The Great Debate

If you’ve spent much time on gun forums or Facebook pages and groups geared toward gun enthusiasts, I’m sure you are aware that gun owners get into lots of debates. And, of course, rarely does anyone concede their position because humans are a stubborn lot for the most part. But, there is one in particular which seems to always cause more fireworks and cursing and name calling than any other, in my experience. The Great Debate. Open carry versus concealed carry. But to call it a debate in this contentious climate where anyone who disagrees with anyone else is WRONG, calling it a debate isn’t entirely accurate, I believe.

It doesn’t really matter what group it’s in. I’ve seen this fight amongst groups of normal Joe Schmo gun owners, firearms instructors and even all-female shooting groups. And while one might think that the dynamics would vary a bit between any given group, I have found that they really don’t. Those against open carry seem to enjoy the idea that open carrying may more easily make one a potential target. Others who only open carry often like to remind the rest that the word, “but” does not appear anywhere amongst the 27 words of the Second Amendment. Concealed carry advocates like to call open carriers egomaniacs who are going to cause all of us to lose our gun rights. Open carriers turn around and accuse concealed carry advocates of being no better than gun-grabbers and argue that open carry is a great way to acclimate the public to guns and quell knee-jerk reactions of fear in response to seeing a gun. For some, this is a moot argument because many states do not allow open carry but I find that never stops people from throwing in their two cents just the same.

The reality is, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. And I’m not here to extol the virtues of or bash either method. I am not here to give you ammunition to support your own personal opinion of which is better. I am here today to encourage you to stop this madness. Stop the fighting. Stop insisting that whatever way you carry is the right way. It may be the right way for YOU but that doesn’t mean that your method is universally right.

I’d encourage you to consider shifting your mindset. Perhaps it’s not the method of carry which matters but the manner with which someone carries. All carriers are not equal in this regard. Just as is the case with gun owners in general, there are responsible carriers and irresponsible carriers. And for every irresponsible open carrier, there is an equally irresponsible concealed carrier. It’s neither concealed carry nor open carry which stands to harm the fight for the Second Amendment. What speaks most ill of us gun owners and carriers is divisiveness and in-fighting. This is one of our biggest challenges. If we could come together long enough to accept that there is nothing inherently wrong with either method of carry, maybe we could focus on encouraging responsibility and training and fighting for our rights together, in a unified fashion.

Let’s just try to extricate ourselves from the trappings of our own opinions and see what we can accomplish. This same advice applies to the other hot topics as well – which caliber is best for carry, carrying a round chambered or not, purse carry versus on-body carry, etc…accept and take comfort that while something may not be right for you, that doesn’t make it wrong for someone else.

Keep calm and carry on responsibly (concealed or open!)

Originally published on 11/14/2014 on the Armed Lady Blog

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