I see open carry frequently in Colorado Springs. Especially last year during the height of the Corona panic. I think a bunch of people bought guns then couldn't find a CCW class (or were too cheap to find one) so they just open carried.

Usually when I see someone open carrying now it's someone in their 20s and they're open carrying AT you.

Now that Colorado's State Preemption law has been rescinded I suspect more municipalities will outlaw the practice. It's going to be interesting to see that play out since the Right to open carry is specifically codified in our State constitution.

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Retired Career Security Guard

I’m in small town southern Oregon and see open carry quite a bit. Usually glocks on the younger guys (and gals), some 1911s, and I occasionally see an old man sportin’ a ruger blackhawk at the grocery store.

two-bit cowboy's story reminds me of a friend's tale of two stores right across for the street from each other. The quickie-mart was robbed pretty much weekly and the deli hadn't been robbed in well over a decade. Seems the local LEOs liked eating at the deli and word had got around. In fact I think he said the last one to rob the deli was from out of town...
I guess the two stories suggest that open or widely-known carry might put a target on the back of the person doing the carrying but it might also make the local area safer for everybody else, well everybody content to keep the peace at least.

Agreed, teletech. A big gun store I used to go to had most employees open carrying. I knew the owner, and asked him why not concealed carry. He said they had tried that, and someone tried to rob them. Got messy. Back to open carry, and they haven't had a problem since.

Open carry is a deterrent. Deterrent is better than blasting a perp in a public place. Though perps being blasted in public places becomes a deterrent, too.

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I've still got it made.

Only have seen one up here. Carries in a Kydex and has four spare mags. Struts around with a " look at Me and My gun " attitude. Wish I had the whistling theme from TGTB&TU to play when I see Him. Only one I've seen in the 4 months I've been here.

When Texas passed the Open Carry law, I saw lots of people Open Carry at first, but after a period of time, I saw less and less and I guess once the new worn off, people stopped. Haven't seen hardly anyone Open Carry anymore.

Last week a young guy in his 20s was Open Carry in a place that had Open Carry Prohibited sign on the door but he didn't seemed to care. He was going out of his way to make sure people saw him. I wanted to tell him I hope you know doing that makes you a target. I'll stick to CC.

There is this fellow that works at a pawn/gun shop near me. He is always carrying in the shop, which I get. Saw him at Kroger a few months back. At first glance I thought he was swat or something. Had gun on hip, all kinds of gear on his waste line, BDU type pants etc. I was looking for a badge, but there wasn't one.

Definitely mall ninja attire, look at me.

Rosewood

Not legal here in FL, unless hunting or fishing, as other posters have mentioned. . There is a movement trying to get OC legalized. In one sense, I hope that succeeds. Though I would not open carry, I'd like it to be legal for another reason. It would eliminate for the most part, the eager beaver trying to make a show if my concealed weapon prints, or shows momentarily. Yeah, there's a law covering that, but too much discretion is allowed.

Following up Two Bit Cowboy's (Bob's) story, open carry has always been legal in Wyoming, at least as far as I know. We have quite a number of new residents here lately, and it may be that some of them are a bit flummoxed when they see someone walking down the street with a sidearm. For us natives, though, it's no big deal and rarely worth a second glance except to see whether the individual in question has good taste in weaponry. I wouldn't say that open carry is common in the larger towns though I see open carriers occasionally, sometimes with a whole separate holster and cartridge belt a la an old western. Out in the country it's pretty much a given that nearly everyone is carrying and quite a few carry openly. The days of carrying rifles in the window rack of your pickup are pretty much gone, but that sure doesn't mean the guns disappeared too. They're around and, like Bob says, for lots of folks the sidearm goes on every day right after the pants. Been that way for a long time around here and I don't expect it will change any time soon.

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Everybody could shoot

It'll change once you get enough transplanted Kaliphornes arrive there. Just like so much has changed in Colorado. I wanted to retire to CO but after visiting there and seeing all the kaliphornias there I changed my mind. Wyoming?? I'll move there most any day, but not until the chief of staff gives up the ghost.

