Honest question: Why is open carry forbidden, but concealed carry can be okay in certain contexts? The idea of being coy about whether or not one has a gun seems more alarming than somebody unquestionably having a gun that everyone can see. Not brandishing it, but rather just being honest and open with everyone about the idea that you’re carrying a gun seems less upsetting to me than the open question of who might possibly have a hidden gun on them if they had that special kind of feeling when they woke up this morning.
Comment on YSK the four rules of firearm safety
qyron@sopuli.xyz 5 days ago
This just happened. Could not ask for better.
And now, for the obligatory drivel:
I live in one of the countries where more guns are owned and kept by civilians in Europe and the times I’ve seen one, it was on a police officer belt or on a museum.
Portugal (I was surprised when I learned this) has a lot of guns in civilian hands, mostly small handguns and hunting rifles, mostly shotguns and carabines.
The average hunter - I live in a somewhat rural area - stores guns empty, with trigger locks in place. And having more than one gun requires a gun safe, that is routinely inspected by police. Handguns have to be stored in lock boxes or safes unloaded. Ammunition must be stored separately and outside a minimal range of the guns.
Secret storage compartments are forbidden. Open carry is forbidden. Concealed carry is mostly standard here but manifesting it, with no reason, is a serious crime.
Gun violence is not rampant here, regardless what sensationalist news outlets and social networks desinformation campaigns try to do.
Most people never see a gun their entire life and if confronted with one will instantly call the police for safe removal.
So… I appreciate this kind of topic but it always strikes me as unnecessary for the average reality.
GraniteM@lemmy.world 4 days ago
qyron@sopuli.xyz 4 days ago
A visible weapon generates discomfort. Unless on a police agent, nobody likes to see a gun here. It’s a threat. Hence the default for concealed carry.
ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Knowing that concealed guns are out there keeps the bad guys guessing, open carry scares normal people are makes it easier for the bad guys to get the drop on lawful carriers
SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
For the vast majority of people that conceal carry a gun, the goal is still to be peaceful and avoid trouble. They just want to live life as they normally would with that extra training and capability. Some do it for personal reasons (stalkers, violent exes and so on) or because their area is generally sketchy. You usually don’t hear about them because on average they are responsible.
Open carry has a place, like on hikes in the woods for example. But people who open carry in public areas like restaurants are trying to make a statement. To everyone around them the vibe is “don’t mess with me…or else”. It draws tons of attention. People may take photos or alert security/police. And any bad actor knows exactly who to surprise and take out first. That’s why it is generally deemed as a bad idea and counterproductive
ameancow@lemmy.world 5 days ago
My father, who was just really bad at like, everything, and was always inebriated… was checking something on the 12-gauge he kept in the house, he decided to sit next to me on my bed to fiddle with the thing and of course, he pulls the trigger and it goes off.
Fortunately it was pointed away from me, and fortunately there was nobody else in the house at the time, so it just took a large chunk out of the wall and not a family member, but it was startling on a level that shook me for life, and whether he meant to teach the lesson or not, I sure as shit learned the rules of firearms from that incident.
It also makes me call BS on at least the “saving private ryan” part of the 4chan post. There’s no way you will mistake an actual firearm going off for any kind of media or recording.
SolSerkonos@piefed.social 4 days ago
Ehhh, you probably could if you weren’t extremely close and it was the right firearm.
There’s a lot of variation between different guns when it comes to volume- even the same caliber can be dramatically quieter out of a long barrel. I own a .22lr rifle that’s entirely fine to shoot without ear protection, and a .22lr revolver that’s definitely not fine to shoot without ear protection.
What I’m getting at is 12ga is fucking loud, even by gun standards.
ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Do you know how many dB that 22lr is actually producing? I would bet it’s actually just inside the danger zone with most ammo.
SolSerkonos@piefed.social 4 days ago
No clue. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was technically outside of hearing safe, but it’s not actively uncomfortable to shoot. It’s a single shot bolt action so I’m not gonna do long term hearing damage fast lol.
ameancow@lemmy.world 4 days ago
I had both .22LR rifle and revolver and that revolver was louder than a 9mm (Uzi) so gun design makes a massive difference.
I think it’s possible that a recording on surround sound might get close to the noise of a smaller caliber gun, but I just doubt that it would be an easy mistake to make. Particularly if that person doesn’t play a lot of loud movies and games and it’s just a sudden burst or something.
That makes me think of something I never put together. I did everything I can in life to protect my hearing. Never shot without protection, never even operated heavy machinery or went to concerts without some kind of hearing protection, I was so infatuated with preserving my senses that I was made fun of for always having PPE. Now later in life I have constant tinnitus and no idea why. Come to think of it, maybe that one single shotgun blast at point-blank range is what knocked something loose in there and I’m only just now feeling the long-term effects.