A brief report at the halfway point

Why I Carry

A brief report at the halfway point, No. 17, 1 July, 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 4^th, 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-2^nd 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.