But it did. Blaine Tyler was openly carrying his handgun in a Richmond gas station when a teenage sociopath grabbed it. Unarmed, Tyler gave chase and was fatally shot with his own gun. To make things worse, his assailant went on to kill a second person hours later.

Tyler was deliberately targeted for his weapon, something people keep telling me never happens. Well, here we have it. Perhaps better situational awareness, equipment, or training might have helped, but at the end of the day, he would not have been targeted if his weapon wasn't plainly visible.

Having the weapon exposed adds …

Today, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 144 into law, making open carry of any sort a misdemeanor.

Since 1967, there's been a loophole in § 12031 that allows an unlicensed citizen to carry a handgun, as long as it's visible and unloaded. It's a questionable mode of carry, but at least it's an option when others are not available. Now, Californians don't even have that. Who's to blame? Portantino? Brown? Nope. We are.

For over 40 years, the whole technicality was something of an open secret, but it was never front-page news. That is, until a bunch of pro-gun …

I've had an on-again-off-again relationship with Starbucks for as long as I can remember.  Their prepared drinks are spendy, but as a guy who grinds his own, I've found their Cafe Verona to be very versatile, and the Ethiopian Sidamo balances nicely with steamed milk.

I'd never really considered their policy on guns.  Heck, it's a coffee shop.  It's frequented by pseudo-intellectuals whose offspring are white kids with dreadlocks.  Despite the lack of any signage stating so, I'd always assumed they wouldn't be too fond of guns.

Therefore, it came as something of a pleasant surprise to find out that they're not caving to pressure from the Brady Campaign to ban guns from their stores.

I may have to spend more money there.

Last week, Leonard Embody donned a fetching camouflage and GoreTex ensemble and paraded around Radnor Lake Park carrying this:

It's an AK-47 pistol, with the tip painted orange to resemble an Airsoft gun. His reasoning is that "cops don't shoot people with airsoft guns. If this handgun looks like an airsoft the cops won't shoot me."

I can certainly see his concern. Apparently, he'll be repeating this questionable behavior. According to one paper, “I guarantee that when I carry in Bicentennial Mall I will be stopped. You're more than welcome to come and watch or video.”

This is the crux of the matter: Mr. Embody (known as kwikrnu on the forums) likes to be the center of attention. His hobbies include freaking out the squares, being stopped by the police and filing lawsuits.

Yep, this guy's a winner. Far from being alone, he's emblematic of the self-defeating caricature that is overtaking the open carry movement.

Today, I made my once-a-year trip to the mall to finish Christmas shopping. Given that bad things can happen in places where large numbers of people are gathered, I tend to be pretty vigilant. As such, I took notice of their new policy sign.

Rule #6 is a new wrinkle:  Possession or carrying of firearms or weapons of any kind, openly or concealed, with or without a permit is prohibited.

That wasn't there last year.

People have been open-carrying there.  I know; I spoke to one a few months back who bragged …

Lots of people are openly carrying guns to political rallies.  It's something of a big deal at the moment, what with a Chief Executive blatantly ignoring the will of the people.

Still, overlapping the Open Carry movement with other causes is a bit disingenuous.   These rallies are about health care, taxation and debt rather than the 2nd Amendment.  The signal is lost in the noise, and the media doesn't hesitate to ask the hysterical question, "what's that weirdo doing here with a gun?"

Fortunately, the whole thing has gone on without incident or accident.  When the media has gotten snippy, the rebuttals have been heard.

Let's just be very careful, folks.  We need to be sure that none of this ends up being interpreted as threat rather than demonstration.

And we need to be wary of those among the ranks harboring less-than-noble intentions.