Open Carry

During the blog gathering there were a lot of things that folks enjoyed, as you can read on their blogs.

I think one of the things that had the biggest impact, however, was Open Carry.

Here we had a bunch of people, almost all from out of state, in a tiny town, openly carrying their firearms. A couple didn't have much choice, their states' concealed carry permits not being honored by Colorado, but for the most part, it was a choice to carry openly. And for a few, a treat.

None of them had any nefarious plans, nor acted like it, and no fuss was raised.

Because, guess what? Around here, we don't care. Well, for the most part. There was a bit of grumbling to the owner of the restaurant where we met for breakfast every morning, mostly from the little blue haired ladies. Such grumblings were met with the assurance that what those people were doing was completely legal, they were here yesterday morning too, and they're really nice folks. Now, did you want toast with that or a biscuit?

The ability to walk down the street with a gun on your hip and garner strange glances not at the piece in your holster but rather at the Texan guy in a skirt is something that I tend to take for granted. Seeing how much it was enjoyed by everyone attending was a nice reminder of what Small Town USA is like to those who don't get to live there.

Open carry versus concealed carry is not so much an argument here as a fashion choice. Do I wear a cover garment or is it too darn hot?

So the next time you're arguing the topic of "open carry" remember this: In a small Colorado town, where you turn your clock back fifty years when you cross the city limits, it's not a big deal. Our sleepy little non-metropolis takes a gun on your hip with the same even stride as a horse being ridden down Main Street, or an electricity-generating windmill going up on the outskirts of town.

And maybe, just maybe, all those argumentative folks making such a big fuss (on both sides of the issue) could learn a little something from that.