Time to go over the ol? picnic checklist.
Potato salad and coleslaw ? check.
Hot dogs and hamburgers ? check.
Pistol and holster ? check.
That last item may sound a bit odd, but not if you’re planning to attend the Open Carry Picnic scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 at Seymour Lake Township Park in Oxford.
Picnic attendees are invited to openly carry their handguns, in holsters, during this event designed to help build public awareness about a little known legal right.
Any Michigan resident who’s at least 18 years old and owns a legally registered handgun may openly carry it in a holster, with or without a concealed pistol license, in all places not explicitly exempt by law.
‘There’s still plenty of people out there that aren’t aware of the legality of it,? said Oxford resident John Roshek, who’s organizing the local picnic. ‘You don’t necessarily have to have a concealed pistol license to be able to protect yourself.?
Roshek, 29, is a member of Michigan Open Carry (www.miopencarry.org), a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate and desensitize the public and law enforcement community about the legality of openly carrying a handgun, and demonstrate to them they have nothing to fear from the lawful carry of a firearm.
‘We’re a real non-confrontational group,? he said. ‘We’re not trying to go out and ruffle any feathers.?
Roshek’s hoping the picnic will draw all types of people from responsible gun owners to non-gun owners with questions and concerns.
‘Everybody’s welcome to just show up,? he said. ‘I hope all your readers come out and check it out, whether they’re for it or against it. Engage in some conversation to find out a little bit more and educate yourself. All the members are more than willing to answer any questions.?
Parks Director Ron Davis said he wasn’t aware of the picnic, but has no problem with it being held at a township park.
‘Our doors are open to everybody,? he said. ‘I don’t have an issue with it.?
Davis noted he has his concealed pistol license.
‘I’m an outdoorsman, a hunter and fisherman, and it’s our right to bear arms,? he said.
Food and nonalcoholic beverages will be provided, but ‘anyone that comes is welcome to bring whatever they would like.?
‘If they want to volunteer to bring something, they can,? he said.
It should be noted alcoholic beverages are not permitted in Seymour Lake Park.
Roshek stressed that despite the picnic’s name, ‘open carry is not required? for the event.
‘You can concealed carry (if you have a permit). You don’t even have to carry at all,? he said.
For Roshek, carrying his Glock 23 pistol is as natural as carrying his wallet or car keys.
‘I do carry 100 percent of the time,? he said. ‘I open carry I’d say 90 percent of the time. I have my concealed pistol license as well, but mostly I open carry.?
Self-defense is Roshek’s main motivation to pack a pistol whenever he leaves the house.
‘I’m not looking to make any political statements, nothing of that sort. I’m not looking to gain attention or cause panic,? he explained. ‘It’s really just about being able to protect myself and my family. I don’t consider myself a paranoid person. I’ve just lived long enough to know what the world is like.?
He’s by no means anxious to use his gun. Personally, he’s never had to shoot anyone ‘and I hope that I never do.?
‘I think most responsible gun owners feel the same way ? they wish they never have to use it in defense of themself or someone else,? Roshek said. ‘But if that situation ever arose, I know that I would be willing to do what I had to do to protect myself.?
Roshek believes allowing people to carry firearms helps reduce the crime rate.
‘When you look at statistics and FBI crime reports, crime rates are generally lower in those areas where lawful carry of a handgun is prevalent,? he said. ‘It speaks to the fact that the criminals are looking for the softer targets. They’re looking for the people that aren’t carrying guns, that aren’t able to defend themselves, rather than risk confrontation.?
Negative perceptions of guns and gun owners are fueled by a lack of personal experience and misinformation in Roshek’s opinion.
‘I think when a lot of people have objections to guns or carrying guns or seeing guns, it’s just based out of fear and conjecture rather than based in fact,? he said. ‘People are generally going to have a fear of guns, whether they weren’t raised around them or because of shootings on the news and (reports of) crime rates.?
Roshek wants more people to understand that ‘lawful gun owners aren’t out to cause trouble.?
‘We’re not generally the type of people that fly off the handle,? he explained. ‘We’re not out there waving our guns around. We’re just lawful citizens. We’re not criminals.?
Aside of self-defense, Roshek’s open carry of a handgun also helps him educate others from time to time.
‘Occasionally, I’ll be in the store and someone might ask me if I’m a cop. I tell them no (and that) sparks a conversation about open carry. So, it helps to raise awareness.?
Roshek’s never had any negative reactions to his open carry from those he’s encountered.
‘I’ve never sent anybody screaming for the hills, running, saying, ‘There’s a man with a gun!? That’s never happened,? he said. ‘Most of the time people are so wrapped up in their own activities, they don’t even notice.?
Roshek’s hoping the Aug. 2 picnic will help dispel some of the myths people have about guns and their owners.
‘One of the things we always like to say is come out to the picnic and see what doesn’t happen.?