[LeiraHoward]

My apologies if this is a double-posting, but I did a couple searches with the FFF forum search and didn't find any reference to Zach Doty, so I assumed that this hadn't hit the FFF pages quite yet.

I ran across this article on FoxNews.com:

Idaho Teens Tote Guns Around Town Legally (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,274138,00.html), and of course I had to check it out. That led me to a couple other articles and some forum posts.

Turns out that Zach Doty is exercising his Open Carry right... and the local paper had a pretty good article about it, too, ("Rifles and Rights (http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2007/05/20/news/news01.txt)"). He turned 18, got a handgun ("early birthday present") and began open carrying... and was immediately hassled by police for exercising his right to carry.

Now, it seems that Zach did know he was likely to experience hassling, as per a GlockTalk forum posting ("Open Carrying at 18 (http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=679662)"), but decided to carry anyway. He's posted all about his Confrontation with LEO in Post Falls, Idaho (http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum20/2184.html) on opencarry.org, and he seems to be a well-educated, articulate man, with a good knowledge of the law and enough orneriness to make the policemen toe the line. I think it is interesting to see what is going on, and without knowing more than what is posted in the links above, wish him and his lesson to the public well.

Some relevant quotes from the links above:
Zach said another reason for open carrying is a "test."

"I'm trying to test to see if the Constitution means anything," he said. "Part of the issue is to test to see exactly how much freedom we have in this nation.""It's the job of the law to protect people trying to exercise their rights," Zach said. Anyway- I recommend reading through the "Confrontation (http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum20/2184.html)" thread before posting comments here, because most everything has already been hashed out over there. :)

[Antlurz]

As far as I know, open carry is still legal in Iowa too, although I've never seen anyone do it.

Ron

[Mike Weber]

Open Carry is still not uncommon in many of the rural areas of Washington and Idaho. Post Falls Idaho where this kid lives is a small town just across the Idaho line about 20 miles east of where I live. If this kid were over here in Spokane he would most likely have been arrested or worse if local LEO's spotted him carrying a handgun. This mainly due to his age, while if he were in a rural area not much would come of it if he were seen carrying a rifle or shotgun. Handguns rank just below Modern Battle Rifles in the eyes of the liberal antigunners. We've had a huge influx of Liberal Bedwetters mostly from KALI move into our area over the past 20 years or so and much of their attitudes toward firearms have infiltrated our law enforcement agencies.
Even an adult who carry's a handgun openly in an urban setting is likely to be stopped and questioned by the LEO's. Another problem with open carry is the very real chance of running afoul of the many gun free zones in the area.

[Rabbi]

On the books, Michigan is an open carry state, but by G-d you had better not try it.

I was trapping one time in the western Upper Peninsula and went into town (Baraga) to buy some soda. I had a .38 revolver in an exposed belt holster over my winter jacket which was totally legal. Two State Troopers put me up against a wall and came within inches of beating the hell outa me. One actually had to hold the other one from punching my lights out. They let me go without a ticket, a warning or anything when they radioed in my "crime".

Even staties can be really confused when it comes to the law. I'm talking 1972 or 1973.

[Saunders]

I was talking to my neighbor about the fine BB gun he just bought his son while he was shooting it in the backyard.

I suspect the SWAT team would arrive if he walked up the street with it to the woods as I used to commonly do without incicent all those years ago.

[iso1]

Open carry is still legal here in Nevada, too.

Just be prepared to be arrested in Reno for "Brandishing a Deadly Weapon."

Regardless of the fact that particular law is defined as "Drawing or exhibiting a deadly weapon in a rude, angry, or threatening manner in the presence of two or more people." Paraphrased to cut through the politician speak.