1y ago

Right to Flex Arms

149 comments

Open carriers show off two major things, and neither one of them are "tough guy".
First is fragile masculinity, they are worried that they aren't seen as "manly" enough, so they have to show off to everyone that they are totally manly. It's like women wearing that new handbag out and about, they want others to notice it.
Second is pure fear, fear that at any time any moment something is going to happen, and the only way they feel safe is by carrying a lethal weapon with them at all times. You know, rather than dealing with what is causing the fear in the first place.
So, we have a terrified person carrying a lethal weapon who is worried about what everyone around them think. To me, that's the more worrying person in a room.
- Fear indeed. I went to college in a very... provincial small city. Riding my bicycle around, I was regularly harassed by insecure assholes in pickup trucks, and run off the road twice. The one time I managed to get a license plate, the police claimed that without witnesses, they couldn't do anything. ACAB.
  I added my 1911 to the strap of my messenger bag, at the top of my left shoulder, where the stainless frame would be plainly visible. I was suddenly given plenty of space on the road and even got occasional compliments when waiting at stoplights. It's disgusting that I would be a target for bullying without my pistol, but suddenly I was an okay guy with my penis extension where douchebag drivers could see it.
  So yeah, I'm living proof that non-military open carry is only for scaredy cats.
  
  I wonder if 3d printing a fake handle to stick out is worth the trouble.
  Being licensed anyway would be good if you were stopped, but it would weigh less and you wouldn't risk losing it.
  Presume there's laws about leaving it unsupervised etc while out the house.
  
  The one time I managed to get a license plate, the police claimed that without witnesses, they couldn't do anything. ACAB.
  It sucks but unless he hurt you, hit your bike, or you have any sort of footage what is the police suppose to do? Show up, he denies everything and that's it.
  If they could charge him on your claims alone, think about the scary consequences of such a "legal" system.
- Loved the comparison to an expensive handbag. These people just want to look fierce and make other people feel in danger.
  
  Just wait until you get all the hens clucking at their favorite restaurant about how stylish it looks with the wood-grain finish.
- I have a friend who open carries everywhere as well. We do not live in a dangerous area at all and he carries this thing to the grocery store.
  I call it his "big boy gun" because it makes him feel like he's a big boy now, like a kid who wears his "big boy" pants with no diapers.
  
  I call it his “big boy gun”
  Good! And I hope you never let him hear the end of it. What a poser.
  
  I had the talk with a friend once who did it, told him I didn't feel comfortable. We went to a fast food place and told him to look around, people weren't admiring him, they were afraid of him. Luckily he saw reason and stopped wearing it shortly after.
- Stupidity goes in there too for baiting any and every psycho who can now instantly become an armed psycho.
- Fear? My impression is that they're looking for trouble, not trying to avoid it.
  
  Nah they say they are, but they're scared boys walking around with it. The like to LARP thinking they'll need to use it, but actually using it on someone is terrifying.

Remember folks, if your firearm is worth more than you are; showing it is like flashing your wallet.
- You're walking in an alley and encounter a man. Would you rather bear arms or not bear arms?
  
  Honestly? Nearly a decade of working contract security, including most of that time being level 3,
  I can easily say that I’d rather not be armed.
  First, carrying visible weapons makes people respond differently. They see you’re armed and everyone reacts to it. Its mere presence escalates situations.
  Secondly, your very question implies the trap always being armed leads to- you assume this man is aggressive or hostile. And most often that assumption is flat wrong.
  When all you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail.
  Finally, situation awareness is infinitely more valuable than any weapon. You lose every fight you get into. Even if the other guy doesn’t harm you, if you draw down and shoot, you’re going to jail. You’re going to be held until they know what happened, and you’re probably getting charged.
  You lose on legal fees. You probably lose your job. And now you have to live with guilt- even if the subject had it coming.
  Also just a side note I was discussing open carry. Concealed is a different matter; concealed properly, no one will know until you draw. (And then things escalate fucking fast.)

"Thank god you're here, man openly carrying! I feel so much safer around you!"
"Heh. Yeah, I'm sure. People respect me when I'm carrying."
"Oh, no, I don't mean it like that. I mean that if an actual gunman starts shooting, you're a much higher priority target, giving me enough time to run away. Thank you for painting a target on yourself for us!"

- I really hope this was at a competition. If this guy dresses up like this just to go out, he's got to have a horrible personality.
  
  Who needs a personality when you've got guns
  
  What kind of crazy competition would this guy fit into?
  He needs to read up on what a "3 gun competition" really means because it's not this.
  
  Imagine a blind date in a public place with this like... Wtf do you do when the Self Punisher shows up?
  🧑‍🌾❌
  🐻🫦
- How ironic would it be if this guy was killed in a knife fight.
- What happened to his SCAR-L? Did he forget it in the bathroom?
- Definition of a try hard.
  
  We only see him from the back, but two guns for him and one for Quato.

