Proposed Bill Would Allow Guns to be Visibly Carried (Arkansas)

[shadowrider]

A new legislature and a renewed chance to change Arkansas' gun laws: a bill filed at the state Capitol could allow gunowners to visibly carry their weapons at their hips.

A similiar bill was proposed two years ago by now Secretary-elect Mark Martin but it died in committee. Now, with many more conservatives at the Capitol, it could have another shot.

Proponents of an open carry law say it's time to join with 43 other states and allow Arkansans to wear their guns out in the open, just like in the olden-days.

"Those days people refer to as the wild west were really a lot safer. You were a lot safer in any of those Western towns than you are in Little Rock right now,” said Nicholas Stehle.

Nicholas Stehle is with Arkansas Carry. He says conceal carry permits are too expensive. Open carry, he says, would be more conveinent and keep people safer.

http://arkansasmatters.com/news-fulltext?nxd_id=374977

[Drale]

1. This is only going to cause a shooting match

when some skitch person sees another person with a gun and shoots at him, then everyone else around pulls out there guns and its a slaughter.

[shadowrider]

3. Just like Vermont and Arizona. Wait, nevermind (It didn't and hasn't happened) n/t

[armueller2001]

5. So, since there are 43 other states

that currently allow open carry, I'm sure you can point to at least one example of this situation happening...

or maybe you're just fulla shit?

[lawodevolution]

6. So is this what happens in the other 43 states with legal open carry?

Like new Hampshire?

[Mopar151]

15. It gives us a good indication of who the nuts are

And NH ain't Arkansas - but grits are groceries!

[PavePusher]

29. So, people who appreciate the exercise of a Constitutional Right....

without having to pay a fee to the government are "nuts"?

Really?

[Mopar151]

45. No, people who pack a stainless 9mm to take out the trash. n/t

[PavePusher]

46. I am generally armed whenever I am outside my home.

I usually don't wear a holstered pistol when taking out the trash or doing yard work, but there will be one nearby.

Does that make me a "nut"?

[Mopar151]

54. See #25 - can't say it better n/t

[PavePusher]

55. Cite to evidence, please.

Have you measured my cock vs. my gun lately?

[Katya Mullethov]

59. I have ........at the behest of other posters

And in what might seem to some as an impossibly taught and turgid state , I've got more cock than gun . In both length and breadth I got my carry piece beat .And I have no doubt that as the years pass , gravity will help me catch up on the height part .

[AtheistCrusader]

37. Washington State already has open carry. And we're even in the 'west'.

No rampant shootouts here.

[Kennah]

49. Evergreen State also has concealed carry ...

... and a higher per capita rate of carry than either Florida or Texas.

Of course, in places like Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona, one can't ever start to figure out how many people are carrying. We can guess, but ya might as well try to guess the winning lotto numbers this week.

[theaocp]

2. Sweet!

So when Greedo shows up in the Cantina, Han Solo will be ready to git'r done. Fucking idiots.

[PavePusher]

4. So, do either of you have proof that this has occured with any meaningful frequency elsewhere?

Or are you both empty suits?

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spin]

18. Did you ever read the tale of Chicken Little?

Perhaps the sky isn't falling.

[PavePusher]

26. WhadImiss? n/t

[spin]

32. Nothing serious.

the poster was just replaying a version of the old "blood in the streets" myth. He must have worded it in a manner that caused it to be deleted by DU rules.

I really didn't notice anything all that egregious that it stuck in my memory.

[Katya Mullethov]

43. Almost ....once

But it got deleted .

So I didnt learn anything from Little , but it did make the guy that tried to cut Littles mullet look a bit paranoid and overreacting .

[SteveM]

7. Well, at least you will know who to avoid...

...as opposed to being paranoid about who carries concealed. Personally, I would prefer the latter; but others may differ, as is their individual right.

[shadowrider]

9. There you go mentioning rights and the power to choose. n/t

[SteveM]

19. Yeah, I'm one of those professional leftists. nt

[spin]

21. I would be far more worried abut people who ILLEGALLY carry concealed ...

those people are criminals and are far more likely to do you harm than the individual who is carrying a firearm in the open.

Take a minute and think about it.

[theaocp]

25. I'm more worried about people who carry guns, period.

However, a minute's thought makes me realize people who carry openly are either trying to intimidate people or have not enough self-esteem to fill a thimble. Either way, it's a fail.

[PavePusher]

27. Your mental health credentials, please?

Else you are merely an empty suit, blowing wind.

[Mopar151]

56. Years of industrial supervision is mine.

Listen to a couple of these fuckwits brag about intimidating the kid behind the Sears counter by giving him a peek at the gun, or painting the very end of the barrel daglo orange to be visible in a dimly lit bar - This has damm little to do with self-defense, and a lot to do with fetishes, overcompensation and loud-mouth cowards.

[PavePusher]

57. So, you cite unsupported anecdotes as reason to restrict lawful Citizens?

That's a really bad foundation to build additional laws on.

[oneshooter]

58. All of which are illegal in Texas. And will get you in jail, and without a permit. n/t

[Katya Mullethov]

60. One caveat

They have to actually happen

[spin]

30. I have often felt that open carry does more harm than good to the RKBA movement ...

Many people like you do not understand those of us who chose to carry firearms. People who open carry remind you of this dislike, while you never would feel threatened or disturbed by me or my daughter and son in law who legally carry concealed if we all were sitting at a table beside yours in a restaurant.

