Why I Carry

A brief report at the halfway point, No. 17, 1 July, 2001

by Paul Hager © 2001

IC Title 35, Article 47, Chapter 2. Regulation of Handguns

Article I, Section 32, Indiana Constitution

As I indicated in my previous offering, I've reached the point in my carry campaign where I will be switching to open carry of my Glock. Naturally, I want to make sure that people understand what I'm doing and why. Accordingly I submitted a guest editorial to the Herald-Times (Defending self-defense) that reminds people in Bloomington what I'm doing, lets them know that I will be carrying the Glock, and directs them to this website for a complete explanation.

After 6 months of open carry, I've gotten comfortable going around town and being treated just like anyone else. Now that I will be carrying the Glock, I have to confront the possibility that it will elicit the same sorts of reactions I was expecting back in December (see Your friends and neighbors). It's a little like beginning all over again.

One difference is that when I officially switch to the Glock on Independence Day, I'm hoping that at least a few people around the state will join me in carrying openly (see Hoosier Open Carry Day). If any readers do engage in open carry on the 4th, send me an email and let me know how things went.

It is my intention to continue traveling around the state to talk to pro-2nd Amendment groups. In fact, I would like to do it as often as possible. If you are a member of such a group and would like to have me come and speak, send me an email.

This is a good time to also let readers know that the open carry campaign was intended from the beginning to run for only 1 year. I'll wrap things up and summarize what I've learned and what I think I've accomplished in late December 2001 or early January 2002. This doesn't mean that I will no longer carry openly, merely that it will no longer be an explicit campaign.

For now, I have nothing else to report. I have a couple of articles in the pipeline that I'll be posting in the next few weeks. They will be in addition to any of my more topical reports.