I've only been here 11 years, but I've seen open carry twice outside of the range. The first time a young guy (20s) walks into a suburban McDonalds with a Kimber on his hip. He orders from a teen girl who is visibly frightened. After he received his food, another customer asks him why he is openly carrying a gun? He looks perplexed as he says, "everyone does where I live." Turns out he was from a small town in a rural part of the state. That was about 3 yrs ago.

The second time was just this morning as I stopped for gas. Another customer was putting oil in his truck and I noticed an M&P in a kydex holster openly on his hip; no spares. He was probably in his 60s. His truck was a nicely restored GMC and I expressed my appreciation. He gave me a "thumbs up" as he and his wife drove away.

In general, western Washington is way too 'liberal' to socially condone open carry, but it it has been legal for a long time. Personally, I prefer CCW to preserve the element of surprise. However, if I worked in a public retail establishment favored by thieves, I would open carry in the hope of preventing a confrontation.

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Gun Control: POA=POI

I manage to tick off everyone on both sides on this issue .

Statement #1 - The Advantages of Open Carry that the advocates purport are either trivial . or not usually advantages .

Statement #2 - Likewise the horror over the concept is likewise trivial or overblown .

A little sense , plenty of situiational awareness , and most of the time OC is * Viable * .

Ironically , I'll conceal full sized , but more compact usually for OC

Not really a legal option where I literally live , but in the surrounding jurisdictions that I frequent it is . Common ? That's relative , but OC'ers spotted in the wild are much greater than zero . In one neighboring jurisdiction has gone back & forth & back on reciprocity , so at times only OC being legal for me . And as an experement one summer when most weekends when I was visiting a sick friend two states away , I OC'ed the whole time .

Wear your normal clothes , use a holster that's reasonably close to the body , at normal belt level , behave normally , and it usually just goes unnoticed .

Mark Brewer, not sure where you are in KY, but I see it occasionally, and do it myself if I'm in the notion, usually after mowing the lawn, or doing something outside. As Bigfoot said, if you don't make a big deal out of it, most people don't even notice.

Saw a lot of it at the protests on both sides, guess what, nobody got shot (except for one of the outside gangs, shot 1 or 2 of their own, no loss there, ND's with a shotgun tends to do that).

I'm surprised at the number of Fudds in this thread horrified that anyone but LEO would carry openly. That's part of the reason gun control advocates have been successful, is by finding a Fudd or two to approve some of their BS. We need to stand together or we will surely hang separately.

Statistically, an LEO is more likely to commit a crime than someone with a CCW. I wonder if they are more likely to have a ND? Haven't seen those stats.

Rosewood

Don't know where the ND subject came from , but I'll take a stab :

All depends upon the dept protocols , policies, and general orders .

Do their practices require routinely unloading / reloading the pistols ?

Administrative loading / unloading is a significant occasion of " actually accidental " ND's . From sheer numbers , the more load/ unload cycles , the more ND .

Administrators / policymakers frequently have the intuitive concept that unloaded guns are safe , but continously hot is actually less likely to AD .

I’m guessing your source, if you have one other than the local coffee shop, is the one debunked by the study below . . .

MYTH: Concealed handgun permit holders commit virtually no crimes - GVPedia

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Illegal in FL, trying to change that.





GOA held a press meeting with Rep. Sabatini this past Monday.

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GOA FL Dir. & Nat. Spokesman

That article debunks John Lott’s methods and study more then the myth. It, the article, does state that the CCW holder population, since they pass a BG C, are a more law abiding sub-population and, therefore, are less likely to act criminally. The article does point out that to preform a proper analysis you would need a “control group” of people who could pass a BGC but don’t hold a CCW in order to compare the two sub-groups law of abiding CCW holders and law abiding non-CCW holders.
Not sure if that article busted a myth since there was insufficient data.

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"Your other right........."

I carry 1911 .45 acp OWB everyday, all day, everywhere.
Home Depot , Feed Store, hardware store. Grocery store, bank and church request you be concealed. So I wear a sport coat in Church and just pull my shirt tail over it in Bank and Grocery.
You see about 15% of people around here Open carry. Then there are probably 60 % concealed.

