Did you know open carry is legal in Penn.?

[skadistic]

Dude, I get it, I got it the first time. Put it on the inside of the booth or something. Or get a concealed carry permit if you are so hell bent on walking around with it.

Thinking no one should care, or assuming there is no problem with walking around with a loaded gun in a public family setting like a family dinner restaurant is naive at best. I am convinced people do this sort of crap precisely so they can cry "injustice!" when they are inevitably confronted about it.

Yeah I'm sure law abiding people go around doing nothing wrong just so they can be hassled and harassed and have their rights violated. And then god forbid they cry injustice when you know there actually is injustice because of some one who things that not breaking any laws is disrespectful when the only one who would showing any disrespect is the person who is causing the scene.

 

[illram]

Blah blah blah

Yes, blah blah blah. My fear is irrational, I "have issues I need to get over" and I need to be told how to raise my hypothetical children by you. Blah blah blah precisely sums up what I think of that response.

 

[skadistic]

Yes, blah blah blah. My fear is irrational, I "have issues I need to get over" and I need to be told how to raise my hypothetical children by you. Blah blah blah precisely sums up what I think of that response.

Your fear would be irrational. And if you want to raise your hypothetical kids to be full of irrational fear go ahead but don't expect me to care.

Blah blah blah indeed. Thank you for that well thought out retort.

 

[JollyRoger]

Carrying a gun to a family function would seem to indicate irrational fear to me.

 

[bhsup]

Carrying a gun to a family function would seem to indicate irrational fear to me.

How the hell are we supposed to shoot at bottles if we don't bring the guns?

 

[.Shane.]

In their defense, the laws of this country and state or so complex that it is only a matter of time for any officer before he gets something wrong. Nobody, at least in my two-county area open carries. It just isn't common to see it. The problem arises when they don't admit the mistake and try to brush it off.

Yes, open carry is legal in the State of Pennsylvania.
Convicted felons, the mentally unstable, those with restraining orders or other court injunctions, and minors are not permitted to open carry. You are not allowed to carry in courthouses or on public school campuses.

In the State of Pennsylvania, the right to bear arms is a constitution right (see; Pennsylvania Constitution) and thus local governments are prohibited from preempting state law. The City of Philadelphia has attempted to do so on plenty of occasions, but has thus far been unsuccessful.

JohnHSOG, we disagree on a lot and have even had harsh words a couple times, but that's a very thoughtful and useful reply. Thanks!

I don't think most gun-owners are terrified. A large part of the reason why is that they are prepared for adversity.

Sorry, I didn't mean that gun-owners per se have been terrorfied. I mean that there are so many different examples of the cops or homeland security or TSA or <insert policing agency here> over-reacting to photographers/travelers/etc... that this stuff, sadly, doesn't shock me so much anymore.

 

[IglooDame]

Carrying a gun to a family function would seem to indicate irrational fear to me.

I missed what you're referring to - is the family function the dinner in the restaurant?

Some folks (not necessarily you) don't grasp the logistics of carrying a gun around. Some states - and some counties or municipalities - have different laws regarding open carry, concealed carry, and "car carry". Leaving it in the car may not be legal. Having one in your car while driving on a road that goes past a school may not be legal. Taking it out of your holster in order to leave it in the car may not be legal. Taking it into the building you're going into may not be legal. Having it "print" through your shirt or exposed by your jacket briefly riding up while carrying concealed may not be legal. And on top of all that, open carrying or carrying concealed with someone figuring out that you're packing may be perfectly legal, but the police will still get called and treat you like a criminal (as in the OP).

Now on the one hand, tough noogies and stop whining - if you want to "enhance your personal protection" then don't expect anyone to shed a tear regarding it being inconvenient, right? But on the other, jurisdictional differences and not particularly logical laws regarding how and where you can carry (Ohio has been the most recent example of this) mean that you can go to jail for five years in one place if the police pull you over, where you're perfectly legal on the other side of the town line, and that's a pretty depressing state of affairs.

 

[MilesGregarius]

How the hell are we supposed to shoot at bottles if we don't bring the guns?

It's a truly ingracious host who doesn't provide firearms to his guests.

