Today at Walmart (where everything seems to happen) I saw this 20 something year old proudly carrying his Glock strapped to his hip with his untucked t-shirt tucked around the gun so it would prominently stand out. As I was leaving the store I saw him getting into his car STILL WITH THE GUN ON HIM. Now couple thoughts came to my mind, either he was one who didn’t care much for obeying laws and did whatever he wanted to do. He was showing off to his girlfriend who was with him. He couldn’t pass the CCW class. Or he couldn’t pass CCW background check. In any event, people get very nervous around those who are not cops, carrying guns out in the open as I could see people’s reaction around this person.
Am I against protecting yourself? Of course not or I wouldn’t run a personal protection business.
Here’s the thing. Many times people like this 20 something are inadvertently causing more problems than they are doing good especially when it comes to those politicians who wants to take away our rights to have firearms.
Here are a couple of CAUTIONS when it comes to open carry and this is only in Ohio.
1) Open carry allows you to carry ONLY on public areas and NOT private property. Examples includes sidewalks and bike trails and the such.
2) Most businesses are PRIVATELY OWNED AND IS PRIVATE PROPERTY, NOT PUBLIC PROPERTY. Meaning, even though a business like Walmart is open to the public, it is still private property and they have the ability to deny you being on their property with a firearm, open carry or concealed.
3) Open carry DOES NOT give you the ability to possess your loaded firearm on you or, as the law satates “Readily Available” while in a motor vehicle. (ORC 2923.16B). Guess what, that a 4th DEGREE FELONY. Any felony conviction makes you a felon and YOU WILL LOOSE YOU RIGHT TO HAVE ANY FIREARMS FOREVER.
4) If anyone who sees your open carry firearm feels threatened, even if you didn’t touch the gun or make any verbal threat towards them, you could be charged with inducing panic (ORC 2917.31) which if convicted could be a 1st degree misdemeanor but since a firearm was involved, a gun specification is also added to the charge which is an automatic 2 year minimum prison sentence for the gun specification if convicted.
Here’s the thing, if you want to responsibly protect yourself and your loved ones, take a CCW class. This opens up more abilities for you to carry even on private property AND IN YOUR CAR. Don’t be the reason the anti-gun politicians are looking for to use against us to make gun control laws. A unintentional mistake like this could loose our rights forever.
G. Kiener