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V/r,
Markham

The problem is that once a CCW holder commits a crime, he is generally no longer a member of the CCW holder population, thus increasing the law abiding percentage. I’ll liken it to the myth that the NFL is the “National Felons League.” It is not. Generally, when they commit a crime, they’re out. Michael Vick stands out as one of a very finite number of NFL players who was able to continue playing after committing a crime.


One in three Americans has a criminal arrest record, and I’m sure that percentage holds true amongst forum membership . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

The purported debunking, didn't really debunk .

Lott compared Firearms related crimes , which conceivably have a relationship with having a carry permit .

The debunkers cited all felonies and misdemeanors , most of which had no connection to guns or violence , or even if they were armed at the time.

Having a carry permit or not has nothing to do with DWI , income taxes , child support , insider trading , whatever .

This was the question asked and answered:

Peace out

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

[QUOTE=mrstang01;141242519

I'm surprised at the number of Fudds in this thread horrified that anyone but LEO would carry openly. That's part of the reason gun control advocates have been successful, is by finding a Fudd or two to approve some of their BS. We need to stand together or we will surely hang separately.[/QUOTE]

A bunch of likes!!!!!!!!!!! Larry

Legal here but I can't remember the last time I saw somebody doing it . Concealed only for me .

Open carry doesn't seem to deter all those folks who attack cops every day. It certainly didn't deter the guy who tried to take my gun or the guy who came after me with an ax or the guys who tried to rob me.

It's been my experience that open carry only deters people who weren't committed in the first place

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Retired Career Security Guard

the article used a study by New York Times as a source. that immediately gave the article little credibility with me.

Consider moving.

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I've still got it made.

Funny, my first thoughts when I read that exactly............

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

One of the problems with these studies is Cornfield, Missouri, Moo Cow, Montana and Longhorn, Texas, relate to Bumper, Michigan and Lolly Pop, California how? In fact how does Cali, New Jersey and NYC even get a chance to effect the statistics they have virtually no legal carriers. Comparing Leos to the general populous in any manner is another ridiculous pursuit. Way different scrutiny, job related issues etc.
Plus, it has nothing to do with how often you see open carry in an area. I do find it interesting that guys here in Montana are reporting seeing more open carry in the bigger cities than here in small town, but then they see way more people regularly than I do here, so, like a lot of these studies any conclusion may well be flawed.

Never see it where I live although it's legal.

Might as well go mask less and wear a sign that says I have Covid.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Here in Florida open carry, even without a license, is permitted when on your own property, place of business, camping, fishing, at the range, or on your way to or from those activities.

I, myself, carry OWB concealed under a tee shirt or untucked button down when a tee shirt isn’t appropriate dress which isn’t very often, or IWB or pocket carry when I need extra deep concealment.

I’ve got no problem with open carry and wish unrestricted open carry would be enacted here in Florida, but I never do tuck in my shirts anyway.

The bill language is pretty clear; permits are required for open carry. Texas Law Shield concurs and has issued communications specifically about this.

Agreed it seems odd. Too, this pertains to handguns, not to "long guns." It has been legal to carry a rifle or a shotgun openly in Texas for about as long as anyone knows.

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Ordnung muss sein
SWHF #789

OC has been legal here in NC as long as most can remember.

And - thanks to the 'diversity' of the population across the state, open carrying in public can elicit anything from a yawn to a frantic 911 call - ALL depending on the portion of the state.

In my area, OC is most often seen on a visit to Walmart. Count on the firearm to be a poly pistol, usually in an Uncle Mike's Chineez holster.

I never OC in public. Only in the woods or on my property where I have a range.

After years of LE plainclothes OC with a badge on the belt, it regularly seemed to make me a 'nut magnet' and get engaged in conversations I'd just as soon not have with folks I'd just as soon not deal with.

