All in folks head. They pass folks walking to their car that are driving past them in theirs, they never get nervous the driver is going to run over them. Why do they get nervous when they see someone with a gun? The car is a dangerous weapon also, more folks die every year from auto related than firearm.

Rosewood

Open carry is very common around here...many view firearms as tools and part of our rural life.

The most important thing to remember is that there is a place for arguments - that's the court. Arguing with the police on the street accomplishes nothing positive.

I agree 100%. Don't plan on arguing with them. But I can call his supervisor afterwards and file a complaint if I know he was in the wrong.

Many moons ago, my brother was pulled over because "his window tint looked to dark". The officer noticed my brother has his pistol stuck in the console. Asked my brother if he had a permit for that. He didn't need a permit for it to be visible in his vehicle (not by GA law). He did have one and answered the question as yes. I was tempted to say "he doesn't need one", but antagonizing a LEO and telling him he is wrong as you said will probably not go well, so I kept my trap shut. Now if he was writing a ticket or cuffing us for something that wasn't illegal, then I would probably have spoken up in a respectful manner. Maybe with questions like "do we have to have a permit to have one in our vehicle"?

I couldn't tell you how many LEOs and former LEOs I have had conversations with about carrying firearms and they didn't know the law themselves. Pretty scary.

Rosewood

I would agree if there was a way to tell the regular cops from the uniformed thugs, but there isn't.

I am enthusiastically supportive of the former and intolerant of the latter. Thus it's always going to be in my best interest to keep my mouth shut.

When I retired USAF I briefly considered a career in LE, but there were two problems; first I hate DVs, the abusers, and the drama associated with them. I suppose training can overcome most of that. The second, and dispositive reason I didn't, involves police behavior I witnessed. When a 'bad cop' does bad stuff, the other cops are obligated to lie and cover up his bad behavior. They might be good cops, dedicated, professional, and valuable public servants, but if they expose the bad cop they're ostracized, so they're complicit. So in that regard all cops are or need to be 'bad cops'. Again, this is something I've seen firsthand.

The experts advise against talking to the police; I'll take their sage advice. There is no such thing as a casual conversation with an on-duty police officer; they have an agenda, and it isn't in support of you. Given there are cops in here that don't know Terry Stop rules, it's best to say nothing and walk away.

During the OC movement in WA about a decade ago, we were patient with the officers for a long time, recognizing that they might not be aware of the laws (or lack of laws) governing it. We used each encounter as an opportunity to guide departments to issue training. Nobody got litigious unless the officer(s) disregarded their training bulletins and guidance. We were always polite, never confrontational, and never trying to egg anyone (LE or citizens) on. Yeah, I've seen it happen, but only after the OC movement met its goal and the johnny-come-lately OCers saw it as a way to stir the pot. There are far more numbnuts carrying concealed, and casting a bad light on firearms carry than OCers- we tend to be very polite.

In any event, yes, we should always do our civic duty. Once you've had a few encounters, it becomes very easy and fast to know when the encounter is legitimate or a just a 'bad cops' fishing expedition.

Unattractive story #157.

Many years ago I was given command of a state police district that had been chronically poorly run. One of the final straws in the relief of my predecessor was an incident wherein a patrol officer stopped a guy with a 'Constitutional free man' handmade license plate. The driver was angry and argumentative; he acted as if he was going to drive away, so the officer ordered him out of the car. Turns out he was carrying a concealed 38 snubbie; the troop promptly arrested him. The problem was that carrying a concealed firearm in your car was (and remains) perfectly legal in our state for anyone who can own a firearm. The argument that he was outside the car when arrested was just ignorant - the officer had ordered him out of the car.

The defendant went to jail, his car was towed; the next day the magistrate very properly dismissed the charge. My predecessor tried to support the officer's action as reasonable when the inevitable civil suit came in; our risk management committee was unimpressed and eventually settled the case for $25k (not a bad price for a night in jail - I'd do it!).

