I'm becoming more and more interested in the subject of open carry. I see video after video of people getting stopped by police for open carry in states where it is open carry is LEGAL.
Let's say for example, someone is seen openly carrying a side arm in public, walking down the street, this person is not seen making any threats or behaving strangely. It's understandable that someone else might think to call the police and say "Hey, there's a guy walking down the street with a pistol." Now here is where my curiosity about our police force gets the best of me. Shouldn't the police dispatcher or 911 operator then ask a few questions?
Is the person brandishing the firearm?
Is the person acting strangely or making threats?
Or is this person minding their own business just going about their way normally?
Shouldn't this be the reply?
"Thank you for calling the so and so police department, however, open carry of a firearm is legal in this state."
I understand the concern for public safety, so perhaps an officer getting a call on a person open carrying should be to observe first, then, if the person is acting suspicious or otherwise behaving in a way to cause concern, sure, go and ask a few questions.
If it's legal to open carry in that particular state, why then are the police dispatched in the first place? It seems to me that the police are unaware of the laws and what the rights of the citizen are.
.JPG)
