The Open Carry Debate: Should People Have Guns at Starbucks? - TIME
The patrons of at least five Starbucks locations in California's Bay Area have faced this dilemma in recent weeks. Gun owners have walked into various Starbucks--including in liberal enclaves like San Francisco, San Jose and Cupertino (the home of Apple)--openly wearing weapons while they drink their coffee.
You might not think you would need to be armed to order a latte, but the Bay Area gun owners--who are loosely affiliated with a website called OpenCarry.org--are hoping to draw attention to what they see as a Second Amendment guarantee: the right to carry a gun without fear that it will be confiscated.
It surprises some people to find out that I'm not in line with a lot of supposedly liberal positions on gun control. I think the assault weapons ban, while well-intentioned, was unenforceable, and I don't think handguns should be banned outright. I believe in the right to keep and bear arms, subject to reasonable (the key word) regulation.
But I don't believe you have to be a dick about it. I don't feel the need to go "Look! My gun! I'm wearing it! Look! Look! Suck it, libs!"
I'm moderately pro-gun. I'm adamantly anti-asshole.
3 comments:
Yeah. I'm split on the whole open-carry thing. On one hand it seems like a good idea. After all, open carry is legal but you run the risk of getting busted for disturbing the peace. So why not publicize the practice, educate people about it, so it will not be a big deal?
On the other hand a lot of dudes who propose open carry are dickheads and acting like attention whores.
Has there ever been a successful prohibition of anything that people wanted?
It seems it's no more likely a ban on guns will work any better than a ban on drugs.
I'm not sure I would be able to encounter one of these loons without saying, "Nice piece. Sorry about your dick."
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