Open-carry of firearms foes miss the reason behind bill in Florida Legislature

I read Mr. James Sweeney's letter on this matter ("Keeping guns concealed a better deterrent to criminals," Oct. 25), and although he makes some interesting points, I believe he clearly missed the reasoning behind the need for law-abiding citizens with concealed-carry permits to be allowed to carry open firearms.

The anti-gun zealots who apparently believe that only they have rights are the driving force behind these laws. If an individual is carrying a concealed weapon (with permit) and through any process (wind-blown jacket, reaching up to retrieve something, stretching to get into or out of an automobile, etc) their gun becomes visible, the zealot(s) will call the police and insist the individual be arrested for carrying a gun in a visible fashion.

Across the country there have been many cases of such abuse, and Floridians are an easy mark since so many of us have concealed-carry permits. Add to this we reside in a very warm climate, yet to be within the law we often must wear an outer garment in order to ensure our weapon is concealed.

I also do not believe that a visible weapon "scares the children," as Mr. Sweeney states. Curiosity may entice them to stare, and possibly even point, but children in general are less afraid of guns than adults.

George King

Bradenton

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Open-carry of firearms foes miss the reason behind bill in Florida Legislature ."