DaKnife said:
OCT has my full support, do you really support the 2A or are you a "BUTter"?
Logical fallacy of false dichotomy.
Nobody here has suggested that OCing long guns
should be illegal. Nobody here has indicated they'd support any laws making such illegal. And so far as I know, nobody here has been any more public in their criticism or concern about OCing long guns than the discussion here.
"No enemies to the right" is a great mantra for public communications. I don't intend to throw any of my fellow gun owners under the bus. That includes not only those who OC in a different way than I do, but also those who use a gun in self-defense, as well as those whose guns, family, or selves are involved in some kind of accident or victimized by criminals. Having a gun not locked in a safe is not a reason to be thrown under the bus.
None of this precludes the prudence of giving some thought to how we present ourselves.
I support the 1st amendment as strongly as I do the 2nd. Will I get any argument that showing up to the legislature wearing a speedo and yelling about "F this and F that and you legislators are all blanking communist traitors" is not the most productive way to convince them to vote our way? Or will someone try to suggest that such an observation is tantamount to really supporting freedom of speech/expression?
If a larger group does, indeed, have a strategy that is winning for them, more power to them. I certainly won't claim to be an expert on the culture or politics of Texas (or any particular area in Texas, as it is a freaking big State). But your account does highlight how a single act, by a small group "that got lazy" can undermine those successful efforts or cause other problems.
Charles