Louisiana Open Carry Advocates

[JeffLAOCA]

Hello,

I'm Jeff. I haven't been on the forum in awhile. I am back now. I am the current president of Louisiana Open Carry Advocates. We can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LouisianaOpenCarryAdvocates/ We would love to hear from you.

It has come to my attention that some other open carry supporters have left a bad taste in some peoples' mouths here on Bayou Shooter. I can assure you our group advocates responsible open carry. We do not advocate videos of confronting law enforcement. We are very careful in who we lend our support to. I hope our organization can smooth some of those ruffled feathers.

Thank you,
Jeff
https://www.facebook.com/jefferywcraig

 

[doc ace]

Welcome to Bayoushooter!

 

[JNieman]

Welcome (back?) to BS. Keep us posted, sounds good.

 

[tikanni]

Welcome back to the forum.

 

[LACamper]

Welcome! And you're dead on about the past experiences here...

 

[VeedUp]

Welcome

 

[3fifty7]

Welcome
It's an uphill battle but I guess you know that.

 

[Vermiform]

You guys need a website! Are you primarily based in Monroe?

 

[JeffLAOCA]

Thank you for the responses. I was under the impression I'd get an alert of some kind or I would have thanked you sooner. I am now a paid member and will be more active on the forum. We do have a website. Please come check it out. laopencarryadvocates.org

As for being an uphill battle, sure. It's not always an easy sell. It's been a good conversation starter about gun rights. I've met a lot of good people through those channels.

Thanks again

 

[Vermiform]

I'm really digging the logo too!

 

[JeffLAOCA]

Thanks for the compliment on the logo. We sorta came up with it and then I had a graphic artist make the changes necessary to make it a workable logo that would carry over to t-shirts, etc. Tshirts coming soon, by the way.

 

[JeffLAOCA]

Updated


I have been posting some upcoming get-togethers on Bayou Shooter. Someone asked me to do a little write-up to let them know how Louisiana Open Carry Advocates is different from some other organizations. Louisiana Open Carry Advocates sprung from an existing open carry organization. We feel we have the ability to be more organized and far-reaching. We have the technical know-how to make information accessible and the people skills to get folks interested. Open carry turns a lot of people off. I know that. Our members know that. Our goal is to "normalize" the sight of an armed citizen going about his or her daily business as is legal in the State of Louisiana. That said, we agree that open carry is not always appropriate. I hold a valid CCW and make use of it often. Open carry has been a great conversation starter about the broader issue of gun rights. Criminals don't follow laws or read "gun free zone" signs.

Our group meets at least once a month at different locations that have been approved by the management or ownership. We're not there to disrupt their regular business. That said, we like to spend our gun-owner dollars where our right to protect ourselves and our loved ones is respected.

We respect the property rights of business owners. All our members are advised if they are ever asked to leave an establishment while open carrying, to do so immediately. Our organization will make contact with the business at a later time and clarify their stance on open carry.

Our members are asked never to argue with law enforcement or try to educate them about open carry during a law enforcement encounter. Again, if there is any issue, our organization can make contact with that agency after the fact. We make contact both to file complaints but also register compliments.

We do not condone or encourage "viral YouTube videos" of law enforcement encounters. Police officers have enough real work on their plate every day to deal with. We don't set those encounters up.

I personally approve every member of our group. If it's found that they have an agenda contrary to our mission, they are removed.

We do not open carry long guns. It's not that I disagree with the right, but it's counterproductive to our goal. It scares the public, and that's not what we set out to do.

We are made up of IT professionals, accountants, construction workers, teachers, truck drivers, retirees, military vets, law enforcement, paramedics, business owners, attorneys, customer service reps, and on and on. Regular folks just doin' what we do every day, but armed when we can be.

I'm available to chat with you and tell you about our group. I respect your opinion and I expect the same. That said, I meet new people all the time through gun rights advocacy. It's not a bad deal. Drop me a line.

Jeffery Craig
President, Louisiana Open Carry Advocates

 

[VicLAOCA]

I'm with Jeff. hi all

 

[Cheesy Lasagna]

Good to see you both here; I like your stance on open carry.
Like others here, I have seen this issue bandied about as a personal agenda in what I consider a very inappropriate manner.
Being more thoughtful and less pushy/confrontational with a topic like this is likely to garner far more supporters.
Am also glad you do not espouse law enforcement conflict videos.
I understand that we have certain rights under the constitution that I hold dear but still believe that there are proper ways to go about upholding these rights that will make it more likely that we continue to have them.

Anyway, welcome aboard.
Hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[SVT]

welcome guys.

 

[swood]

Welcome Jeff & Vic!!

 

[VicLAOCA]

Thank you. We definitely don't want to hurt the image of gun owners. we welcome any feedback from folks who are far more experienced in not just Open Carry but gun rights, conceal carry, hunting or anything else that will ultimately help us preserve the integrity of our fellow enthusiasts

 

[returningliberty]

Welcome! It takes all kinds. I'm not a huge OC advocate but I do it on occasion.