The idea was to wear an empty holster as part of a silent protest against this policy. I was a little ambivalent about it, because I don't like making people uncomfortable. And let's face it: if people aren't familiar with guns, the presence of them, or the suggestion of said presence, can freak them out. It's often said that Americans are more comfortable seeing a man holding a gun than holding the hand of another man. To which this gun-nut would say: oh, yeah? Try it. I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and I put a lot of thought and care into not freaking the mundanes. You have to, and not just because it's nice -- a while back, a permit-holder in Tennessee got shoved around by a cop who didn't know carry law. On TV shows, of course, the relative ubiquity of guns vs. hand-holding is much more likely to be true. The catch is that there, the person holding the gun is likely to be a representative of authority, or an outlaw. On TV, folks with guns tend to be either cops or crooks. Civilians never touch the things. (That's one reason I like SUPERNATURAL so much: my God! People who aren't police or military own guns! The sky is falling!)
On the other hand, I disagree with the existing policy, and visibility is a necessary precursor to change. So I wore an empty holster when I was on campus. Nobody seemed bothered. I think because they didn't notice. Black kydex doesn't stand out much. Maybe next time I'll put a flower in the thing, or something.
(Hmm. Actually, I think it would be pretty fun to team up with the GLTB student groups for a Pink Pistols event -- men with empty holsters holding hands! Or a "Same Sex Gun-Holding Day" at the range. Call it a "Red River" Day, in honor of the famous scene with Montgomery Clift and John Ireland in that John Wayne picture...)
