Bright Orange Holsters a
Great Idea!
by Kurt
Amesbury, J.D.
(In response to Minnesota
PioneerPlanet letter to the editor)
March 25, 2001
Axel Boldt's proposal ("Whose
rights are being protected or violated with concealed
carry?")
that persons
carrying firearms should be compelled to wear a "bright-orange
plainly visible
holster" is one of those good ideas that seems facetious at
first
glance.
Actually, the idea is not new, having been set
out in a somewhat
different form by science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein.
Heinlein's characters
are divided into two groups: Full citizens who go armed and
wear brassards; and non-combatants who are unarmed and wear no
marking. The former are full, free, sovereign citizens; the
latter, subservients of inferior
status who lack
the will to fight for themselves (or much of anything else for
that matter).
Were such a standard to be adopted in our
society, everyone,
including criminals, would know at a glance who was armed and
able to fight back. At present, criminals have difficulty
discriminating because
weapons are
concealed. Making it clear would have the advantage of
ensuring
that criminals
would only attack the category of victim they prefer. Under
Mr. Boldt's plan, it would then be most interesting to see
which group criminals would choose: Those who are clearly
armed, or those who are plainly defenseless.
The minuscule
number of criminals who seek confrontation with armed police
officers foreshadows
the expected result.
Kurt Amesbury, J.D.
KABA National States
Director
