The Oklahoman: "Gun association seeks right to 'bare' arms in Oklahoma"

[Gator5713]

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To 'dlofton':
Of course you don't carry open (OC) when off duty, that would be a violation of Texas Law, would it not? :dude:
As for your personal character, I cannot and will not comment, but I do know the reputation of the Shertz PD..... I hope that you are not the norm there. (Selma, and Converse as well...)

As to the comment about threat level, I do not see how more officers would not support OC over CC. If you know that I have a gun I am less of a threat. The criminals aren't going to want you to know that they have a gun until they are ready to use it!

 

[dlofton]

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Actually, No, It would not be a violation of Texas law for me to open carry off duty, I just don't do it. one of the things that it took me quite a while to learn about being a police officer is the same thing that I learned as a captain in the Air Force....if you go looking for trouble you are going to find it! I say this because that is what I would be doing. It is different for a police officer to open carry off duty than a regular citizen. This is because if I open carry off duty (which is not a violation) then I will have to wear my badge openly with it. This would tell the entire world that I am a licensed Texas peace officer, which is the very last thing that I want to let the world know when I am off duty, because then if a violation of the law happens in my presence then I would be expected by a citizen to take action. For rookies on the police force this may sound exciting to them....but not for me, I am too old to play cops and robbers when off duty and trying to spend some quality time with my family. I don't delve into the idea that police officers should take action of any violation of the law not matter what, no matter when. When off duty I act as such. This is because it is simply too much of a pain in the ass to do all the paperwork and other such things that come with making an arrest off duty. Yes, I CAN do it...no, it ain't gonna happen unless it is a violation that is a significant felony in which the public is in immediate danger (armed robbery, bank robbery, homicide, etc).

As for the Schertz PD...where did that come from? I do not work for them. I work part time for the Guadalupe County Constable Office. In the county (where constables work under the Texas constitution) we do things a little differently than most places. We tend to take things much more laissez faire. In fact, AND I SWEAR THIS TO BE TRUE, I have not wrote a traffic ticket in at least five years. Constables are fullly empowered LEOs under the Texas constitution, but we are mostly centered under serving warrants for the county and writs for the justice courts. Ticket writing is just not something that I have the time nor the inclination to do. There are far too many cats in trees for me to shoot down than to run radar on I-35.

As for the rest of the board...as hard as this may be for most people (ME INCLUDED)...try not to judge the whole entire peace officer force on the actions of some simple minded individuals. 99% of LEOs are just like everyone else on planet Earth. They get up on the morning, put on their pants and shirt, brush their teeth and head out into the day to make a living. It really is no different than any other job. You perform a function and go home. Not a big deal.

David

 

[dlofton]

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You wrote, "As to the comment about threat level, I do not see how more officers would not support OC over CC. If you know that I have a gun I am less of a threat. The criminals aren't going to want you to know that they have a gun until they are ready to use it!"

There is a simply answer to this statement...it is called tipping you hand. police officer shouldn't do it and neither should the public. If have a weapon on you that is concealed and you are properly trained on how to access and use it (like I suspect most people on this board are) then you are a help to law enforcement. This is what peace officers want. We want people that are trained to use force to help defend others that may not be able to defend themselves. Just don't tip you hand on what your "potential" capabilities are. When you open carry (off duty peace officer or everyday average citizen) then you are tipping you hand. This is not the way a smart "tactical" carrying person with a weapon is supposed to act. A tactical person surveys their surroundings, looks at the threats, judges potential benefits and drawbacks from courses of actions, and then takes action based on what is the largest chance of success. The US Marines have a saying that fits along perfectly with this..."Have a plan to kill everyone you meet". When you open carry you are are giving away your plan to others. The others are then able to identify that you are the first person to take out in their plan on how they are going to kill everyone they meet.

David

 

[dlofton]

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You wrote, "The criminals aren't going to want you to know that they have a gun until they are ready to use it!"

This is a true statment most of the time. The criminals are not going to want to give away that they have a gun until they are ready to use said gun. But neither are smart off duty LEOs. I damn sure am not going to go to the shopping mall with my kids while off duty with my firearm strapped outside for all the world to see. I want to be as innoccuous as humanly posslble. I want the potential to criminal to see me as a sheep when in reality I am a wolf that is capable of striking at my time and choosing. This is what is the potential negative of open carry. You are identifying yourself as a wolf from the onset. A real wolf can act like a wolf and not tip their hand. A real sheep cannot never be a wolf...firearm strapped to their side OC or CC.

David

 

[Gator5713]

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Guadalupe County Constables Office!?
You just automatically earned some extra respect! Along with Comal county and a good handfull of others around there... Your 'Location' is 'Sherts' and I do truly apologize for my mistake, but you had not identified....
For Reference.... I grew up in Bulverde and recently lived in Converse for a little over a year, thus my knowledge of local departments reputations... County has always had more respect from me as they seem to (for the most part) care more about what the law is and upholding it as opposed to harrassing citizens.... That and having lived out in the country most of my life; the only law arond was Sherriff/Constable/Game Warden...
By openly wearing a badge, you are effectively no longer "Off Duty" so I will stand by my original statement regarding that...
The likelihood of me being in a situation where I become 'first target' is a whole lot less than the likelihood that the simple presence of a gun on my hip will deter a crime from ever happening! I consider it a proactive stance on crime and therefore a viable defensive choice.
Why do LEOs wear uniforms and openly wear their firearms?
As a DETERRENT!
I respect your personal choice of how you choose to carry when off duty, however I disagree with your reasonings....

A conversation with a friends kid when we were met with a particularly unfriendly varmint one evening:
Me: Hand me a gun"
Kid: Which one?
Me: One with bullets in it!:exclaim: