Concealed carry? Forget it. Wear it out in the open.
Last Modified: May 6, 2011 10:10PM
Now that a concealed-carry law has failed to pass in the state Legislature, it’s time to consider another option: open carry.
If the purpose of such a law is to provide personal protection and deter crime, carrying a gun where everyone can see it is obviously more effective.
Unlike concealed-carry, wearing a weapon in a hip holster sends a clear signal that you are armed and prepared to fight back.
A bad guy will not mistake you for some defenseless victim. And, should he ignore the obvious, the citizen carrying a weapon in the open would be in a better position to use it.
No digging around in a purse to find the gun among the lipstick, face tissue and perfume. No need to ask the criminal to wait a second as you bend down and try to pry that gun from its ankle holster.
Do not make the mistake of thinking I am anti-gun.
I accept the obvious. Forty-eight states now have concealed-carry laws because citizens have demanded the right to defend themselves against their neighbors, who cannot be trusted.
Wisconsin and Illinois are the only holdouts, and legislation now being proposed by Republicans in Wisconsin has a good chance to pass.
I grew up in a neighborhood full of World War II veterans and can’t ever recall seeing a man with a gun.
My father, a former Army captain, said he had the opportunity to take his .45 home with him and declined because he thought it might just go off accidentally and hurt someone.
Times have changed. Our world is not as safe as it was during the Cold War when all we had to fear were nuclear weapons falling out of the sky.
Today, women can be assaulted going to a grocery store, men can be mugged waiting for a commuter train, children can be shot sitting on their front porch.
Even when the nation is not on full alert for a terrorist attack, it must always be prepared for the next madman who opens fire on a college campus or fast-food franchise.
That’s why we need video cameras on every street corner and metal detectors in every courthouse, sports stadium and school building.
That’s why its time to openly carry loaded weapons in this nation.
I envision a day when a gun in the hand of an American will be as common a sight as an Englishman with an umbrella.
How many criminals, I wonder, would actually be desperate enough to attempt an armed robbery, or even a random act of violence, knowing that he would immediately be riddled with bullets?
All right, it happens every day in certain Chicago neighborhoods, but the right to carry guns not be waylaid by gang members who pay no attention to statistical data.
As for those who fear that an otherwise law-abiding citizen might, in a moment of anger, shoot a friend, relative or workplace supervisor, well, how many people are killed or injured in traffic accidents each year as the result of road rage?
Despite the human carnage, we all continue to drive, talk on our cell phones, send text messages and yell at our children, while ignoring government efforts to intervene.
Finally, no man should be forced to conceal his weapon. I want thugs to know in advance that I am willing to kill another human being to protect my family, or my wristwatch.
I look forward to the day when I can carry a sidearm openly in Illinois, with bandoleers crisscrossing my chest. That would be awesome.
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