I thought I was going to get jumped over a t-shirt at the mall!

[RonCo]

Wow. Now that's the most ridiculous comparison I've ever heard. Unbelievable.

Hmmm... packing heat, agitating a readily identifiable thug... me thinks not.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[xXxplosive]

Since when is it illeagle to laugh......? Maybe the Dems will go after Laugh Control next.............and who cares what those gentlemen thought anyway.....they're fast to get in your face.

[pittypat21]

Hmmm... packing heat, agitating a readily identifiable thug... me thinks not.

Didn't kill anybody, diffused a situation quickly without any need of violence, didn't chase anybody down, didn't get into a fistfight, wasn't in a neighborhood at night, wasn't part of neighborhood watch, etc. Not to mention that choice of apparel doesn't make somebody a "readily identifiable thug". I see no comparison.

[JoJoGunn]

So now we cannot "laugh" at something we may find ironically funny and stupid all at the same time? And we cannot laugh in safety because some hot head thinks he and his Homeboy's are dissed by that laughter? Since when? Who's rule or law?

Put the shoe on the other foot and had the OP had a Confederate Battle Flag displayed proudly upon his person and the said individuals decided to laugh or "comment" about it, would the reaction be any different? I hate this double standard that it's ok to laugh at, joke about or simply rip apart some things but Heaven help us if we diss the President or anyone who loves the guy.

I can remember people saying really horrible things about G.W. Bush and that was just fine, even patriotic to some people. But now we cannot have an opposite opinion about the current White House Occupant and who he is compared with?

The OP had every right under the Bill of Rights to freely express himself, including laughter. The two thugs didn't have the right to be agressors and potentially attack.

I'm sorry, I stand with the OP and he is right and he did not intentionally intend to escalate anything, the two thugs took it to be that way.

[marinevet1994]

I'm confused as to why you think the shirt is funny. The POTUS has undoubtedly accomplished more than Dr. MLK Jr. I think it's a fair comparison. Obama has been an inspiration to millions, and he has had the authority to make changes. MLK Jr. was just an inspiration.

I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but as I stated in the original post, I think (my opinion) that comparing a man who died fighting for equal rights for all men to the man who is currently trying to strip away our rights (again my opinion) is ridiculous.

[RonCo]

Not to mention that choice of apparel doesn't make somebody a "readily identifiable thug".

Regardless whether or not the comparison is accurate... PROFILING works.

[Taurahe]

Hmmm... packing heat, agitating a readily identifiable thug... me thinks not.

Explain to me where the OP did anything to provoke a situation ? Just because a stupid thug wanted to be a douche bag does not make the OP in the wrong.

[Dennis1209]

Here's the way I look through the stained glass...

If you're wearing pictures, logo's, sayings, etc. in public, you are advertising and inviting public attention and scrutiny. Only exception being tank tops and mini skirts of course!

[marinevet1994]

Here's the way I look through the stained glass...

If you're wearing pictures, logo's, sayings, etc. in public, you are advertising and inviting public attention and scrutiny. Only exception being tank tops and mini skirts of course!

Unless you are a 5'10" 260lbs hairy ape wearing a tank top and mini skirt! Then you are definitely inviting public scrutiny.

[Luis50]

To some members this post may sound redundant but it may apply here:

"As a gun owner, you have to be cool-headed, more-so than the police ever have to be. You do not ever run around pretending to be the police while carrying a gun because then, stuff like this can happen. You do not start stuff, act aggressively, flip the bird, roll your eyes, talk smack, or even raise your voice to anyone, ever.

A combat instructor (who happened to be Buddhist and a Marine) once said to me:
"From now on, when dealing with (ed.) crazy / possibly violent people, you will lose every argument. You are always wrong. You are sorry for impinging on their day.

You will apologize and apologize again. You will back the heck down. You will put your tail between your legs. You will let them talk stuff about your lady friend. You will let them call your mother a witch and a hooker, your dad a punk.
You have no ego. You do all this because if you are the one to start a fight, by default that fight now has a gun in it, and if you start losing, you're going to pull it and kill him.

Even if you don't go to jail because you could convince the jury that it was self-defense, you're going to have to live with the fact that you took someone's life in defense of your pride and ego not your life.

You are not the police, so don't act like them. Though many of you [civilians] are better shots than the police, you do not have the training, the continuum of force policy, a union, plus free lawyers protecting you if you screw up.

In closing he added “After backing down and trying to apologize, if at any time you then feel your life or that of a loved one is in danger, put three rounds into his [cardiothoracic] vault, call the police, call your lawyer, give a statement, go home, and sleep like a baby. You did all you could for your attacker, and he was the one that made the final decision...... to kill himself."

[shadowwalker]

A armed society is a polite society, I do not care for some remarks made by inlaws and some think my 2A tea shirt is over the top but I remember who we are and what we stand for, enough said

[Cold Shot]

I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but as I stated in the original post, I think (my opinion) that comparing a man who died fighting for equal rights for all men to the man who is currently trying to strip away our rights (again my opinion) is ridiculous.

I think you're wrong.

[mano3]

It's a shame that the new breed of lefties don't know history. Just because both men are black, famous and politically connected doesn't make them the same.

Dr. King is probably rolling over in his grave...

[Bardo]

So I stop into the mall yesterday to look for a gift for the wifey. As I'm making my way to the desired store, I notice an underprivileged gentleman (term used loosely) who couldn't afford a belt to hold his pants up wearing a shirt that had both Dr Martin Luther King Jr and our current POTUS. I could stop myself and busted out laughing at the absurdity. He and his friends, noticing my mirth, started coming towards me, asking if "You got a problem?" I was carrying but the mall was just crowded enough that I didn't want to draw. Luckily I still had my Bluetooth in my ear from a conversation I was having in the car, so I put my finger up to it and said just a sec, hon. Then I looked the guy in the eye and asked as calmly as I could if I could help him. He and his friends just gave me a dirty look and kept walking. I honestly thought they were going to attempt to kick my posterior on the spot. I know I shouldn't have laughed but come on! One of the greatest proponents for equal rights on the same shirt as the man who is doing his level best to strip us of our rights! Am I the only one that finds this so pathetically funny?

I can't express how pathetically unfunny I think this is. Not the shirt... which, whether you or I agree with it, he has a right to wear... but your behavior.

Not trying to be a jerk or anything, but you shouldn't be carrying if you can't control yourself to prevent yourself from picking fights.

Your comment of:

I was carrying but the mall was just crowded enough that I didn't want to draw.

Is the real clincher. So you're saying that if the mall wasn't crowded... you would have drawn? If so, you would have been in the wrong.

[Bardo]

The OP had every right under the Bill of Rights to freely express himself, including laughter. The two thugs didn't have the right to be agressors and potentially attack.

When you carry, you are held to a higher standard.

I don't deny he had a right to laugh. I don't deny that had the thugs opened up on him, that would have been wrong.

But just because one has a right to do something, doesn't mean one should.