It's sad that someone can't come in and discuss their carry without the anti-open carry folks threadcrapping the thing.

I can tell you from discussing/debating open carry for 15 years now it's pointless to argue about it in a forum.

I have had discussions, debates, and arguments on the subject both in person and on forums, and here's what I've learned.

Discussion on a forum is hopeless. If you make too strong an argument the cognitive dissonance kicks into overdrive and either the anti-OCer mysteriously disappears, or the insults start. Then the mods shut the discussion down, or in at least one case, the forum owner bans the pro-open carry side.

Discussion in person is very different. I've good luck getting mostly honest discussion and only very few occasions where the person got mad (cognitive dissonance) and walked away.

The honest discussions reveal the reasons the person disliked open carry, “you're a target”, “prefer surprise”, “deal with the cops”, and all the rest, were not based on anything real, and when you point out the glaring flaws in those beliefs, you get to one of several actual reasons:

- Shame. The person doesn't want anyone to know they carry because they themselves consider it a sign of weakness. Once you get them past that, their carry (concealed or open) is more relaxed and comfortable.
- Their Discomfort. They just flat-out cannot get comfortable with the idea that people can see their gun. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, sometimes you can't put your finger on the problem, but at least they're honest with themselves about it. They carry concealed and recognize that open carry isn't bad, it's just not for them.
- Another's Discomfort. The spouse usually, for whatever reason, does not want them to carry openly, and it's easier to just go with it than to have the discord. It seems odd that one will say, “I don't want to be the first one shot” or “I prefer to surprise the bad guy” when all along they're just trying to keep the peace with their SO. I carried openly for over a decade in a city/urban environment but lately I carry concealed (or mostly concealed) and this is the reason why. She's not against guns (she carries) but just prefers I don't OC.
- Intestinal fortitude. I've had people admit to plain old cowardice- guns are scary; they carry one, but the less they see it the better and that fear is transferred onto everyone else, expressing itself with the dumb arguments mentioned. It's hard to work this issue out, and you usually end up just agreeing to disagree, but you've planted a seed that may take root later.
- Ignorance. They are incapable of critical thought, or too lazy to do any, so they rely on the opinions of someone else- usually some internet guru they follow. ”Johnny YouTube Shooter says it's bad/dumb/dangerous so that's good enough for me.” They usually exhibit other 'Elmer Fudd' attitudes regarding guns as well. You can usually walk away from this discussion on fairly good terms; you can't squeeze blood from a turnip and if someone cannot or will not think objectively there's nothing you can do about it.

Whenever I see the same easily disproved excuses I try to figure out what their real reason is, and to a degree it's revealed by how upset/angry they get over someone else's carry- usually points to shame or cowardice, vs the ones that take it in stride usually points to discomfort.