Speaking to a crowd of about 30 West Michigan residents Saturday, Tom Lambert described the ins and outs of openly carrying a gun, explaining how to handle encounters with police and find out where firearms can legally be taken.
Lambert, assistant legislative director for Michigan Open Carry, Inc., said his organization’s aim is to educate the public about open-carry and “bring gun owners and gun carrying out into the open.”
“We’re not some weird guy in a shack up in the mountains,” said Lambert, who has frequented Grand Rapids City Commission meetings to speak about gun ownership and the second amendment. “We want to show that we’re their neighbors, we’re their friends.”
Okay so giving these idiots that benefit of the doubt that they are not "some weird guy in a shack up in the mountains" they ARE still an armed individual suffering from some form of extreme paranoia or laboring under the delusion that that they are some version of John Wayne or Rambo.
Because unless you are employed as a security guard (Many of who are not allowed to carry guns), currently serving in a military capacity in Afghanistan or Iraq, or are in some type of law enforcement, the only reason to have a weapon openly displayed is to intimidate your fellow citizens or because you anticipate that you may be required to use that weapon to take a life.
If you are openly carrying the weapon to intimidate your fellow citizens then you are a douchebag. And a douchbag that most of us walking around unarmed would deem a coward.
However if you are carrying the weapon around in anticipation of using it to kill one of us, and remember some of these weapons being carried are full on assault rifles or semi-automatic weapons strung on some camouflage wearing idiot's shoulder, you present a potential danger to everybody you come into contact with.
So no we should NEVER become accustomed to seeing morons walking around our towns and cities carrying AR-15's on their backs, or sitting in restaurants with six-guns strapped to their hip, because then how will we be sure which one of these pencil dicks is simply a cowardly man child trying to prove their masculinity, and which one is the schizophrenic trying to determine which innocent bystander the voices in their heads are telling them to shoot in the face?
So would you rather they open carry so you now who has a gun, or concealed carry so you don't know? Is it the seeing guns that makes you sweat, or the not knowing who's carrying?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, most people who carry aren't planning on shooting anyone. They just want a way to protect themselves if shit hits the fan. Many times actually shooting isn't necessary. Just the threat will make bad guys back down.
What kind of society do you live in where you need to be armed in order to feel safe? And what's with all of these 'accidental' shootings by so-called responsible gun owners. All of you idiots running around brandishing firearms are just adding to the problem and are making the U.S. look totally ridiculous to the rest of the world.
DeleteYes, who are you to think we need your protection? You creep me out.
DeleteI just got back from the grocery store. Yesterday I went to the post office and the library. The day before that I went to the gas station and Wendy's for lunch. On Monday I went downtown for a meeting.
DeleteI've traveled - alone - in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Miami, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver, Minneapolis, Anchorage, London, Dublin, Toronto, Athens, and Moscow.
I've driven - alone - in at least 30 of the 50 states, and in some of the most remote and desolate areas of our country. I've gotten lost in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and in Harlem.
I've been evacuated from Kiev because of a nuclear explosion and been close enough to a bombing in Belfast to hear the explosion.
And in all of those places, I've never felt the need to carry any sort of weapons.
Have I been frightened at times? Absolutely. But I've never felt that having a gun strapped to my thigh would have made me any safer.
I cannot imagine living with the kind of perpetual fear that compels you to wear a gun to Walmart.
In my state, legal concealed carry comes with a full background check. Those things aren't handed out like peanuts.
DeleteAs for openly hauling around a loaded rifle or shotgun in public -- how is anyone else to know whether you're carrying it because you're too fearful to go around unarmed, or you're crazy and planning to kill folks for the helluvit?
If the gunnies strutting around locked and loaded realized how ridiculous they look to other people they'd never leave home.
"Many times actually shooting isn't necessary."
DeleteAnd yet, they do so anyway. That is what worries the rest of us. Based on all the stupid and preventable "accidental" shootings that take place every day, the rest of us have no basis to believe that someone with a gun has the slightest judgment or skill as to how, when, and why to shoot it.
Anon at 11:44 am. If you are too "fearful" to go around unarmed, you should not be given a permit to carry a weapon.
DeleteBeaglemom
Dearest 9:55,
DeleteThe PRESENCE of the gun is itself exponentially increasing the potential threat to all of us.
No "civilized" society should have its citizens walking around with guns, whether hidden or "open."
