This one comes from Joe, but over at Robb’s place.
Political statements aside my criteria is to carry a rifle when I have definite plans to use it or know that the unexpected threat requires more firepower than can be provided by a handgun. This covers hunting and self defense against large animals like a bear.
One the political front I think my open carry as a political statement post is still applicable. The type of carry, when, and where requires some political awareness. A “rule” we come up with that works in Florida may not be appropriate for NYC or San Francisco and might be pointless in Orofino Idaho.
I have never open carried outside of gunnie-gatherings. But it really makes sense coming from my background. I grew up in Portland Maine, where a Man open carrying had his gun confiscated from a public fair. I believe he later won a lawsuit, but the town is still constantly rattling sabers about various stupid anti-gun causes.
Here in Massachusetts, open carry is just as legal as it is in Maine…only here you need a permit to OWN a gun, and the Police can refuse to renew, or restrict that permit for any reason. In the case of open carry (or more specifically people who accidentally exposed their holstered guns) the reason most often given is “Bad Judgement”.
Those aren’t people all having steak at the local applebees in an open carry event…these are people who’s shirts came untucked, or who’s coats blew open in the wind and happened to be spotted by a cop, or somebody who called a cop.
There are certainly different climates around the country.
“Here in Massachusetts, open carry is just as legal as it is in Maine…only here you need a permit to OWN a gun, and the Police can refuse to renew, or restrict that permit for any reason.”
I would add that your town’s licensing authority can, and will, immediately revoke (not just refuse to renew) your license to carry for anything involving guns that puts you on their radar. Open carry will definitely get your LTC revoked, as will accidentally exposing your CCW while walking out of Dunkin Donuts, having your guns stolen from a secure basement vault, and resigning from the BPD (all recent cases).
I keep wondering what causes the differences, i.e. when I cross the state line between Mass and VT, there’s such a tremendous difference in both the laws, and the general perception.
Some of it is a feedback loop. I used to be in favor of mandatory training for Conceal carry because its what Maine has, and given that Maine is shall-issue, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
And of course I meet some of the most anti-gun fudd assholes at the gun club who think they’re 2nd Amendment advocates just because Mass is all they’ve ever known, and never bothered to look at other states.
It goes both ways too, Vermont in many places (Burlington being the best example) is awash in New York and Mass hippies, as well as other moonbeam types coming to live in the mountains and practice their arts, or live off the land. These people HATE guns, but there are enough people who hunt and fish (including some of said moonbeams who might want to ban Glocks, but aren’t against eating a deer) and the state has such a foundation of dairy farmers and woodsmen that there isn’t much traction for anti-gun…and for people who have always lived there, maybe they never thought of registering Gran’pappy’s woodchuck gun.
Also seems that the more rural you get the more family dogs get eaten by coyotes, and the longer the Police response times, and the more huntable land exists, the more amiable people are to keeping guns around. The more urban the more people just let the .gov do the work for them.
Burlington, Montpelier, Barre, and Brattleboro are the places full of hippy types. I get the bird flown at me fairly regularly in those places, presumably because of some of the bumper stickers on my Earthf**ker, Jr. truck. I agree with you, the perfect example being my home state of Illinois…the further south and away from Chicago you get, the more pro-gun the population gets. Coyotes are shoot-on-sight critters around my family’s farm.