Open Carry Texas members frighten restaurant employees – who hid in a locked freezer

[Shandris]

28. I think a more germane question is, "Why are so many people terrified at the mere sight of a gun"?

I'm neither a gun defender nor a gun controller; my dad always owned a single small rifle, and kept it unloaded and in his closet. That's the sum total of my experience with guns. Well...other than with Law Enforcement with guns, and a few wannabe gangbangers I knew in my younger days. So I've had roughly half and half 'legal' and 'illegal/criminal' gun experiences in the course of my life and I can understand both sides of the debate. If I had to formulate a stance on the spot, I'd be in favor of standard background/no mental illness (depression and other short-term ones not included)/no violent or domestic felonies/must pass competency test.

But when I see a gun, I don't think the person is going to start shooting everyone. Why is that? I don't know. Maybe them thinking that, it's a big city thing (as a lot of things seem to be). The whole Kitty Genovese factor, you know? But running and hiding in a locked fridge because people came in carrying slung rifles? That strikes me as indicative of something very different than mere rational concern.