I recognized that there may be some situations where gun permits are necessary. But they should be very strictly limited and should not be given to private citizens so they can strut around like banty roosters with rifles or semi automatic weapons strapped to their bodies.
Needing to openly carry a gun is a sign of mental sickness.
DeleteMentally sick should be prohibited from owning a deadly weapon, let alone carrying it around normal citizens.
I am a hunter and a gun owner. But if I entered a store or a restaurant and someone was carrying a rifle around I would walk out the door.
ReplyDeleteMe too, while the person carrying the weapon may not use it, who knows about some other nut who might grab it. Most of the open carry folks are not trained to secure their weapons, Having it slung over your shoulder is as secure as having a purse slung over your shoulder, we all know about purse snatchers.
DeleteMe too. As would most people.
DeleteEmily Post
I would do likewise and I would make sure the owner knew why they lost a sale.
DeleteNefer that is the real point....make them know why you are leaving and spread the word. Money is all they understand. They should make bullets cost thousands...that would get rid of the AK's.
DeleteI'm from Germany, now living in Canada. I always liked visiting the US, but since a few years I'm not feeling save doing so, now I'm staying away.
ReplyDeleteI understand how you feel and I live in the US.
DeleteBeaglemom
I feel the same way about Florida.
Deletethank george fukin' bush for letting the assault weapons ban expire - koch_suker
ReplyDelete9:55, I don't know a lot of people who have conceal weapons permit, but the ones that I do know speak openly about their fantasy of being the hero if as you said "shit hits the fan". I think seeing people walking around with a gun like this would not anyone feel more at ease, and all eyes will be watching this fool to make any sudden movement. It doesn't take long between a man walking with a gun, and a man shooting at people to take place.
ReplyDeleteIf I ran into one of these idiots carrying a gun as displayed in this photo, I walk up to them and say something. But, I'd be polite in tone although direct. Plus, I'm a gray-headed, short senior citizen and doubt they'd shoot me!
ReplyDeleteI dislike what the NRA is doing to our nation - what Republicans are spreading (hate, racism and fear) and worry greatly for our nation!
And, I'm someone who does own a gun (I never signed up w/the NRA when the gun was purchased!), took lessons and know how to use it.
Voters across America need to pay close attention for whom they vote in upcoming elections. Check candidate statements against their voting records, etc. They often say one thing and vote otherwise!
And then you have Greg Evers, a Florida (derp) state senator who claims that the only citizens are those with guns. No gun, you are a victim not a citizen.
DeleteI know, wtf?
I could cut their throats easily. They know it because it's part of their carry training. I could also take that gun away from them and stick up their ass, sideways.
ReplyDeleteNothing those pussies can do about it either.
Except live in fear.
Boo!
Just how are you supposed to tell the difference between a 'good guy with a gun' and a 'bag guy with a gun' before the bullets start flying?
ReplyDeleteThe good guys and the bad guys look pretty much the same until one of them opens fire.
I'm wondering what "well regulated militia" princess belongs to. We might as well just take those three words out. They have...
ReplyDeleteI just want to carry a bunch of cards around and everytime I see one of these fools, I'd like to hand them a card congratulating them on being recognized as a member of the teeny weeny dick club. Geez.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I know wouldn't be a smart thing to do. Maybe regular sane citizens could just snap a photo of these fools and put it up on Facebook or something under the same label. Then the rest of us would know who to avoid.
I wish I was younger and more reckless, I'd make the same kind of statement my friends did years ago when they used to slap bumperstickers on the hummers they saw - You remember? The ones that said "Sorry about the size of your penis."
In a dangerous situation I want someone who has common sense and isn't willing to (pardon me) go off half-cocked. These guys are advertising their paranoia to the rest of the world. And they are part of the problem. Wanna be soldiers. They make me angry. Willing to endanger the community so they can 'feel like a man.'
Just sign me 'irritated veteran'.
My God, what will we do when our own state (MI) becomes one of the states we've sworn never to visit? Maybe we'll just get beamed up or away by that point!
