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Im a CA resident, proud gun owner, and a passionate supporter of 2nd Amendment rights. That said.....first, one must realize that while California has some strict gun control policies, they are in no way the worst, and I can tolerate most of them.(The 10-day waiting period is excessive, but an annoyance more than anything.) I've been around a lot of gun shops in NorCal, and had many conversations with gun owners. One thing that we all agree on for the most part is that Open Carrying is ONE OF THE STUPIDEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IN CA. The general consensus is: "Hey, we support your right to carry, but you look like a bunch of morons gathering at the local Starbucks packing unloaded guns. Stop embarrassing the rest of us." Now, again, dont get me wrong. I'm very pro-gun, and I support the PRINCIPLE of the O.C. crowd. Just not their actions. You may only carry an unloaded gun. That in it itself pretty much renders the weapon useless for defense. Secondly, with this latest movement, many of these folks are carrying just to prove a point. I believe this does a great disservice to responsible gun owners in that it tends to leave a bad taste in the mouth of the general public. Even if they respect your gun rights, they might not agree with them, and they dont want it crammed down their throats. For example, I dont agree with their following, but I respect the rights of Jehovahs Witnesses to be free to follow their religion. I just get extremely irritated when they're pounding on my door, shoving it down my throat. I picture the O.C. crowd in this sort of scenario. My thought is that one of three things should happen. A) Ban open carry altogether. I know that this is like surrendering one of our rights, but if its between no open carry and only being able to carry unloaded, for the sake of everybody involved, I would rather see it banned totally. B) A somewhat better choice (depending on your opinion of O.C. in general) would be to allow loaded O.C.. Now, of course this wouldnt change anyones opinion from the anti-gun side, but at this with this option, your gun still maintains its utility. Therefore, you actually have a reason to carry it, and dont look like such a tool carrying around an empty gun. C) Change CA from a "may-issue" state to a "shall-issue" state. California's CCW system is the one gun control aspect of this state that makes my blood start to boil. For those not privy, CA is similar to most states, except that in addition to the normal process, you must provide "good cause" and the final decision is left up to the discretion (but in most cases, the OPINION), of your local law enforcement. So pretty much....you aint gettin' one here. Oh, you can apply and donate the fees to the state, but in the end they keep your money, and you go home with nothing. A lot of those folks O.C. because its nearly impossible to obtain a CCW. Have a reasonable CCW program, and watch the O.C. problem disappear. I would think that this alone would solve problems not just for those wanting to carry, but for law enforcement officers as well that have to respond to the "man-with-gun" calls all the time. Just my opinion.........
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