UPDATE

The original video was pulled down from YouTube by the open carrier, as he was arrested back in November 2019.

ORIGINAL STORY

Well that escalated quickly. A team of cops from the Edmond Police Department in Oklahoma responded to a call of a man with a rifle in a park recently. The man, going by the YouTube account NewsNow OKC, filmed the entire event, posting the footage to his account. The Oklahoma open carrier held a CMMG AR Pistol when law enforcement arrived.

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Oklahoma Open Carrier Causes a Stir

“My license is displayed by my pistol,” the man said immediately as the first responding officer approached with a carbine leveled. “The shouldered weapon here is a pistol.”

“Ok, we get a call about a rifle, obviously that’s not an open carry ability,” the officer responded calmly. Then the Oklahoma open carrier began briefing the officer on what is and isn’t legal for open carry.

“Are you videotaping and doing this just to see what type of rise you get out of people when they call?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, this is a Second Amendment audit,” the Oklahoma open carrier responded. “We’re going to see if you guys respect the Second Amendment and how you respond to someone carrying a pistol.”

“Ok, well I appreciate you causing a panic,” the officer replied.

Thoughts on Open Carry

No one here at Tactical Life will ever question anyone’s right to open carry where the law allows. Period. However, we recognize that within the Second Amendment community there is debate about how folks should practice our rights. Some believe in the full letter of the law, and that its fullest expression is never wrong. But others urge caution, as in another regard, we are all ambassadors for the very rights we hold dear.

For further context, NewsNow OKC’s videos are often critical of law enforcement and appear to challenge authority with a goal toward causing controversy. The law enforcement offers were shocked that this man decided to open carry with his AR pistol. Also, you can tell they were a little upset, knowing this situation could have turned deadly if communication hadn’t been exceptional and the officers calm and collected.

It was a bit of a bad look that the cops didn’t immediately recognize the AR pistol platform and its place within the current law in Oklahoma. We want our officers to be gun guys and gals to the bone. But that’s not reality, and the officers seemed to follow procedure exceptionally well in the face of a situation they hadn’t experienced before.

So we take it to our readers: What do you think of this type of open carry? By “this type,” we mean a stunt more than a practice, in a park where families are present. Also, how do you think the officers handled the situation?