An apparent gun control supporter was enraged to see a (poorly) concealed handgun on another man one afternoon last week in Overland Park, Kansas, and apparently lost his sanity.

A 59-year-old Overland Park man was charged Thursday with shooting another man in the leg after taking a gun away from the victim.

Ricky Paul Smith was charged in Johnson County District Court with aggravated battery. He also was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly pointing the gun at another man.

Overland Park police said the incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday near 80th Street and Overland Park Drive.

Police said Smith was allegedly upset about another man carrying a concealed weapon. He took the gun away from the man, pointed it at him and another man, and shot the victim in the leg, according to the allegations.

Mr. Smith is very luck that he’s not facing additional charges for robbery and attempted murder.

Both open and concealed carry of handguns are legal in Kansas, and there is no suggestion that the victim in this incident did anything suggesting that he was acting in a threatening manner. He appears to have simply done a poor job of concealing his handgun.

Mr. Smith then seized the handgun, and pointed it at both the victim and another man. He shot the victim under circumstances that appear to be unclear.

This was not an incident of a man attempting to steal a handgun.

This was an incident where a gun control supporter was so outraged at the mere sight of a handgun that he attacked a law-abiding citizen, robbed him of his weapon, and then shot him with it.

There are a number of takeaways from this story.

“Concealed” weapons aren’t always concealed

I play a game when I go out in public called “who’s carrying?” It’s nothing more or less than a test of my observational skills. I routinely spot people who think they are carrying concealed weapons, but who do such a poor job of it that I can not only often spot a bulge suggesting a weapon, but the specific make and model of handgun.

In my experience, poor concealment is typically a combination of  a poor choice of apparel, a poor choice of holster, and poor holster position (which typically leaves a gun where it can easily be snatched). I’ve noticed that this trifecta of mistakes tend to run together, and that a person who does all three is also typically oblivious to those around them. It’s something of a perfect storm of incompetence.

Not all concealed carry positions are created equal

Most of the concealed handguns I’ve “made” in public were those carried behind the hip to the small-of-the-back (SOB) location, with SOB carry being particularly easy to spot and physically difficult to protect and retain. I’ve spotted appendix carriers least often, as they tend to print less. Appendix carry is also by far the easily position to defend against a snatch attempt as you have both hands in a strong position to defend against an attack from the front.

I find it telling that I know of no well-educated defensive firearm instructor who carries at the SOB location. Almost all carry either just behind the hip or in an appendix carry position.

I strongly suspect that the victim in this incident:

• made a poor choice of apparel (the gun was not concealed)
• made a poor choice of holster and carry position
• had poor awareness of his surroundings

Gun control zealots are often dangerously irrational

Any regular reader of Bearing Arms is well aware of the borderline insanity displayed by the many rabid gun control supporters. They are often aggressive to the point of making threats of violence (a particular problem for the Coalition to to Stop Gun Violence, or CSGV), and don’t often seem to be governed by rational thought.

That was clearly the case here in Overland Park, where Ricky Paul Smith was so outraged over the presence of a gun that he felt compelled to steal it, shoot the gun owner, and threaten another man.

Time in prison will hopefully give Mr. Smith time to think about his actions, but it is doubtful that it will tamper his any-gun insanity.