OMG! Open Carry is Legal and I Saw Someone Actually Doing It! OMG!

By
Dan Zimmerman
-
232

All I see when I see someone wearing a gun while running errands is fear and paranoia, which is a bad combination when mixed with a deadly weapon. Imagine if someone had a machete sticking out the back of their pants everywhere they went. How insane would that look? How is a loaded handgun any different, other than being able to kill more people more quickly and efficiently with it?

This element of American culture causes people in other developed nations to look at us in utter bafflement. Heck, it baffles me, and I grew up here. We have a gun problem in the U.S. That fact is indisputable. And it’s not just because criminals have guns. States with higher gun ownership rates have higher gun death rates. States with stricter gun laws have lower gun death rates. Ideology aside, the math favors fewer guns and stricter laws, not the free-for-all gun culture gripping a decent portion of the country.

Additionally, how can we truly say we’re a great nation if people feel like they can’t leave the house unarmed? I can’t wrap my brain around the mindset. What kind of warped version of “freedom” is that?

— Annie Reneau in People parading guns through grocery stores does not make them, or America, great

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

232 COMMENTS

  1. Fact checkers need to correct the misinformation in the tweet and the subsequent supporter’s statement.

    • Correct, the “info” is the exact opposite of the truth. One only has to look at Chicago to prove it.
      This article/tweet/whatever is letfist anti gun propaganda and lies.

      • In hard numbers, sure, her stats are way off, but the large population of California dilutes the rate on a per capita basis. For example, California has the highest number of murders (1690) but is only 29th out of 52 (including DC and Puerto Rico), while DC, with only 166 intentional homicides is number 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_intentional_homicide_rate
        Take a gander at the top ten, among which are a bunch of southern states with lax gun laws.

      • I agree – IMO- Gun Laws Only AFECT THE LAW ABIDING PEOPLE ! Criminals Dont CARE – Hence = CRIMINAL! And The LEFTIST / LIBS -all Have an AGENDA ! THEY WANT TOTAL CONTROL OVER US ! period! thats why All of the “gun laws! They Think we are Stupid! NOT ! ! ! Look what RED STATES ARE DOING ;; Stopping the Direction of This FAUX GOV. & PRES….!!!! by doing EXACTLY WHAT ” THE PEOPLE WANT” The Right to PROTECT THEMSELVES from the Very Criminals THAT MAKE – UP THE GUN LAWS ! AND The Judges that LET ALL THE CRIMINALS OUT OF PRISON!

  2. I’m sure the ink, especially since it wasn’t a butterfly or kitten on the guy’s arm added to her nervousness.

    And, yes, some of us, including me, do believe that they need to be armed while out in public. I truly believe we are still a great nation, the problem stems from those who enjoy our freedoms and liberties but hate the country anyway,

    At present I’m satisfied in my own safety to go concealed at this stage but if things get worse, nfbd to open carry. Cut down on the production time and also keep many from even “thinking about it”…

    https://youtu.be/wX3hRj6XoUM
    https://youtu.be/0OHH49vtl2g

    • “…people feel like they can’t leave the house unarmed?”

      Leave the house?

      There is always a gun within reach when I am HOME.

      Someone asked me why I carried a gun in my own home.

      I replied “decepticons”…

      Then I laughed…

      Then they laughed…

      Then the toaster laughed…

      Then I shot the toaster.

      All joking aside, given the current increase in rate of violent crimes including home invasion, most of us who are smart enough to arm ourselves realize that the one time you don’t have your gun is the time you’ll need it.

      “Lord, make me fast and accurate-Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to do harm to me and mine.

      Let not my last thought be ‘If I Only Had My Gun’; and Lord if today is truly the day that you call me home, Let Me Die in a pile of empty brass.”

      • I live in a town infested with junkies. They’re constantly stealing stuff from people’s yards, vehicles, and homes. They haven’t attacked anyone yet, besides each other, but it’s only a matter of time before one gets desperate. I’m not taking any chances. And IDGAF what any antis think about it.

    • I normally conceal carry, but when things were going crazy up here last summer, I open carried. First time I’ve walked around with a weapon in plain sight since I carried an M4 around Baghdad 15 years ago.

      A guy asked me why I had that thing on my
      hip; I glanced over at my two little girls and told him I’m always armed when I’m transporting precious cargo.

      • It still amazes me that these fools somehow perceive a difference when they cannot SEE a gun, I have carried literally everywhere for the past 15 years, including Post Offices, hospitals, movies, grocery stores, EVERYWHERE, including all manner of prohibited areas, except churches, since I wouldn’t be caught dead in a church. Or I would have carried in church, too. But since someone can SEE an OC, they get all triggered, and completely fail to understand that whenever they are out in public there are people with guns all around them. And always will be, even where it is not legal.

        • “But since someone can SEE an OC, they get all triggered,…”

          Because in a legitimate democracy, an equitable society, a caring public, a nation without white privilege, no one should be faced with seeing anything disturbing their sense of safety and approval of self.

        • out of sight…out of mind…open carry makes people uncomfortable, so why do it?…it also advertises you have a gun meaning someone may view it as an opportunity to get it from you…while I support it legally, I also think it’s a bad idea…

        • Ok, you asked, Frank.
          1. why restrict your freedoms because it makes someone else uncomfortable? If that was the case comedy would be soon dead. Oh yeah, it is.
          2. You change pants and leave your wallet at home. Do you continue to carry concealed (illegally) or do you open carry (legally)?
          3. You are above the age of 18, yet under 21. In many states that necessitates open carry.
          4. You travel to a state that would honor your state’s license, but your state doesn’t offer a license (constitutional carry).
          5. You have a 25 year old marijuana conviction, that is not enough to keep you from owning or carrying, but enough to keep you from getting a carry concealed permit.
          6. You are making a political statement (two rights exercised at once).
          7. You’d rather not have another layer of cloth between you and your gun in an emergency. Go ahead and draw, from cover, as fast as you can 10 times. You’ll likely get caught up in your shirt, at least once; twice if you carry a revolver.
          8. Panhandlers, and other annoying leaches of the world, tend to leave you alone.
          9. I want everyone to know how massive my penis is, by showing off my little pistol.

        • Larry:
          I do hope that you realize that, if you are caught carrying in a post office, you are in for a very large helping of grief.

        • . You travel to a state that would honor your state’s license, but your state doesn’t offer a license (constitutional carry).

          Not aware of any Constitutional Carry (Open Carry) states that do not still provide CC permits for just that purpose…

  3. I don’t believe in open carrying without retention, and that holster doesn’t look like it has any. And while I don’t open carry, I applaud those who do because they’re the ones giving the finger to everyone else. And Democrats deserve to be told to fuck off. Every day.

      • Obviously to get to the grocery store the virgin annie reneau buckled herself in a 3000 pound pirus projectile that could be used to reek havoc. And because she is fully fixated on a firearm and not on crime she thought absolutely nothing of piloting a vehicle that she could plow down the open carry person along with anyone else in her path. Her narrow mindedness is expected from nitwits who are quick to get their panties in a wad and run around pointing fingers at everyone but themselves.

        Well annie your ignorance of firearms and The Constitution of The United States makes you and your ilk perfect victims, soft targets for criminals with a gun, without a gun it does not matter one iota.

        I will never allow annie’s stupidity to become the basis for my self-defense. I will rely on my Second Amendment Right to protect me should I be cornered by the kind of pervert who would stuff a rag in annie’s piehole, screw her in the butt, strangle her if she is lucky and throw her corpse in a ditch where animals will scatter her bones and some poor hunter trying to enjoy nature and put food on the table will stumble upon her nauseating remains all for her like minded pals to say, “That’s so sad.”

        When cornered I much prefer having an ability to put perverts in a box and peeing on their graves annie…And so should you.

        • “3000 pound Prius projectile”

          A demonstrable fact beneficial to putting things into perspective for people- a 230gr bullet weighs 0.52 ounces…

        • Debbie:
          As usual, you do not mince words. And… you’re absolutely right, also as usual.

    • I dress nicely, act courteous towards others and open carry everyday and everywhere (that it is legal). I live in a conservative state that borders a socialist state. I don’t open carry to “give the finger” to the hoplophobes, but to present that bearing arms is normal and acceptable. If they want to come to my state to shop, eat, visit for whatever, than they should accept us as we are. I return the courtesy when I visit their state and conceal carry there.

