someone is likely to call the police. But this is also partly a geographical problem. In some more rural parts of America — like Paulden, Arizona, near Gunsite Academy — it’s not an issue at all. Also, some claim that in the instance of an active shooter a good guy carrying a handgun, openly, might be mistaken for a bad guy. There’s some truth to that as well, but it also suggests the cops are not capable of decerning the difference. One thing I learned as a police officer is to treat everyone I came in contact with as though they were armed until factually proven otherwise.
Reason #2: Criminals may not be deterred by openly carried guns.
Maybe not, but most likely they will be. Imagine you’re a bad guy looking for a place to do bad stuff. You see a little convenience store and think, ‘Hey, that’d be a great place to do some murdering, raping, and stealing,’ but when you pull into the parking lot you see a cop car out front. Hmm, convenience stores are rarely robbed when a cop is inside unless the cop is undercover – with a hidden gun. It’s also suggested that you lose the element of surprise when you open carry and you’ll be the one who is shot first. Maybe, but maybe not. But you for damn sure you lose the opportunity to deter when your handgun is concealed. I’d much rather deter bad things than be forced to surprise a bad guy.
Reason #3: Getting your gun taken away is always possible.
Yep, for sure, and one of the common supporting facts for this statement is that many of the cops who are killed, are killed with their own gun. The difference is, predominately, cops who are killed with their own gun were attempting to arrest a bad guy. The bad guy didn’t just sneak up behind them and grab their gun and shoot them in the back because they thought it would be fun. I could also argue that many police officers – local, federal, and state – have insufficient training to carry a gun or to keep it away from a bad guy. I know this because I worked as a law enforcement firearms instructor for many years.
Reason #4: Most people who carry guns have crappy holsters and no weapon retention skills.
Yep, that’s true too. But many who drive cars shouldn’t be, and their cars are crappy, some doctors are dangerous, some teachers color outside the lines, and most politicians attempting to dictate what we can and cannot do, don’t know anything about what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Maybe, if carrying a gun had not become so taboo it would be easier for folks to get good training about the good gear and good tactics they need. Hell, maybe they could learn all that in school where basic education is supposed to happen.
Should You Open Carry?
I believe there are times when open carry is OK, and I also believe there are times when open carry is a bad idea. You might be of the mind that since open carry is legal in your location that you should do it no matter what, and that if questioned by civilians or the cops, you should just proudly proclaim it’s your right and that you’re completely legal. That’s the activists’ approach, and it can be as politically effective as it is politically and personally problematic.
The real problem with open carry is that it is a problem at all. Carrying a handgun in the open is not like we’re advertising our assumed gender, our sexual preference, or our nationality or race. If that were the case, it would be generally accepted. Nope, mostly, open carry means you’re not agreeable to becoming a victim, and that you believe as God and Samuel Colt did, that all men – and women – should be equal. The problem of course is that a large portion of the population has a hard time accepting that. They’re fine with you displaying your differences but want you to keep your equality hidden.
It's a damned shame and it’s not the guns. It’s the humans that are the problem.