| L.A. Times Discovers Open Carry |
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| Written by Daniel White | |
| Sunday, 08 June 2008 | |
The Los Angeles Times ran an article yesterday that was picked up by several other papers, including The Seattle Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, covering the movement towards returning open carrying of firearms to, as they put it, "make a firearm as common an accessory as an iPod." The article covers a couple of the reasons for open carry, hot weather and open promotion of gun rights, but proponents of this carry method also cite deterrence of criminals, ease of access in an emergency, desensitization of the public (many of whom equate carrying a gun as being a bad guy), and more. Correctly reported, "the movement has attracted grandparents, graduate students and lifelong gun enthusiasts." A national gun rights group is dedicated primarily to openly carrying of firearms, our friends at OpenCarry.org. Their website notes the open carry status of all 50 states. Ohio is listed as an "Anomalous Open Carry State," which they define as "Open carry permitted generally by state law, but lacks preemption or entails significant restrictions." In Ohio, open carry is legal for everyone legally allowed to own a handgun provided it is not prohibited by local restrictions, in any place prohibited by federal law, or in a motor vehicle (which requires a Concealed Handgun License). Private businesses may have their own prohibitions or restrictions (Wal-Mart, for example, has stated that in states where concealed carry is permitted, they require firearms to be concealed). The experiences noted in the article were very similar to the time I open carried before HB12 passed. For me, only one person even noticed, and nobody panicked. However, there was one incident noted in the article that illustrates what can happen when police do not know the finer points of carry law. [Travis] Devereaux has been stopped several times by police, most memorably in December when walking around his neighborhood. Ohioans For Concealed Carry members have reported similar incidents with police while openly carrying. We invite readers to visit the Ohio Open Carry Discussions section of our forums to discuss this complex issue in depth. |