      • You have hit the nail on the head. Once upon a time in America, bearing arms openly was so common no one paid it any mind. But with increasing urbanization and stricter gun laws, the popularity of open carry started to fade until in many places it faded away entirely. Those who carried carried concealed. Now it so rare to see firearms, and so common for many people to have no experience with guns or gun owners, particularly in large coastal urban areas, that the sight of a gun is out and out terrifying. In California, when some people sought to resurrect the practice (even if it was only open unloaded) the soccer moms (aka Karens) were so appalled that open carry was banned completely. The only way to carry in an urban area in California is a CCW, and even that, the Ninth Circus has held, is a privilege granted in the discretion of the Sheriff or Chief of Police, not a right. (In point of fact, the Ninth has also held that the Second does not guarantee a right to bear arms in public either, but that is another issue all together.)

        • common?..outside of the places out west where the law wasn’t close at hand I don’t think so…in the cities people opted for “hideout” guns… now we’re not talking about people walking around with a .22 rifle or a shotgun in small towns or rural areas where it was not unusual…but back in the day [for me] pistols were not all that common…certainly not like they are now….

    • You mean a Level II retention, like a tension clasp? Any holster that retains a gun and doesn’t release it when held upside down (such as a properly fitted Kydex) is already a Level I retention by definition.

      I’ve tried all sorts of holsters. IWB, OWB, thigh rig, cross draw, multi retention, free draw, firmer finished leather, softer brushed leather, Kydex…I’m most comfortable with a free draw Kydex.

    • giving them the finger?..not much of a reason…all it does is get them thinking we should have more gun control…

  4. States with stricter gun laws have lower gun death rates.

    Another ignorant, uninformed Karen… Apparently unaware of ANY studies done by credible organizations or FBI reports issued over the past 50 years AND oblivious to daily News coming from Chicago (ILL), NYC (NY), Los Angeles (CA) or Boston (MA)… She would rather believe Beijing Biden and his minions and groups like Everytown, Brady and Giffords who make their living from fearmongering and propagating the lies…

    • Stop using the anti-white slur “Karen”.

      It defames white people and it’s mean to women who are named Karen. What if I called everything I don’t like a “Cohen” or a “DeShawn” or a “Wang”?

      • GFY… You can call anything you don’t like anything YOU want… Do you uderstand “FREE SPEECH”?… I didn’t make up the term “KAREN” and I don’t view it as a defamatory term to ALL white people (I’m sure ther are a couple of non-white women named Karen) OR women named Karen… I would call her a C-NT but that would offend someone else, so get over yourself and move on because no one is going to pay any attention to YOUR feelz anyway…

      • The male version of Karen is named Ken. Lots of those running about these days.
        Oh noes! open carry of an icky gun and the guy has ink and a tank top..double ick!
        Here’s an idea, Karen’s and Ken’s should mind their own business.
        ‘Live and let live’ used to be thing in America. What happened?

        • Then shouldn’t “Karen” be “Barbie”?

          I just follow the Red Foreman example…..dumbass is unisex.

          Cause I’m “woke”.

        • Then shouldn’t “Karen” be “Barbie”?

          Barbie already has her own group of “feminist” Karens….

      • So you are the self assigned minder of what we say. Its also anti white you say. And a Slur ! Oh boy ! Either you meant to be funny or you are dead serious. I always say “ If the Slur fits, then wear it.”. Perhaps we should use race specific versions of Karens. Like Kawonga for Africans. And Kachenga for the Chinese. Karenbleu for the French. You get the idea That way we dont discriminate.

      • Yo, Stop! When you introduce race into a discussion where it has no place, which you just did, you label yourself a “racist”, and thinking people won’t wish to have anything to do with you.

      • Little bit of trivia I heard the other day. New female babies are not being named Karen.

        Apparently the meme has ruined the name.

        • {Karen}

          “Apparently the meme has ruined the name.”

          Oh, I am a mean bastard, I *laughed* at that! 😉

    • This is one where the statistic is probably true, but it’s a worthless comparison. We know that 2/3 of gun deaths are by suicide. Statistically, our open carrier would be twice as likely to become distraught over the inflated price of arugula and decide he can’t go on living, than to murder Karen because she took 3 bottles of goat’s milk when the sign clearly said “Limit 2 per customer.” If the law abiding folk can’t get a gun legally, they aren’t going to go out of their way to procure one illegally solely for the purpose of offing themselves. Similarly, fewer people in rural areas throw themselves off skyscrapers or step in front of subways. There is no proof that substitute means are not used, or the overall suicide rate is lower. Unfortunately, this leaves the criminals with weapons against undefended citizens. The criminals use their guns unopposed, so violent crime and murder rates are higher in these “low ownership” areas. So, fewer guns = higher crime and fewer gun suicides, but not necessarily fewer suicides overall.

    • most would reject that…killings and shootings now in large urban areas are commonplace…everywhere else they’re a rarity…sounds like another apparent attempt at misdirection and probably deliberate misinformation…

  5. States with more gun laws have lower death rates…🤣😂😅😂😂😅😂😂
    We’ll keep up the good fight, but the Earth is doomed as long as we continue to have morons like this around. Idiocracy is 20 years away scrow…🤣😂😅😂😂😅😂😂

    • I would imagine, like most Liberals, if you were in a mass shooting, stabing event, riot etc., you would either wish you had the means to defend yourself or wish someone with the means would run to your rescue. I call, “Wishing” a failed strategy from the start.

      Most people are bleating sheep, depending on others for many things in life. The rest of us, are perfectly fine being responsible for our own lives, including self-defense with firearms.

      My Right to Life is not subject to the permission or consent of others. My Natural Rights, including the Right to Bear Arms in defense of self, family and community comes from my Creator, not government.

      If you have a problem with that, there are plenty of Totalitarian regimes that would welcome additional subjects to join them. Good Luck.

    • States with more gun laws have lower death rates…

      That’s not what she said. She said “gun death rates”, which is true. States like Wyoming and Montana might have nearly zero murders compared to Baltimore or Chicago, but they have have an alarmingly high percentage of older, white men committing suicide with guns (you’d think the leftists would want to encourage this). Roughly 2/3 of deaths via firearm in the USA are suicides. These numbers, if presented manipulatively and conflated with murder rates, make pro-gun states look dangerous and gun control states look safe, while the reality is usually the opposite (a few exceptions like Louisiana and Hawaii exist).

      But that’s all based on pre 2020 data. Since 2019 the murder (and other violent crime) rates in big cities, especially in gun control states, have gone up significantly. Some have doubled. Shockingly, defunding the police and eliminating bail for violent offenders hasn’t made NYC safer. I’m curious if the gun control advocates will continue to push this bit of misinformation, if the recent crime surges make it false. They probably will, since they still push the lies like 90% support UBCs, 30% of criminals get their guns at gun shows, and households with guns are more likely to experience violent crime.

      • Oh, please with the suicide crapola. If a person wants to commit suicide, get out of the way. The means/method is nobody’s business but their own.

        Open carry, while possibly a tactical mistake, only forces the Kens and Karens to face life; they have no idea how many people carry firearms concealed, and they don’t want to know.

        Kens and Karens don’t care about the gun carnage in metro inner cities because Ken and Karen stay out of those places. Ken and Karen don’t want to know guns are all around them in their “safe places” where the good people go.

        • “Oh, please with the suicide crapola. If a person wants to commit suicide, get out of the way. The means/method is nobody’s business but their own.”

          Preach it, brother Samuel!

          “My body, my choice…”

      • “Since 2019 the murder (and other violent crime) rates in big cities, especially in gun control states, have gone up significantly. Some have doubled.“

        So you are saying that murder and violent crime rates have gone up, even doubled during trumps presidency.

        I thought he was the “law and order president”, who was going to “stop the American carnage”.

        Didn’t the conservatives hold both houses of Congress for the first two years of Donald Trump‘s presidency?

  6. Not even worth commenting about it, but I’ll just leave this here:

    MS Code:

    ” § 97-3-15. Homicide; justifiable homicide; use of defensive force; duty to retreat.

