The Open Carry Movement Isn't About Rights, It's About Fear - And A Little Racism

[I can't agree with this author - I don't see anywhere, anytime that civilians need to have open carry or concealed carry of loaded weapons. But hey - that's my opinion - Bozo]
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August 21, 2014
Manny Schewitz.
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Open Carry Texas backed off on their plans to march through Houston's 5th Ward. Not because they finally realized the folly of their endeavor to somehow prove to the minority neighborhood that open carry of military-grade firearms was in their best interests. Oh, and apparently the neighborhood already had plenty of firearms, as demonstrated by members of the New Black Panther Party. Nice.
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    They were met by a chorus of voices telling them to stay out of the neighborhood and warned they will be "matched gun-for-gun."
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    "I'm going to tell you something homie, this is Fifth Ward, you ain't coming in here running nothing," community activist Quanell X said while flanked by members of the New Black Panther Party, who were holding assault rifles. (Source)

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They backed off citing the "controversy associated with this event," but they still want to march through the 5th Ward to prove some sort of point. Regardless of whether you support or oppose gun regulations, I think that most of us (including my card-carrying member of the NRA mother) could agree that this is an incredibly stupid idea.
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Currently, all but 6 states (TX, FL, SC, CA, IL, and NY) and the District of Columbia allow open carry, with varying regulations. I grew up in rural Virginia where guns were common. It was not unusual to see deer rifles or shotguns in a gun rack in vehicles parked at local churches, the feed store, or even at school during hunting season. I know it sounds weird, but this was a different time, before Columbine and the attention on school shootings. But even then, to walk around with a handgun strapped to your hip would have been considered extremely odd unless you were part of the local sheriff's department or another law enforcement agency.
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So why is the open carry movement receiving so much attention now? I'm not even really that opposed to being able to openly carry a handgun on your hip, which is what these people are really protesting - or at least that's what it started off as. What I do have a problem with is the people who think that openly carrying a weapon is necessary, and their reasoning why. You see, open carry isn't about protection, it's about intimidation. It's about advertising "I have a gun on me and I will use it" to everyone within view at the local Kroger's, or anywhere else that currently allows open carry.
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I believe it is a part of a fear by white Americans that their "way of life" is being threatened. Is it blatant racism borne out of the rise of hate groups after the election of the first non-white president? Yes, and no. Current predictions are that whites will be a minority within the next couple of decades and I think there are people who really are greatly concerned about that. Take South Africa for an example. While whites were always a minority there, they held all the power until the end of apartheid. Historically though, rule by the minority - not the majority - was quite common. Therefore, owning weapons and demonstrating that they own them, is part of their attempt to preserve "their way of life."
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