When it comes to activism, there is a fine line between getting your message across and being a complete jerk. Unfortunately that line is poorly defined and sometimes changes location right under your feet. You have to get your message out, in public, and you’re doing this specifically for those who do not share your point of view and in that sense, it’s practically guaranteed that somebody is going to get their feathers ruffled. However, to get your message across, often you have to risk it.
As an Open Carry Activist myself, I am well aware of the razor thin edge that must be walked regarding educating Floridians about OC while not being in your face about the whole thing. Our Open Carry Fishing Events are designed to show that normal, everyday people can carry a firearm on their hip for the world to see without it causing any issues. In order to illustrate this, we must have the events in places where there is a lot of public traffic. It does no good to preach your message only to those who agree with you or to do it where nobody will see.
Unfortunately, there is no clear agreement on what the best way to do Open Carry activism is. Some pro-gun people aren’t of the mind that Open Carry can ever be effective activism. I disagree with that assertion as openly carrying pistols is a great way to desensitize regular Jane & John Does. However, while we are passionate about our cause, there are some who let their passion get the better of their judgment.
Recently, there has been a huge brouhaha over someone openly carrying a shotgun into a library. And I mean a huge brouhaha. Bills have even been introduced regarding it (however, many discussions only focus on the one bill to limit rights while ignoring the other bill put in place to ensure rights are respected). Many pixels have been brutally enslaved discussing if such actions are helpful or not. Sadly, I do not think we are anywhere closer to a solution.
I am of two minds here. I need to be cognizant of my end goal – which for me is to get Open Carry legalized in Florida. To do so, I must illustrate by my actions that people can openly carry firearms without causing too much consternation amongst the public. Since OC is not common or generally legal here, there is no way to do this without alarming some people. This is a game of chess, folks. You have to decide which pawns and rooks you’re going to sacrifice to achieve checkmate. There is no way to play without losing any pieces (unless you play against me, in which case you might just do that). However, the other mindset is that you don’t move your knights, rooks, and bishops all out in succession and go for a full court press.
For me, the issue is all about your intent and how they pertain to your goals. Rosa Parks intent was to get arrested. She had to rock the boat to get noticed. Sometimes in our community, we have to do the same thing. If the envelope is never pushed, how can you ever expect to expand your rights? But there is a clear difference between pushing the envelope and tearing it into pieces of confetti because you are impatient.
I cannot fault someone who feels that they need to push things a little to advance their goals. I say this because I must do exactly that for Open Carry rights. It’s considered ‘pushing it’ by openly carrying nothing more than a pistol while fishing since Floridians are not used to seeing them at all. We’ve already had one gentleman carry an AR Pistol with the result that we ended up getting more conversations started than all the other times when we carried nothing but pistols. At the same time, we had one elderly lady freak out. In this instance, the gamble worked. At other times, it may not.Anyone who says that there is a hard and fast rule to when it will or will not work is incorrect and it pains me to see so many gunnies automatically lump anyone who carries a particular firearm that they do not approve of as being ‘a jerk’ or ‘harming our cause’.
Anti-gun bills get introduced all the time, and rarely do they come to fruition, although it has happened. Anti gunners do not need an excuse to push them either, and I hate to see us hamstring ourselves in a vain attempt to appease those who wish to restrict our rights.
There is a big difference though in carrying a firearm and going about your business and carrying a firearm because Dagnabbit! I want people to SEE ME! Riding on back of the Drama Llama does not help. Really. In my line of activism, the two results I want are people to see the pistol, but not become alarmed, or to miss it completely. What doesn’t help is having too many people getting upset. Our actions are cumulative. Upset enough people enough times, and eventually you can turn someone who was at best ambivalent toward us hostile.
I think the problem with this recent incident is several fold. One, too many people believe their way is the one and only way to do things and thus, anyone not following their perfect script must be an EXTREMIST who is high on cough medicine.
Two, people are automatically assigning their intent to someone else's actions. Just because you would feel you were being a jerk for carrying {firearm not on the approved roster} doesn't mean someone else is. We get onto the anti's for that kind of projection, we shouldn't revel in it ourselves.
Three, you can cause more harm than good when doing something that is really, really out there. You can also do well (see my AR pistol example). If your overall goal is to simply parade around and push your firearm in people's face, it doesn't matter if you carry a classic 1911 or a bright pink 50 BMG, you're being a jerk. That kind of behavior I am against, but it has nothing to do with the firearm carried.
Now, I wouldn't carry a rifle or a shotgun because to me they are unwieldy and give off an air of expecting trouble. As Jeff Cooper once said
As we have long taught, the rifle and the pistol serve two conceptually different purposes, and while each may be called upon to perform the function of the other, this is not a good practice and best results should not be expected. The essential difference is that the pistol is designed to solve totally unexpected problems, whereas the rifle is taken in hand when the problem is foreseeable. Thus instant readiness is the primary quality of the pistol. As has been well said, "You cannot make an appointment for an emergency." When you know there is going to be an emergency, you pick up your rifle. Now there are all sorts of curious circumstances which may pose specific exceptions to the foregoing principles, but the fact remains that the two instruments fill different tactical niches, and training and practice should be based upon that concept.
As we have long taught, the rifle and the pistol serve two conceptually different purposes, and while each may be called upon to perform the function of the other, this is not a good practice and best results should not be expected.
The essential difference is that the pistol is designed to solve totally unexpected problems, whereas the rifle is taken in hand when the problem is foreseeable. Thus instant readiness is the primary quality of the pistol. As has been well said, "You cannot make an appointment for an emergency." When you know there is going to be an emergency, you pick up your rifle. Now there are all sorts of curious circumstances which may pose specific exceptions to the foregoing principles, but the fact remains that the two instruments fill different tactical niches, and training and practice should be based upon that concept.
As gunnies, many of us perceive it that way. That doesn’t mean other gunnies see it the same way, and it doesn’t do us any good to automatically jump down their throats because of our views.
In the end, each situation is different. Most of the time, Open Carry is a non-event. Occasionally, when it does become an event we gunnies appear to fall over ourselves armchair quarterbacking on how we wouldn’t have done it that way and how badly it’s hurting “the goal”, whatever that goal might be for that person. The discourse in the comments I’ve seen between people who should ostensibly be on the same team is depressing. I don’t think people who argue against OC’ing a shotgun are anti-gunners and I don’t think people who strap a MaDuce on their backs are doing us any favors. But all of us hurt the entirety of what we are aiming for when we break down and fight amongst us like some of the commenters I’ve seen on both sides of this issue.
Carry what you will. Be polite while doing so. But most importantly, be prepared for the consequences of your actions. Just because you feel what you are doing is ‘right and just’, it won’t be perceived by everyone else that way.
I agree ExurbanKevin. Good luck defining 'normal'.