Originally Posted by
njkayaker
A kitchen knife outside of a kitchen... A baseball bat outside of a baseball game... Etc... Weapons in many situations.
(A pocket knife is often different.)
Why aren't "openly carried" firearms considered more of a crime deterrant?
They tend to attract people intent on stealing firearms, and they instantly raise the aggression level to "gun;" no point in showing up with a club or knife. This is why concealed carry is better, BTW.
This is also why "open carry unloaded" is so incredibly dumb (as was practiced by some in CA a couple of years ago...). Basically in that "open carry unloaded" situation you are saying "I am Barney Fife, come take my gun, it is unloaded."