Armed Hitchhiker Illustrates Public Acceptance of Open Carry in Documentary

2nd Amendment – R2KBA Authors S.H. Blannelberry This Week

“Hello, I have a .357 Magnum. Can I have a ride?” — Jeremy Bryant, open carry advocate.  

 

Jeremy Bryant doesn’t always hitchhike, but when he does he begins by asking, “How do you feel about picking somebody up who has a .357?” Surprisingly, most Oregonians feel good about it, if the documentary he filmed is any indication.

His goal for the film was simple: to “show that regular everyday Oregonians support open carry” and demonstrate “the kindness and generosity of strangers, and the decency of American people.”

He was remarkably successful. No one who offered him a ride drove away after he disclosed his weapon, though some asked not to be filmed for the documentary. Several people voiced enthusiasm and support for the 2nd Amendment. “If you take away the guns from the good people, then only the bad people will have them,” one driver commented.

“If you take away the guns from the good people, then only the bad people will have them,” one driver commented.

“I was expecting a harder time getting rides,” Bryant said. “I was incredibly surprised that every single person greeted me with a smile…”

Bryant filmed the entire documentary on his phone, recording his experience hitchhiking 420 miles to and from his grandfather’s funeral.

“In Oregon you actually do get picked up,” Bryant said. “The reason why is because there’s open carry here in this state.”

A wide variety of people offered him a ride, both men and women, alone and in groups. According to Bryant, one man “found it strange I was carrying” but offered Bryant a ride nevertheless. Two women bought him lunch because they couldn’t give him a ride. When he said he had a .357, the driver said, “Oh my god!” and started to pull away. But her friend made her stop so she could run back and bring him the food.

Two women bought him lunch because they couldn’t give him a ride. When he said he had a .357, the driver said, “Oh my god!” and started to pull away. But her friend made her stop so she could run back and bring him the food.

Everyone else—including one man who hadn’t picked up a hitchhiker in 15 years, a pregnant woman, and an airport security guard—gladly gave him a ride to the next leg of his journey.

“The general public should always carry to keep the peace, good, and dignity of our country and the welfare of its people,” Bryant repeated throughout the film. “That’s why I carry myself.”

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” he continued.

Bryant made sure to announce his weapon before getting in the car, something he credited as the key to his success. “Most people, if you get in your car and then tell them you have a gun, it scares them. So I’ve given them the option to just pull away from me before I even get in their car.”

The documentary has been featured on the Oregonian and on Oregon TV stations KATU, KVAL, KCBY, KPIC, & NBC16. Kevin Starrett of the Oregon Firearms Federation says it’s “a fascinating look at the reality of openly carried firearms in rural Oregon.”

What do you think about open carry? Is this a good way to promote it? What would be your response if you saw an armed hitchhiker?

(Editor’s note: This article was a submission from freelance writer Jordan Michaels.)

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  • Dchandguninfo July 5, 2016, 10:08 am

    Why has this video disappeared? Only one citation today, 7/5/16? Three weeks ago, there weeee dozens of google results? Did the creator of the video delete it?

  • captain June 3, 2016, 12:25 pm

    Is gunsamerica.com too poor to pay attention, or just too poor to hire a copy editor? and we wonder why people can’t even understand but clearly written Second Amendm:-(

    • captain June 3, 2016, 12:26 pm

      Or, it could be the poorly designed website that causes submissions to be submitted before editing is allowed, and then not allow the poster to edit his own mistakes! >:-(

  • Texas Good Guy March 28, 2016, 3:27 pm

    There are a few issues with picking up hitch hikers, such as location, day or night and the appearance of the hitch hiker. Texas has open carry, with a license, and you have to pass a criminal background check in order to get your license. So I wouldn’t be near as concerned about the person having a pistol strapped on, especially if they told me about it. I’ve picked up a couple of hitch hikers in the last few years and my decision to stop wasn’t based on whether they may have had a pistol on them, but it did have to do with their appearance, our location and all were during the day.

    If a guy looks like he may be dangerous, I may not even slow up. You really don’t know if a clean cut guy is any less dangerous than someone who looks like a hood, so you are taking some risks in picking anyone up. So it’s more about intuition than anything else. Having a pistol wouldn’t keep me from helping them, especially since I carry my pistol concealed.

  • Shah Muhammad II of Khwarazmia (1200-1220AD) March 26, 2016, 8:28 pm

    In the late 1990’s, I was going to meet someone to go fishing when my truck broke down. It was closer to get to my friends than it was to go home.

    I had a semi-automatic cal. .22 rifle with me. Where the truck broke down, it wouldn’t have been safe to leave the rifle. So, I hitched a ride (with three different people) to where my friends were.

    Openly. Carrying. A. Rifle. No one said a thing to me.

    Of course, this was before Governor Moonbeam and anti-gun legislature had succeed in making everyone scared to death by anything that was associated with firearms.

  • BRASS March 25, 2016, 6:32 pm

    How do you feel about accepting a ride with someone who wears a 45?

  • Mike the Knife March 25, 2016, 10:33 am

    It is a sad world that we live in when we try to help those in need and we could die in the process.
    I gave a ride to an elderly man carrying four blue bags of groceries in a blizzard.
    He wasn’t even asking for a ride.He had ice clinging to his coat and hat.I took him to his door.
    I picked up a young teen who was thrown out of her home because her Dad didn’t like the boy she was seeing there was two feet of snow on the ground.
    I was carrying my 38 snub nose between my leg and the seat just in case.
    That was years ago.I don’t see many hitch hikers anymore. I think they know it’s not safe for them anymore.
    I carry now 24/7. God Bless America

  • Bob Lee March 25, 2016, 10:14 am

    Interesting outcome….lucky he did it in a rural area….I would like to see the result done in other locations…no, I am not volunteering! As a side note somebody really needs to read their copy before it goes to be published….not just spell check. Content check….you lose credibility when sentences are repeated (a couple of times…) I would hesitate to share this with people who are critical of guns….these errors would be pointed out first off….

    • Fake Nicety Alcala Zamor*a y Torre June 3, 2016, 9:26 am

      What makes you assume that Oregon is ‘rural’? Or that he didn’t travel through major cities-Portland, Salem, etc?

  • KahrdCarrier March 25, 2016, 9:27 am

    I am generally opposed to open carry. However, I strongly support the right to open carry. Let the bad guys wonder . . . .
    I would be reluctant to pick up any hitchhiker, unless I was carrying. Telling folks before you get in is the way to go though. I do carry when driving on long trips, partly so that I can stop to help folks with a breakdown or pick someone up. I adamantly refuse to let Roger Dale Stafford interfere with my being a good Samaritan. For those of you too young to know Roger, see http://malefactorsregister.com/wp/the-most-hated-man-in-oklahoma/

  • jdinid March 25, 2016, 6:54 am

    In Idaho we also have open carry. Several weeks ago I started to open carry around town. Mostly great responses. Some not so good. Funny, though most people are far more accepting with me having a weapon (I’m a woman) than my husband. I applaud Jeremy!!

  • DRAINO March 23, 2016, 7:10 am

    Can’t believe I’m the first one to comment on this…LOL! Its AWESOME!!! The way things should be. BRAVO OREGON! Don’t let the Kali and Seattle Libtards corrupt you!! While at this time in history, I chose not to open carry, I am glad that there a those that do….they help change the mindset of the masses. Keep it up and they will become more accustomed to it.

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