Sorry everyone. The Devil made me do it. I could not help myself. It is easier to beg forgiveness than to not do it. My son already rose up in protest. I told him it was a joke, a spoof. He isn’t laughing.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Open Carrier Discrimination | ||||
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Really MH? Your going to move away from me? 😉
Great video. Stewart stole this skit from me in that I’ve demonstrated many times on this board that gun rights are no different than any civil right that exists. And, thank god for groups like Pink Pistols et al.
BTW, in Virginia it is not illegal to open carry a rifle like he was. The yelling and drawing attention – maybe not a good idea – but the corespondent almost made me tear up for carrying openly. 🙂 Sure they were fakes but thats AWESOME!! Good press for the ’cause’.
I think the parallel between gay rights and gun rights isn’t that far off (I’ve made the same comparison on Insidenova many times). Same with abortion or any traditionally left-leaning causes. My arguement is; if you can ban or regulate a gun you can ban or regulate marriage, abortions, health care, or any other number of activities that we take for granted on a daily basis.
Great topic MH!!
And to all those that don’t already open carry, PLEASE do so. Arm yourself and wear your firearm loud and proud!!
A right unexercised is a right lost.
Well, I made one friend today I guess. I thought it was funny.
I don’t know that I totally awgree with a ‘right not excercised is a right lost.’ I don’t feel that way about abortion at all. Maybe we should take that example out of the mix.
I thought it was funny. Pretty good. The VCDL had an email mentioning it and loved it. Could Paul Helmke come across as any MORE uptight?
Here’s something from one of the “actors” posting at Snowflakes in Hell: http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2010/04/13/the-daily-show-on-open-carry/#comment-61196
John Pierce Said,
April 13th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
I am the open carrier who was featured on the show and I can answer your question as to why we thought doing the interview was a good idea. As a matter of fact, several commenters here have already touched on the reasons.
1) They WERE going to do a piece on open carry. It could have been once of us, or it could have been an angry, anti-government activist. Which do you think would have hurt the cause?
2) The Daily Show reaches a hip, young, urban audience who may never have even considered the legality of open carry or gun ownership. Those are future gun owners if we can reach them before they are indoctrinated by the other side.
3) So long as you do not make a statement that you are unwilling to own up to, there is no such thing as bad publicity. It was worth the shot at my weight and sexuality to hear the Brady Campaign described as a “well funded hate group”. 🙂
I hope this makes sense. Thanks!
John Pierce
OpenCarry.org
Even Sebastian, the blogger liked it and he’s a hardcore 2nd Amendment activist. Don’t know if he open carries or not, though.
One benefit of the open carry law in Virginia: if you inadvertently reveal your weapon while carrying concealed, you are not breaking a law. In some states, if you “flash” your weapon, say, your shirt rides up momentarily, you’ve committed a felony.
Given that we now know that bearing arms is a personal constitutional right, my strong preference is that those who do so in their daily lives do so openly so we know who they are and can make prudent decisions about whether we want to be in public places with weapons. I might choose to forgo entering a restaurant that has a lot of armed people in it (or I might not) but I can’t make the decision without knowing who’s carrying.
Glad no one is furious over the spoof. I thought it was funny. But I have a different perspective.
Excellent point, NoVA. I suppose it is just boiling down to a matter of preference. I would prefer people not flash and wave them about. I lack the gene to be able to decide who should and who should not be trusted.
Is it still not up to the restaurant owner to decide if she/he wants guns in the establishment?
Starbucks was cool. It was singled out because it was seen as …left coast. They won that round for sure.
Comments on the opencarry site indicate pretty strong support for the video and that the OC’rs liked it. It’s good for the public to understand our cause and see us in a good light.
Flashing/waving a firearm is illegal. That’s called brandishing. Keeping a holstered pistol holstered and plain sight of course is perfectly legal.
Property owners can and do set limits on their lands. If you MH want to keep a firearm out of your home or business you can either post a sign or you as the owner can make it known that firearms are not allowed. Of course that won’t stop a gangbanger but it’s your right as personal property rights of an owner trump personal property rights of a carrier.
