I live in Colorado where open carry is legal. The only other state I visit is Arizona where open carry is legal and you don't need a concealed weapons permit. Just make sure you have one. So much more comfortable open carrying and you can bring so much more Gun. I've got my concealed permit. but I'm getting to the point were I'd rather open carry. Lots of people do where I live. Opinions, anyone out there open carry?

Just because everyone else is stupid that doesn't mean you need to follow along. Unless hunting, or out on the family ranch, there is no place for open carry in a responsible gun owners life.

"bring so much more gun" is simply a fallacy when comparing open to concealed.

Jeez have you ever been to AZ. Lots of people open carry. Specially Northern AZ and Western Slope CO. Be careful not to offend people.

Wait, I have to run to the store for popcorn and beer!

Open carry is legal where I live but it’s not something I’d ever do. To each their own but around here, especially now, you’re just asking for trouble.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Legal here as well. Not something I do unless I'm woods walking or walking the dog late at night through our wooded area where coyotes and black bear are often active (and the occasional feral dog).

And even then it's very much the exception.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

As my reaction time has slowed I am now leaning towards congealed carry.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

It's legal here, but I don't do it and won't. And most who carry won't. Have no reason to do so. Believe the following applies where I live: "Concealed carry is for protection, open carry is for attention."

Open carry is legal here in Nevada but except for LEO's and Security Guards I've never seen any one else doing it.

OC is legal in Ohio as well but I conceal carry 98% of the time. The times I've open carried don't think anyone noticed. Unless you are acting odd or carrying a BBQ gun to the ice cream store I don't think people are that aware of what's going on around them to notice. The few times I noticed someone open carrying it caught me by surprise. If we made eye contact we just smiled, nodded and went about our business.

Conceal. I’ll only open carry if I’m hunting or doing something else in the country.

I’m with the 2A.

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Sure you did

I've had my CWP since the Aurora Theater shootings here. Been carrying concealed for a long time. Still feel like Im printing unless its winter. When its 90-100 degrees I feel people still notice when wearing summer cloths ; around here anyway. Usually carry a J Frame or Beretta 84

Open carry is a gun right just like concealed carry. We shouldn’t disparage either.

If you don’t like it, don’t do it. Just because someone chooses to open carry doesn’t mean they are inferior to you.

As well as everything else related to carrying a gun, it’s personal preference. Nothing more.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Carry how you want, so long as it's legal.

However, other than the time I worked as an armed guard, I've never carried openly, and cannot envision a time or situation where I would (unless I had to start doing uniformed armed security work again). Way too many downsides compared to concealed carry.

With that said...

Texas allows open carry as well. I have seen ONE person open carry since it was legalized a few years ago (not counting protests). A very young guy showing off with his Glock in a diner bar, sitting on the barstools. Hanging off his belt at the 4 o'clock position. You could have walked up behind him and pulled it right out.

The only thing I like about it? When carrying concealed, no more worries should you happen to print or expose it for a second.

The problem with Open Carry is that unless it is a 100% legally protected right which cannot be infringed upon just because some snowflake felt threatened by the mere sight of it and decided to call 911 to report you while simultaneously calling for an Ambulance because it caused them to go into cardiac arrest, you're better off with concealed carry.

Personally, although it's legal to open carry in my state, there are so many stupid restrictions regarding wear/when/how one can open carry, that it makes more sense to just drop $20 and fill out a sheet of paper for a license to carry a concealed weapon practically anywhere you want to.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Some don’t have a choice because concealed carry isn’t legal.

For the record, open carry isn’t for me either. But there is absolutely no proof that one is better than the other.

I’m willing to bet that concealed carriers have made even more stupid mistakes and misjudgments as open carry.

While we argue amongst ourselves, the gun haters are laughing at us.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I choose both:

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I carry for one reason only -- defense. Part of my defensive strategy lies in not advertising the fact that I am armed. Ideally, the first time I want an assailant to know I'm armed is when he gets hit with my first shot.

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Pisgah

Yep ! Ban the gun haters. Their the ones that cry out the most when their the victims.

ABSOLUTELY spot on !!! IMO ( and I know I'll rub some folks the wrong way ) there is no place for open carry ( unless law enforcement and as posted above ) . I'd like to see a post from any forum member that will convince me that open carry is a good idea.

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John

I have no problem with open carry, as long as I don't have to do it. I have no desire to give up the advantage of surprise.

