Open Carry Gun Walk in downtown Indy yesterday (Indianapolis, Lawrence: restaurant, price)

[mk2ja]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

I find the notion that people SHOULD carry firearms to be weird. It's a CHOICE for those with the right to carry (legally, not everyone has that right). I choose not to. In fact, I don't own any firearms, nor do I want to own a firearm. I don't begrudge those who do, and I respect one's right to own them and legally carry/conceal them.

I appreciate your candor on the topic, and I'm glad that you do not begrudge those who have made the decision to carry a firearm. I am a 22-year old college student who only recently "got into" guns: I got my first one this summer. I have made sure I reviewed relevant laws; invested in quality arms, munitions, and accessories; and scheduled professional training on the use of a firearm in self-defense situations. The decision to carry a weapon is one I do not take lightly, so again, I thank you for understanding that it is a personal choice.

I share your belief that carrying a weapon is not for everybody. (I'll assume we're just talking about those who are not legally disqualified from carrying.) There are various reasons that an individual may decline to exercise his right to carry, and I respect his sovereignty to decide that for himself.

Originally Posted by grmasterb

We can all point to one or two examples, but in the aggregate, more guns doesn't equal fewer homicides. If that were true, then Texas, California and Florida would have the safest cities in the country. Besides, a good number, if not most, homicide victims are killed by someone they know, and often times with an unregistered gun. So, more law-abiding citizens owning and packing heat in public won't put a dent in this country's homicide rate.

As I stated above, I share your belief that carrying is not for everybody. However, an article by Robert Boatman titled "The Constitutional Right
And Social Obligation To Carry A Gun" raises some interesting points. I strongly urge you to take the time to read it if you have not previously. (Here is a link to one place of many the article may be found online: The Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry a Gun )

The main thing I wanted to share with you from Boatman's commentary is the statistic about crime in Florida following the establishment of a "shall-issue" carry permit policy. Florida was one of the first states to enact such legislation, and it faced heavy opposition from the media and people unlike us, who do not believe individuals should decide if they carry. The legislation received strong support, however, from the "Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, other law enforcement groups, and voters."

In the five years following the 1987 passage of the right-to-carry law, the homicide rate in Florida dropped by 23%.

Many more states have since then adopted similar legislation recognizing citizens' right to carry. "According to the FBI, states with 'shall‐issue' right‐to‐carry laws have a 26 percent lower total violent crime rate, a 20 percent lower homicide rate, a 39 percent lower robbery rate and a 22 percent lower aggravated assault rate than those states that do not allow their citizens to legally carry guns."

Based on the statistical success of legislation in Florida and many other States, I submit to you that it has been already been demonstrated that when more law-abiding citizens own and pack heat in public, it puts a dent in this country's homicide rate.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate that I share your belief that not everybody must carry, and I am not attempting to change your belief in that. I only desired to respectfully inform you that your understanding of the impact of an armed citizenry was misplaced.

I participated in the Open Carry Walk in Indy on the 26th in part because I wanted to help raise awareness of citizens' rights regarding firearms, and in part because I wanted to meet people with whom I shared a common interest. I had a great time that day, and I believe that the Walk was a success because of the amount of "buzz" it created which has opened the doors for more Hoosiers to become aware of and educated about these matters.


Kind regards.

[JAPP]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

Before you go calling anyone a "lefty," re-read the prior postings. No one here has said that ownership of firearms should be restricted. What I have taken issue with is the stance taken by some that folks SHOULD carry firearms (it is a choice for those with the lawful right, IMO) or that civilian ownership and conceal/carry lead to a safer, more crime-free society.

To answer your question, however....Yes, I have read it. Studied it. Defended it. If you wish to challenge my commitment to the Constitution, then I will gladly forward to you a copy of my DD 214. Of course, having read it yourself, then you're aware that the Constitution provides us with the RIGHT to bear arms. It doesn't prescribe a RESPONSIBILITY to bear arms.

Have a nice day.

You are a lefty (probably an UBER one at that), otherwise you would not have posted such a pathetic attempt a rebutal.

People that choose to own/carry guns to do not conform to your liberal ideals and you're upset about it... TOO BAD.

Have a nice day.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by JAPP

You are a lefty (probably an UBER one at that), otherwise you would not have posted such a pathetic attempt a rebutal.

People that choose to own/carry guns to do not conform to your liberal ideals and you're upset about it... TOO BAD.

Have a nice day.

come on! he's stating that it's a choice, and it is a choice. we choose not to indulge. just because we choose not to have a firearm doesn't make us uberliberal, it just means we exercise our right not to have a gun.