    (1) The killing of a human being by the act, procurement or omission of another shall be justifiable in the following cases:
    (a) When committed by public officers, or those acting by their aid and assistance, in obedience to any judgment of a competent court;
    (b) When necessarily committed by public officers, or those acting by their command in their aid and assistance, in overcoming actual resistance to the execution of some legal process, or to the discharge of any other legal duty;
    (c) When necessarily committed by public officers, or those acting by their command in their aid and assistance, in retaking any felon who has been rescued or has escaped;
    (d) When necessarily committed by public officers, or those acting by their command in their aid and assistance, in arresting any felon fleeing from justice;
    (e) When committed by any person in resisting any attempt unlawfully to kill such person or to commit any felony upon him, or upon or in any dwelling, in any occupied vehicle, in any place of business, in any place of employment or in the immediate premises thereof in which such person shall be;
    (f) When committed in the lawful defense of one’s own person or any other human being, where there shall be reasonable ground to apprehend a design to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury, and there shall be imminent danger of such design being accomplished;
    (g) When necessarily committed in attempting by lawful ways and means to apprehend any person for any felony committed;
    (h) When necessarily committed in lawfully suppressing any riot or in lawfully keeping and preserving the peace; and
    (i) When necessarily committed in the performance of duty as a member of a church or place of worship security program as described in Section 45-9-171.
    (2)
    (a) As used in subsection (1)(c) and (d) of this section, the term “when necessarily committed” means that a public officer or a person acting by or at the officer’s command, aid or assistance is authorized to use such force as necessary in securing and detaining the felon offender, overcoming the offender’s resistance, preventing the offender’s escape, recapturing the offender if the offender escapes or in protecting himself or others from bodily harm; but such officer or person shall not be authorized to resort to deadly or dangerous means when to do so would be unreasonable under the circumstances. The public officer or person acting by or at the officer’s command may act upon a reasonable apprehension of the surrounding circumstances; however, such officer or person shall not use excessive force or force that is greater than reasonably necessary in securing and detaining the offender, overcoming the offender’s resistance, preventing the offender’s escape, recapturing the offender if the offender escapes or in protecting himself or others from bodily harm.
    (b) As used in subsection (1)(c) and (d) of this section the term “felon” shall include an offender who has been convicted of a felony and shall also include an offender who is in custody, or whose custody is being sought, on a charge or for an offense which is punishable, upon conviction, by death or confinement in the Penitentiary.
    (c) As used in subsections (1)(e) and (3) of this section, “dwelling” means a building or conveyance of any kind that has a roof over it, whether the building or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, including a tent, that is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night, including any attached porch.
    (3) A person who uses defensive force shall be presumed to have reasonably feared imminent death or great bodily harm, or the commission of a felony upon him or another or upon his dwelling, or against a vehicle which he was occupying, or against his business or place of employment or the immediate premises of such business or place of employment, if the person against whom the defensive force was used, was in the process of unlawfully and forcibly entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a dwelling, occupied vehicle, business, place of employment or the immediate premises thereof or if that person had unlawfully removed or was attempting to unlawfully remove another against the other person’s will from that dwelling, occupied vehicle, business, place of employment or the immediate premises thereof and the person who used defensive force knew or had reason to believe that the forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was occurring or had occurred. This presumption shall not apply if the person against whom defensive force was used has a right to be in or is a lawful resident or owner of the dwelling, vehicle, business, place of employment or the immediate premises thereof or is the lawful resident or owner of the dwelling, vehicle, business, place of employment or the immediate premises thereof or if the person who uses defensive force is engaged in unlawful activity or if the person is a law enforcement officer engaged in the performance of his official duties.
    (4) A person who is not the initial aggressor and is not engaged in unlawful activity shall have no duty to retreat before using deadly force under subsection (1)(e) or (f) of this section if the person is in a place where the person has a right to be, and no finder of fact shall be permitted to consider the person’s failure to retreat as evidence that the person’s use of force was unnecessary, excessive or unreasonable.
    (5)
    (a) The presumptions contained in subsection (3) of this section shall apply in civil cases in which self-defense or defense of another is claimed as a defense.
    (b) The court shall award reasonable attorney’s fees, court costs, compensation for loss of income, and all expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant acted in accordance with subsection (1)(e) or (f) of this section. A defendant who has previously been adjudicated “not guilty” of any crime by reason of subsection (1)(e) or (f) of this section shall be immune from any civil action for damages arising from the same conduct. “

  7. “States with higher gun ownership rates have higher gun death rates. States with stricter gun laws have lower gun death rates.” Actually it’s exactly the reverse. Strict gun control Illinois is murder capitol of the US with the Chicago war zone leading the nation. Gun-free zones are typically the places where the worst massacres take place, usually in public schools. Nearly every liberal gun control idea supposedly put in place to save lives and prevent violence has had the opposite result. Worse there is now a faction arming themselves who believe even disagreeing with them is an act of violence to which they’re entitled to respond with deadly force.

    • I’m defending Chicago but actually so far (2021) the murder rates in order per 100,000 are:
      St. Louis, MO (69.4)
      Baltimore, MD (51.1)
      New Orleans, LA (40.6)
      Detroit, MI (39.7)
      Cleveland, OH (33.7)
      Las Vegas, NV (31.4)
      Kansas City, MO (31.2)
      Memphis, TN (27.1)
      Newark, NJ (25.6)
      Chicago, IL (24)
      Cincinnati, OH (23.8)

      St. Louis and Baltimore pretty much constantly beat Chicago.
      Notice how Ohio has become such a murderous state, they have two cities in the top 11.
      When I go to St. Louis I usually have two or three guns on me and extra magazines.
      Trader Joes should be renamed Trader Karens.

      • Chicago just gets a bad rap because there’s 8-1/2 times as many people there as in St. Louis so the total number of homicides dwarfs that of St. Louis. Rate wise, yes St. Louis is worse, but it’s basically a neighborhood compared to Chikybo.

      • What if we called it TraderCohens? Oh – you don’t like it when I call out the fact this woman is Jewish?

        Stop using the slur “Karen”. It’s anti- white hate.

        • I wonder how you feel about the term “Becky”… 😉

          Or “John”…just thinking all the poor men out there named after a potty…

        • OK, call it TraderCohens, I don’t care.
          What woman is Jewish and what does that have to do with anything?
          Stop with the Wikipedia nonsense. IOWs quit being uppity.
          Who even shops there? I can eat the weeds in my lawn for free.
          M mm, I just found a Canadian thistle, that’s $4.99/lb at TraderCohens.

          Sincerely,
          Miss Ann

        • The problem with these white Karens is that they actually believe the BS spouted by the paid off politicians. It doesn’t matter that they are white, stop looking at people and judging because of race. There are many blacks that feel the same, both for the same reasons or for other ones.
          Until we welcome everyone into the club, yes, even Karens, we will not have the numbers and strength to stand up to Bloomie and the other puppet masters that call the shots in the corporate world.

      • Numbers/100,000 Death statistics mean Absolutely Nothing when You or a Loved One is One of them. Both sides use and manipulate them to suit their argument. When it all comes down to choices and consequences. Once you’ve made your choice Don’t Bitch about the Consequences.

      • Chicago does not have a murder problem, as I understand it, there is a tiny area of Chicago which has a rate of over 100 per 100,000, the rest is as peaceful as Austin. Still, that tiny area still has every one of the city’s stupid and unconstitutional gun laws, and they still do jack shit.

        • Here’s the map and a wealth of information on Chicago shootings.
          If you avoid Englewood, Garfield Park and Austin you should be OK.
          Don’t be fooled by the websites name, it’s a really informative website.
          https://heyjackass.com/

        • Chicago’s gun laws are the same as the gun laws of the rest of the state. It repressive laws for the most part were eliminated by McDonald v. Chicago. It is still asinine that they do not allow CCW on public transit, one of the places that I would always want to be armed.

      • {Highest city murder rate, per 100,000)

        Not *ONE* lousy Florida city in there?

        I’m so ashamed… 🙂

      • “Notice how Ohio has become such a murderous state, they have two cities in the top 11.“

        But isn’t Ohio a conservative red state, haven’t they enjoyed the blessings of a Republican Legislature and a Republican governor for years?

        And their cities have higher murder rates than Chicago, that’s not the story we hear on this forum…

        • Again with the “per 100,000” bullshit… Actual number of people murdered by gun violence in the 1st FOUR months of 2021 are Chicago 299, Cincinnati 24, Cleveland reports 46 total murders no specifics for gun violence related deaths… Only 57 cities in Ohio (out of 232) reported a murder by any means in 2020… Next… OBTW… Ill only has about 1 million more people than Ohio state wide…

    • There may be a grain of truth in her assertion. 2/3 of ‘gun deaths’ are suicides, so while the ‘gun free’ Democrat controlled areas may be over-represented in gun homicides, the use of guns in suicides is probably much lower. After 1300 people committed suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge they stopped counting them, but they’re just as dead as someone who shot themselves in the head. However nobody is trying to ban bridges because bridges don’t pose a threat to the establishment of a communist utopia in America.

      • Yep.
        In cities there are so many other ways to commit suicide that a gun is hardly needed for that. In fact if a person cares about those being left behind, a gun is a foolish way to end life; a city offers a number of ways to terminate one’s self that will be judged as accidents.
        As for banning bridges… over the years I’ve watched as pedestrians were banned from bridges, security fences were put up, and totally enclosed pedestrian bridges were put in — it isn’t necessary to ban bridges to keep people from suiciding off them. Heck, I know of one freeway overpass with a sidewalk where the city council dithered about putting in a fence to prevent people from dropping objects into traffic; the fence finally went up when someone threw himself over the edge and into traffic.