 

[JollyRoger]

It's a truly ingracious host who doesn't provide firearms to his guests.

Especially if it's BYOB.

 

[El_Machinae]

Terribly naive question, but are people allowed to wear bodyarmor in Pennsylvania?

 

[JohnRM]

Dude, I get it, I got it the first time. Put it on the inside of the booth or something. Or get a concealed carry permit if you are so hell bent on walking around with it.

Thinking no one should care, or assuming there is no problem with walking around with a loaded gun in a public family setting like a family dinner restaurant is naive at best. I am convinced people do this sort of crap precisely so they can cry "injustice!" when they are inevitably confronted about it.

Not every restaurant is a McDonald's.

 

[JohnRM]

Carrying a gun to a family function would seem to indicate irrational fear to me.

Of course...irrational fear...



http://www.boston.com/news/local/co...ant_robbery/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_9277477
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqonajwWUuw
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/01/BAM510F16N.DTL

OR...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westroads_Mall_massacre



Most of these were "Gun Free Zones", by the way.

 

[JollyRoger]

Of course...irrational fear...



http://www.boston.com/news/local/co...ant_robbery/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_9277477
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqonajwWUuw
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/01/BAM510F16N.DTL

OR...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westroads_Mall_massacre



Most of these were "Gun Free Zones", by the way.

I am for a super-license for current gun-free zones. However, my post was not really aimed at restaurants or schools, but just playing the irrational fear card back to the original dealer. I will also point out the lack of deaths and injuries in your restaurant links. I didn't notice if you had any links from PA.

 

[El_Machinae]

How do Pennsylvanians deal with "legal" intimidation? When I was younger, I remember quite a few times where rifles were used as a rather implicit threat. I certainly didn't enjoy it.

 

[Bugfatty300]

If you're gun is slung or holstered then it is not a threat. If not then you could be arrested for brandishing. If someone is walking around with a gun in their hand then that probably would be illegal in PA. As far as intimidation, thats anyone's opinion. I'd think one of the reasons for carrying a gun openly is that it is supposed to inimidate possible threats.

If you were these people and I came up to you and asked you to kindly put your weapons away because it was scaring my kids, what would you say? I am genuinely curious. That's probably what I would have done had the situation arose rather than calling the cops.

If it was in my holster then I'd say that the gun is already put away.

If you are comfortable enough to aproach someone with a sidearm then obviously you are not probably threatened by them. If you feel you are in any danger then leave immediately and call the cops. Otherwise its probably best to mind our own buisness or complain to management.

 

[El_Machinae]

There were never any arrests in the incidents I was involved in because it was brazenly obvious that the police wouldn't be able to prove any charges. The threats were subtle, but certainly there. It wasn't much fun.

Nowadays, if someone implicitly threatens me with a gun, I have a whole bunch of legal options.

(not critiquing, Pennsylvanians are free to have their own gun culture, just my POV)

 

[Bugfatty300]

Terribly naive question, but are people allowed to wear bodyarmor in Pennsylvania?

Bodyarmor is legal most places in the US. California (which has the dumbest gun laws in the USA) might have laws against wearing bodyarmor but I'm not sure on that. If you commit a crime while wearing it then it would an additional charge or something like that. I don't know why but but lots of people think bodyarmor is illegal. Years ago in my school, some soldiers brought a kevlar balistic plate to show to us and one of them commented that it was a "federal offense" to own one becase kevlar is illegal. I told him that surplus kevlar helmets could be had for $80 at the local Army Navy store.

 

[El_Machinae]

I don't know why but but lots of people think bodyarmor is illegal.

Yup!
Thanks.

 

[lutzj]

they also almost always support racial profiling.

whose more likely to commit murder, a black man or a person with a gun?
follow up, is it illegal to be a black man?
don't black men get profiled for crimes despite not doing anything illegal?

You sound surprised that white people with guns discriminate more against gunless black people than armed whites.

it really bothers me that so many people are dismissive of the way black people are treated by police but are all uppity when a white boy with a gun is barely even messed with.

"barely even messed with"? Are you kidding? Besides, what is the difference between falsely accusing people of real crimes and accurately accusing people of nonexistent ones?