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
Lots of money is being made off of fearful senior citizens who think carrying a tiny pistol in their purse is going to make them safe. I had a conversation with a retired woman who boasted about her concealed carry permit, and how she was told to "shoot to kill" by her gun trainer. These trainers need their fannies spanked for giving grannies and grandpas false confidence. Imagine Mr. Magoo with a pistol in Wal-Mart. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteNot just seniors unless you're counting anyone over 40 as seniors. A woman in her late 40s who lived below me had numerous physical problems due to her extreme weight along with vision issues due to her 'treated' but diet-abused diabetes. She complained that her vision would often go blurry and that she had dizzy spells. She and I were talking outdoors one evening and a moth flew fairly close to us. She went nutz, waving, flapping her arms around and shrieking like a mad woman.
DeleteIn some bizarre twist of logic, she had earlier told me that she held a conceal-carry permit due to a long ago state job. She said she owned two small guns and always had one with her.
She also had a bad attitude which I had noticed from the minute I met her. The 2008 McCain bumper sticker was a big giveaway. I was overjoyed when she decided to move and almost offered to help her pack. Just imagine this woman driving around town.
I'll bet you a shiny new Travis Bickle 15 cent commemorative medallion that the micro-penis douchebag in the fast food line with the assault rifle AND the hip-mounted handgun also has a .38 caliber snub nose revolver in an ankle holster for close combat shopping mall 'emergencies', also, too.
ReplyDeleteLike the wise man once said:
"There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong"
Do we really need to "desensitize" society about guns? Turn on any news station, any day of the week and there's something involving guns, killing and shooting people and animals. Pick up video games, cartoons, comic books, Soldier of Fortune and we've got killing, guns, bulllets. Turn on some "reality shows" and we have guns, shooting and killing.
ReplyDeleteWhen are we going to stop the insanity?
You see how his rifle is slung across his back? Now, when I was in boot camp we were told to always carry you weapon upwards -- pointing downrange in case of "accidental" misfire. Perhaps in hunting groups, it's okay to point your weapon to the ground but here's what these people are missing. Many gun owners weight fluctuate since they are not in training everyday. He's standing still right now, so his gun is behaving itself. Let an emergency happen or he starts moving at a quicker pace. Guess what. That gun is going to slowly start rising to the top. Especially if he hasn't adjusted the strap to accommodate his body type or if he forgot he had a weapon strapped to his back. And exactly how much time does he think he will have when a rapid fire response is required to immobilize a dangerous situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Gryphen. Having all these assault weapons is not a good replacement for critical thinking and effective communication skills. The wild, wild West was a fictional place that Hollywood created. Perhaps, the cowboy dreams they had as little boys are all they have left to hold on to.
"And exactly how much time does he think he will have when a rapid fire response is required to immobilize a dangerous situation. "
DeleteThat's why most gun nuts, like the ones in the pic, are sissy posers.
REAL MEN carry their weapons in urban combat mode, barrel level and facing forward, continuously sweeping in a 150 degree arc, high cap magazine fully loaded, safety off, finger on trigger, conducting threat assessment and target acquisition analysis on every human and all animals above squirrel size.
Even while in line to buy a bag of popcorn and a biggie soda.
If you're carrying an assault rifle you MUST be prepared to ASSAULT at all times! Remember. the average concealed-carry pre-hero can expect to discharge their weapons many times a day, preventing car-jackings, armed robberies, purse snatchings, graffiti vandalism, handicap parking violations, dog poop collection and jaywalking scofflaws. Shoot enough of these people and you WILL be awarded the key to your city. Repeatedly.
Remember the Severe Conservative Rifleman's Creed: "I will shoot straight, shoot true and shoot often. i will kill THEM before they kill me. I will shoot first and let The Good Lord sort it out later."
Amen.
Hehehehehe. I was once married to a factory security guard. factory made soap. When people asked ex-hub (a hunter) if he carried a gun on the job, his response was, "Do you really think I'm going to shoot over soap?" Must say, he had his good points.
ReplyDeleteI really resent the way you always call these gun nuts "pencil dicks" or use other words to describe them as men with small penises. I am a man with a small penis. I am not a gun nut. I am, in fact, liberal in my politics - a progressive. We who have small penises and who are as appalled at the gun nuts as you are number in the tens - no, the hundreds of millions. There could even be a billion of us. Not only do we resent you pinning the label of "small dick," on the gun nuts, but we resent your stereotype of us who have small dicks as being lesser human beings than yourself, somehow less intelligent than yourself. How big is your dick, anyway? And, if it is truly big, why are you so superior about it that you feel justified in mocking and stereotyping those of us who have small penises?