      • A first responder said ” I have saved people who jumped off of bridges, who tried to hang themselves, who tried to drown themselves, who tried to overdose, and even some who slit their wrists but never have I been able to save a person who blew his brains out”. The gun makes it far too easy.

        • Right to kill yourself? Just because your agenda saved them once doesn’t mean it saved them again. If someone wants to do it, they are going to do it. Also, welcome back. Your new name isn’t fooling anyone.

        • “The gun makes it far too easy.”

          My body, my choice.

          That’s the Socialist Scum creed, ‘dacian’.

          (Nice choice of an avatar, son. I imagine you closely resemble Alfred…) 😉

  8. Okay, well, at least she was self consistent enough to leave the store, rather than going up and screaming at the guy for frightening her.

    That’s something, I guess.

    • Her and her friends complained to Trader Joes corporate and now that store disallows carry.

      • Hopefully then POTG wont shop there. It’s overpriced Karen and Ken food anyway.
        I personally cant stand TraderCohenDeShawnWangs anyway.

  9. In Arizona we have had open carry since Spain owned us. It was only in 1992 that concealed carry became legal. The thinking before that was that if you were hiding a gun, you were probably up to no good, but open carry was fine.

    My young neighbor open carries everywhere. I’m a older and therefore a sneaky bastard, so I carry concealed on my person. Wonder if the “Karens” are afraid of backpacks, as mine has a LVL IIIa panel and a carbine inside and a medical kit too. It mostly stays in the car, unless I feel I need to carry it around with me.

    My Rights don’t care about your Feelings and if you are scared to go outside among a free people, then stay home, watch NPR and Oprah TV and worry about Harry and Meghan and their non-binary offspring.

    The rest of us will go about our business and around 2% to 5% will carry daily in public to protect ourselves, our family and perhaps our community.

  10. I just wish I had a Trader Joe’s to open carry in. My nearest is eighty miles away in Pennsylvania with their squirrelly open carry and handgun laws that discourage even those from adjacent states with reciprocity.

  11. I’ve given thought to open carry BUT:

    I’m relatively small but overweight a little.

    I’m old.

    I doubt if I could stop someone from grabbing it from me.

    I carry a full size Springfield XD and ALWAYS wear a button down collar business shirt, even with shorts. NO ONE has ever approached me about carrying my firearm.

    BUT, I’ll admit I got a KOHLS ratcheting belt and hung my gun on it…..til the little screws on it fell out…. thus now I wear a real gun belt.

    Cheers

    • Retention, PROPER CARRY POSITION, and situational awareness.

      If you let someone put hands on your gun and your non-dominant hand doesn’t draw your knife to slit their throat, that’s on you…

      This is why both knife and gun are not carried on the same side. Same goes for spare mags.

        • You mean like my friendly little spring assisted opening stiletto?
          6″ blade, 13″ overall when open… 🙂

      • No, not really. I mean like a fixed blade you can grip in a millisecond when your other hand is keeping a thug from taking your life.

  12. I’ve been hearing about people getting shot on the news every single day for as long as I can remember. That fact that people in general want to defend themselves makes total and complete sense under these circumstances.

  13. With the Biden demonization announcing that white supremacists are the number-one threat to the security of this country, and encouraging folk to spy on each other (report anyone who looks like a white supremacist) , when white-folk (me among them) open carry, we do five things:

    1. Frighten ignorant lefties (please, excuse the redundancy).

    2. Announce F-U to ignorant lefties (again, that redundancy).

    3. Proclaim Freedom and Patriotism.

    4. Expose ourselves to the threat of ignorant lefties reporting us for imagined or fabricated insurrectionist activities.

    5. Announce that we are not afraid.

    My EDC is a M&P 9 in a Sneaky Pete. All the cops and all gun folk recognize I am carrying. Lots of non-gun folk look and suspect. It is not quite concealed and not quite open.

    That being said, I open carry at rallies just because.

    In the past 12 months I have been to about 20 political and health-freedom rallies.

  15. ‘fear and paranoia’

    Ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black.

  16. So Karen here complained, and then Trader Joe’s put a sign up on the front door saying firearms to be worn by law enforcement only.

    So open carry in there. When they ask you if you’re law enforcement, don’t answer.
    “When I ask you if you’re a cop, you have to tell me or it’s entrapment”…
    😂
    Fuck Karen’s, and Traitor Joe’s -all traitor Joe’s, ifuknowwhatimean

    • I am pro open carry but it aint allowed in ILLinoyed unless yer “special”. I’ve noticed a pushback in NW Indiana no doubt with the flood of ILL idiots crossing the border to wreck Lake county. “No guns” where no one cared a few years ago(had it in the IN Comcast and where some Karen freaked out). I do gray man & the nice old guy with a Hawaiian shirt so eff them!

        • I’m white and never offended by the term “Karen”.

          Oh, and I’m a manager, too. LOL

          Your turn.

        • Your repetitive post is becoming tedious.

          How about if we substitute the word “Shannon” for “Karen”…it would be a much more accurate name to personify intolerance?

        • Tell that to…

          Karen Wang (Asian), MD, MHS, Assistant Professor Internal medicine (Genera Medicine) and Assistant Professor of Biostatistics (Health Informatics), Yale University

          Karen Jefferson Morrison (African-American), System Vice President, Columbus (Ohio) Board of Health

          Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Native American), Artist

          Get the picture yet, you silly person?

        • Sorry word/name Nazi…While I may disagree with what some people say. I will defend their Right to say It…By all means Necessary. Free Speech is No Longer Free Speech if a Person, Business, Interweb Site, Troll or Government can decide what is appropriate. Snifffff… Hamburger Not Sorry.

        • Stop hijacking and trolling for your progressive Nazi agenda.

          Fucken kens, man…

        • “karen” pales in comparison to the terms we have for blacks…just laugh it off…

  17. I do not agree , maybe your just not used to it . I live in Nevada and it’s a common thing to run into a 7/11 and see people in line or shopping with holstered guns. More than once a unsavory character has walked in, looked at the line of people at the register and you can literally see them scan over the people ,then their gaze goes lower to waist area, you can see the look on their face change as they notice the people in line have weapons and they abruptly leave ,and it’s not because they feel uncomfortable because they are unsure of the customers in lines mental health ,it’s because they were planning on doing something like robbing the store and customers in line

  18. Yes, Karen(cackle) excersising rights is scary, you may be mentally iss for posting such a triggered response. Maybe a call for a welfare check on you….

    • Karen is an anti-white slur. Please stop using it. I have a white wife, and a white daughter.

      • White women deserve the slur. Especially college indoctrinated upper middle class white women. Quoting Poso’s line isn’t going to get you laid any faster.

        • White people are under attack. The word Karen means a white woman who calls the cops on a black person. Do you really want a world where white people fear calling the police?

          Defending anti-white hate in any form if you are white means you are retarded. You’re basically a libTard yourself since you agree with their moral premises.

        • A world where white people are afraid to call police?

          Sounds smart to me… Only lets not seclude it to race by leaving out other races. Police are useful idiots and should be the last call, if called at all.

          Kinda funny seeing a progressive Nazi drum up white pride and love the gestapo so much, but they act like patriotic Americans. You ain’t fooling nobody here, Nazi. Fuck off and die.

        • The word Karen is a woman’s name, any other attachment is SJW nonsense, and means nothing. Get a life, find something real to be concerned about.

  19. Well- it is cultural. I live in California. When I’m hunting- wearing orange with a wood stocked rifle, people still FREAK OUT, especially boomer women. Men who appear to disapprove usually just walk away- but it’s the women who confront me. I always try to be friendly and polite. Sadly, sometimes it devolves to “Ma’am, harassing hunters is illegal in this state. Do you want me to call the Sheriff?”

    Dressing appropriately and being friendly goes a long way. Wearing a tank top with tattoos and a non-retention holster is honestly not a good look. Also, I think safetyless striker-fired guns shouldn’t be carried in a leather holster. If you’re going to OC, get a Safariland ALS. He’s also wearing a hat indoors. Very disrespectful. I mean, I guess he’s “under arms”, but wtf. Bet $100 that guy doesn’t even know what I’m talking about.

    It should obviously be our right to open carry- but c’mon, let’s be real about the consequences of our behavior. Concealed carry doesn’t bother any one. Open carry is just like the gay pride flags in my town- it’s in your face. Over time my ideas about out-and-proud homosexuals have changes. When I was younger I had a live and let live mentality. Now, I believe the behavior should be criminalized like it is in Russia. Open carry may be counter-productive to our long term goals for preserving and expanding 2A rights.