Out went the old commander.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Retention holster and knowing what to do when someone goes for your gun from behind you is a must.

I live in a very populated area and would feel weird open carrying. I don't have anything against it its just not for me.

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Veteran/NRA Member/S&W 327

Presently, the rules have changed around these parts and we have to wear masks and every business insists on it. So I'll be reticent to open carry again if I'm masked. Any kind of mask. I'll just wear a vest or wear my shirt out before I open carry when I'm masked. YMMV.

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Come and take it!!

COLREGS? Now there’s a term I last heard 25 years ago when I took my Capts. license exam.

Tucson is 2 counties & nearly 100 miles from where I live in SEAZ, it's a liberal hole. Here life is exactly as I posted. When you have some idea what you're talking about feel free to expound.

I’ve watched several of the videos that were set up to mess with Cops. They aren’t just about guns. You idiots go ahead and play your games. If you have been following national news you should be aware of the idiots calling for defunding of Police. Some even calling to do away with police. In some cities cops are quitting and taking early retirements. The citizens of these places are already crying. They are going to have a lot more to worry about that mode of carry. These places are the example of what the lack of common sense can produce.

I live in NE PA. Open carry is legal here but I rarely saw it until recently. I’ve seen more in the last week then I have in the last year. Granted, those times are in a gun store among customers but it’s not like they go straight home. They’ve all been Glock’s in a retention holster, and they’ve all been prominently displayed on purpose. Clearly it’s on the rise due to the current political climate. And as I always say, if it can kind of turn off a gun owner in a gun shop then what is it doing to the rest of society? I doubt anyone is being “educated”.

But if it’s the law and you want to do it, then have at it. I just have a feeling it’s going to have the opposite result than will be beneficial to gun owners. Hope one day we aren’t remembering the good old days when some draconican measure passes.

Congrats on finally open carrying! The first day is always the most jittery but that passes quickly.

I live in AZ and it's an Open Carry state that's pretty good about it.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't bump in to someone who asks about my gun, what the law is and if they can carry too. I get in to a lot of convos about "carry options" also. Semi-Auto vs Revolver. What make is better. All that good stuff.

Pictured is my current carry. A 629-6 3". I carry this or my Ruger 44 Alaskan most days.

Attached Images

IMG_6489.jpg (82.4 KB, 25 views)

EXACTLY!

I'd love to explain why but we're not allowed to here. But y'all can figure out why with a simple google search of those two cities.

Well, that's if you care what other people think. Most people won't notice. If they do, most won't care. If they care or get offended, I don't care. I open carried while wearing a badge, and I'm still comfortable with it. That said, I only open carry roughly 20% of the time since I'm in and out of so-called "gun free zones" a lot.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

In over 50 years I’ve never seen anyone (except hunters, police, security guards etc.) open carry until today.
Coming out of my favorite bakery (with a bag of donuts! ) a man was walking toward me carrying what could have been a Desert Eagle ( in a high ride holster) and a competition mag holder maybe 3” from his belt buckle ((2 mags (going in a V shape configuration) that stuck out maybe 6” from the holder)). This person was about 5’6” at 130lbs.
My thought was what heck is he doing ? What was he trying to prove/say by doing this? The Main Street is only about 60’ long in this small town.
Open carry is legal in Ohio but to stand out as he did served no purpose that I could see. JMO

EDIT: to above comments. He would have to remove the mags from the mag holder to be able to sit down or drive.

Now a true story about the only time I open carried in public out of uniform.