Interesting that you brought up Starbucks as many OC’rs still carry to Starbucks but make no big deal of it. The word is that Starbucks doesn’t want to be part of this issue and the OC’rs have respected that. That the Brady Bunch and other groups have and still continue to have protests in front of Starbucks is a testiment to those groups intolerance. Heck, if anything because they (Starbucks) reinforced that they’ll follow State laws I goto Starbucks a LOT more than I used to; to support a company that WANTS my business. As a NASCAR fan, I do see the importance of taking care of our sponsors. 😉
Yes, Starbucks said they would uphold whatever state laws were where their restaurant was. That took the wind out of anyone’s sails who wanted to prove a point. Nothing to argue with there.
Marin, I tend to bend towards hyperbole. I didn’t exactly mean brandishing. I would have been uncomfortable in the video (feel my pain part of it) had the dude sat down next to me. I would have gotten up and left. AND NOT BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK–because of the assault weapon on his back.
It fits though. Doctors are regulated and licensed by the state. They are the only official ‘dealers’ that the State wants customers/patients to use. There is a waiting period in certain states to make sure you really want to do it. In some states they want to introduce psych-type tests to make sure that you understand your choice, understand the ramifications and that you have been explained all the options. That dealers (doctors) are heavily regulated and that in some cases an administrative error can be an excuse for massive fines or closure. Some states have no issue either heavily regulating the dealer or making the process for the buyer (patient) that they just give up instead of going through with it.
Even the pro-choice mantra of it’s our body; our choice is something akin to the pro-gun persons. No one else is responsible for our safety but ourselves.
Lots of parallels…….
I didn’t see a black man with a rifle (use of the phrase assault rifle is misleading). I saw a man drinking coffee with the means to protect himself and others.
Problem with hyperbole in terms of the gun debate is that we gun owners and carriers have to be EXTREMELY careful with our words and actions. The law changes in some cases by just crossing a street and we have to be upto date on every little nuance of a law because it’s on us to know the law – ignorance is not a defense. So, while I agree with your use of hyperbole in any other topic; I have to cut it short on the gun topic because of the microscope that we’re under.
What’s interesting about that segment is I didn’t see anyone walk out. God Bless Virginians!! 🙂
It looked like an assault rifle to me, but I don’t deer hunt so perhaps I am in error. 🙂
Marin, you are going to have to accept that some gun owners simply don’t have your zeal and attraction to guns. My guns just don’t cause a problem because they don’t go anywhere.
I am more of a collector of turquoise. I like it better. It gives me greater pleasure than my guns.
I would have walked out. I don’t want to sit next to that. They might have walked out…it just might not have been shown.
I’ve never hunted a day in my life. I don’t think I could kill a rabbit let a lone a deer. But, I support the right of those that hunt to do so! 🙂
Most ‘civilian’ rifles aren’t assault rifles – we just can’t afford a select fire weapon. I think a true auto M-16 runs upwards of $20K. My wife would kill me where I stood if I said, “Honey, guess what I bought!”
Understood about the zeal. That’s why I think it’s a personal choice. That you may walk out of a place because I’m armed – I can’t help that. It’s of course your personal choice. But, I’m a short hispanic guy with a goatee and usually flanked with my wife and my two adorable neices. I come off as Mr. Harmless. Not to say I wouldn’t support someone wearing camo and using a tactical drop-leg holster for his/her pistol or tactical shotgun. Afterall, you never know when the zombies will attack us. 🙂
Turquoise is pretty. I tend to collect decanters. >:)
Thats it, In this case I totally agree with a ‘right not excercised is a right lost.’ That’s it you got me, I am getting my concealed carry, been thinking and talking about it for far too long. Whether I carry or not, where and when I want is my call – as it should be.
Actually, I would not mind if he walked in with an AR-15 on his back. I would have been leery of his actions and attitude. He was not acting in a “normal” manner. (Yes, I know it was for humorous purposes.) But, taking it seriously, I would have watched him. And sat next to him, the better to stop him if he started to “misbehave.”
I support people’s right to hunt on property where they have been given permission. I don’t like poachers and have had to deal with them way too many times, however.
I support fishing also.
Lots of other ‘rights’ are also under the microscope. I do understand that sensitivity.