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<blockquote data-quote="soberups" data-source="post: 1355589" data-attributes="member: 14668">I don&#039;t have a problem shopping with or being around people who open carry holstered handguns.I do have a problem shopping with or being around people who open carry slung rifles in restaurants or in front of schools simply to make a political statement. In addition to scaring the hell out of people and forcing me to either leave or keep a constant eye on them, they create a safety hazard every time they want to sit down and lean the rifle up against a table or in a corner. It is very difficult to handle a rifle in a crowd without inadvertently sweeping someone with the muzzle end, and leaning the rifle up against something creates issues with weapon retention, theft, and the possibility of the rifle hitting the ground and discharging a chambered round. A holstered handgun is a defensive weapon, whereas a slung rifle is an offensive weapon and there are very few situations where the public carry of a slung rifle is either appropriate or necessary.I have on a few occasions open-carried hunting rifles into cafes and stores in small rural towns during hunting season and no one even gave me a second look. I was quite obviously a hunter, in a hunting community, who was simply walking down from the woods to get a sandwich and some coffee. In that situation, I had a legitimate reason to be carrying a rifle and I was in a place where the sight of hunting rifles was commonplace and routine. Malls and schools will never be places where the sight of an openly carried rifle will be considered &quot;routine&quot;.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="soberups, post: 1355589, member: 14668"] I don't have a problem shopping with or being around people who open carry [I]holstered handguns[/I]. I [I]do [/I]have[I] [/I]a problem shopping with or being around people who open carry [I]slung rifles[/I] in restaurants or in front of schools simply to make a political statement. In addition to scaring the hell out of people and forcing me to either leave or keep a constant eye on them, they create a safety hazard every time they want to sit down and lean the rifle up against a table or in a corner. It is very difficult to handle a rifle in a crowd without inadvertently sweeping someone with the muzzle end, and leaning the rifle up against something creates issues with weapon retention, theft, and the possibility of the rifle hitting the ground and discharging a chambered round. A holstered handgun is a [I]defensive[/I] weapon, whereas a slung rifle is an [I]offensive[/I] weapon and there are very few situations where the public carry of a slung rifle is either appropriate or necessary. I have on a few occasions open-carried hunting rifles into cafes and stores in small rural towns during hunting season and no one even gave me a second look. I was quite obviously a hunter, in a hunting community, who was simply walking down from the woods to get a sandwich and some coffee. In that situation, I had a [I]legitimate reason[/I] to be carrying a rifle and I was in a place where the sight of hunting rifles was [I]commonplace and routine[/I]. Malls and schools will[B] never[/B] be places where the sight of an openly carried rifle will be considered "routine". [/QUOTE]

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