    • I was raised to remove your hat whenever in church, praying, as a guest in a host’s home, indoors where there’s an American flag on display, or indoors where a lady is present unless you have her permission. Really bothers me when I see younger men ignorant of this traditional custom of respect.

      • “…or indoors where a lady is present unless you have her permission.”

        ‘Lady’ is a behavior, females not behaving as a lady are not extended that courtesy by me… 😉

        • Exactly, Geoff. You get it. That’s why I chose to use the word “lady” and not the more general “woman”. Plenty of women out there…few ladies.

        • Going way back… removal of one’s headpiece (armor) was a sign of submission- which over the centuries morphed into an etiquette/courtesy/respect thing with hats.

          For me, I show courtesy/respect to others by keeping my hat resolutely in place- safeguarding the innocent from suffering the repugnancy of witnessing my decrepit dome.

      • Interesting, where are you from? I grew up in a midwestern household that stressed manners and I’ve never in my 43 years heard of such an expectation. I could only see this being convention in a part of the country where people where bigger western hats.

        • Southern California, my entire life.

          Classic manners are still practiced here, but decreasingly so.

      • I’m 75 and have never heard of your complex set of rules, all I’ve known is hats off indoors except cowboy hats.

      • I don’t think “boomer” means what you seem to think it does. I’m on the leading edge of baby boomers, and I turn 75 this summer. *Youngest* baby boomers are around 65. We certainly are not responsible for the chickenshit attitudes seen in America over the past 20 years, that would be Millennials or Gen Y or whatever. You make yourself sound like a fool.

        • Close Larry, but not quite. “Baby Boomers” were born between 1946 and 1964… And since I was born in the last third of ’64, I’m one of the last of the Boomers. (Too young for Vietnam, and was not about to reenlist by the time Desert Shield/Storm rolled around…)

          Personally, I think it’s hilarious when people lump me in with those nearly 20 years my senior… as if we all share the same frame of reference and a common outlook on everything! Not quite… Boomers are a very diverse group.

        • But don’t take that to mean that I have one of those “chickenshit attitudes seen in America over the past 20 years” that you mentioned… those assholes are younger than I am! LOL

    • Wow.

      Just wow.

      I can’t even, look at this fucking boomer.

      Pro Russia anti choice and against open carry. Freedom is only good when it suits you, huh, coward ass loyalist. Punk bitches like you are all the more reason to open carry. Worse than the ones on Twitter ranting about this guy in the grocery store.

      You are the problem. Bootlickers.

    • Karen is an anti-white slur to scare white women from calling the police.

      As a white father of a white daughter, you need to stop.

      • “As a white father of a white daughter, you need to stop.”

        No. Consider hearing ‘Karen’ as an opportunity for you to work on your coping skills.

        Really, it makes going through life a far less stressful experience… 🙂

      • calling the cops is always a good idea…if you’re white…questionable if you’re black…just the way it is….

  21. I have noticed lately that the idiot left has been getting exceedingly vocal about guns now that the communist puppet is in office. it is time to really start resisting the crazy marxists with real constitutional representatives and not rino’s or traitors to the nation like the likes of collins,murkowski,and the rest of the never-trumpers..gang warfare is not news but one white cop shoota a felon black or Latino and it is on every mainstream so-called news program forever..

    • The amplitude is increased due to the potential that the Supreme Court will soon overturn their beloved firearms laws and bans. They figure they have two years (before the midterms) to put as many gun laws on the books as they can manage, so it is a full court press.

  22. Remember when CNN ran a “scary” inage of a “typical redneck” with a slung AR in Phoenix where Obama was fertilizing the air?

    Guess what? When pulled back you saw the magazine REMOVED as per instructions of The Detail. Then you saw that the “white redneck” was a BLACK tax protester!!!!

    Morde me! Karen.
    ( bite me in Latin).

      • Hey – calling people a “Cohen” is an antisemític slur. Ok – let’s stop using all slurs. I will stop calling people Karen’s

        • So I cant call Buzzy Cohen the Jeopardy champ by his name anymore?
          WTF am I supposed to call him? Buzzy Smith?
          That’s BS. I mean Buzzy Smith.

  24. She says: “All I see when I see someone wearing a gun while running errands is fear and paranoia,”

    When in fact she herself is the one filled with fear and paranoia, along with a bad case of being a hoplophobe.

    • some guys like to do it just to show everyone else they can…back to giving them the finger again?

  25. Ah yes “gun death rate” the most uselessly narrow and political statistic in crime stats. They never use homicide/murder rate, violent crime rate, or felony assault rate, because it would verify that guns are completely agnostic to those actually meaningful metrics.

    • The intentional homicide rate, when it comes to ranking states, is heavily influenced by population. The lower the population, the fewer murders it takes to make the rate extremely high. Chicago kills a lot more people that St Louis, but St. Louis has a higher murder rate becaause it has a smaller population. More people are murdered in California than any other state, but with 37 million people (at least for now. After this heat wave, I expect to see a bunch of people moving east of the Rockies), the rate is diluted so that it is only 29th in the rankings.

  26. Sounds like they should get out of Idaho and Oklahoma if they’re that scared of people with guns.

    Should probably also not drive, as these same unstable, heat-bothered short-fuse people might be coming the other way and just decide to swerve into their lane.

  27. Hoplophobe + paid propagandist. Karen’s “facts” are all proven lies.

    Thank God I live in Texas. Leftists need not apply for Texas residency.

  28. I don’t “feel the need” to be armed……i choose to take measures to protect myself.

    Don’t have open carry in FL.

    • “Don’t have open carry in FL.”

      Actually, you can, when fishing and traveling to and from fishing.

      Some activists have managed to make the Miami police department educated to that fact, when they were sued by the activist fishing at a pier…

  29. “how can we truly say we’re a great nation if people feel like they can’t leave the house unarmed? I can’t wrap my brain around the mindset. What kind of warped version of “freedom” is that?”

    She recognizes that people don’t feel safe unarmed, so her solution is to make sure they aren’t safe by not allowing them to be armed?

    She’s addressing the focus of her own fears rather than trying to solve the actual problem, which is that (especially according to liberal politicians) we actually aren’t safe leaving home unarmed. Until the violent crime rate goes to zero, being armed in public is not paranoid, it’s good sense.

  30. Hi…….I am in favour of individuals being able to protect themselves and I think that it acts as a great deterrent to those who might shoot innocent unarmed people …..such as school kids !
    .
    .
    BUT….I wish to be UNSUBSCIBED from your site please.
    .
    I have just too much “stuff” coming in thanks !

    • “BUT….I wish to be UNSUBSCIBED from your site please.”

      There is a link for that, right at the bottom of the emailed article/comment.

      Or use your browser to block TTAG.

  31. Twitter ID: “cackiness”
    Should be “whackiness” or “crackiness”
    Not a whole lot of likes either; only 1.7K.
    The TTAG comment response is more passionate (in favor of the EDC) than the author’s paranoia. Because no one has ever been killed in a grocery store. Well, except that Colorado thing recently…

    • If only this guy would have been shopping there at the time. Right, Cacky?
      Cackle on…

  32. That author is so far wrong on everything he says this is a totally worthless article! It should never been given a stage! Those cities and states with the fewest gun laws that impose on our Second Amendment Rights have the lowest gun crime of all. In my opinion that author is unstable and projects that on others.

  33. My state just passed “open carry” with constitutional carry still pending. Although I personally don’t wish to make myself a visible target to criminals, I also strongly believe in the 2nd amendments right to carry as one sees fit. But I don’t care to instigate the “snowflake Ken’s and Karen’s into promoting a scene either, I avoid all conflicts, large and small. Concealed carry is a brilliant method because it offends no one as well as keeping the criminal element guessing as to where and when their madness may end.

    • “Concealed carry is a brilliant method because it offends no one as well as keeping the criminal element guessing as to where and when their madness may end.”

      You presume the criminal element can and will read. Especially read about the proliferation of concealed carry. If they don’t know there is a threat, the criminal element will presume there is no threat.

    • The problem is avoiding conflict.

      Shit doesn’t just go away, you have to dispose of it.

      You want your rights, but won’t do shit other than check a box for em.

      • “The problem is avoiding conflict.
        Shit doesn’t just go away, you have to dispose of it.
        You want your rights, but won’t do shit other than check a box for em.”

        Not sure I follow you, here. The original comment seems to be one where a gun owner simply wants to be left alone, so he carries concealed. The response seems incongruent. What did I miss?

