Lessons for Manufacturers From Open Carry Laws

It is legal to openly carry a loaded weapon without a license in much of the United States.  Unfortunately, that makes discerning the good guys from the bad guys confusing.

John Crawford was recently killed by police in a WalMart store as he carried a toy gun sold by the store!  Why someone called police is a topic of conjecture, but suffice it to say that even had he been carrying a fully loaded AK-47 Crawford would not have been violating the law.  There was no problem that needed to be solved.

The definition of a problem is when “what should be happening” (WSBH) is not equal to “what is happening” (WIH). Apparently someone thought Mr. Crawford should not have been carrying what could be mistaken for a real gun, believed there was a problem and asked police to solve it.  Unfortunately the perceived problem was based on opinion rather than data and the corrective action was deadly and wrong.

Open carry complicates the assessment of “WSBH” in public.  Regrettably a majority of manufacturers internally house equally confusing visual systems.  In some manufacturers death can result.  In most, it’s just bad decisions.

Are your visual systems indubitable?  If inside knowledge is required to properly interpret them, or they are subject to opinion, they are insufficient for their purpose.

Prevent critical decisions in your business from going horribly awry.  Ensure WSBH and WIH are simple, obvious, and observable.  Clarity is essential to success.  And in some cases, to life.

 

 

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