Even some “open carry” advocates are starting to question the wisdom of allowing people to openly carry guns after a series of publicly embarrassing mistakes.
Open carry allows gun owners to carry a gun in public as long as it’s not hidden and while legal the practice has come under fire recently following mass shootings and mistakes by law enforcement.
Tampa police are being sued in a civil rights lawsuit by a Florida gun rights group for detaining a fisherman who was openly carrying a gun while fishing.
The problem is that it’s difficult for police to determine if the person carrying a gun is a criminal or law abiding citizen.
Florida is one of five states that has banned the open carry practice, but it’s allowed while hunting, fishing or target shooting.
Mississippi has also had a problem with the open carry practice recently. Customers at a Gulfport WalMart called police after two men entered the store carrying shotguns.
A Huge Thanks to @Whataburger for Telling Dangerous Open Carry Extremists to Take a Hike http://t.co/do9kVWl3ix via @KXAN_News #p2 #tcot
— Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (@CSGV) July 10, 2015
Police Chief Leonard Papania told reporters people have repeatedly carried guns into this WalMart and scared the customers inside.
“If I were in a situation where I’m in the store shopping with my family and I see an individual loading a 12 gauge, and racking it, I’m not coming to the conclusion this is good. While the actions of these two men is sanctioned by state laws, what they did negatively impacted our community.”
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate just passed a bill allowing open carry in the state . It still must be passed by the House and signed by the governor. The bill was supported by both Democrats and Republicans after an amendment was attached prohibiting racial profiling.
If the bill becomes law state police would no longer be allowed to stop someone just because they’re carrying a gun.
Michigan is considering allowing gun owners to conceal their weapons when they carry them into a school and day care centers. The bill would prohibit gun owners from openly carrying their weapons and instead require they be concealed.
The bill comes after a man openly carried a gun into his sister’s choir concert in Ann Arbor and caused a panic. The school responded by banning all guns, which prompted yet another law suit.
Gun rights advocates feel it’s their constitutional American right to carry a gun wherever they want and they don’t want to be harassed by what they view as overzealous law enforcement.
Should Americans have the right to openly carry a gun?
[Photo by Bill Pugliano /Getty Images]
