Tam's pal, Shootin' Buddy, in comments at Say Uncle: "We’re here! We’re armed! You better get used to it!"
Gosh, the tagline seems so familiar...! I'm not gonna have to wear a flannel shirt and sensible shoes, am I?
Unk himself takes a middle road, not opposing but wondering if it's an ideal way to win hearts and minds.
Me, I think it's more about desensitization than gaining converts. The general public's already comfortable to the point of barely noticing when police officers and security guards have a gun on their hip. (I tend to notice 'cos I am curious what they're carrying -- a lot of Glocks around here but one local grocery chain's hired rent-a-cops with six-shooters! Mostly Ruger GP-100s, it's actually sort of quaint and homey). So why's it suddenly a huge, scary deal when it's the little old lady that lives down the street or J. Random Guy at the gas station with a full holster? 'Cos it's not very often seen. Older readers will remember how folks with cellular telephones really stood out when the things were new and unusual -- an additional difference being that the media is still not playing up how scary celphones are, despite studies indicating they rank up there with a six-pack when it comes to driving.
Tam's got linky-roundup on the current debate, which is plenty spirited.
You are 100% correct on the desensitization. The vast majority won't care, a few will approve and a few will hate and fear you. I don't see a down side.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious day!
ReplyDeleteI am the lead comment on The Adventures of Roberta X!
A winner is me!
Shootin' Buddy
+1, That's all we need! I personally think Open carry is a tactical disadvantage, but socially it breaks that "Well Nobody around HERE carries guns!" mentality.
ReplyDeleteI had a classmate from the Soviet Republic of Georgia, and he said with the straightest of faces: "We have no gays in the Soviet Union! I don't know why you have them here, but they just don't happen back home!"
After we picked our jaws back up we informed him that the USSR likely had plenty of gays, but they had to hide it.