US of A: Life, Liberty, and My .380 Cal Smith and Wesson Bodyguard

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-guns-20111011,0,5655548.story

Earlier today, Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed legislation banning the unconcealed carry of handguns. By doing so, he strays into one of the most vitriolic and polarized policy disagreements facing the country. Brown, who cited the support of California police chiefs in his defense of the bill, has received heat from those who would like to pack their heat proudly and visibly in a holster on their hip. The bill says nothing about openly carrying long barrel firearms such as shotguns and rifles.

Brown, himself the owner of three firearms, signed the legislation as a continuation of a recent push for increased gun control, targeted at felons. Brown argues that the open carry of firearms does more harm than good, causing consternation among the general populace and making the jobs of law enforcement much harder.

In response, gun rights advocates have argued that the ban of open carry handguns will result in an increase in concealed carry permits and infringe on the rights of honest citizens to bear arms for self-defense purposes.

I observe the growing trend of lax gun regulation sweeping the nation with angst, and so laud Gov. Brown for his political courage in bucking the trend. In my opinion, the case for open carry weapons is very weak. First of all, states generally require open carry firearms to be unloaded. The argument that open carry firearms would be any sort of deterrent to crimes is thus laughable. Second of all, the presence of more guns on the street (or, as in four states of our beautiful Union, in government buildings), whether concealed or not, simply complicates the jobs of law enforcement officers, as they are forced to deal with the increased likelihood that any given person is exercising their 2nd Amendment rights to the fullest.

Going deeper, I believe that the 2nd Amendment is, in itself, flawed. In the late 1700's, with little to no law enforcement present throughout the new nation, the amendment granted citizens the rights to form their own militias for the purpose of law enforcement. Now, over two hundred years later, with law enforcement well established throughout the United States, I believe the 2nd Amendment is much less relevant and in need of serious review. Unfortunately, this opinion is not shared by many others. Ah, well. Guess I'll head over to Starbucks, where the person directly behind me in line will be proudly bearing his Glock for the rest of the clientele to nervously gaze at.