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Formerly Model520Fan

When I lived in Arizona, there were five people (4M & 1F) that would open carry and I'd frequently see them while walking my dog. It was nearly impossible to get a word out of them, so I suspect the attention they sought was more a warning to stay away.

Although (still) legal to open carry in Virginia, I carry concealed as it does not draw attention.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

My experience with open carry is that it causes more problems than it solves. I'm aware that 95% of people you encounter won't even notice you're armed but 5% will and of that group some percentage will immediately start think about how they can take that gun off of you.

I open carry at work when my assignment requires it. Apart from work I haven't open carried in about ten years. At work I've had one instance where two guys knew I was armed and tried to rob me. and two other instances in which someone tried to take my gun from me.

The biggest issue that I see with most people that open carry is it they are absolutely convinced that the bad guy is going to take one look at their Mighty Boomstick and go someplace else. There are people out there who are not intimidated by the fact that you're carrying a gun in the slightest. This is not a new experience for them. You are not the first person to threaten them with violence. you're not the first person that's ever pointed a gun at them.The odds are that your very first time dealing with a violent criminal offender will be their 100th time dealing with somebody like you. They're a lot more comfortable with violence than you are. They don't have the inhibitions against using violence we do and they're not thinking about the consequences like normal people are.

I am aware that people open carry for years without incident. I open carried for years without incident until I didn't. What I am saying is it if you choose to open carry a firearm you had better have a plan for what you're going to do when somebody tries to take it off you.

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Retired Career Security Guard

I've never OC'ed; unless I'm out in the country hiking or hunting. Never in a social situation. Just curios to what others think. Lately I've seen a lot more people OC. There's just guns I naturally shoot better than others (P89 or my Service Six) that don't lend themselves to being real concealable; or I need to explore better holsters. My P89 is an ACE! If needed, I'd be real happy knowing it was there. Not saying I cant shoot my J Frame or my FS84 Cheetah. I live in the country and get lots of range time. And, reloading time!

Again, personal preference. Why would we try to convince you of anything since you’re mind is made up?

These threads never end well because people want to push their opinions on others.

Closed minds are easy to defeat.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I'm 100% with Kanewpadle on this. One has to make their own choices.

Here in WA, open carry isn't illegal. The law is silent on open carry. Back in the day, WA was an early adopter of the concealed carry license. Not the freedom-thinking we'd like to believe - it was created decades ago because it was felt that shady hoodlums hid firearms on their person. A respectable person carried a firearm in the open. So I've read; it was before my time. Things have certainly changed.

Here on the wet side of WA, I've seen people open carry now and then. Nobody seemed to care, if they even noticed. It's likely more common on the dry side.

I open carry around the house, barn and land but it's not legal in NY so concealed only outside of the house. I also don't think I would have a reason to open carry in public, no one needs to know I'm carrying.

I can see some reasons for it though and that's okay, if and only if the gun is carried in a good active retention level 3 holster and please make sure it's not a Serpa.

FWIW, my observation is that most people can effectively conceal a larger gun than they think they can. Obviously, body shape/type plays a role, but belt, holster, and wardrobe also factor in. Back when I had a 3" 65 I routinely carried it in an IWB holster under an untucked shirt for 12+ hours a day with good concealment and comfort. I currently carry a Beretta PX4 Compact pretty easily, too. I believe with the right gear I could probably carry my Beretta 92FS without too much difficulty. It just depends on how much you're willing and/or able to invest.

Of course, it also depends on how discreet you want/need to be. If you truly need your gun to be invisible, than that will likely necessitate a smaller gun. But if you just need to be discreet while carrying, then that opens up possibilities.

Back before I got Stage4 Colon Cancer I could conceal A 2.5" barrel Model 66 no problem. Not as big as I used to be, Im not a small guy. But now seems like it doesn't matter all my guns print!

Open carry draws attention and sacrifices surprise and I want neither.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

I 100% support your right to open carry. I 100% support your right to tape $1,000 bills all over your body and walk through the ghetto when the bars are closing on Sunday night after a Broncos game. Both are your right, but neither seems prudent to me.

Separate question. How do you get from Colorado to Arizona without going through either New Mexico or Utah and not cross the Navajo Reservation. For some reason I was thinking a pistol was a no-no on the reservation.

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Vegan by proxy.