Yeah you definitely get a daily carry that's under 600 bucks. Even that's a lot. You get your nice gun in that evidence locker and you aren't ever getting it back.

We need more public pole arms and coinbags made of worn leather sashed onto one's great belt.
More ninja outfits. More people dressed up like Joker. I want peak Joker.
- One of the things that really angers me about supposed second amendment supporters is their quiet acceptance of laws infringing on my right to bear any arm that is not a gun. In most states where it is legal to carry guns around, there are way more restrictions on carrying things like knives, swords, polearms, etc.
  
  Reminds me of messer blades. Basically local governments said swords weren't allowed so the people made extra long "knives" with a few sword features removed. Very similar to AR "pistols" today
  But yeah good ole fashioned medieval weapons would be awesome to try out and own
- What about joker weddings?
  https://youtu.be/yke02BDVMEA
- The most fantastic thing about the Joker is that Gotham police haven't just drilled his ass with six dozen rounds to the funny bone during an arrest.
  Hell, this guy runs around with not one but two hyenas on the regular, and even they don't get shot.
- This person missed the memo and showed up as a clown 🤡 instead of THE clown.

All I'm reading here is "How dare people do something I disagree with in public?".
To be fair, I'm no US American, so I wouldn't know if open carrying itself is a problem, instead of just being a political statement.
- It's not really an actual problem more than it is a fashion statement, which is against the ideals of people trying to use it as a legitimate self defense tool if all else fails.
  Most people want to live a normal life. Go to places with family and friends etc. Having a gun is a personal choice, and those that choose to carry usually feel that if they have the capability to carry legally and safely to do so just in case no other help can get to you in time. Similar to wearing a seatbelt without expecting an accident to occur. And if it's not for you it's okay we understand.
  Open carry has a place. On police officers, in wilderness areas where predators are common, and on range days. But at a restaurant or store is NOT one of those places you should open carry even if you can legally.
  It brings all the attention to you and your gun and usually gives off a negative first impression. Any "bad guy" will simply target you first and by surprise. Or take your gun's value as a sign of how much expendable income you have. And it brings about unwanted interactions as seen in the comic, but if you are open carrying maybe you are probably looking for that reaction and in that case it's not purely self defense it's attention seeking.
  I carry a concealed gun when I can, I respect responsible gun owners but open carry people are not responsible in my eyes. They make us all look bad imo.
  
  You're also leaving out that some people feel uncomfortable around firearms. Always forgetting about empathy. I could walk around with clothing that makes people feel uncomfortable, but I don't because that would be inconsiderate of me.
  Also, just FYI, even CC doesn't really help you. It puts you more at risk in most cases, and it's often especially bad when dealing with cops. Of course that depends a lot on where you are and what you look like though. Some cops might show you respect for CCing, rather than the typical fear and panic. If you need to use it, a "good guy with a gun" looks exactly the same as the bad guy.
- Have you ever heard of the expression "When you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"?
  
  If that is what this comic is about, then why specifically single out open carrying?
- I reading it as have look 5000 bucks on his hip.

I appreciate the art in this strip, it's well drawn, the flow is nice, I like the heavy contrast which complements the tone of the message.
It's just, I prefer comics to be funny.

Why would you present yourself as the annoying and ridiculous one?

I carry a gun. Inside my waistband and under a shirt like a fucking adult. Open carrying out in the wilderness, for work or on a range is understandable.
Randos carrying in public is pure cringe and is super counterproductive to the goal of practical responsible gun ownership as I see it.
- of all the motives to be against open carry, putting cringe as one of them is ... cringe.
  
  Everyone else did a good job of listing the rest so I figured it was implied so here goes.
  Open carrying makes you a bigger target to hypothetical mass shooters because you are the biggest threat to them and will be targeted first before you can react.
  It makes you a bigger target to hypothetical robbers who use your weapon to size up how much money you have/make.
  It is clearly visible so the chance of social interaction goes up (see comic)
  It puts guns as front and center as your whole personality. Showing anything as your whole personality is not great, but something controversial and divisive is worse.
  And nearly all of this is avoidable by simply concealed carrying if you want to be armed.
- "Randos carrying in public is pure cringe" they said, after saying they carry in public just in a concealed manner.
  
  You know what I mean, open carrying.
  Concealed carry isn't a fashion statement or anything political. It's a personal choice not something to intimidate or rub in people's faces.
  I have the legal ability to, I have the training to do it safely, so I do. That's literally the extent of it.

Bold move, given the propensity for guys like this to fly off the handle in a Gay Panic of Self Defense.
I've found the 2nd Amendnent Remedy is mostly about remedying use of the 1st.

I was getting into my car the other day and noticed someone getting out of their car and putting a pistol into their wasteband. Looked like they were going into a Buffalo wild wings or something. Like, are you gonna shoot someone in there or what?
My thing is, you're usually introducing a firearm into a situation where there likely wasn't one previously, and are putting at risk the lives of everyone around you. I own a firearm and I hope every day I never ever have to use it outside of recreation. Most gun owners are exceptionally irresponsible and don't give weapons their due respect, this is half the reason so many people get shot for no reason in the US.

