I hear you Responsible Gun Owner.

I get it. You want to carry your gun around. You feel that you're responsible enough to have it close at hand and that nothing should dissuade you from your task.

That's fine. But here's the thing. I have this little issue with you carrying it around loaded.

You see, every gun is always loaded. Oh no, don't you give me that thing about "It isn't loaded so it's cool". No. Bullshit. Every gun is always loaded. It's how responsible gun owners treat their guns, so dammit, I think I can be excused for treating them the exact same way you folks do.

Now, is there somewhere where people carry around guns and ammunition on a regular basis and nobody is particularly worried about getting shot by accident?

As a matter of fact, there is. A good example is a FOB. A forward Operating Base, run by the military, where literally everybody walks around with a gun. And Ammunition. Right out in the open.

But here's the thing. In order for that to work, there are very specific rules and requirements. You can't just walk around willy nilly waving your weapon around on display. Unfortunately, that's considered very rude, to the point of threatening others.

It's also, unless there is an actual attack or imminent threat of one going on, extremely poor judgement to be carrying ammunition around. Usually you're about to go out on patrol before you grab your bullets. Walking around with a magazine locked and loaded is right out, and offensive.

So, if you folks are really serious about this open carry stuff, I'd suggest that you take the steps necessary to do it safely and responsibly.

Step One: Clearing Barrels outside your home.

A clearing barrel is, in the simplest possible terms, a barrel filled with sand, where you aim and pull the trigger. This means that you've cleared the chamber. Just in case you fucked up and left a round in there. If you want to walk around outside with a weapon, I think that you should be responsible for clearing your weapon so the rest of us know that you're not going to shoot at us. Just common courtesy.

Step Two: Leave your Bullets Home.

Of course, you don't expect combat going to the grocery store, (I would HOPE) so leaving your ammunition at home would be a good idea. I'm certain that in a high risk situation you might wish to carry ammo with you, (Black Friday at Walmart, for example) but for the most part, the courtesy of not being locked and loaded will allow folks the peace of mind necessary to interact with you. In the worst case scenario, I'm certain that properly secured ammunition in a trunk would be sufficient. Plus, as we know from the NRA, anybody can Reload in seconds, a complex, mechanical skill (Not my experience, but I merely used guns for a living, I wasn't a trained sportsman) so therefore I'm certain that you can also practice opening your trunk in seconds, and unlocking the ammo case in seconds, should GOD FORBID, the need arise.

Step Three: Keeping control of your weapon.

Now, this one seems like it should be the easiest, but it seems to be rather hard for a lot of the folks out there. Hell, the NRA developed a safety program assuming that people wouldn't follow this step. Now, I know that folks get caught up with their daily lives, but honestly, this one shouldn't be too hard to follow, provided you are willing to accept negative consequences for failing to live up to it.

See, occasionally in the FOB, some guy would forget his weapon. We all knew who it was because he would be standing outside the Mess Hall, in full gear, reminding us of the need to maintain control and accountability of our weapon. It worked. You almost never saw the same guy out there twice. So I figure some kind of announcement. National TV, right during the most popular shows. I figure Fox should be all for this, I mean, it's showing responsible gun owners, right? People who really want to stand up and take responsibility for their actions. Right before the next episode of whatever reality show they're pimping.

When the Responsible gun owners of America are willing to follow these simple steps, which I followed when I used a gun for a living, I'd feel much more comfortable about the open carry of weapons. Of course, that assumes that those who carry guns openly would like those around them to feel safe and secure... right?