[Euromutt]

40. Don't attribute your reaction to their motives

Evidently, you find the idea or sight of someone openly carrying a holstered handgun to be intimidating. Fair enough. Where you err is in reasoning that, because you feel intimidated, it must therefore be the carrier's intent to intimidate you. In actual fact, the "open carry movement" has the objective of normalizing the practice; their whole point is not to intimidate people, but instead, demonstrate that someone can go about his daily business, or attend a barbecue, or pick up trash in a park or on a beach, while carrying a handgun without doing anything to threaten anyone other than those who might seek to harm them first.

As to why someone might choose to carry openly, well, every OCer has his or her own reasons. One of the most prominent members of the open carry movement here in Washington state is an openly gay man who decided, when he came out, that he'd had enough of keeping things hidden, including the fact that he carries a handgun for self-protection. Try fitting that into your College of It Stands To Reason pop psychology.

[lawodevolution]

8. Is this some kind of bigoted statement implying that gun owners are hicks or

Rednecks?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spin]

20. Do you feel people who legally carry concealed are also idiots?

[theaocp]

23. Not necessarily.

If you need to boost your ego by carrying a weapon in plain view, I view that as pathetically weak, that's all.

[PavePusher]

28. Well, except for the plethora of other reasons one would carry openly...

whatevah...

So, were people "pathetically weak" back when it was the norm, or is that merely a modern invention of yours?

[spin]

31. To understand why a person would carry openly ...

you have to understand the difficulty of carrying a concealed firearm.

Many people who get a concealed carry permit plan to carry a full sized weapon such as a 1911 .45 acp. They do not realize just how difficult it is to conceal such a weapon. If you are at a store and you reach for an item on the top shelf, you may flash your weapon. In many states that is a serious no-no.

I resolved this problem by carrying a snub nosed .38 caliber revolver in my front pants pocket. This firearm is a great weapon for pocket carry but is far harder to shoot accurately than a full sized firearm.

So many of the people you feel are attempting to boost their ego by openly carrying may just have found this method a more convenient approach. Some people who carry this way will also argue that it reduces the chance that some fool will pull a weapon and attempt to rob someone if they notice an armed individual in the area.

Having said this, I will agree that a percentage probably do carry openly to "boost their ego". Such individuals fall into the category of "mall ninjas" and are often ridiculed by other people who carry openly or concealed.

[RSillsbee]

34. I think you'd be surprised

when I OC most people don't even notice

[spin]

47. It always amazes me how little people notice ...

most people are so lost in their cell phones that the Incredible Hulk could walk by them carrying a rocket launcher and they wouldn't even stop texting.

[Glassunion]

51. Ever visit NY City?

That would not be all that unusual.

My wife and I were there last Feb. We were leaving a great Thai place, and walked past an alley heading towards our car. The street was packed full of people. In the alley they were doing a photo shoot. 3 naked people were throwing green paint on each other. I must admit I did do a double take as we passed the alley. I looked around and no one was paying the photo shoot any mind. That's when I noticed the red dinosaur that had walked past me. He was also on his cell phone.

[slackmaster]

10. I haven't read the bill. Would it allow people to carry guns in bars?

Have you read it?

[theaocp]

12. Nope. I just read the OP and made a snarky response. n/t

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[theaocp]

24. Beyond your rudeness, I don't understand your comment. n/t

[slackmaster]

36. It was a reference to dialogue in the movie Full Metal Jacket

Where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman pins the nicknake "Joker" on a private, and dresses him down.

Sorry if you took offense. It was meant to be purely humorous.

[oneshooter]

48. So you are as ignorant as you sound? n/t

[RSillsbee]

38. Han shot first

only the Star Wars geeks will get that

[Euromutt]

41. The Rodian threw down on him, though

(For those not in the know, to "throw down on someone" means, in 19th century frontier slag, to confront someone with your gun already drawn and pointed at him.)

And I'm guessing that was due in no small part to Greedo knowing he wouldn't be able to outdraw Han. But let's not fool ourselves: it's not as if being unarmed would have done Solo any good. Greedo was probably more than prepared to kill him on the spot.

[old mark]

14. we have that here in PA for many decades now...there is absolutely NO PROBLEMS

with it - you don't even need a license to carry a handgun openly, as you do to carry one concealed.

mark

[Kolesar]

16. How would you mug somebody with a side arm?

Garrot from behind? Pepper mace?

[spin]

22. Two people, one from the front to distract ...

one from behind to grab the weapon.

There are people foolish enough to try it, which is why I prefer to carry concealed. Today most people carry debit cards rather than cash and mugging people isn't as profitable as it once was. Firearms however can be very expensive and a valuable item to steal.

Open carry would mean that I would have to use a snatch resistant holster and be even more alert to my surroundings than when I am carrying concealed.

[Katya Mullethov]

44. They tried that one me and momma in San Antone this summer

Didnt fuckin' work .

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Katya Mullethov]

35. Its everywhere you look nowadays

Pretty hard to avoid .

[mvccd1000]

39. Poorly worded... "Allow guns to be visibly carried?"

It's a sad day when we believe we should only do what the government "allows" us to do.

A better headline would have correctly stated that the government would remove the laws prohibiting the activity.

[Katya Mullethov]

42. When nobody cares if you're armed or gay anymore

And there is nothing left to obfuscate with . We'll get to the semantics involved in " whose money is it in the first place" ? And the perennial favorite.... How much will "they" let us "keep" . lol .

[Kennah]

50. I'm not an open carry proponent ...

... but there are times when it might make sense and I would do it.

I'm much happier being in the closet and carrying concealed.

[eallen]

52. As someone who takes the pro-gun side on many of these issues...

I'm not a proponent of open carry.

:hippie:

[shadowrider]

53. I don't open carry but have nothing against those that do. Their choice. n/t