Open carry backfires again

With the liberation of Illinois, concealed carry of firearms is now legal in all 50 states, although some jurisdictions in some states persist in imposing such arbitrary and onerous restrictions that concealed carry is relatively rare in those states.

Open carry is legal in most states, although good manners dictate a preference to exercising the right to concealed carry so as to not frighten the easily-frightened (Liberals).

While far from dangerous, I think that open-carry is generally silly, but I nevertheless honor that right. Further, I find open-carry for the purpose of making a political statement to be harmful to the cause of gun rights. As described in Grant Cunningham's essay, what has happened at Starbucks is one small example.

Also, unmannerly open-carry has resulted in legislative hostility.

For example, it is virtually impossible for commoners to obtain a concealed-carry permit in many local jurisdictions in California. That left the People with only two options: 1 - Go into the public ill-equipped for self-defense or 2 - Open carry. Because of their neutrality and public refusal to be hostile to gun rights, Starbucks seemed to be a favorite gathering place for open-carriers over the protest of the above-mentioned easily-frightened. As expected, exercising the open-carry option caused the above-mentioned easily-frightened to wet their pants. The result: One of the most openly hostile-to-Liberty legislatures on Earth took away the right to bear arms openly in California.

In Utah, gun-rights advocates thought they were doing a good thing when they open-carried (including unnecessary open carry of AR-15s and other long arms) to the state capitol for gun-rights rallies and even into legislative committee meetings. The predictable result: The above-mentioned easily-frightened on legislative committees and in the executive mansion to wet their pants and long-sought improvements in gun rights were killed.

Sometimes, gun-rights activists (I am one) are their own enemies. Open-carrying gun owners owe the people who own and work at Starbucks a huge apology.