        • Being left alone? No, avoiding the fight for rights. I will conceal as well, most times. But the mindset if it “being confrontational” is the problem. We are not concealing because it’s smarter, we are concealing because the snowflakes get scared at the sight of a gun, and we have complied ourselves into a corner. The truth is, you should be able to do what you want. Wanna carry a shotgun? A rifle? Do it. Wanna conceal, no need to pay a state fee and ask permission. Wanna open carry? Do it. Wanna make your own explosives and suppressors? Do it. The government makes their own nukes and doesn’t pay for their NFA items…

          The problem is complacency, and concealing doesn’t change it. The media has pushed that narrative so hard that if we were given all these rights, it would actually be America in distress. You think it’s bad now with their push on “mass shootings”? Bruh, it would be old west sheriff’s trying to take everyone’s guns at the door, and frisking to do it.

  34. Look, if we’re being perfectly honest, that guy does not give the impression of ‘upstanding citizen’ or ‘pillar of the community’, unless that community is a meth lab. He likely has a citation or two for having a non-operational ’78 Camaro in front of his single-wide. He has definitely been kicked out of a Waffle House for not wearing a shirt. Like it or not, those who carry are all ambassadors for the 2A community, and he’s a piss poor ambassador. He’s not the ‘good guy with a gun’; he’s the guy who makes national news because he shot some black father in front of his children over parking in a 10 minute space for 13 minutes.

    • nd he’s a piss poor ambassador. He’s not the ‘good guy with a gun’ he’s the guy who makes national news

      I guess being a little judgemental is okay though? You know nothing about that guy, he might be the pastor at a local church or the owner of the largest motorcycle dealership in town… Most Meth cookers/dealers don’t shop at Trader Joes… You’re aware of what they say about books and their covers?

      • “a little judgemental”

        Yea, don’t bother. You could be in a suit and tie but if your neck tats showed, this guy would still focus on the open carry. Typical boomer mentality. More worried about” looking respectable” than fighting for our rights, and using them.

        • This is true. Back in 01/22013, there were open carry “protests” in California which consisted of well dressed people meeting for coffee at Starbucks or going to the Board Walk in San Diego. But the panicked MWG!!! calls were typically answered by multiple police cruisers staffed by officers with guns drawn who knew full well that open unloaded was perfectly legal, but wanted to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the protestors in order to discourage the practice.

    • I often dress in a sleeveless shirt or tank top in the summer because it’s more comfortable.
      I have tats because they all have deep and personal meaning behind them and could care less what judgemental pricks think.
      My pants often have holes and/or grease stains too, *gasp!* , as I’m frequently working on something and don’t care to burden my wife with 3-4 clothes changes per day.

      I’m also an intelligent, educated (not indoctrinated) man with a wide range of useful and highly skilled talents.
      I’m an active member and volunteer of my church, including playing on the praise team.
      I’m a dedicated father of 3 who not only provides financially (85+% of household income) for my family but also puts forth great time and effort into raising strong, self-reliant and respectful children.
      I’m a dedicated husband who’s stayed, through thick and thin, with my one and only wife for over 20yrs now.
      I’m an unwavering believer in the Constitution, the Republic it framed out and the freedoms outlined therein.

      So go ahead and lump me in as ‘meth-head white-trash’ too, along with the guy in the pic. I don’t mind because I support your right to have an opinion, no matter how stupid, ignorant and close-minded it may be, because it makes nary a difference in my life and infringes not on any of my rights.

      • I am revisiting this because of something that happened yesterday. Vic (I get the Megadeth reference) I happened to do some shopping. When I came out of the store there was a PD Explorer parked next to me in the lot. I never saw the LEO in the store but as I was loading up my trunk he came out. At this point he was right next to me and was wearing the PD polo shirt with jeans and a Glock 17 holstered. I had a a M&P 2.0 IWB. Did I mention that he was inked up? His right arm was a complete sleeve.

        We got to talking and I asked if he ever had one of the stores Churros that they bake in their bakery in store? He said no, are they good? I said fantastic and went into my trunk and grabbed a bag that had 5 Churros in it and gave him one. He chowed on it w/o hesitation and said this is really good. We BS ed for about 5 minutes about a couple of the towns speed traps and assorted other stuff like how slow the PD Explorer was. He asked how much for the Churro and I said you get 5 for $2. He said no, how much do I owe you? I said it’s like 40 cents so no big deal, I wasn’t trying to sell him a Churro, I just figured it was something that he should try. He said he was going to go back in the store and buy 5 and said his name was Mark and I said my name was Rob. We shook hands. I got into my car as he was going back into the store to get some Churros.

        Here’s my take on this. I know there a bunch of people on here that absolutely hate cops. T.S. Never once did I feel that Mark the tattooed cop was going to pull his Glock 17 and shoot me because he was ‘meth-head white-trash’. I didn’t look down on the guy because he probably had at least 2 grand in tattoos, my nephews are the same way and they hold down decent jobs and support their families. If people on here want to be judgmental then screw them. Would I do it to someone who wasn’t a cop and was inked up? Yes. The store has really good Curros IMO and they are pretty cheap. Also when Mark the cop and I shook hands he put himself in a position of vulnerability, he couldn’t draw if I decided to grab his hand and go on a kill crazy rampage.

        You know if we all just started to act like normal people instead of judgmental idiots then I think that would solve a lot of differences right there. My nephews aren’t just cool to me because I’m their uncle, they were raised right. Other then the trolls on here there is a lot of decent conversation. I’m willing to bet it’s probably one or two people who post under different names who are the trolls. Other then these trolls if we are so judgmental then how are any different then “Annie Reneau” or “Cacky”, the women who are freaked out by open carry?

  35. “Look, if we’re being perfectly honest, that guy does not give the impression of ‘upstanding citizen’ or ‘pillar of the community’, unless that community is a meth lab.”

    Since when did those become bars to be able to excercise your rights?

    If I dont like what people are saying…like you…why dont we suppress your right to speech since we done know if you are a ‘pillar of the community’ and an ‘upstanding citizen’. Better safe than sorry, right?

    Throw stones in glass house……

  36. Basically you are “showing your hand.” Bad guy strolls in behind you….POP/POP he now has your gun…. etc., etc., etc. 😎🥓🍕🖖✌🥩☘🌴💪 No🤡allowed

    • Personally, the RTKABA’s means we can carry HTFWW, Open or Concealed. The Poster’s opinions are totally at odd with facts and statistics, which just shows he/she is an Ignorant Moron.

      • Yup! Just because you can IMAGINE it does not mean it ever happens. Someone tries to grab my gun had better be successful, because I will kill him for trying, and since the scenario never actually happens to my knowledge, I’m pretty confident that is what the usual observer expects will happen. Such a wild-ass “bad guy” would normally go find someone not armed, preferably in a gun-free zone, to rob, rape, and kill. And *that* clearly DOES happen, every day. So, Matt, take your silliness and go home, hide under the bed.

  37. Also, need retention holster to minimize “grab & snatch” events.

    Sooner or later some criminal entrepreneur will try to establish a theft-on-order ring in a permissive environment.

  38. “I’m not willing to risk my life for groceries, so I just left Trader Joe’s.”

    Self-banishment? Yay! I love it when a plan comes together.

  40. “…how can we truly say we’re a great nation if people feel like they can’t leave the house unarmed?”

    I can leave the house unarmed anytime I like. I simply chose to be armed all the time.

    That’s the point. That a free people can make their choice.

    Oh, and “gun violence” does not exist. People Violence exists and not dealing with it is the problem.

    • One could argue that dealing with people violence is also not free, unless it’s your choice to deal with it. Even in tribalism, there is government.

  41. Used to work as a bartender in a rural area in Texas. Most of the customers were ranch workers, farmers, rural folks. Most wore gunbelts with pistols attached. Had a couple of young punks show up about closing time. Walked in, Looked around, turned on their heels and left. Talked to a Sherriff’s Deputy the next day. He remarked that they arrested a couple kids for robbing a gas station a couple miles up the road. I described the punks who came and left the bar. He said they were likely the same guys. Guess they didn’t like the odds of getting shot by the dozen or so armed men in the bar.
    Down here where I live in rural Al. it is not uncommon to see someone with a gun on their belt. Most folks pay no more attention that if they would a pliers pouch or cell phone.
    I do carry concealed when I need to go into town beyond the little town nearby. Just to avoid the hassles of city cops getting scared or upset anyone would have a gun in plain sight. Wonder if the frightened little rabbit in the article realizes how many people do carry concealed in her world? And how many guns she never knew were around her at any given time. Might cause her to soil her panties and run home to hide under the bed.

    • With all do respect, you’re obviously lying your @$$ off! No one believes that $#!t. Only someone who knows absolutely nothing about Texas or “ranch workers, farmers, rural folks” would even attempt to float such a complete bull$#!t lame @$$ed story that’s an obvious lie.