It was in the early 90’s. I was coming back from vacation in New England with my son. He had a best friend who lived near lake Cumberland in Kentucky that he was going to stay with for a week, so I stopped at a Holiday Inn to get a room for myself.
Going from the parking lot to the lobby I noticed 3 young men (early to mid 20’s) by the pool that were VERY rowdy and drinking (pool 30’ from sidewalk and rooms).
I mentioned to the desk clerk that these men were making a hole
lot of noise and disrupting everyone around them. The clerk said he had received many complaints and that they would party late
into the night and early morning. He said a number of guest had left because of this and that there was really nothing they could do about it. They had the room for a few more days.
My son suggested that I find another motel and I told him this one would be fine and I would take care of the issue (rowdy guest).
I got my room key (room was next to theirs), went back to the car to get my bags, and put a 9mm pistol in my belt (Mexican style, and yes it had a manual safety and an empty chamber).
When I walked back to my room, I gave them a glaring look and
made sure they could see the gun stuffed in my pants ( I’m 6’4” at 265lbs & well built, my son is 6’5” at 220 lbs & also well built).
There was an instant silence. The three went back into their room and not a sound was heard from that point on.
The next morning I went to the pool with the gun in my swim trunks. They left the pool area and checked out earlier than scheduled.
So that’s it. Hope you enjoyed!

Be SAFE and Shoot Often !

"Hard to see" Would that not be close to concealed? Big no no without a permit I believe.

Ischia

Yesterday I saw a guy OC at Home Depot, with a mask, hand sanitizer and a Glock. He was looking for wipes.

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Sure you did

If he had a glock he was not armed.

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Bill

OPEN CARRY = SHOOT ME 1ST.

I’ve never open carried (OC) and don’t plan to, even though it’s legal here. While I support others who OC it makes me uncomfortable, I just don’t want to draw attention to myself or give up the element of surprise concealment offers.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I don’t support others that don’t use common sense with any firearm or mode of carry. There is nothing wrong with open carry in rural areas where it’s not even noticed. I don’t think anyone had come out against that. Out in the real world there are people against gun ownership and there are those scared of guns. It only makes sense to me idiots that carry open in public areas should be brought under control before they cause public to start after laws to take away our right to carry. Now I try to talk to these idiots and ask them why they want to open carry. According to prescribed use of SD firearm the threat is going to have to precede you pulling a gun.
Do they seriously think they are going to pull a high noon with a bad guy?
Second point is I don’t trust idiots like this to have good judgement in situations where there are lots of innocent people. Are they going to start a fire fight in a crowd? I don’t care what their perceived reasoning is, in most cases I would call for mental exam. The trouble is this can be misused by the authorities too. That’s where we are at on this. The idiots keep up their little “ look at me I got a gun trips” and we will all pay for it in the end. I find that people who normally would let minor things go, are more likely to want to argue when they have a gun. Remember gun don’t come out until, you have reason to fear for your life.

I've said it many times before, I don't open carry primarily because it's been my direct personal experience that it makes you a target.

I also don't open carry because sooner or later some random idiot is going to get the idea that the fact that I'm open carrying gives him a license to get in my life and express his opinion (for or against) on my decision open carry.

I don't start random conversations with people I don't know and I find it extremely annoying when people I don't know start random conversations with me. I think the world would be a much better place if people would just mind their own business.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Honestly everyone should open carry if its lawfull in their area. Take pride in your rights. Before they get removed administratively when you have done nothing wrong.

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R/S
J.D.

I completely agree, and seldom wear shirts (T or polo) with any kind of emblem or logo simply because I'm not desperate for conversation with folks I don't know. Bumper stickers same-same.

Has never happened anywhere.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

Complete strangers who want to get into a conversation of what you carry or what they carry are some kind of nut. The Stranger that wants to argue about gun rights is also a nut. I don’t want to talk to either one. At the shows, ranges, ect the people that constantly are talking about shooting people are also nuts. When you stop and think about it we have a lot of nuts. The ones with guns are suppose to be on our side. It’s always the nuts that the media seeks out to put on TV news, to insure public gets a good look at the Gun Nut. These people are not gun nuts. They are nuts with guns. Just as dangerous to real gun community as the anti gunner.

^^^^Very astute observation.

There is nothing wrong with being neighborly and talking with a stranger. It is those that seem to avoid conversation that make me nervous. And of course those that ask too many prying questions are suspicious also.

