There you go... there are PLENTY of situations where open-carry is preferable. And keep in mind, Florida currently allows open-carry when hunting, fishing, camping, and traveling to/from... supposedly. I've considered putting one of those little collapsible fishing-poles in my car : ) And logic tells you, if one or the other should require a permit, it is concealed that should, NOT open-carry. The Florida bill would make more sense if it made OPEN carry permitless, and kept the permit requirement for concealed! Concealed-carry is a form of subterfuge, and thus it would make more sense to vet concealed carriers, not open-carriers.I open carry when hunting, fishing. Chest rig. After the day is over we head to waffle house or somewhere else. Been there 100's of times, only stopped and interacted with once. Guy wanted to know how I liked the holster and where I got it. God bless alabama.
Your post brings to mind the numerous times I've been told by members of law enforcement, to paraphrase, "We're not lawyers, we don't know everything about the law."There's a guy who carries his AR and a fishing pole all over Fl because we can open carry on the way to hunt or fish and while doing so by law. So he packs an AR and a Penn lol. Mostly does it to get reactions from local law enforcement and let them l know that law and that it's wrong to assume someone armed is nothing more then a sportsmen minding his business.
As a supporter of Gun Owners of America and a hard-working Floridian. I want Open Carry added to House Bill 543. 47 States and 2 US Territories have Open Carry. Only Florida, New York, and Illinois outright ban it. Furthermore, Florida's Open Carry ban was because of one of Florida's most anti-gun Democrats in our state's history; Janet Reno. Why are Republicans refusing to repeal Janet Reno's Open Carry ban? HB 543 is not a true Constitutional Carry bill until it includes Open Carry. Gun Owners of America will keep me informed.
Well, I got the e-mail from GOA on Wednesday, which had a link that sends a form-letter to DeSantis... not bad, but I figured why not write my own:
Gov. DeSantis,
I hate to become a single-issue voter, but if there was ever an instance where it was warranted, in my opinion, this is it. I understand that there is a lot on your plate, and many people have other priorities, but this issue is so indicative of our general situation re: our Rights under the Constitution. If "Free Florida" places them as far in the back of the bus as is currently done ONLY in Illinois and New York... the only other states with an outright ban on open carry... how "free" are we?
There are only two possibilities: Either you are unaware of what is about to transpire, or you are in on it. HB 543, as it stands, is a farce, a bait-and-switch, and a waste of ink and paper. Like many, I am highly disillusioned with our political process, and if this is what we've waited and fought all this time for, I'm done with voting for you going forward... not that you would be the first.
It makes no sense to ban open-carry, while allowing concealed carry without a permit. This is upside-down and backwards, as is so much in our political landscape today. Concealed carry is a form of subterfuge, and thus is more worthy of restriction than open carry. With open carry, the carrier's status is clear for all to see, whereas with concealed carry, everyone is in the dark. Why is subterfuge encouraged, while openness is not only discouraged, but banned?
I can only believe that this is nothing more than an attempt to assuage the "sensibilities" of a constituency that is the most un-sensible in history, and thus an exercise in futility. You will lose this voter if you sign this, thereby locking us into this charade certainly for my lifetime, and I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one.
Imagine that we are told that we have "freedom of speech", as long as no one can hear us talk. This is the perfect analogy. If this Bill passes without a provision to allow open-carry, Florida will have acknowledged our Right to keep and bear arms, "as long as it is a two-finger pistol that can be hidden in our panties", i.e., one that no one can see.
Open carry is not ideal in every scenario, but it is preferable in many. Imagine you are a farmer in the middle of nowhere. If you have to use a public road to move from one field to another, you would need to conceal your carried firearm to legally do so. Ever tried keeping a firearm shoved inside your pants while spending a 95-degree day seated on a tractor? Just one example.
Please do your best to rectify this "oversight", or whatever it is. If we don't end up with true Constitutional Carry, then we will have all the proof we need that a "Republican super-majority" means nothing, and that voting has become just another example of insanity.
Sincerely,
Dusty Dog
GCGF : )
If anyone hasn't seen the e-mail with the link and form-letter, let me know and I'll try to load it into a reply.
In my view the words "Constitutional Carry" mean you can carry within the limits placed on gov't with no questions asked. BUT... open carry is a bad idea, I wouldn't want a situation where some idiot tries to grab my firearm; but also want the freedom to have my rifle slung when in public if the situation calls for it.While I think open carry for self defense in public is a bad idea for a couple of reasons, I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment.
Yep...In my view the words "Constitutional Carry" mean you can carry within the limits placed on gov't with no questions asked. BUT... open carry is a bad idea, I wouldn't want a situation where some idiot tries to grab my firearm; but also want the freedom to have my rifle slung when in public if the situation calls for it.
If you'er worried about someone grabbing your open carry, then you'er doing it wrong. The focus is, to put the government in its place and following the Constitution. Don't confuse what individuals citizens do and focus on the government tyranny.In my view the words "Constitutional Carry" mean you can carry within the limits placed on gov't with no questions asked. BUT... open carry is a bad idea, I wouldn't want a situation where some idiot tries to grab my firearm; but also want the freedom to have my rifle slung when in public if the situation calls for it.
Yep... as I said earlier re: someone trying to grab your piece:If you'er worried about someone grabbing your open carry, then you'er doing it wrong. The focus is, to put the government in its place and following the Constitution. Don't confuse what individuals citizens do and focus on the government tyranny.
Ok. I failed to make the point about confusing the issue. Government gun control and efforts to stop it, with open/ true Constitutional carry. Then there are those that want to confuse everything and throw unrelated issues into the discussion.Yep... as I said earlier re: someone trying to grab your piece:
With the fanny pack, I have to assume that some others may correctly guess that I'm packing, so I have to be just as aware of my surroundings as if I were open-carrying... but I've realized I should be that in tune with what's going on around me regardless.
It's actually a good thing to be a little self-conscious. And I thread the strap completely through my belt loops, so that I can't easily be relieved of the pack... not to mention having a donkey-kick at the ready for anyone who looks like they might try : )
And re: criticizing the wrong people, this is similar to something else I've been saying recently:
WHY do people always scrutinize every action or technique of a self-defender or victim, e.g., he didn't have the correct hold, his trigger discipline wasn't great, his feet were too close together, he shouldn't have fired that last shot, he should've turned back, he should've run, etc., etc., but rarely get so critical of the actions of the criminals that set it all in motion?
Yep... I got it, it's just that the examples I gave re: victims/criminals are similar. People are focusing in the wrong area.Ok. I failed to make the point about confusing the issue. Government gun control and efforts to stop it, with open/ true Constitutional carry. Then there are those that want to confuse everything and throw unrelated issues into the discussion.