OPEN Carry in Massachusetts Demonstration?

[ChevyGuy91]

What a depressing thread. We really need to get these a$$hats out of government and take this state back. [sad2]

How do we get more kids into shooting and have some hope for the future?

Appleseed

 

[JoeT]

I'll put it out there. . .

If there is someone that is willing to pay my legal costs so that there is no financial loss to my family, I will offer to be the test case.

I will risk my LTC, and the time, but currently can not risk the financial burden to my family to "see what happens"

 

[Dave_W]

For people just starting to carry especially, it's stressful knowing that one glimpse of the pistol from under your shirt could equal you loosing your license. if open carry was more accepted, then this would no longer be a problem. if your jacket swings open with your shoulder holster while putting away a pizza, you don't have to freak out and hope old lady across the street didn't call the cops.

This is a very good reason. Also, I'm tired of worrying about scaring the sheeple.

guess some of you wimps will have to get a back bone.ta ta.

this is called 'discretionary licensing' not a lack of back-bone!

I'm not planning to open carry, but in the summer with proper retention it would be a lot easier.

Also, I want to talk to my chief of police. If he's OK with it I could go holster shopping.

David

 

[jaypap]

I don't recall open carry the day we marched on the state house with GOAL during the Firearms Freedom Rally.

There were a lot of gun owners out that day and it was impressive.

I think it's time for another event like this.

LARGO and GOAL were behind the event and it made a big impression on the legislator's.

Jay P.

 

[swampy]

This is a good point, has anyone ever actually asked? Or have we all just been "scared straight" based on a few none cases? I certainly haven't asked a COP.

It would be interesting to ask all 351 COPs, compile the responses, and publish them. I wonder if the response rate would be better if the questions came from individual residents of each city/town or if GOAL surveyed all of them.

I believe it is or at least can be considered disturbing the peace. All it takes is one person to complain and the local LEOs are likely to take the path of least resistance...like tasering and hogtying you on your way to test the court for a decision.

 

[Sbh87]

Whether the demonstration would be effective or not, I'm not sure. But I wouldn't be willing to lose my license over trying to prove a point.

+1

 

[center442]

You had 1,700,000 licensed gun owners in 1997,you now have 260,000.when are you going to get enuf NEVER because none of you will even try and most did not vote.
does the law say you cant open carry.
just got off phone with GOAL,and the law is not specific.as the carry is a license to carry nothing about concealed.
guess some of you wimps will have to get a back bone.ta ta.

We probably have about the same number of gun owners as we did in 1997; whether or not they own guns legally today is another question.

Here in Massachusetts, for all practical purposes, the subjects do not have a right to own guns; it is a governmentally regulated privilege.

I would guess that most legal gun owners in Massachusetts vote on a regular basis. We have to be proactive out of sheer political self defense. Unfortunately we are severely outnumbered by people who believe that the answer to every societal problem is more regulation, even when those regulations don't address the real problem, but just sound good in the media.

If I thought that giving up my LTC in a public demonstartion of open carrying would result in an actual change in the attitude of this state's government I'll be happy to do so. The reality right now is that it would just result in a lot fewer legal gun owners.

If that makes me a spineless wimp I'll have to plead guilty.

 

[Kaos116]

I am wondering if there is a divide between Western MA and the rest of MA. I know when I first got my CCW I would open carry (for comfort reasons), not realy understanding 'discretionary licensing'. This was in Western MA. No one gave me a second look and I was never detained/questioned by the Police.

I am wondering if we had a demonstration (or community service) in a town in WMA that is OK with it. Not many sheep to get ruffled out here, but get some 'press' on it. Get the sheep in the rest of MA seeing and hearing the laws on open carry.

 

[vicpinto]

First we need to get the votes; we don't have them now.

We probably never will. Remember, this is the same state that voted to not repeal the income tax last year.

 

[cekim]

Pardon me if this has been asked/discussed, I didn't see it in a skim of this thread:

Has anyone considered or looked into working this out ahead of time with the local PD?

 

[levergun]

When I took my LTC class I was told that it is not illegal to open carry but that they could arrest me for brandishing a weapon. I also talked to the chief of my town and ha had no problem with it but other cops I've talked to all thought it was illegal.

 

[kaetaur]

Pardon me if this has been asked/discussed, I didn't see it in a skim of this thread:

Has anyone considered or looked into working this out ahead of time with the local PD?

I think the issue is that it is not just the local PD of the demonstration. It is also every demonstrators local PD that has to not adjust the license if they do not like the fact that you went open carrying.

 

[mikem317]

You could always talk to your COP before open carrying in MA. You never know, he or she might support it. I doubt it, but I don't personally know all 351 licensing authorities.

That's what I first thought.

Get permission from Mom and Dad first before you take their T-bird out for the night.

Pretty said we actually have to ask permission though come to think of it!

 

[cekim]

I think the issue is that it is not just the local PD of the demonstration. It is also every demonstrators local PD that has to not adjust the license if they do not like the fact that you went open carrying.

True enough, but the first step would be to ensure that you would not be arrested in the locale of the protest itself... That arrest would be a fast-track to unsuitability...

Finding a "suitable" town is a pre-requisite... Then communicating with your licensing authority as a secondary assurance that you can exercise your political and speech rights without fear of reprisal is the next step...

It sucks, but that's where we are...

That's what I first thought.

Get permission from Mom and Dad first before you take their T-bird out for the night.

Pretty said we actually have to ask permission though come to think of it!

