Concealed carry is still illegal in Wisconsin, so they have Open Carry events.

[Jackpine Radical]

Everybody shows up at a park for a picnic, dragging their firearms around in open view in holsters and whatnot. They're gonna have one of these shindigs in a couple of weeks in my town. My wife & I have been contemplating going to it with a couple of those water-cannon type squirt guns slung over our shoulders.

[onehandle]

1. You'll appreciate them more when Osama shows up to conduct some terra.

Those 'Dirty Harrys' will take him down in a heartbeat.

Kids know how to duck... Right?

[proteus_lives]

16. onehandle's stereotypes on parade!

So much easier then actually thinking.

[Katya Mullethov]

28. Why bother

If "you people are morons" ?















Click

[MattBaggins]

2. No even better idea I wanted to do, but we don't have these events in NY

I dare you... No I double dog dare you to take a bunch of dildos and attach gun like handles to them. Get one of those giant two feet super dongs and strap it across your back with a full stock attached to the end of it.

DO IT... You know you want to.

[tburnsten]

3. Classy

[SteveM]

29. Sounds like you want to, uh, "strap one on yourself."

"Someone who fears guns, for example, could have healthy reasons for wanting to avoid guns, or their fears could be a deeper phobic reaction to conflicts about sexuality and repressed anger." James A. Swan, PhD., In Defense of Hunting, Harper Collins, SF, 1995.

So which is it, MattBaggins, "healthy reasons," or conflicts about YOUR sexuality?

[tburnsten]

4. You should, and make sure you socialize while you're there

It'll be a good chance for you to get a better picture of people with a different stance than you. Live and direct, as the band Insolence says.

[ManiacJoe]

5. You would seem to be suggesting that

Wisconsin citizens have social problems that the rest of the country does not seem to have. What are you expecting to happen at this armed picnic that would not happen without the guns in the holsters?

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Well, WI DOES have this little social problem somewhat in excess of the rest

of the country--we DRINK. Lots.

And BTW, I'm a gun owner; have been all my life. I got no problem with gun ownership, hunting, target shooting, self defense, etc. but I think these "open carry" events are intended to be ?in-your-face," vaguely threatening political statements, and I see no particular reason why I shouldn't make a counter-statement.

[ManiacJoe]

7. Counter statements are good.

I just wanted to see the logic behind it. The greater Seattle area has had multiple of these open carry picnics with no problems. However, we are probably drinking more coffee than beer. :-)

[Jackpine Radical]

8. We've had a few such events too. I really don't expect anything crazy.

[PavePusher]

11. African-Americans and GLBTT's holding public events...

(i.e. "exercising their Constitutional Rights"), "are intended to be ?in-your-face," vaguely threatening political statements, and I see no particular reason why I shouldn't make a counter-statement."


See how bigoted that sounds?

You have every right to protest someone elses Rights, just don't expect a lot of support.

[Jackpine Radical]

12. If they go around carrying guns, hell yes, it's "vaguely threatening."

[PavePusher]

19. Only if you intend them harm.

Do you?

[eqfan592]

21. You don't have the right to not feel "vaguely threatened" by people.

Sorry, but that's the honest truth. And if you feel threatened by people who are exercising their right to keep a means of self defense on hand, then I also say there's a few other things wrong with you.

[Callisto32]

23. If you see someone simply carrying a gun as a threat...

How do you deal with the police?

How do you deal with private security guards?

Seriously. Separate the intent from the item, they are not one in the same.

[Jackpine Radical]

27. The mere weapon itself can't be separated from the social context.

For example, a rifle in deer camp has quite a different subtext than a .45 SAA in a quick-draw holster on Main Street at high noon.

[SteveM]

31. I have to disagree strongly with you, here...

I do not find it threatening that a group of folks are having a hamburger BBQ in the park while carrying firearms. There have been videos of this in other states, and the events look pretty tepid, and the folks in these groups seemed relaxed and at-ease with others. What's the big deal? These "demonstrations" have a purpose: to draw attention to states which have laws which are so restrictive that citizens can neither carry concealed, nor carry-open.

Pass shall-issue CCW (as we have it here in Texas), and you may not see such a push for open-carry.

[Jackpine Radical]

33. We already have open-carry.

We've always had open-carry.

[paulsby]

18. they are expression of civil rights

just as "in your face" as any other civil rights demonstration

i know many were threatened by blacks in formerly all white schools for instance

are you threatened by other people exercising their rights?

[PavePusher]

20. Got stats?

And why do you assume that people are going to Open Carry en masse while intoxicated?

You seem to have very little faith in the majority of your fellow Citizens. Not a very Progressive stance...

[SteveM]

30. Maybe the solution is to enact concealed-carry...

that may render moot the push for open-carry. I think it is rather ironic that there is such a rabid reaction to open-carry from some (not including you) with regards open-carry after hearing so much about the horrors of concealed-carry. Perhaps the pro-2A forces have hit upon yet another winning strategy: to cause gun-controllers/prohibitionists to support CCW so as to prevent open-carry!

[X_Digger]

9. You could be like San Diego..

- t-shirts from the calguns.net cafe press store - $12
- A day out with your friends on a nice sunny day - free
- a picture of some nut screaming to the cops you informed you'd be there - Priceless

[tburnsten]

10. Is that guy on the right drinking tonic water?

Well played sir. Tonic water is superb.

[jazzhound]

13. What's the story behind this photo, X_Digger? n/t

[X_Digger]

14. Open carry event in San Diego..

The guy in the background was bitching at the cops, heh..

Local coverage from the time here- http://www.sdnews.com/pages/full_story?article-Gun%20lobbyists%20carry%20liberties%20down%20boardwalk%20=&page_label=BBP_home_news&id=2121330-Gun+lobbyists+carry+liberties+down+boardwalk&widget=push&instance=BBP_left&open=&

Here's the calguns.net thread about it.. http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=148494&page=55

[jazzhound]

15. Thank you! n/t

[Callisto32]

24. Picture of a guy in a kilt, totally pulling it off?

Also, priceless.

[Glassunion]

32. If they had shall-issue ccw, you would know exacly what a Scotsman has under his kilt. N/T

[oneshooter]

34. What a Scotsman has under his kilt.

Is what a Scotsman has.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[paulsby]

17. mocking freedoms

how "progressive" of you

[Katya Mullethov]

26. As an aficionado of arcane mockery

I wanna nominate Nancy Pelosi's "job-locked" taunt for cryptic jab of the year . Unless of course , she had no idea whom she was paraphrasing . Dumb luck doesnt count .

[eqfan592]

22. Please, do so if you want to join the ranks of...

...the drooling-mouthed "Support our troops" counter protesters that always showed up at our anti-war rallies (as if the only way to support the troops was to support the war...). Someday, Wisconsin will pull it's collective head out if it's ass and get behind concealed carry. Until they do, open carry events are going to be "in your face" more and more often.

[Callisto32]

25. Yeah, those people...

They can't understand that some of use support the troops by trying to keep them from getting killed.

I think the mindset behind that is that they still hold onto the idea of "glory" on the battlefield. Like getting turned into mush by an RPG is somehow glorious...