Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: Where do you stand on banning guns? [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)Concealed carry offers me the opportunity as an honest citizen who has met the requirements to carry a concealed weapon to walk in public and to interact with others without causing undue concern from those who irrationally fear firearms or those who legally carry them.
In some states open carry is common and accepted. In Florida firearms are common but open carry in public is unlawful. Florida is a tourist state and it attracts people from all over the nation and the world.
It would never be my intention to scare or intimidate others. I'm just some old rather overweight guy with a shaved head (as I hate paying full price for a haircut because I have so little hair on my head) who tries his best to be polite and congenial to everybody I encounter. I would hate to have some young child notice that I was carrying a firearm on my hip and run over to his mother and say, "Mommy that man has a gun!" Nor would I want to scare the crap out of some tourist from New York City or England who was visiting my state.
While I am not overly fond of tourists as they clog the roads and drive like fools, I do realize that they are extremely important to the economy of my state. Without tourists I would probably have to pay a state income tax. When many years ago I lived in Ohio I had to pay a state tax, a tax to the city I lived in and one to the city I worked in. The city I worked in didn't have enough money to properly plow snow off the streets quickly despite my yearly donation to its coffers.