[Delmar500]

Originally Posted by Rambone

I really don't know what the point of the walk was. It seemed kind of silly to me for a group of people to be walking around downtown with assault rifles and handguns strapped on. I know they are probably harmless, but do they actually think that average ordinary people going about their everyday lives are going to welcome the presence of weapons for no reason? I think that even most gun owners know better than to parade around with weapons, just because "they can."

If you saw people walking around with guns more often, it might seem more normal to you.

[txgho1911]

Back in the day when ratification was in question not everyone understood the need for the RKBA inclusion via the 2nd Amd. The people of the day had no reservation of what self defense from thug or crown was all about. In that age the gun/sword/knife was off the table.

Reconstruction era brought numerous laws in the south soley to disarm the black man. Many of those that survived court scrutiny have finally started to be altered with shall issue carry laws.

In Indiana the law is looked at as very lax. For others it is not so relaxed as ownership of the handgun requires the LTCH to even take it to a range for any practice or familiarization. Many state agencys have their own administrative rules as well as the jigsaw puzzle of local regulation in the many sub-juristictions throughout the state.
Also in Indiana.
Any registration of a firearm is wholly voluntary beyond the form 4470 when purchased through a FFL.
LTCH is good for carry. Openly or concealed.
Signs that bar the presence of a gun have no force of law. Property owners or designates must ask you to leave before there is a risk of trespass.

This post is not intended to be rude. For society's many failures I think the increasing restrictions on the gunowner is detrimental to all. The violence in urban areas by guns is coming by people. Family and education is contributing to these bad people. If more people knew the history of gun control the race card would not be so abused as it is today.

[haboohunter]

In several states open carry is legal you only need a CCW if you conceal a weapon,,open carry of a firearm is no more threatening than any other worker with a belt of tools ,,hammer hawk-bill hilti gun drywall knife or any man walking to his car with a bat golf club or garden ax

[Indecision]

There are many people posting that they just don't see the point in carrying. And no one has pointed this out yet, so I figured I would go ahead and mention it.

We carry weapons for the same reason everone here carries insurance. None of us (and by us I mean every single person reading this thread more than likely) are paranoid that our house is going to burn down, thinks that we are going to smash our car into someone else, or thinks that a tornado is going to tear down your house. We have it IN CASE any of those things happen to protect you and yours. Carrying a firearm is simply another form of insurance.

As far as self defense scenarios go, I guarantee you there is no one here that hopes they have (or as many as you would say/assume we feel "get to") to use their gun to defend themselves. But we are all prepared to. And then the people that choose to partake in target shooting competitions and things of that nature, are wasting their time no more than someone playing a round of golf. If anything, shooting has a practical purpose as well that golf will never have.

[Delmar500]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

IMO i dont mind seeing some one carrying a side arm.
but the assault rifle thing is a little much.
im an avid hunter and i have never seen a need for me to own an AK or SKS.
sure they are cool but what good are they.
its none of my business what people own for guns.
i dont care if they want to walk down main street with them this is America have at it.

Which makes it all the more interesting that I can carry a rife without a permit but not a pistol. As far as the "assault rifle" designation, a lot of that is arbitrary.

[Rambone]

Originally Posted by Delmar500

If you saw people walking around with guns more often, it might seem more normal to you.

It has never been "normal" to see people walking around with assault rifles in a major metropolitan area, and hopefully it never will be. What does it say about our civilization if everyone feels the need to walk around with an AR or AK slung on their back as they go about their daily activities?

There is nothing wrong with carrying a handgun for self defense. I do so daily. My weapon, however, is concealed. This gives me tactical advantage and gives no cause for alarm to people who are unfamiliar with weapons.

[Rambone]

Originally Posted by haboohunter

In several states open carry is legal you only need a CCW if you conceal a weapon,,open carry of a firearm is no more threatening than any other worker with a belt of tools ,,hammer hawk-bill hilti gun drywall knife or any man walking to his car with a bat golf club or garden ax

I see this comparison (weapon/tool) a lot, and it is silly. Would you like to bring your pistol over and help me build a deck? A gun is not a tool, it is a weapon. The openly carried handgun, in particular, has but one purpose..and that is to kill someone. The killing may be entirely justified, as in lawful self-defense, but it is killing nonetheless. Lots of people do not want to be confronted with the issues of violence and death while they go about their everyday lives, and this is exactly what an openly carried gun does.

I believe that people who walk around with their openly carried guns are nothing but gun fetish types or attention seekers. While I would not advocate for the right of open carry to be taken away, as I abhor the loss of any right, I think that people that engage in this practice do no favors for the rights of responsible gun owners. It's kind of like wearing a T-shirt in public that says "Black People Suck." Everyone has the right of free speech and is entitled to their own opinion, and I would never want the right of free speech, no matter how offensive, to be legislated away. Still....I would look at such a person as an idiot, rather than any champion of the Constitution.