"Locked and Loaded - A look into the minds of the gun-toters among us"

[PavePusher]

Disclaimer: The subject line is a quote of the article title, I had nothing to do with it. Yes, it's pretty aweful.


http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=31451

"When Auric Gold got out of the Army in 1977 and moved back to Wisconsin, the college town of Madison seemed like a safe place to settle. But a few random incidents made Gold feel vulnerable.

The first happened when he was a UW-Madison student, taking a bus ride home. By his account, he suddenly found himself in the middle of a shootout. Police "machine gunned" a car in front of the bus, bringing traffic to a halt at Regent and Park.

"I suddenly realized I was vulnerable," Gold says. "I didn't know what kind of firepower was being used."

Not long afterward, he was walking in the woods near his residence in Fitchburg, which was much more rural back then. A couple of hunters, he says, took a shot in his direction. He turned and saw them gazing at him.

"They had a clear view," Gold says. "It was clearly intentional. I just looked at them and thought, 'What are these guys doing?'""




Much more at link, with a good response from Mr. Gold in the comments section.

[spin]

1. Very interesting article, unusually fair and balanced...

There's lots to comment on. I'll pick this tidbit.

On Sept. 18, five Wisconsin Carry members, all wearing side arms, had dinner at the Culver's by East Towne. As they were leaving, a 62-year-old woman sitting in her car noticed their weapons and called police. She later told officers: "I didn't know what the law was, and I thought I should at least call so the police can come and check it out 'cause I didn't want to be that one person that saw guns and didn't call, and then have something terrible happen."

Eight Madison police officers soon arrived on the scene and asked that the men show identification. Two of them refused; they were arrested and charged with obstructing an officer. Two days later, police dropped those charges but charged all five men with disorderly conduct.

The police department then issued a press release stating: "Chief Wray wants to make clear: It is the department's wish that concerned citizens call 911 when they see armed subjects."

http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=31451

I have also witnessed four or five guys carrying holstered firearms in the Tampa Bay area of Florida as I was walking into a grocery store that they were leaving. They had no badges but were dressed in clothing that was appropriate for security or military personnel. They were non threatening so I didn't bother to contact the local police. (Open carry is illegal in Florida.) I have no idea who they were but I doubted that they presented any threat.

Still, unless the public is used to see people carrying openly, it's obvious that you might cause yourself problems if you decide to walk around in public with an exposed firearm hanging on your belt.

The advantage of carrying concealed is that no one knows. I can see advantages to open carry (even though it is illegal in Florida), but the more I consider it I prefer concealed carry. I have no interest in causing a 62 year old woman to call the police because of her concern that I was carrying a holstered firearm openly even if it was legal.

I can carry a full sized .45 auto concealed if I chose and no one will ever notice. I can also draw that weapon just as fast or possibly faster than a openly holstered weapon on my belt that has a snatch resistant holster.

The sheeple get concerned if they realize that someone has a firearm near them. They are innocent, nice people. There is absolutely no reason to disturb their lives.

Wisconsin needs to enter the current century and allow concealed carry. Forty other states allow allow some form of concealed carry.

[one-eyed fat man]

2. Auric Gold??

Named by Mom who was a Latin teacher or a big fan of James Bond movies?

The first name, Auric, appears influenced by the Latin word for gold, 'aurum', from which the chemical symbol for the element, Au, comes.

[Euromutt]

3. Possibly his parents admired Georges Auric

French composer, hung out with Satie and Cocteau: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Auric

The "-ric" suffix comes off as more Germanic than Latin, mind you.