There has been a lot of demonstrations lately by individuals who say they have the right to carry weapons, which is covered by the Second Amendment, and that they should be allowed to carry openly where ever they choose. There is argument on both sides as to whether this is smart or not, and I wanted to throw my hat into the ring on this subject.

I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment and that we have the right to own firearms and to use them in self defense when needed. I also strongly agree with the states that allow for concealed carry. Because what's the point in exercising this right if you don't have the weapon on you? I also don't have a problem with people open carrying their weapons when allowed by law.  I personally wouldn't open carry because you are advertising to would be criminals that you are the only one they need to avoid and that they just need to wait until your're gone or that you're the one they need to neutralize. When carrying concealed, they don't have the luxury of knowing.

However, I have to disagree with those that push the issue in front of business and around others that don't necessarily share these beliefs. If you study these incidents, it quickly becomes apparent that these individuals are only hurting their cause, and a lot of the time, even hurting the ability of those that conceal carry as well. If you feel that you should be allowed to open carry, push the case through your elected officials or in rallies at places that already allow it. I know this may seam counter productive but just look at what has happened so far when you try to push the case for open carry:

October 2013 - A group of people openly carrying marched to a Starbucks in Arlington, TX causing the company to ask that no guns be brought into any of their stores.

May 2014 - Members from a branch of Open Carry Texas entered a Jack in the Box restaurant where they had been staging a demonstration, reportedly scaring the employees. The company has since asked that no guns be brought into their locations.

May 2014 - A couple of individuals open carry rifles into a Chipotles in Dallas, TX. The company responds by barring guns in all of it's locations.

May 2014 - A demonstration by open carry activist outside of a Sonic and Chili's has caused the companies to enforce no gun policies inside all of their stores.

These are just a few examples so far. There are a lot of restaurants that say they follow their local state and city laws as far as guns are concerned, but when you open carry at these and other locations you are just forcing their hand. You see, groups such as 'Moms Against Guns' are a lot more persuasive than several guys carrying Automatic Rifles. And so, when pressured, the companies are just going to side with the group that could cause them the most damage politically.

I understand what you're trying to do, but be careful that you don't do it at the expense of those that want to quietly carry concealed in these locations.






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I have watched the reports on the latest mass murder conducted by Elliot Rodger in California. Right after a tragedy like this emotions run thick and common sense is usually thrown out of the window. For example, one of the victims father is blaming the NRA. It is easy to point to one thing and blame it for the problem. However, we must face reality in a rational manor. There was a horrible crime committed, lives lost and families will never be the same. Let's address this as adults, leave politics and emotion out of it:

1. There has always been guns, and there always will be. 

There are always going to be guns. Trying to control who has them and what kind they have only means controlling the guns of  law-abiding citizens. California has the strictest gun laws in America. Yet, even with these strict laws, this crime was still committed. Does that mean we need MORE?

Consider this: Elliot purchased his firearms legally. They were hand guns, not those horrible "military assault rifles". California says that you can only have 10 round magazines to limit the damage done by one shooter. Great, however he had multiple 10 round magazines, so that law didn't exactly work. What if they were 5 round magazines? What about 1 round? He still would have collected enough magazines to fulfill his mission.

2. Guns, for some reason, are the only inanimate object that commit these crimes.

This is something I will never understand. Take any murder in the United States. Every single time it is the fault of the individual perpetrating the crime and not the tool used to commit the crime except when a gun is used, then it's the guns fault.

Elliot Rodger killed 6 people. 3 of those was by knife and 3 was by gun. Let this sink in.... 50% of those murdered was by knife and 50% was by gun. However, there is no outcry for knife control. It all comes down to the gun. Why is that?

Also keep in mind that he ran an additional 4 people over with his car. Thankfully non of those died, but if they had would it be the cars fault?

3. Who saves the day?

This tragedy was finally brought to an end by police officers who ultimately shot and killed Elliot. Great, that's why they exist. Police save us from criminals. But how long did that take? Well, he was able to stab and kill three people at his house, run four people over with his car and then kill three more with his gun. Six people killed and four wounded before police finally stopped him. Do you think that time span is acceptable? I'm not blaming the police, there's only so many of them and they're spread out on other cases. There will always be a delay from when a crime is committed and a response is achieved.

I offer this one simple thought, what if one of the individuals in the house had been legally carrying when the knife attack happened? Maybe nothing, but maybe he shoots and kills Elliot before he's able to cause more harm.

The simple fact is this. Guns will always exist and criminals will always gain access to them. The only people who follow the law are law abiding citizens. Even if you wiped every gun from the face of the earth someone who wants to kill someone else will find a way to do it. If Elliot didn't have his guns he still would have stabbed the 3 individuals and ran the others over with his car.

 A murderer is a murderer no matter the weapon used. The problem is with the individual, not the tool. Don't control my ability to defend myself and my family from these people.

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