He’s walking through the front doors…
He’s just a few feet away from your family…
He’s wearing a t-shirt that talks about the blood of patriots.
There’s a smile on his face and his finger is hovering just above the trigger guard of his assault rifle.
Is he an active shooter come to bring his mentally ill “revolution” to your local Wal-Mart or fast food joint?
…or is he a wake-up call for what you can expect in a societal collapse?
The fact that you don’t know for sure is why I want to talk about…
2 Things “Open Carry” Of Your Firearm (Or Other Weapons) MIGHT Be Saying To Others That You Didn’t Intend…
What inspired me to start thinking again about this issue was the picture above.
We shared it on our Facebook page, and while I’m HOPING this guy was just making a joke… I’m not sure he was.
And even if he WAS joking, there are people out there who’ll walk around covered in knives, handguns, assault rifles, spoons, and miniature tactical kitchen sinks, no matter who sees them walking around like that.
The folks who can’t carry responsibly are the minority in our community, and I’m not trying to start a mudslinging fight here (so please keep your comments respectful to others), but…
When You Open Carry Your Firearm, Are You Communicating The Wrong Message To The Wrong People?
Look, I wholeheartedly believe in the right to keep and bear arms.
BUT… with more states allowing open carry and passing “Constitutional Carry” laws, there are some very real warning signs where “open carry” is concerned that you need to pay strong attention to.
In fact, when you choose to carry openly, you MAY be communicating one or two things to others that you DON’T want to, such as…
1. Your Open Carry Might Be Screaming, “Please, Please… Shoot (Or Rob) Me First!”
I know it sends a tickle to your testicles (or for you ladies, whatever actually tingles “down there”) to walk around beaming with American pride – daring someone to challenge your 2nd Amendment Rights.
But in any real emergency – and even just out on the street, day to day — you don’t dare tell anyone who sees you to just “Come And Take It.”
Because sooner or later, somebody just might come and take it!
That could mean getting arrested for “menacing” or brandishing, but if the cops know the law, it’s more likely you’ll face a fellow armed citizen who didn’t get the memo.
He’ll see you walking around openly armed and just might decide to “play hero” and take you down.
(It’s happened before when a CCW holder’s gun was briefly visible in a parking lot, and some Wal-Mart shopper tackled the guy.)
My message: When you carry openly, you’re giving up a BIG advantage, namely, telling people that you are armed and exactly what you have (and where you have it).
For some people, that’s going to be more “bait” than they can resist, and you’re going to draw attention you don’t want.
2. Your Open Carry Might Be Saying, “I’m The New Sheriff In Town!”
What we’ve seen with recent controversies over open-carry folks holding assault rifles in coffee joints and burger chains is just the BEGINNING of how bad things spin out of control when riots and civil unrest start.
That’s how a man died in Austin during the 2020 riots, in fact – he approached a vehicle while open-carrying an AK-47, and the driver thought he was a threat and shot him dead.
As a combat vet, I’ve personally seen how lawlessness changes people.
If the lines are blurred now – in “peacetime” while it’s cool to carry an AR into McDonalds – then just wait until there’s ANY kind of riot, protest, or demonstration going on in your area (something we’re seeing more and more of).
My warning: People will see your openly carried firearm and flip the hell out, believing that it’s them against YOU.
They’ll see you as trying to assert your “authori-tye” from behind the barrel of your gun… and they’ll come at you to show you that, NO, you aren’t in charge here (even if YOU weren’t trying to say that).
These two factors, these two “unspoken statements,” are why open carry is so controversial.
When you sling your rifle or strap on your roscoe and walk around with it out in the open, you MIGHT be saying one or both these things to the people around you.
And THAT could make a LOT of trouble for you, which is exactly what being armed is supposed to prevent.
However, this IS “Freedom Friday,” so I want to know what YOU think about this issue…
Make your voice heard in the comments, because our Second Amendment rights matter to ALL of us as Warriors.
