I’m all in favor of open carry. Like Ralph, I don’t think that “being a good little gun rights advocate” and keeping your firearms hidden from view makes it any more likely that the enemies of firearms freedom are going to stay their collective, metaphorical hand. Open carry creates “gun normalization” that protects our rights. Besides, if something is legal to do then it’s legal for you to do it. Ipso facto. And yet the Neenah Wisconsin officer felt free to . . .
threaten to shoot the open carrier in the head if he made a furtive move. Twice. This despite the fact that the officer clearly knew the “suspect” was exercising his Constitutional right to keep and bear arms without any intent on shooting anyone. “Oh we’re playing that game are we?” The threat of violence was entirely unnecessary. It was a verbal assault. Not illegal, but hardly designed to de-escalate the situation. Which wasn’t what I’d call tense.
At 6:52, the officer gets into it:
I’m a pro-Second Amendment Patriot American and I love my Second Amendment rights. But do you realize what you’re doing could very well cost us, me, my Second Amendment rights because this is so egregious to the general public that it’s gonna cause them to make decisions legally that, you know are going to restrain us. Do you realize that? Do you care about that?
Who the hell is this police officer to debate open carry with a legally armed American? Imagine if the officer walked up to someone on a street corner preaching the gospel/demonstrating for or against abortion, drew his gun and started warning them that their demo was dangerous to the officer’s First Amendment right to free speech and the U.S. Constitution? GTFO.
Note: there are plenty of people who agree with the officer’s argument against open carry but he’s holding an American citizen at gunpoint. He’s acting a civil servant. Or, if you prefer, a representative of the government. He’s not supposed to “take sides” or debate the law. He’s supposed to serve and protect. Period.
The second officer (Gonzales) steps up to argue against open carry. And then the first officer starts up again. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” he lectures. Ain’t that the truth. The last comment is even more ironic: “what an awesome opportunity to learn.”