        • WTF does Kentucky have to do with Vincent’s big @$$ lie about his experience as a bartender in TEXAS with ranch hands, farmers, & rural folks and the laughable whopper “Most wore gunbelts with pistols attached”.

  43. I LIKE THE SHOT THE TOASTER THING .. A COME ON , WELL I LIVE IN TEXAS , SEE OPEN CARRY BEFORE , WHEN REQUIRED TO HAVE LTC . MADED ME FEEL SAFE , ANY LIVE SHOOTER , MAYBE THIS PERSON WILL SHOOT AND PROTECT . HAVE TO HAVE CLASS IN LICENSE . BEFORE LAW CHANGE SEPT 01 2021 . NOW OPEN CARRY PERSON WELL I DO WONDER IF I SHOULD LEAVE STORE ALSO . TRAINING I BELIEVE ALWAYS A MUST .
    HOW ABOUT ROAD RAGE SHOULD LADY GET OFF HIGHWAY ALSO , YEP GET ON ANY BAND WAGON YA WANT .

  44. I believe in the right to choose.
    My body my choice!
    Although I can say there is something oddly satisfying about triggering some snowflake into a full melt down.
    It is a big middle finger into the rear of the anti gun weirdos out there.
    So carry on. Carry on…

  47. Unfortunately this is not true, your facts are way off. Places like Chicago have the most strict gun laws and they have the most gun deaths. Stop lying to yourself and do some actual research. Don’t listen to the media!

    • Chicago has not had strict gun laws for over a decade. Get up to speed. With few exceptions, Chicago’s laws are the same as for the rest of that state, ever since McDonald.

      • Yup! Incredibly strict. Don’t believe it? Go buy a handgun, then get a license to carry, and get back to me to tell me how easy it was.

    • You either did no research or did not understand the research you did do. Chicago is not a State it is a city. Two different Chicago studies as well as police tracings in other states prove that Chicago’s and other big cities illegal gun problems comes from States with lax laws funneling in second hand guns (not stolen ones) into big cities with tough gun laws. This is why the thousands of local and state gun laws are worthless because there is no uniform Federal law against selling second hand guns without a background check.

      • Randy referenced the strict gun laws in Chicago, to which the comment responded. I was born in Chicago, by the way, where they taught us reading comprehension.
        The rest of your comment is an old saw often repeated by various Chicago mayors. The fact is that all guns bought through an FFL require a background check, and all gun transactions in Illinois require a FOID card, which requires a background check as well. Straw purchases are illegal in every state. Now if some criminal buys a bunch of guns in one state (usually via straw purchase to make tracing difficult) and transports them to another for the purpose of selling them to another criminal who does not have a FOID card, the entire series of transactions is illegal. Passing stricter laws will have no effect on the sales of “second hand” guns or more importantly, stolen firearms. Get a clue: criminals do not obtain their firearms through legal purchases, and any mayor who contends otherwise is an idiot and a fool.

      • Patently silly, given that the surrounding states do not have the problems that IL does, making the argument that their “lax” laws cause IL’s problems just stupid. If those laws cause such trouble in IL, why are those problems not apparent in the states which actually HAVE them? Try to think for a moment, you may discover you have been lied to! OH! And such transfers into IL are illegal, therefore they clearly cannot happen, anyway.

      • A handgun can be purchased in Indiana by an ILL resident either in person, over the phone or electronically, but you can not take possession of it in Indiana. The dealer in Indiana has to ship it to your dealer in Illinois and he has to transfer it to you…. Issuance of FOID is done under the provisions of the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act (“Act”). According to Section 430 ILCS 65/3a of the Act, an Illinois resident with a FOID can purchase or obtain a rifle or shotgun or ammunition for a rifle or shotgun in Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin or Kentucky WITH an FOID card… Bad people WILL do bad shit, criminals WILL commit crimes, firearms are stolen and sold privately without question and NO Universal Background Check bullshit is EVER going to stop criminals from committing crimes… What exactly makes you believe that another LAW will change anything… I guarantee you I can go to ILL and in 24 hours have a handgun in my posession without an FOID or benefit of an FFL, just need to know where to look and have enough cash on hand (for some reason criminals won’t accept American Express)… As far as Chicago not being the State of ILL nearly 2/3rds of the population lives in the Metrpolitan Chicago Area… 3/4 of ALL deaths by gun violence occurr in and around Chicago with East StLouis running a distant 2nd…

  48. Guns obviously scare you. That’s ok, don’t buy one.
    But the guy in this picture, his body, his choice.

    CCW license holders are the safest people to be around. In every state the statistics show us they commit less violent crimes and less gun crimes than the public and the police. So when you see this guy, he’s really safe to be around.

    • “safe to be around”?…actually, while it may be true… he’s giving just the opposite impression

      • Not to me, what are you so afraid of? For chrissake, he’s in a grocery store, shopping for dinner with his wife!

  49. I had to laugh at cackies tweet that she told the manager because there were shootings at grocery stores in CO, GA and FL; She is so clueless she didn’t see that the best reason to carry was because of those recent shootings, and if she had a brain, she would also.

  50. “Imagine if everyone had a machete sticking out of the front of their pants everywhere then went. ”
    Thatd look funny to me, not insane.

  51. @Montana Actual
    “Being left alone? No, avoiding the fight for rights.”

    Not sure how “scaring the horses” is a deft, effective political strike for freedom. Does open carry normalize the presence of guns/freedom to carry, or does it reinforce the stereotype of the crazed gun lover, invigorate the narrative for the anti-gun mob?

    There is a difference between the principle of absolute rights, and the reality of systematic government control of laws and law enforcement. Then, there is the civil law to contend with when someone sues for making them feel endangered, or unsafe.

  52. STATES WITH STRICK GUN LAWS HAVE FEWER FIRARMS DEATHS (In U.S.).
    This is really no surprise because in European Countries they have proven this for years.

    The data come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks firearms deaths, and a project at the Boston University School of Public Health, which tracks dozens of different provisions of gun laws in the 50 states.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/27/states-with-strict-gun-laws-have-fewer-firearms-deaths-heres-how-your-state-stacks-up.html

    • The reported data is for murders by 100,000 population, not by raw numbers. California’s murder RATE is somewhere in the middle of the pack, but by far it has the highest raw number of murders per year (1690), despite its strict gun laws. Its relatively low murder rate is a function of its large population and the fact that most of the rural counties have few murders. Alaska’s murder rate is way up at the top of the list, a function of its small population. It had 69 murders in all of 2019.
      As Twain said, there are liars, damn liars, and statisticians.

    • “This is really no surprise because in European Countries they have proven this for years.”

      Irrelevant, since European society has its roots in feudalism. The serfs had no right to be armed.

      If you don’t like it here in the US, pack your luggage and go back from where you came, and enjoy the taste of boot leather… 😉

    • no real comparison between places in Europe, for example…where firearms have always been strictly regulated…[no arms for the peasants!]…and a place like Chicago, where the regulations are routinely flaunted….

    • Firearms are not a disease, if CDC is expending resources to do such tracking, it’s budget should be reduced by 10x the funds expended, every year until they stop. If such tracking is to be done, FBI should do it, although I cannot imagine any valid justification for such, it is meaningless.

  53. Even though open carry sightings are relatively rare here in The Lone Star State, the photo captured of tat’d up Goober with his big iron “secured” in a Fobus as he watches his ole lady shop for produce, illustrates the single greatest benefit realized since open carry became lawful conduct; It’s great to have a quick and easy means to spot an armed dumb@$$ when one is in close proximity.

    Before open carry all the armed dumb@$$es like Goober concealed their handguns just like folks serious about defensive handgun carry still do, so I had no way of knowing when an armed Goober was near. Now I do!

    • quick and easy means to spot an armed dumb@$$ when one is in close proximity?

      Sounds to me like all you need do is look in a mirror to know when a “Dumbass” is near

      • But you won’t see my dumb@$$ open carrying and ceding any possible tactical advantage by wanting everyone to notice I’m armed, and you won’t catch my dumb@$$ displaying any pistol I own in a piece if $#!t snatch n grab waiting to happen Fobus holster. Goober is that you?

  54. remember when I used to carry my guns around in any way I chose..often flaunting the fact that I had them and not giving a damn what anybody thought…but times have changed…now I routinely transport them in obscure cardboard boxes just to conceal the fact I have them

  56. WE DO NOT HAVE A GUN PROBLEM, WE HAVE A STUPID PEOPLE PROBLEM!!! I will openly dispute this with anyone…I spent an entire day watching my pistol to see if it would jump off the table and run out my front door and down the block to shoot the neighbor revving his motorcycle like a freaking idiot. It didn’t, I was so shocked that my gun did not do this that I wanted to take it back to the place I purchased it from!! But then I realized something…my gun, it is an inanimate object, just like a rock…you need a person to throw the rock in order for it to do anything. So since my gun did not leave my house and run down the block to shoot my annoying neighbor, I’m going to say it’s not the gun that’s the problem, it’s the person holding the gun, it’s the person pulling the trigger that’s the problem.

