Backstory:
We have a site that we currently work in which we are completely unarmed and operate strictly in an observe and report role. One of our duties is to ask people that aren’t wearing masks if they would like a mask. We’re not forcing people to wear one, just offering in case they want one. A week or so ago, one of our agents observed a lady walking in without a mask. As usual for this site, the agent asked her if she would like a mask. Her response had nothing to do with whether she wanted a mask or not. The only thing she said was something about her carrying a concealed weapon.
Our Take on the Situation
The idea of carrying a concealed weapon is that no one knows you have it. It’s concealed. Open carry is legal throughout Colorado except in the City and County of Denver. If you’re going to tell people you’re carrying, why bother concealing it in the first place?
More importantly, a statement like this could very well be illegal under Colorado’s Disorderly Conduct law under C.R.S. 18-9-106.(1).(f). This law reads as follows:
(1) A person commits disorderly conduct if he or she intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:
(f)Not being a peace officer, displays a deadly weapon, displays any article used or fashioned in a manner to cause a person to reasonably believe that the article is a deadly weapon, or represents verbally or otherwise that he or she is armed with a deadly weapon in a public place in a manner calculated to alarm.
Violation of this law is a class 2 misdemeanor, and the penalties include three to 12 months in jail and fines of $250 to $1,000. The lady’s statement was in a public place and there’s no other reason to make the statement in this situation other than to alarm the agent. There may even be other laws against this behavior.
We are very much a pro-2nd Amendment company, however, carrying a firearm is more than just exercising a Constitutional right. The decision to carry a firearm is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. This responsibility includes getting as much training as possible, learning and understanding the law, and practicing responsible and safe gun ownership. If you can’t be a responsible gun owner, don’t own a gun. It’s really as simple as that.
