Three times now, since Tuesday,
They’ve been there with their guns,
Four young men in camo tees
Lounging against the tailgate.
Their presence isn’t new; they’ve been there many days,
Lounging against the tailgate
Rapt in friendly conversation;
There without their guns.
I see them now in different light
Than I did those days before;
These four young men in camo tees,
Lounging against the tailgate,
With their pistols on their hips,
Rapt in guarded conversation.
THIS IS NOT A RANT!
But it is a question that bears asking.
In the past couple of years, there has been an increasingly vocal movement toward “Open Carry” of fire arms in public places. Without getting into a values discussion or an argument about the rightness or wrongness of this issue, I would like to point out some fundamental conflicts in the legal system.
Lately, people have been allowed to carry rifles and shotguns around town. Last month a young man of my acquaintance was arrested and jailed for “Possession of Burglerous Tools” because he was walking home from a friends house with two screw drivers in his pocket. I know that it is illegal, here, to carry knives with blades longer than 7 inches. Is it just me or does this seem to be an irreconcilable double standard about what constitutes “intent to engage in criminal or threatening behavior”?
I would like to know why it is OK for me to carry my M1 Garand to the Mall but not my Katana or, for that matter, my flat head screw driver?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Happy Memorial Day!
Aroil in Pain 