    The only reason the news outlets are making an issue out of guns, mind you the same issues with stupid people having guns has been around for 100s of years, is because this president is an idiot and wants to remove the 2nd Amendment. I have the right to protect my family! I will use that right to protect my family! Do you know the average time frame it takes for a cop to show up to an active issue!?!? I do, one incident that stands out the most, I personally waited 4 hours for an officer to show up when a neighbor was in my yard threatening my life! 4 hours, now had a weapon been involved can you imagine how far away this person would have been in that amount of time…even owning a weapon, that I legally have the right to own and use to protect myself in this situation, I still chose to call the cops instead of shooting the person and yet I had no protection from my police department! Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to tell the robber/killer to wait while I call the cops while he’s breaking into my home trying to kill me or my family. Now, luckily the other neighbors were able to help defuse the situation and removed the person from my property prior to anything happening, but it still took 4 hours for an officer to show up, then he proceeded to tell me the intruder had a right to be in my privately owned yard.

    If guns are the issue, what about other things that can be used as weapons. Some could say your own hands are a weapon, you can do just as much damage with your hands that you can with a gun, why are they not outlawing your hands? Feet can be used as a deadly weapon as well, not outlawing them…shit a spoon can be used as a deadly weapon, and in some cases your mouth, your words can also be considered a weapon, how many people have killed themselves because of things people have said?!? Oh, wait…I take that back they are trying to outlaw speaking, freedom of speech is at risk as well, my bad.

    If you want to outlaw guns, consider all the other things they can outlaw as well. Come on now…anything can be used to hurt or kill someone it all depends on how the person holding the weapon chooses to use it. Consider the facts before accusing an inanimate object of causing harm.

  58. In my state the main grocery chain is Kroger’s. They do not allow guns on their property. As a concealed carry permit holder I regularly violate their policy. Although I have not heard of an incident at Kroger, there have been plenty of incidents at Walmart in the news where people have had to defend themselves.

  59. We need more of this.
    We need more Red states passing open carry or pro-2A laws.
    We hear about politicians saying they need to make Red states and cities blue, and encouraging people to move there to change the political landscape.
    So more of this, get it out there, seen, and put the fear and paranoia into those people hearts. Make them think twice, and cancel the U-Haul.
    We dont want them bringing their leftist ideas, CRT, more taxes.

  60. If you are against open carry by civilians? Then you are against the Second Amendment. If you aren’t comfortable with civilians openly carrying firearms, then stay home. Use Uber and Lyft to do the shopping for you. You are just as anti-civil rights as Alabama Governor George Wallace.

    And you are probably one of those “freedom of speech freaks”, who supported the Klu Klux Klan marching in black neighborhoods. While they were carrying guns. Or you’re one of those “freedom of speech freaks” who supported the American national socialists, who marched through the neighborhoods of Holocaust Survivors. As they shouted out loud “we’re going to come back and finish the job.”

    The gun owners who are against open carry are the Enemy Within the Civil Rights Movement.

    • I wrote a lengthy comment but can’t post it. Anyone feel free to use it if you want:

      Here are the problems with what you wrote:

      A. In your ‘article’, you literally accuse gun carriers of being mentally ill, then claim to want a rational debate.

      “All I see when I see someone wearing a gun while running errands is fear and paranoia…”

      Try. Again.

      B. You claim that the “problem” is: “It’s not the right, it’s the way it’s being exercised…. If you feel like you need a gun hanging off your belt to pick up salad, there’s something wrong.”

      In other words (the Right being to “keep AND BEAR”) if one actually EXERCISES the Right in a peaceful and legal manner… that’s a problem, as you see it. You think that the actual use of the Right is a problem. Do you get your own hypocrisy yet?

      By the way, criminals commit crimes in grocery stores. And the parking lots. And on the roads between them and peoples’ homes. And EVERYWHERE else. Please tell me where crimes do not occur, so we know not to be prepared for self-defense there.

      C. You then engage the the most blatently mendacious anti-2A tropes, using only biased, invented narrative absent of logic, reason, facts or evidence.

      1. You claim that “the “good guy with a gun” idea has been outed as a myth over and over again”, and reference an opinion piece based literally on fictional literature. That’s… incredibly, insanely idiotic… and wouldn’t be accepted by any competent high school teacher. You COULD have used real data and actual studies…

      http://www.gunfacts.info/gun-policy-info/guns-and-crime-prevention/

      2. You reference the “wild west” which was also… largely a product of fiction. And what Earp did was grossly UN-Constitutional….

      https://guncite.com/wild_west_myth.html

      3. “We have a gun problem in the U.S. That fact is indisputable. And it’s not just because criminals have guns. States with higher gun ownership rates have higher gun death rates. States with stricter gun laws have lower gun death rates. Ideology aside, the math favors fewer guns and stricter laws, not the free-for-all gun culture gripping a decent portion of the country.”

      While firearms ownership and carry restrictions have been rescinded, and sales soar, crime rates (including murder) have trended steadily downward for nearly 30 years. And accident rates have dropped steadily for far longer.

      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-fbi-idUSKCN0IU1UM20141110

      https://www.themarshallproject.org/2019/09/30/new-fbi-data-violent-crime-still-falling?fbclid=IwAR2rOdajxNUCjx1jtjAIQnHRmFbRVw2bm94lb86aUVHlmT265czlak5Ma9c

      https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s

      http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/09/dean-weingarten/fatal-firearm-accidents-vs-private-gun-ownership-1965-2013/

      https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view

      4. “…but the “good guy with a gun” idea has been outed as a myth over and over again”

      Successful self-defense, and defense of others, with a firearm, happens all the time. You just have to look for it…. but you clearly didn’t even try.

      http://gunssavelives.net/category/self-defense/

      http://www.reddit.com/r/dgu

      https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/armed-citizen/

      http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/category/defensivegunuseoftheday/

      https://www.arizona-firearms.com/self-defense-shooting-compilation-armed-citizens-stop-crooks

      http://controversialtimes.com/issues/constitutional-rights/12-times-mass-shootings-were-stopped-by-good-guys-with-guns/

      5. “Additionally, how can we truly say we’re a great nation if people feel like they can’t leave the house unarmed? I can’t wrap my brain around the mindset. What kind of warped version of “freedom” is that?”

      Again you accuse people peacefully and legally exercising their Right as mentally ill. How many times are you going to do that?

      Your personal safety and security is YOUR responsibility. NO-ONE else can ensure it for you. Not the police. Not the military. Not the government. They can not do so, nor is it their responsibility, legally OR morally.

      https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-278.ZS.html

      Your clear and repeated ABDICATION of personal responsibility is where the mental defect lies.

      Other countries have the same condition…. except they also actively PREVENT people from being prepared and equipped for effective self-defense. That’s literally insane. FREEDOM includes the Right to self-defense, and unrestricted access to effective tools for it.

      6. “I’ve lived in rural, urban, and suburban areas, in all different regions of the country, and not once in my 46 years of life have I ever felt the need to carry a gun. Pepper spray? Sure, just in case. Self-defense knowledge? Absolutely. A loaded handgun? No. A loaded handgun sticking out of my pants so everyone knows I have it? Crimony, no.”

      And the empirical evidence is that YOUR experience is not the ONLY experience, nor even the average. Yet you would deny that others have had different circumstances than you, out of your own ignorance, arrogance, fear and paranoia….

      7. “And now we have states like Texas making it legal for people to carry guns without even having to have a license or permit.”

      May I please see your First, Fourth, Thirteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendment Permits, proof of background checks, training, testing, and receipts for fees paid to the government?

      While we wait, ‘Constitutional Carry’ has not been a problem in the states that already have it. Why would it be a problem elsewhere? Cite your evidence please.

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_carry?fbclid=IwAR1jUO_UgO-tq7KidbXg9cAWwgcaLPvF7rccThXXzLX1hREMFg6qyg47HzM

      8. “That means no background checks. No gun safety education. No training to assure that a person knows how to handle a firearm or screening to make sure that they aren’t a homicidal maniac. It’s pure madness.”

      Utterly false, of course.

      One can obtain training without ever taking a government-required class. And passing a government-required class does not in any way indicate adequate training. As you yourself implied.

      9. “Freedom that feels like fear isn’t true freedom, and wearing a gun in a grocery store feels like nothing but fear to me.”

      Your psychological projection is amusing, but of no actual value in supporting your claims.

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