Those with felonies are already ineligible to possess a firearm in OK, as are those adjudicated mentally incompetent by a court of law. Point of order on the felony thing, that's not a federal law and varies from state to state.
I'm of two minds on this. After the qualified win in Heller, SCOTUS seems to lean towards some regulations of 2A rights as acceptable, just not an outright or effective ban. While I'd love to see constitutional carry with no permits, mandatory training or fees throughout the US, I can see that as trouble for our rights. With rights come responsibilities. One cannot survive without the other. Having a permit and training standards, increases the overall awareness of the carrier and logically reduces the occurrence of irresponsible behavior on their part. It doesn't eliminate it, but it reduces them to a level tolerable to the general non gun toting public.
Well I paid enough for that card, so someone ought to see it!
Seriously, if the officer is professional and the OC'er is reasonable, it should be a good contact. If not, it's an educational opportunity for one or both of them. There's a difference between what you can do, and what you should do. Please don't alienate the LEO's during a contact. It will only hurt the rest of us. If a LEO is unprofessional or misinformed on the law during a stop, report it to their supervisor, preferably as a training issue. Creating or escalating an adversarial situation during a stop will only work against you and everyone the LEO contacts after you under similar circumstances.
I wouldn't show it. However, if it's spotted during an incident of any type, you should be on your best behavior and utilize your tools of de-escalation. It's a good idea for any person carrying a firearm for defense to research "use of force continuum", particularly if you can locate the model used by law enforcement agencies in your area. You'll then have a better understanding of how a responding officer might view your actions in the chain of events and better protect yourself from legal jeopardy. The use of force continuum is an often misunderstood tool. I think I'll try to post a thread specifically on this in the next couple of days.
Now you'll have a better idea of where to spend your money and where not to. As has been stated, some signs will go up, but probably not a lot. Some of those signs will later be removed when blood doesn't run in the streets. It's an adjustment period and what we do as gun toters will have a significant impact on how well that adjustment period goes.
The more polite, professional and patient we act during this period, the smoother it will go. The more we flaunt it in people's faces, the worse it will be. Starting these conversations with a smile and some understanding of their concerns will go a long ways.
Behold, the day of the Barbeque Gun has arrived..or at least been put on the calendar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
