this post was submitted on 20 May 2024
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Open carriers show off two major things, and neither one of them are "tough guy".
First is fragile masculinity, they are worried that they aren't seen as "manly" enough, so they have to show off to everyone that they are totally manly. It's like women wearing that new handbag out and about, they want others to notice it.
Second is pure fear, fear that at any time any moment something is going to happen, and the only way they feel safe is by carrying a lethal weapon with them at all times. You know, rather than dealing with what is causing the fear in the first place.
So, we have a terrified person carrying a lethal weapon who is worried about what everyone around them think. To me, that's the more worrying person in a room.
Stupidity goes in there too for baiting any and every psycho who can now instantly become an armed psycho.
I have a friend who open carries everywhere as well. We do not live in a dangerous area at all and he carries this thing to the grocery store.
I call it his "big boy gun" because it makes him feel like he's a big boy now, like a kid who wears his "big boy" pants with no diapers.
I had the talk with a friend once who did it, told him I didn't feel comfortable. We went to a fast food place and told him to look around, people weren't admiring him, they were afraid of him. Luckily he saw reason and stopped wearing it shortly after.
Good! And I hope you never let him hear the end of it. What a poser.
Fear indeed. I went to college in a very... provincial small city. Riding my bicycle around, I was regularly harassed by insecure assholes in pickup trucks, and run off the road twice. The one time I managed to get a license plate, the police claimed that without witnesses, they couldn't do anything. ACAB.
I added my 1911 to the strap of my messenger bag, at the top of my left shoulder, where the stainless frame would be plainly visible. I was suddenly given plenty of space on the road and even got occasional compliments when waiting at stoplights. It's disgusting that I would be a target for bullying without my pistol, but suddenly I was an okay guy with my penis extension where douchebag drivers could see it.
So yeah, I'm living proof that non-military open carry is only for scaredy cats.
It sucks but unless he hurt you, hit your bike, or you have any sort of footage what is the police suppose to do? Show up, he denies everything and that's it.
If they could charge him on your claims alone, think about the scary consequences of such a "legal" system.
Start a paper trail. If multiple unconnected bikers report them or they are involved in an accident later it is prior evidence of reckless driving.
Even if he denies it when police show up to ask questions it might scare him enough to stop doing it.
In most jurisdictions, a note could be put on the driving record. If a pattern on aggressive driving were to be established, a prosecutorial or civil suit effort would have an easier time of litigating against that driver.
In my case, yes, there was paint damage from my bike, which would be evidence.
Edit to add: this was a bit before camera phones.
For sure, that should've been more than enough for them to act at least. I'm sorry this happened to you.
It's worth noting that most American states have a "3 foot law" that requires vehicles to pass bikers with at least 3 feet of space. (Often, drivers are also required to completely change lanes when doing so, although that varies more by state and by the width of the lane on that particular road.) If a driver in one of the 39 states runs a biker off the road, even if they never physically contacted the person on the bike, they almost certainly violated the "3 foot law."
Yes, police often won't investigate or bring charges, and yes, it sucks, but most of those dangerous drivers are indeed breaking the law.
I never questioned that. I even went with OP's story, chose to believe they told the complete truth. But they complained about police not doing anything and the shitty reality of it is that without any kind of evidence the police cannot do anything.
I think we're both in agreement about the result, but we shouldn't forget that testimony is evidence. The chump behind the wheel will deny it, so you'll have conflicting testimonial evidence, but until recently, this was usually all the evidence any prosecutor had. We've gotten too used to video evidence and now police won't act without it, even though it's not legally required. It just provides a convenient excuse for cops not to bother when they don't care.
OK, you're right. Ideally, the police should just follow up and not predict the result since that's the judge's job, not theirs.
I don't think there are many countries with such a low crime rate where police can really work that close to the book though. And I think there are "better" examples for "ACAB" in the US.
By this measure, justice was impossible to achieve before the invention of the cell phone video camera.
Yes, you do need some kind of evidence if you don't have a witness. And I mentioned other kinds of evidence than video footage.
I wonder if 3d printing a fake handle to stick out is worth the trouble.
Being licensed anyway would be good if you were stopped, but it would weigh less and you wouldn't risk losing it.
Presume there's laws about leaving it unsupervised etc while out the house.
Having a toy is just as good for that purpose.
You won't be treated as if it's a toy though.
Loved the comparison to an expensive handbag. These people just want to look fierce and make other people feel in danger.
Just wait until you get all the hens clucking at their favorite restaurant about how stylish it looks with the wood-grain finish.
Fear? My impression is that they're looking for trouble, not trying to avoid it.
Nah they say they are, but they're scared boys walking around with it. The like to LARP thinking they'll need to use it, but actually using it on someone is terrifying.