ReplyDeleteThe man pictured here with the rifle over strapped to his back is a truly pathetic individual, a threat not only to those around him but to himself. I have no idea how big his dick is and I don't care. Maybe it is tiny. Maybe it is gigantic. He does not represent me.
I know many of your male readers fell just as insulted by your stereotype as I do, but that stereotype is so strong and carries so much unfair disgrace they are afraid to protest, even as "anonymous."
I wonder… are you incapable of arguing a point using intelligence and fact, free from superfluous mockery - so often regarding genitals, breasts or your perceived sexual practices of those you disagree with?
Try it. See if you can do it. I don't think you can.
@ 7:48 PM
DeleteYou make a well justified and excellent argument.
Penis size aside, I always view those who carry guns, drive Hummers or those vehicles that sit four feet off the ground due to their gigantic tires and shocks, as people suffering from what I call the "Hey, look at me." syndrome.
DeleteI don't know what their shortcomings are nor do I care, but in my eyes they are pathetic.
"Because unless you are employed as a security guard (Many of who are not allowed to carry guns), currently serving in a military capacity in Afghanistan or Iraq, or are in some type of law enforcement, the only reason to have a weapon openly displayed is to intimidate your fellow citizens or because you anticipate that you may be required to use that weapon to take a life."
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious you haven't been listening to the man. You make it sound like "if you do A, it's only because of B, C, or D." Yet, you completely ignore the BIGGEST reason to open carry: E! E states that we open carry in order to intimidate CRIMINALS! Because studies show that criminals fear an armed citizen more than a police officer (http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2012a/commsumm.nsf/b4a3962433b52fa787256e5f00670a71/10498c3a3264be7887257998006fe0d7/$FILE/HseJud0202AttachN.pdf).
So, if more people open carry, it means less crime. But for some reason you completely glossed over that. Since 2010 when Arizona initiated constitutional carry (no permits for open or concealed carry), crime has dropped nearly 40%. Oops. So much for your argument. Get out of your little gun control bully box and stop labeling law-abiding Americans who understand that an armed society is a polite society.
Why open carry a pistol or an assault rifle when you can open carry the new Smith and Wesson Backpack Cannon ?! Not a Beldar Industries wanttobe product, a real product.
ReplyDeletewww.coloradonewsday.com/national/38656-the-backpack-cannon-smith-wesson-s-new-monster-revolver-a-great-gun-for-a-back-up-or-hunting.html
Nothing feeds those deep seated Second Amendment Dirty Harry fantasies like a hand cannon with a barrel the size of a sex toy!
Dear writer,
ReplyDeleteI see you have found an article about my recent seminar on open carry in Michigan. It appears you read a few paragraphs, but did not take the time to understand the topic and/or do any legitimate background research. If you had, you would know that Michigan Open Carry advocates for an openly carried holstered pistol, and not openly carried long guns like the AR-15 that you have in your picture. Whether or not it's the result of laziness or pure dishonesty, it's still wrong.
After wading through the plethora of baseless accusations and liberal use of ad hominem, we come to a question of essentially how do we know who the carrier is? In respect to this, I would ask what do you know about anyone you meet in public, whether or not they are visibly carrying a firearm? If someone is visibly carrying a firearm in Michigan, you now know that they have passed a background check and thus, are not a felon or have any mental issues.
If anyone wishes to actually do some real research I would suggest that you go to www.miopencarry.org or email me at tlambert@miopencarry.org.
-Tom Lambert
Thank you for defending our rights tom. Good to see others standing up.
DeleteCarrying a rifle or shotgun strapped to your back is stupid. However as a ccw holder I have been lucky to have my little pistol on me several times when no LEO was present. Had 5 guys follow me and my girl out to our car and one pulled a knife l. all I had to do was pull my shirt up for them to see and they ran. Called my local police dept to report it and they took 12 minutes to get there. That's enough time for me to be dead and her to be raped. Sorry if you don't think carrying a fun is needed in today's times of immorality but I have been there and stand by right to carry. I just hope you all continue to be lucky enough to not need it then need it and not have it.
ReplyDeleteLove gun grabbing morons! Their stupidity consumes them with no intellectual thoughts whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI’m from another Waterblocs country, and this article just sounds like some whinging whining bitching pussy, who doesn’t like something or someone crying like a Fucking bitch on the internet. Yawn. Unoriginal crap. Ignore them and move on.
ReplyDelete