I live in a country where carrying weapons isn't a thing. But being that it's lawfull in the country where this comic is supposedly happening can you imagine walking into a bar and some random chick starts screaming at you like that?
Imagine if instead of a chick screaming about the guy it would be a guy screaming about a chick with purple hair?
- Imagine if instead of a chick screaming about the guy it would be a guy screaming about a chick with purple hair?
  Purple hair doesn't kill people.
  
  And comic strips aren't meant to be taken literally as situations with nuance and reversibility. It's an artist sharing a message of their own, you can take it or leave it, to "both sides" it makes me deeply puzzled.
  If it were any other period in history I would be astonished that anyone could take the actions of an artistic device as literal interpretations of events, real or hypothetical... but then I remind myself that millions of men have just explained to women why bears are more dangerous when presented with the question which was feared more, so I am now convinced that nobody can see outside their own bubble-universes anymore.
  
  Neither does the act of putting a gun in a holster, does it? It's not like she's screaming at a guy brandishing a gun around, was she? Now that would be something worthy of screaming about.
- Purple hair doesn't kill at distance, not as much as people claim it does.
- My first thought as well. But that's a deeply sensitive topic in American election campaigns, so it's safest for us outsiders to not express an opinion about it whatsoever.
  
  Honestly I'll take the down votes over keeping to myself, some things just need to be said.
  I'm not defending the people who open carry, I'm just pointing out how promoting hate and outrage can't be justified just because you agree with this particular case
- Imagine if instead of a chick screaming about the guy it would be a guy screaming about a chick with purple hair?
  I'm going to blow your mind here, but this was a comic strip and the character was drawn to be announcing things as a representation of what's happening inside the mind of the subject walking. It's an artistic/comedic effect and to take it literally or even remotely as a "both sides" issue is peak... something I can't say without getting banned most likely.
- imagine walking into a bar and some random chick starts screaming at you like that?
  Imagine not knowing how comic strips work.
- It's actually not legal to carry them in bars

There are actual reasons for people to open carry a gun. Main goal is to normalize it. Where I live a lot of people open carry, and it's no big deal, no one really cares or notices.
My neighbor moved here from California though, and she was initially terrified every time she saw someone carrying a gun here. But after awhile she got used to it as well. I haven't asked her what her current opinion is on guns, but I know she went from terrified to not caring, which would be considered a positive change from the people who are open carrying around town.
That said, I don't get the impression that most people who open carry are doing it for that reason, usually seems like it more because they want to show off.
- Why should we normalize carrying weapons around in daily life?
  
  They have to protect themselves from all the people carrying weapons around them, of course!
  
  Armed queers don't get bashed.
  
  It makes sense when you realize these people are abject fucking cowards that can’t leave the house without their emotional support firearm.
  
  They yearn for the old cowboy days.
  
  You can tell this was a good question because they didn't answer it.
  
  Because people want to look cool and not be judged for it!
- Normalize carrying a deadly weapon that can near-instantly kill several people at once everywhere you go... You realize how insane that sounds, right!? Other countries are laughing at us!
- Inferiority complexes do that to people.
- You were so concerned with the undesirability of fear that you forgot why humans naturally experience fear in the first place.
  "Don't worry, if you keep your hand on the burner long enough, you'll feel nothing at all!"
- Normalize carrying rpg's to the grocery store to protect yourself from dad pranks like tapping your shoulder
  /s
- I see no reason to normalize open carry when even just owning a firearm, on its own, increases your chance to be killed by a gun for both suicide and homicide. Firearm ownership itself should not be normalized, as a matter of public health.
  I get that it makes people feel safer, but it does not actually make them safer. If you don't have an obvious reason to have a firearm, like defending livestock, living in a high-risk environment, or as protection against wild animals, then you are objectively safer not owning one.
- Normalize something that shouldn't exist, and has no reason to?
- Good old Lemmy, where providing a different perspective gets you downvoted to hell simply because it's not the popular view. I'd even say we are much worse than Reddit when it comes to this, which is ironic.
  
  Several Lemmy communities just straight up delete non-groupthink opinions, even if they don't violate any apparent rules. That's way worse here than reddit ever was.
  
  Good old Lemmy, where providing a different perspective gets you downvoted to hell simply because it's not the popular view.
  You mean the view "let's normalize making life more dangerous for no reason?"
- If your purpose is to normalize it, and it's normal where you live, then you can stop.
- Main goal is to normalize it.
  There is a period of US history well known for open carrying.
  It's also a period of US history well known for shootings.
- Main reasons historically were for work or hunting ... maaayybe to make sure you don't leave the gun somewhere or forget you have it while transporting it.
  Congratulations on a take just about perfectly as shitty as most of the replies you've got so far. Just. Wow.

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