After the Virginia Tech Massacre on April 16, 2007, when a student shot and killed 32 people before killing himself, gun control advocates thought the horror aroused nation-wide would lead to new restrictions. However, three years later, we find that many states have moved in the opposite direction. And the open-carry movement has arisen from the grass-roots as well.

In February, the General Assembly of Virginia approved a bill that allows people to carry concealed weapons in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. At the same time their House of Delegates voted to repeal a 17-year-ban on buying more than one handgun a month. In Tennessee and Montana, lawmakers passed bills last year - first of their kind in the nation – to exempt their states from federal regulation of

guns and ammunition that are made, sold and used in the state. Wyoming and Arizona legislatures are considering progun measures, including one that would allow carrying concealed weapons without a permit.

What has caused the increase in pro-gun laws in the states? Gun-rights advocates had listened to Barack Obama during the campaign make three promises: to close the loophole that permits unlicensed dealers at gun shows to sell firearms without background checks, to revive the assault weapons ban, and to push states to release data about guns used in crimes When he was elected, pro-gun advocates feared that his administration would take aim at gun owners and increase government oversight and regulation. However, since his election, Obama has not moved forward on these issues. In fact, he signed bills last year that allowed guns to be carried in national parks and in luggage on Amtrak trains.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said, “We expected a very different picture at this stage.” The group issued a report card in January 2010 that gave the administration failing grades in all seven of the major indicators. The White House spokesman, Ben LaBolt responded to the Brady group’s report, with the latest F.B.I. statistics that violent crime dropped in the first half of 2009 to its lowest levels since the l960s. He stated, “The president supports and respects the Second Amendment and he believes we can take common sense steps to keep our streets safe and to stem the flow of illegal guns to criminals.” These remarks do not answer the question of non-delivery on the three campaign promises.

It is ironic that Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the National Rifle Association, (NRA) remains skeptical of President Obama. He said, “The watchword for gun owners is stay ready. We have had some successes, but we know that the first chance Obama gets, he will pounce on us.” He discounts Obama signing the laws that allowed guns in national parks and on Amtrak trains, since the two measures were attached as amendments to larger bills that the president wanted passed.

The NRA has long been at the forefront protecting Second Amendment Rights. They were joined last summer by a grass-roots collection of men wearing guns openly outside Barack Obama’s town hall meetings on Health Care Reform. Men and their guns drew instant TV coverage with their weapons strapped to their thighs as they carried provocative signs decrying Obamacare leading to Socialism. Pictures and interviews flashed across cable stations. The Open Carry Movement was born. At present, 38 states allow guns to be carried in public view with little or no restrictions. Mike Stollenwerk, a cofounder of OpenCarry.org says, “Our point is to do the same thing that concealed carriers do. We’re just taking off our jackets.”

The latest practice has occurred in California and other states where guns can be carried openly. Meet-ups are scheduled at Starbucks, pizza parlors and other businesses for gun owners to arrive as a group at a particular time. Certain businesses, like California Pizza Kitchen, forbid guns, but Starbucks has accepted the meet-ups. Stollenwerk cited 27,000 members registered for the OpenCarry.org online discussion forum. He says the aim of the meet-ups is to advertise their rights in states that do allow people to carry guns in public. The position of the NRA on the open-carry movement is mixed. Andrew Arulanandam a spokesman, said NRA “supports the right of law abiding people in exercise of their self defense rights in accordance with state, local and federal law.” The top priority of the NRA has always been promoting the right to carry concealed weapons. Thus, Robert Weisberg, a criminal justice professor at Stanford University called the open-carry gun owners “a liability” for the NRA, which is “a very disciplined on-message organization.”.

Alan Gottlieb, head of the Second Amendment Foundation in Washington state, says, “I’m all for open-carry laws. But I don’t think flaunting it is very productive for our cause. It just scares people.” With the long time pro-gun advocates uneasy about the open-carry movement, it is also important to note that many states that allow the open carrying of guns, do not require the owners to have a permit or any sort of training or testing. Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign is unequivocal in his position on the carry-on movement. “Will gun owners start trying to carry firearms openly into banks, on subways and buses, in schools?” When the Brady Campaign sent out petitions pressuring Starbucks to forbid weapons, the company did not agree. They said, “The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores.” It will be up to the Starbucks customers to decide if sitting next to men carrying guns improves the taste of their coffee and the mood of the moment.

Joyce S. Anderson is the author of “Courage in High Heels,” “Flaw in the Tapestry,” “If Winter Comes” and “The Mermaids Singing.” She can be reached at JSAWrite@aol.com.