Open carry is legal here in Wisconsin, but the PD's both here in Madison and over in Milwaukee have stated they will arrest anyone openly carrying and let the courts sort it out.
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Philly police dont know the gun laws
- Thread starter statesman
- Start date
I still have a problem w/ open carry in urban/downtown areas ... don't know why, I just do. I think it might be connected to some of the folks I've seen promoting open carry. If it's legal, perhaps one should just "do it" instead of making a big deal about it .... but that isn't gonna happen, is it ???
If you want to delve further into the subject, try: OPEN CARRY.org
Warts & all ...
It sounds like the guy in the OP was perfectly within his rights to Open Carry. That being said, I'm aligned with the camp that believes if you open carry, you simply highlight yourself as the initial target if something is going to go down. Yes you may deter 90% of possible crimes contemplated, but if you conceal carry then you can deter virtually ALL situations, and the criminal will have the element of surprise in not being aware you're carrying. I personally still feel concealed carry is better than open, but either should be allowed if legal.
gaijin6423
Ask me about ninjas!
IMO, the LEOs in question failed to apply a lesson that I learned as a young LCpl: Everyone. Is. Always. Watching. Anyone who is working in any kind of public capacity--to include higher profile private sector folks these days--needs to be doubly certain that they both know their job, and are acting appropriately in the performance of it. Because there's always some jackass out there with a cellphone/camera, just waiting to score the next "Don't Taze Me, Bro". So instead of handling things in a calm, professional manner, the first officer on the scene draws down and starts F-bombing like mad.
I was actually talking about this with a few local and state LEOs last Saturday at a USPSA match. I think the general consensus about this event was that it could have been handled better, and they were not impressed by the lack of professionalism, retribution charges filed against the open carry guy, etc. Let's face it, situations like that make them all look bad, and increase hostility towards them, making their job even harder.
I'm not the biggest fan of shit like municipalities that derive a huge chunk of their revenue from dropping the speed limit down 20mph and posting 9 Barney Fife Jrs at the city limit to nab as many people as possible. But there are lots and lots of good cops out there, doing hard jobs in disgusting cesspools (like Philly), and I respect that. But that doesn't make every single LEO right because he/she thinks they're right.
All that being said, I tend to err on A4s' side on open carry in big metropolitan areas. I think it does more to highlight me, make me a target, and detract from my personal safety, than it enhances my safety. I open carry on occasion (outside NC), but if I'm going to carry downtown, I prefer concealed carry. [Insert Most Interesting Man in the World joke here] And a lot of the open carry 'advocates' out there seem to be just looking for attention. I guess it boils down to carrying being just another tool to keep myself/my family safe, and I try to use the right tools for the right job.
I was actually talking about this with a few local and state LEOs last Saturday at a USPSA match. I think the general consensus about this event was that it could have been handled better, and they were not impressed by the lack of professionalism, retribution charges filed against the open carry guy, etc. Let's face it, situations like that make them all look bad, and increase hostility towards them, making their job even harder.
I'm not the biggest fan of shit like municipalities that derive a huge chunk of their revenue from dropping the speed limit down 20mph and posting 9 Barney Fife Jrs at the city limit to nab as many people as possible. But there are lots and lots of good cops out there, doing hard jobs in disgusting cesspools (like Philly), and I respect that. But that doesn't make every single LEO right because he/she thinks they're right.
All that being said, I tend to err on A4s' side on open carry in big metropolitan areas. I think it does more to highlight me, make me a target, and detract from my personal safety, than it enhances my safety. I open carry on occasion (outside NC), but if I'm going to carry downtown, I prefer concealed carry. [Insert Most Interesting Man in the World joke here] And a lot of the open carry 'advocates' out there seem to be just looking for attention. I guess it boils down to carrying being just another tool to keep myself/my family safe, and I try to use the right tools for the right job.
Another thing to consider: for non-LEOs, concealed carry is illegal in some states (like Wisconsin), and thus open carry is the only option. Even though the state attorney general issued a memo saying that the mere open carrying of a firearm absent any other circumstances should not be grounds for arrest, several municipalities (including Madison) have made the policy decision that they will usually cite for disorderly conduct at a minimum. Some may be attention seekers, but others are just trying to assert their rights, even if they're also trying to make a point. In the case of states like Wisconsin, open carry is the only way it can be done.
I completely agree with regard to open carry in urban areas, and also why it is a sensitive point with LEO's. I don't open carry, and hope that WI eventually passes concealed carry. I believe the law is before the WI gov. right now, we'll see where it goes.
I was at Starbucks down here in Crapus Crusty and asked a cop in line what they carried..I could see it was a Glock of some sort...his response was I think it's a Glock 23 but I haven't shot it in over a year. WTF over??!!! There have been some shoot outs here in Corpus and this cop may have to be involved in one and he doesn't know the caliber of gun he carries and he doesn't shoot it. Shouldn't have surprised me given how he looked, about 50lbs overweight, uniform looked like shit, etc. Sad.
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
Can't argue with you on that one, that is a far too common occurrence. We ( LEOs ) are our own worst enemies for allowing this to happen. It's not necessary for every officer to be a gun nut, but to be unfamiliar with your own duty weapon is indefensible.
I dont even have to watch or hear the audio to know that there are officers that got their head up their ass. I've dealt and filed complaints on some here in my hometown. You'd think that knowing that you are talking to a full time peace officer would make you not be lazy but thats some urban legend there. And now one officer that I knew had his head up his ass just got arrested for barratry. I'm happy for that. We dont have open carry in Texas and thank God for that. I open carry every day for work and guess what?..i get assualted all the time!
Not defending what seemed to be a poorly-handled situation, but as a citizen responsible for obeying the laws of our local/state/federal governments, can any of us honestly say that we know every law we are supposed to follow? I sure as hell don't. However, we are responsible for following both the letter and intent of every law out there. All we can do is try to do the right thing.
Or, to put it in aviation terms: Are there any of us in the biz who can honestly say that we know, completely understand, and have always followed every governing directive, order, SOP, etc. out there? I sure as hell haven't. (Oh, and I'm not talking willful disobedience - I'm talking about either unknowingly violating a regulation, misinterpreting an SOP, etc.) However, we're also responsible for following the letter and intent of every aviation regulation out there. Again, all we can do is try to do the right thing.
I repeat: All we, as citizens, can do is attempt to do the "right" thing, not be the squeaky wheel, and as gaijin said, remember that in this day and age of long hair and rock and roll music that everyone has a video camera on them, and they're all looking to be the next YouTube sensation.
(BTW, the sheer number of laws on the books is what makes my skin crawl whenever a 'tragedy' occurs and a politician uses it as a platform for new, tougher laws. There are enough laws on the books...)
But only ensuring that we fully enforce existing laws doesn't show really convey to the public their True Concern for the populace and most especially, the children.
Son of a bitch...how could I forget about the Children?
PLEASE ... remember the children ... and remember the chillins' (sic), too ...
(fired during mid-term due to "controversies" ... )
