Joe Pierce, the co-founder of OpenCarry.org, argues that open carry laws benefit public safety in an article he wrote for US News and Report.
Pierce argues is that open carry is not a privilege that the state grants to citizens but a constitutional right. He writes that, “the right to openly bear arms for security and self-defense is enshrined not only in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution but also in a majority of state constitutions.” Pierce asserts that open carry is “very much in keeping with the framers’ view of the constitutional right to bear arms.”
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Constitution has always been interpreted in various ways. There is really no way to know what exactly the founding fathers meant when they wrote about “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” Pierce states, “Today, in a whopping 29 states (that’s a majority for those who are keeping score), any law-abiding citizen who is not prohibited by law from possessing firearms may openly carry with no government permit or license required.”
This is a chilling fact: in nearly three fifths of the country, any law-abiding citizen who isn’t forbidden by law may openly carry a gun without a permit or license. The fact that there is so little regulation already should be a red flag that some regulation is required.
Pierce goes on to argue that open carry also provides several benefits for public safety. He writes that “criminals make a large effort to try to hide their weapons, but open carriers wear their firearms properly holstered and go out willing to subject themselves to the scrutiny of their neighbors and of law enforcement.”
Pierce is arguing that having open carried weapons is safer than trying to hide them. We believe that neither is safe. Carrying guns in public, whether concealed or open carry, is inherently dangerous. There are even more opportunities for intentional or unintentional violence to occur. Concealed weapons are a safety risk, but the unregulated open carrying of firearms is an even bigger one!
Gun Control is Out of Control 