Hillsboro man walks in front of school with shotgun

I think I see what the problem is.

Julius can't understand why someone would be so insensitive as to walk in front of a school with an exposed weapon. He sees that it scares the shit out of the school, the parents, and the kids.

Brian is merely voicing his concern that the country has become so scared of guns that the mere sight of a gun sends the public into complete panic. He is trying to explain that guns are just an object, no different than a car, or a knife, or a bat. They won't just hurt people, they have to be used carelessly or maliciously for them to become dangerous. The mere presence of a man holding a gun does not pose a danger to people unless that person is either being negligent or has evil intentions. Brian is trying to explain that the gun itself is not dangerous. What if the gun is unloaded? What if it has a plug in it? What if it is a prop gun? Brian is trying to explain that the man is not a threat merely because he has a gun.

My take on this is that you're both right, but for different reasons. I think it's sad that the United States is so scared of guns now that the mere mention of a gun brings the police, and often times someone is shot by the police because of it. I read a story about a guy in Florida who was sitting on a porch holding a hose, a neighbor called the cops and they shot him. At the same time, I think this guy is an asshole and I think he needs to rethink his strategy because walking in front of schools with a gun exposed isn't winning any arguments. Right now gun owners are not being portrayed in the best light, with guys like George Zimmerman and the school shootings, so why does this dummy think that walking around near schools with a gun will help his cause? It makes him look like an insensitive prick, and it makes people question whether it should be legal to open carry at all. Does he want MORE gun regulation?

 

A couple of guys did the same thing on 82nd about a year ago. What I don't understand is;

1) Aren't they scared that some overzealous cop will shoot them?

2) How is this supposed to help their cause?

I just really don't understand the thought process behind this. Why can't gun owners just assemble and protest like any other group? Are they trying to show that, "hey we have guns and we're not shooting anyone. Not everyone with guns is bad!" While it might make sense in theory, instead it just makes people uneasy. When 1,000+ gun owners march on Salem with their AR's and AK's and rifles, it doesn't inspire people. It makes them nervous. While I agree with Brian that this is sad, and that there are millions of gun owners in this country (myself included) who have never done anything wrong, it just makes them look crazy.

I see guys walking along a highway during hunting season. Nobody bats an eye. Even if someone was carrying their gun out to their pickup I don't think anyone would care. But walking in front of a school is just.... dumb.

 

The only thing I can think of is that they're trying to show that you can see a gun without someone being shot, but this is only having the opposite effect. Instead it makes gun owners look crazy and stupid.

The damage that has been done by Columbine, Sandy Hook, and a number of other shootings won't be undone quickly, and it certainly won't be changed by some idiots carrying their rifles in public places.

 

So you're saying that police and military are insane? I have had both come to my schools and openly display guns.

The only reason you're not working in a slave labor camp is because we all have always had the right to bear arms.

You're insane if you don't exercise that right, or at least support those who do.

 

The media, living in a bubble, and inability to think for themselves made people needlessly scared of a common occurrence of daily life.

I often open-carry and so do many law-abiding citizens here in Beautiful Central Oregon. Many of us would prefer not to show our guns for several reasons including your unfounded alarm, but the government unConstitutionally demands we register our weapons and get licensed in every locality we may travel through.

 

Proving you are the insane, dangerous sociopath we definitely don't want anywhere near a school, or children, or out of your padded cell.

You are just one more of the many reasons I open-carry.

 

Because of nut-jobs like you who are frightened of inanimate objects, trying to take away his Freedom.

 

Pretty clear you're not playing.

 

8 people claimed to be frightened/concerned enough to call 911, in a town of 92,000 residents.

Apparently, Julius lives in Hillsboro.