Open Carry Continued

It has been very interesting as I have explored this issue of open carry of fire arms. One of the things that has been a good tool has been Facebook. We post this weekly article not only in our weekly papers but also on our Facebook page in the form of a blog. A lot of my friends and neighbors, some that have been friends since childhood gave me a lot of their thoughts and if you have ever looked at my Facebook page, you might guess that by my profile picture alone, I am a gun guy. The picture shows me with my wife and daughters in camo with rifles and shotguns sitting on the tailgate of a pickup. We used that picture on a Christmas card a couple of years ago. So, you might also guess that a good many of my oldest friends are also gun guys, outdoorsmen, etc. Some went into great detail when commenting on my blog.

One of the common threads regarding the current law seemed to be that some of the folks who have concealed carry permits that have been legally obtained worry about what happens if their gun becomes accidentally exposed. One of the responses came from Sherriff Whittington who has over 30 years experience in law enforcement. One of his concerns is that if a CCL holder is carrying and becomes exposed, it can mean bad news. Matthew, another Facebook friend, responds to Sherriff Whittington that “this is one of the biggest reasons he does not carry more often”. He does not want to be labeled a “bad guy” if his pistol becomes exposed while having dinner at a restaurant. Two of my friends, Keith and Tim, both hold federal firearms licenses. Both agree that open carry should not be “wide open”. Keith, who is a veteran school teacher even goes as far as to say “I can honestly tell you that even though all citizens have the right to own firearms, not all of them should”. He also goes on to say that “open carry can create a nervous atmosphere in communities”. Keith said “let’s keep our guns concealed and keep the criminals guessing who is and is not armed”. Mark, a friend of mine for over 30 years who is very much an outdoorsman, thinks concealed carry is better than open carry and feels like, as he puts it, “an ace in the hole is always a better idea than showing your hand”. Another friend whom I have known for most of my life who now lives in Tennessee says what makes him nervous about open carry is what he calls “caliber envy”, the whole “mine is bigger” argument. On the other side of the equation is Sissy who owns a local business. She said she would rather see the gun than guess who has it. She also adds that she would like to know someone would back her up if things went wrong.

Most of the people who I have heard from on this particular piece of legislation would also die for your right to keep and bear arms. Not one of them is part of the “tasseled loafer crowd” as I jokingly call some folks. They are country boys and own enough guns to protect their family and property from whatever comes. Even this crew has varied opinions of open carry and not one of them has said “swing the gate wide open and let er’ rip”. So, for me to say that my constituents are clamoring for open carry would be a misstatement. I think that my constituents become a little nervous at the thought of anyone 18 years and older with zero checks, zero balances and zero training strapping on a hog leg and taking off down the street.

Every gun bill we have seen this year has been amended all over the road. I am not sure how I will vote if we actually get an open carry vote on the floor. But, I know how my people are feeling more than ever before. I think they are very divided but leaning toward not allowing open carry. I have to balance what I think and believe with what I think the people who elected me feel and believe. In my opinion, a vote of the people would be a true test. I think that would tell us in no uncertain terms how the majority of Oklahomans feel about this issue. I think I know how that would turn out.

If you would like to contact me while I am at the capitol, please do not hesitate to send an email to donarmes@house.gov or call me at 1-800-522-8502.

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:

“Common sense is seeing things as they are, and doing things as they should be done.”
-Unknown