Letter: 'Why I choose to open carry'

Readers may be unaware that it is legal in California to openly carry a holstered and unloaded firearm. Each person has his or her reasons for open carrying. I would like to share my reasons for doing so, as I have never heard anyone else express my point of view.

I know CPR, not so that I can give myself chest compressions, but so that I can help someone else in need. I hope a certain percentage of my neighbors are capable of assisting me. I could call 911 and ask for an ambulance. But some situations require an immediate response, if only to buy time for a trained professional to arrive.

The same theory applies to openly carrying a firearm. I don't carry to protect myself, but to protect my fellow citizens, to buy time for the police to arrive. And I hope a certain percentage of my fellow citizens will do the same.

True, I could conceal carry. But, concealed carry has three main drawbacks. First, it offers no deterrent to criminal activity. Second, I shouldn't have to ask permission and pay a fee to exercise my Second Amendment right. Third, it doesn't help change the cultural perception that leads to irrational fear of guns.

This is why I choose to open carry and hope that a small but significant portion of my fellow citizenry will open carry too.

Benjamin Bartholomew

Wheatland