Rosewood

I'll never understand the persistent belief that open carry will somehow attract anti-gunners to you. I open carried for awhile until I had gotten a License to Concealed Carry, and nobody ever bothered me. In fact, if anything they gave me a wide berth. Now granted, it probably helps that my physical appearance is intimidating or otherwise downright frightening towards the cowardly lot who characteristically fear firearms and would prefer to leave the safety of themselves and their loved ones in the hands of others, but still, I very much doubt that those same people would be any less cowardly when approaching an armed individual.

Honestly, I know people have a nasty habit of contradicting themselves with their words, but behavioral patterns tend to be far more consistent, ergo those who fear firearms and distrust those who carry them aren't generally the sort who will aggressively approach and berate those who carry firearms because they tend to believe that gunowners in general are trigger-happy maniacs. Ask me how I know this.

Furthermore, while it is possible that open carry could potentially make you a priority target should you be present during a crime in progress, it's equally as likely to prevent a crime from being committed in your presence. Most criminals are opportunists who look for an easy target so that they can get what they want quickly, then get away easily without a struggle, and they don't want to sound the alarm with a gunshot which is bound to result in someone calling the police or otherwise attracting police who may already be somewhere nearby, ergo they're more likely to avoid committing a crime while there are folks with guns around, and should someone walk in during a crime in progress, they're more likely to order you to drop your weapon or put your hands up than they are to shoot you outright and risk signaling the authorities.

In other words, actually getting shot by a criminal just because you happen to have a gun on your belt is highly unlikely because criminals don't want to get slowed down, don't want to get caught, they'd prefer to minimize the severity of the charges against them in case they are caught unless they're already ex-cons, and they most certainly don't want to get into a gunfight in which they could die over the contents of the cash register at the Kwik-E-Mart.

Also, if you're really convinced that the majority of criminals are that trigger-happy, then you should probably be wearing body armor anyway because any criminals who are so jumpy and irrational that they would shot someone on sight just because they happen to be open carrying a firearm, is probably tweaking on narcotics, paranoid, and are just as likely to shoot you for sneezing, scratching an itch, looking at them the wrong way, because they're mistaken the bulge of your wallet in your pocket, or the clip for your phone case on your belt for a gun.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

OK, I have opinions on this topic, too.

I think much of the concern about OC comes from not being comfortable. People who are not used to being around guns may get upset at the sight of somebody wearing one openly. Ideally this reaction dissipates with time as people grow more accustomed.

As far as a criminal taking the gun, I know of that happening once. Maybe it's happened more than that but I suspect it's very rare. How many times have you heard about a criminal pushing right past a uniformed cop waiting in line to rob the store clerk? If crooks don't notice the cop standing there they probably won't notice your gun.

I think the advantages to OC are comfort and access. Trying to wear a gun and keep it concealed sort of sucks. And if it properly hidden, it may not be as readily accessible as we'd like.

Here in Arkansas OC is legal and a permit is not required. I have seen it only a couple of times. I have never done it, myself. Perhaps when I achieve true curmudgeon status. Amazing how you care less and less about things as you get older. I think it would feel odd but I grew up in a state with no CC and didn't get a permit until I moved to another state at nearly 40. The first month or so I felt very odd walking around with a gun under my shirt. It's all what you are used to doing.

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No life story has happy end.

Have a buddy that is retired Police. He had a crack head come up to his patrol car and ask him if he wanted to buy some drugs. Didn't even realize it was a cop. Criminals don't always think logically. Had another lady tell him someone stole her drugs and wanted him to do something about it.

He said he learned to check folks that wanted to do a police report, especially if they were sketchy for warrants. Said there is no telling how many he arrested for warrants that way.

Rosewood

When it is a single perp performing a robbery, yeah, him seeing you with a gun may deter the crime. I am betting though if it is a team of robbers that have targeted the bank or the like, they are not going to change their plans because you have a gun, they are going to target you first.

Rosewood