I believe I have heard a lot of you guys and gals say that only your closest friends or only your S.O. or maybe not even he/she knows that you carry. So, how do you accomplish this? I'm asking because I imagine this to be difficult unless you keep quiet about all Second Amendment issues.
Imagine the following situation, for the sake of argument: The gun debate comes up in a conversation between you and a handful of friends or acquaintances. Maybe one of them is a fence-sitter and could be salvaged if presented with something else than sheeple propaganda. So you speak up for yourself, the Second Amendment, and the sheeple's right to have the choice not to keep and bear arms. Which does not give you away as CCW. It can be assumed that you own guns if you are so outspoken about it, but many people own, fewer carry. Anyway, the conversation goes on and the sheeple bring the "hunting is fine, but carrying handguns is just for cops" argument. I don't want to preach to the choir here, so let's just assume you start taking this apart. Still no proof that you carry, but it might make people take a closer look at your waistline in the future. Or maybe they are blunt and ask you if you carry. Do you tell a lie? Are you vague and evasive?
The prudent solution is obviously to stay out of these debates. Maybe I'm just young and idealistic (a.k.a. inexperienced), but if you don't speak out about your beliefs, your voice will go unheard, and we need all the voices (and votes) we can get for our side. Sure, you won't convice someone whose middle name is "Denial", but maybe the occasional fence-sitter.
Please note that I do not judge anyone for not outing him- or herself in defense of the Second Amendment in such or similar situations. As stated before, it is definitely the prudent thing to do and it's called "concealed carrying" for a reason. I also absolutely understand the many advantages of providing that kind of information only on a need-to-know basis.
Bottom line: What compromises do you make to achieve your chosen level of secrecy?
Imagine the following situation, for the sake of argument: The gun debate comes up in a conversation between you and a handful of friends or acquaintances. Maybe one of them is a fence-sitter and could be salvaged if presented with something else than sheeple propaganda. So you speak up for yourself, the Second Amendment, and the sheeple's right to have the choice not to keep and bear arms. Which does not give you away as CCW. It can be assumed that you own guns if you are so outspoken about it, but many people own, fewer carry. Anyway, the conversation goes on and the sheeple bring the "hunting is fine, but carrying handguns is just for cops" argument. I don't want to preach to the choir here, so let's just assume you start taking this apart. Still no proof that you carry, but it might make people take a closer look at your waistline in the future. Or maybe they are blunt and ask you if you carry. Do you tell a lie? Are you vague and evasive?
The prudent solution is obviously to stay out of these debates. Maybe I'm just young and idealistic (a.k.a. inexperienced), but if you don't speak out about your beliefs, your voice will go unheard, and we need all the voices (and votes) we can get for our side. Sure, you won't convice someone whose middle name is "Denial", but maybe the occasional fence-sitter.
Please note that I do not judge anyone for not outing him- or herself in defense of the Second Amendment in such or similar situations. As stated before, it is definitely the prudent thing to do and it's called "concealed carrying" for a reason. I also absolutely understand the many advantages of providing that kind of information only on a need-to-know basis.
Bottom line: What compromises do you make to achieve your chosen level of secrecy?