Indeed, but it is what it is... If there is a way to "make the political statement" without risking future rights, legal expense, etc... Then given the state of things, that is the best way to go - even if it is repugnant...

Going through with something like this and still retaining your "suitability" leaves in a position to continue political action...

Just pissing people off and getting arrested will get you front row seats to a legal challenge, but in the end may not go your way and the cost is catastrophic...

Having this arranged before hand will allow more people to participate and make a broader statement...

Presumably, you would do it somewhere with historical significance, invite the media, etc... For maximum effect...

This is theater - plain and simple...

 

[M1911]

Finding a "suitable" town is a pre-requisite... Then communicating with your licensing authority as a secondary assurance that you can exercise your political and speech rights without fear of reprisal is the next step...

And what guarantee would you have that after sufficient press interest, the chief of police in question either 1) doesn't remember any such communications with you, or 2) decides he has had a change of heart concerning the whole suitability thing?

 

[Mike S]

And what guarantee would you have that after sufficient press interest, the chief of police in question either 1) doesn't remember any such communications with you, or 2) decides he has had a change of heart concerning the whole suitability thing?

The organizer would have to get everything in writing.

It is an interesting thing to talk about, IMO it would be like the tree falling in the forest, even if there was a good turnout, very little press if any would cover it. Unless of course the organizer had the foresight to schedule it on a day of historic significance in a place of the same and it was well attended. Then, MAYBE it might get covered by NECN.

 

[red87930]

I guess I just don't get it. Why would anyone even want to OC? I know that I sure wouldn't want to even if it were legal.
I've had my LTC for 36 years as of last June and I can not think of a single instance where I've thought to myself, Gee, I wish I didn't have to cover this thing up.

I don't know if I would open carryall the time or not because of other business related issues but I do know that I am a shorts and tee shirt guy all summer so I don't carry all summer because I think it is impossible to conceal a Glock 23 with out worrying that it will be un-concealed at some point with my summer clothing choice. I bet I looked at buying a nice little pocket gun 20 times this summer but did not make any acquisition. So I can think of a few occassions that I think Gee, I wish I did not have to worry that this thing might be seen by some crybaby that would make a call. So I left it home. I know stupid me. But I don't want to become unsuitable.

 

[derrick_lui]

I guess I just don't get it. Why would anyone even want to OC? I know that I sure wouldn't want to even if it were legal.
I've had my LTC for 36 years as of last June and I can not think of a single instance where I've thought to myself, Gee, I wish I didn't have to cover this thing up.

The OP wanted an open carry event to deliver a message to the people that "it isn't so scary to see civil peaceful gun owners packing there 1911's and Glocks on a hip holster in public...and nothing negative happens, and feel comfortable and normal with that so when they see citizens carrying out in the open, they have nothing to fear"...its more about showing the sheeple than why one would open carry.

 

[cekim]

The organizer would have to get everything in writing.

It is an interesting thing to talk about, IMO it would be like the tree falling in the forest, even if there was a good turnout, very little press if any would cover it. Unless of course the organizer had the foresight to schedule it on a day of historic significance in a place of the same and it was well attended. Then, MAYBE it might get covered by NECN.

Sure would be fun to march a 2A friendly portion of the minuteman trail after the Federal Park carry kicks in (of course that has no bearing on suitability - understood - but at least there wouldn't be the current prohibition by the Feds)...

Marching OC'd pistols and period guns to make the point sounds like fun...

p.s. I have no idea what the Concord PD would think of this, but a north-bridge demonstration would be particularly poignant...

 

[Mike S]

p.s. I have no idea what the Concord PD would think of this, but a north-bridge demonstration would be particularly poignant...

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[GaryO]

I just don't understand the open carry situation, why would you want to?

 

[cekim]

I just don't understand the open carry situation, why would you want to?

See the repeated responses to this comment:

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OPEN CARRY. I doubt any one of us discussing this seriously wants to OC. In terms of "risk" its a liability...

It has everything to to do with raising awareness amongst non-gun owners and fudds as to the state of MA gun laws as well as pointing out how many of us law abiding citizens there are in MA who own and carry firearms amongst them without issue...

 

[Monty]

Presumably, to remind the public that you can.

And to make the point that there are legal gun owners in this State, notwithstanding what the media and most politicians suggest.

 

[derrick_lui]

I just don't understand the open carry situation, why would you want to?

They are trying to make a political statement.

 

[GaryO]

Presumably, to remind the public that you can.

And to make the point that there are legal gun owners in this State, notwithstanding what the media and most politicians suggest.

Maybe we should start a collection to rent the billboard space on the Pike, it would be seen by more people than a few people walking around OC.

 

[cekim]

Maybe we should start a collection to rent the billboard space on the Pike, it would be seen by more people than a few people walking around OC.

A billboard tells you someone paid to put it up there...

A large group of people (specifically not waiving their guns and firing in the air) in a public venue says something the billboard cannot...

It tells them something they may not realize (that these people are amongst them). It also tells them that these people are upset... It also tells them that gun owners are not criminals as they are taught by everything else they see in this state... We need to remove the false correlation they have with "gun" and "crime"...

Hopefully it convinces the ambivalent to think about it and at least stop allowing the antis to run amok...

Antis are irrational, so you aren't going to convince them of much of anything (at least not without taking them to the rage and disabusing them of all the myths they have piled up in their brains about guns first-hand) - the target audience of such a statement IMHO are the fudds and the ambivalent...

 

[sy32478]

My COP specifically mentioned it during our interview along with a few other rules of his own. I never asked, he just felt that he needed to let me know. I assume that was out of his concern for me.