Just thought I would start a new, on-topic discussion for one of the most overused but rarely supported ideas to ever jack a carry thread. Since very few will bring up an older thread or start their own, here it is. Some variant of this idea is frequently thrown into many threads by many folks:
If you OC, you are giving up the element of surprise and making yourself the bad guy's first target.
It is usually dismissed by those who have read past debates with a statement and a question.
Surpise benefits the attacker; deterrence the defender.
And please cite examples of common people being targeted for OC.
...yet it keeps coming back.
I have concluded (in the absence of much defense) that the common hypothetical or fantasy scenario must play out like the movies. The crime happens to someone else or at the register in a store while the CCer is blending in with the crowd. After the OCers are all shot or disarmed, the CCer then gets to pull his gun from concealment while the bad guy is busy with his crime and saves the day (usually from behind and unnoticed.) Hopefully this happens without cocking the hammer several times.
Does the thought of you being the bad guy's victim ever intrude on the above hypothetical? Would that thought make you wish they had known you were armed and picked an easier target? Would you be weighing that envisioned element of surprise against having to now draw from concealment when they already have you covered?
I am just curious why this remains such a popular idea unless what I will call the "hidden hero" scenario sounds so personally rewarding that it compels us to discount a reasonable means of avoiding violence or reacting to it with the fastest possible presentation.
I understand that there are many other reasons for both choices. This one just pops up a lot.
Disclaimer: I support the rights and decisions of each individual to carry as they see fit. This discussion should only be about the reasons or thoughts that lead to those choices and possibly why we need to inject our reasons in inappropriate threads. Carry on.
Your civility is appreciated.
If you OC, you are giving up the element of surprise and making yourself the bad guy's first target.
It is usually dismissed by those who have read past debates with a statement and a question.
Surpise benefits the attacker; deterrence the defender.
And please cite examples of common people being targeted for OC.
...yet it keeps coming back.
I have concluded (in the absence of much defense) that the common hypothetical or fantasy scenario must play out like the movies. The crime happens to someone else or at the register in a store while the CCer is blending in with the crowd. After the OCers are all shot or disarmed, the CCer then gets to pull his gun from concealment while the bad guy is busy with his crime and saves the day (usually from behind and unnoticed.) Hopefully this happens without cocking the hammer several times.
Does the thought of you being the bad guy's victim ever intrude on the above hypothetical? Would that thought make you wish they had known you were armed and picked an easier target? Would you be weighing that envisioned element of surprise against having to now draw from concealment when they already have you covered?
I am just curious why this remains such a popular idea unless what I will call the "hidden hero" scenario sounds so personally rewarding that it compels us to discount a reasonable means of avoiding violence or reacting to it with the fastest possible presentation.
I understand that there are many other reasons for both choices. This one just pops up a lot.
Disclaimer: I support the rights and decisions of each individual to carry as they see fit. This discussion should only be about the reasons or thoughts that lead to those choices and possibly why we need to inject our reasons in inappropriate threads. Carry on.
Your civility is appreciated.