California Unloaded Open Carry – February 13, 2010
I was fortunate enough to meet up with some fellow law abiding citizens who are interested in unloaded open carry (UOC) earlier today. We met up at a coffee shop in San Leandro. Despite the assertions by some people that UOCing in “bad” neighborhoods would result in us being robbed of our firearms by criminals, nothing of the sort happened. There were approximately 20 people openly carrying firearms, and there were probably around 35 people total who showed up (including family and friends). The encouraging part revolved around a handful of people who showed up without firearms because they weren’t quite sold on the legality or details of UOCing. But after talking with some of the more experienced UOCers for a couple hours, many of them were confident enough to say that they will definitely be openly carrying the next time we have a meetup.
Two interesting things occurred while we were at the coffee shop. First of all, a man who was there open carrying informed me that he actually has a concealed weapons permit (CCW) issued to him by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. He said he’s had it for over 10 years. I was stunned to actually meet a real-life citizen who had been issued a CCW in a Bay Area County. The guy (I don’t want to name him because I don’t want anybody to pressure the Sheriff to rescind his CCW) told me that the only reason he was issued a CCW was because he is friends with someone who is pretty high up in the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. He admits that the system is flawed and corrupt and that, if he were not friends with someone in the Sheriff’s Office, there would be no way that he would have been issued a CCW. He told me that he was UOCing because he supported the cause. But he said that when he gets back in his car, he is going to put away his thigh holster and carry concealed.
I had always heard stories about how one must essentially be rich, famous, and/or well-connected in order to receive a CCW from a Bay Area Sheriff. It’s a shame to see that someone who has actually been issued such a CCW readily admits that connections are are the only reason why he was issued a CCW. That is not the way the government is supposed to deal with things. It is corrupt, plain and simple. It is also a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. We must expose these unfair practices to the light of day.
The second thing that I noticed is that I am starting to be recognized by members of the general public for my efforts to educate society about California’s unloaded open carry laws. I mean, I can understand being recognized by people who specifically show up for the unloaded open carry meetup. It is not a stretch to understand that these “new” open carriers may have seen some of my postings on online discussion boards or seen one of my recent interviews with local media. These people are predisposed to UOC, so it’s natural for them to have seen me or heard about me somewhere. But there were two different customers (one Asian male, one African-American female) at the coffee shop who had absolutely no idea that we were meeting there today and just happened to be there while we were there. Separately, they came up to me and said they recognized me from some of the television interviews that I have done in recent weeks. They both seemed to be very supportive of what I was doing to educate people about what their rights are.
But then I started to think about the people in the general public who have started associating me with unloaded open carry. I want to clearly state that I am in no way whatsoever any sort of official “leader” in the open carry movement. I am just like anyone else who is interested in exercising their right to open carry. The open carry movement is not any sort of official organization with a power structure or anything like that. Nobody has to clear anything with anybody else in order to open carry. As long as you don’t violate the law (stay clear of gun free school zones, do not go into any public buildings, etc.), you should feel free to open carry whenever you want. This is a movement of law abiding citizens being able to exercise their rights. You don’t need any “leaders” in order to do that.
It also occurred to me that, if members of the general public are starting to recognize me, it is a natural assumption that members of law enforcement will start recognizing me as well. I seriously hope that no law enforcement officers get any sort of notions of trying to teach me a lesson by singling me out for extra scrutiny (i.e. illegal violations of my civil rights) because of my stance on gun rights. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that various law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area have taken note of some of my online posts and media interviews. Through a Public Records Act request made by another UOCer, I already know that some of my fellow open carriers are being closely watched by law enforcement. It would be insane for me to believe that I am in a different position. That’s fine. As long as they stay within the law, I have no problem with law enforcement monitoring my actions. But if any LEO begins specifically targeting me for any statements that I have made with regards to the unfair issuance of CCWs in California, my view on the thinly veiled threats to the lives of UOCers made by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, my respone to the comments made by the East Palo Alto Police detective who threatened to harass and shoot UOCers, or for any other political reason, I will not simply lay down and take it.
Please visit my official campaign website at:
www.Shahab2010.com