Sharing a common passion does not immunize one from contrary beliefs. Way too often I've seen "It's wrong and harmful to gun ownership if you disagree with MY opinion." It's a cheap way to win an argument without having to defend your own position. Doesn't work for me nor do I think it will for any independent thinker who has his own thoughts and doesn't owe blind allegiance to a poorly stated position. I don't see how anyone on this thread, either pro or con, has threatened gun ownership. and think its shallow to do so.

Slightly better than a Hawaiian shirt in Arkansas.

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Sure you did

Or a cowboy hat in downtown Seattle.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I see so many people printing who think they carry concealed almost every day, and I am not preoccupied with such.

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Sure you did

Everything about this reply is incredibly ignorant. An armed society is a polite society. There is nothing wrong with open carry and the more you normalize it the better. You just can't have the mindset of a concealed carrier who hides their pistol and can forget it's there. You must be situationally aware 100% of the time. A crazy notion, I know.

Also, there's no inherent fallacy in the assertion that if you're able to more comfortably carry a larger pistol, you'll thus be able to carry a larger caliber or as some may say, "more gun."

It just blows my mind that anyone who claims to be a proponent of the 2A would say such things or make such bogus claims. I'm hoping it was a joke and that I'm the rube

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SWCA 3563
10mm aficionado

In the state of Louisiana open carry , no permit required , is legal and has always been legal.
Do I open carry ? Yes , when the mood and circumstances strike me to do so .
The only time I have ever "drawn fire" was when I was unarmed and pouring a cup of coffee in my office kitchen .
I honestly believe things would have ended differently if I had been open carrying that morning .

1.) Bad guy might have decided to pick an unarmed person to rob instead of engaging an armed person at close range .
2.) I could have at least defended myself .

My thoughts are carry what you can , when you can and however you want to do it ...self protection is your responsibility and the bad guys don't have a problem killing you for the measly $3.00 in your pocket .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

I have seen multiple people open carry in Nevada which is a right to carry state. Most people have no problem with it that I've observed. Weapon retention in general relies on awareness of the person to his surroundings as well as physical location of the weapon...for example, someone open carrying small of back or similar position, standing in line at the 7-11 with his attention directed forward is obviously increasing their odds of having some problems sooner or later. If / when I open carry its the same as concealed., front, cross draw where my hand controls access to anything & my weapon is secure.

I believe the dangers purported to come with open carry are negligible to the point of none if the person that is open carrying has good awareness of himself, his weapon retention & his personal space / immediate surroundings. The risk comes when people become complacent regarding these things.

Having said that., if you open carry in a Casino although legal, security will ask you to leave, which you should do, otherwise you will have problems. I should also say, if someone feels they need to call the police then peachy, keep your hands off your weapon, the police will arrive & talk with you., after that you'll be on you're way. The public needs to learn to not fear weapons in the hands of law abiding citizens & I view open carry as a means to demonstratively show a person's right to bear arms.

Despite all the above I would in town primarily conceal carry with a permit. Open carry for me is going into the desert & hiking or on my way to same, stopping for gas or whatever.

I OC & CC.....Sometimes, at the same time....


Oh....BTW, I've open carried in plain clothes for most of my LE career,
never got mugged or jumped for my sidearm.

Everyone ought to carry how it pleases them. It's their business.

.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

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Sure you did

NV is an open carry state for residents and non-residents, no permit required; however open carry isn’t common. I CC 95% of the time, but sometimes I just roll exposed. Feels liberating.

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213th FBINA

Don't Stop! Fuel up before the Res.

Are you kidding? Closed minds are impossible to defeat.

Nevertheless, I enjoy hearing all of the opinions. There's a bit of truth in most of them.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Not really. Those with closed minds are still shifting into first gear. Those with open minds are shifting into third or fourth gear leaving them behind.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Soo much more comfortable than having a gun stuck inside your pants for sure

Kinda like back east...when crossing ILL.


.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

There is no right or wrong answer in your specific situation.

You mention you are in "Colorado"; I'm guessing there is a big difference open carrying in a rural small town or in open areas as opposed to a big city. In my (relatively) small city in another state open carry is legal but you would attract a lot of attention depending on the circumstances. At the local discount store, probably not a lot; downtown on a weekend, expect a chat with the police at least.

As others mentioned (indirectly perhaps), you can carry a pretty big gun if you dress around it. It can be as simple as having an untucked shirt or a cover garment. I hear parts of CO get sometimes pretty cold so that may be easier than you think.

Good luck in your decision.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220