Since I'm no longer compensated for that - nope, not happening.
If that makes me sound curmudgeonly, apologies.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

My thoughts are that open carry laws came about to protect the CC owner against the "Karens" who would make a scene if someone accidently exposed their CC, thereby subjecting them to a brandishing charge. Like stated above, I've actually seen very few actual open carries here in Texas.

I find it interesting that you're not addressing the fact that I rebutted your assertion that open carry is a deterrent.

I mean, it is a deterrent right up until the time it isn't .

I'm not a cop I was a security guard and the reason I make that distinction is because I I'm not required to go out looking for bad guys. If I run into one it's like everybody else I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I am absolutely positive that there were three times that somebody was setting me up for a gun grab. All three times it was an impulsive act on the part of the other person and all three times it was a random encounter. Like I said, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You may really walk past the wrong person in Walmart and have them just reach out and try to take your gun and you had better be prepared for that.

As I said before, the guy who is willing to go after a cop or willing to go after me isn't going to think twice about going after the average open carrier.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Being 70 years old I have a problem with people panicking because I open carry. I've lived in a lot of states but OC was always legal and people did it because CC wasn't legal. But then again most people never thought twice about OC or CC.

According to the Texas State Law Library website: Carry of Firearms - Gun Laws - Guides at Texas State Law Library
The only requirement is that the handgun be carried in a holster.

I may be missing something, but I see no prohibition of an otherwise legal gun owner being required to conceal after Sept. 1st.

Texas's new law and open carry might be like a lot of laws. Open to interpretation. Problem is until the state attorney General of the state High court makes a ruling YOU might have to pay for an attorney to determine the interpretation. I would want something other than I can't find anything or my belief of what it means.

To me THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED covers Texas, California, NYC, open and concealed carry of a machine gun. I just can't afford enough lawyers to prove it.

A few years back, when a partner and I were teaching our state's CC course, the topic of OC would often come up for questions and discussion among the students/attendees. Given enough time, I encouraged the discussions, as it's ground many had not covered before.

I always posed one question that I believed may have settled many minds about OC in public......

- "How many here have, or plan to spend time with a trained Defensive Tactics Instructor to learn weapon retention?"
This means dedicated time on the mats, with a blue gun, getting battered and bruised and perhaps embarrassed to a degree in order to learn how to not lose your weapon to an attacker.

Coming from a well-trained LE agency, I've had that training. It's not fun.
Not many people seemed nearly as interested in OC upon close examination of all the possibilities.
Guess it was 'food for thought' and ultimately the decision is theirs, which I'm thankful for.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Here in SC, OC has only been legal (with a CCP) for two weeks, certainly too recent for me to note anyone with OC. Me, I carry concealed as well as possible, esp in our hot and humid summers, since about all I can tolerate is a thin T shirt untucked. In what passes for our winter, and in church, I do wear a vest or a sport jacket. For most of the year, I am in lightweight shorts which don't have loops that work with a proper gun belt, and any wt on their flimsy belt tends to pull my shorts down. Mostly I was glad for our OC law so if I inadvertently "show" a handgun I won't loose my CCP if someone calls the police on me.

I have no reason to venture where the odds of an assault are more likely, of course, realizing that an assault can happen anywhere.

I wonder if some folks who OC out of some need to feel "military" or the like do so because they never had or chose to "carrY in a military service. Me, I wore a .45 in an issue holster in two wars and often in-between, so I just don't feel any subconscious desire to have a firearm on my hip.

I don't have an opinion of whether OC makes an assault more or less likely to happen. While my wife is fine with my CC, she has no interest in firearms, and would likely prefer I not OC.

Now for more coffee and some toast and fried eggs, and I am off to a state range to continue to zero my newest AR and my just bought Winchester 70.

Like I said, I carry when I can because I want to, not because I need to feel like a cowboy. Been there, done that.

NAM VET
[IMG][/IMG]

Southeastern Pennsylvania here. I believe open-carry is legal statewide, but, at age 71, I've only seen ONE individual open-carry (uniformed law-enforcement excepted); a cyclist riding at night I encountered while on a dog walk. We exchanged a few pleasantries and went our separate ways. Me, I carry concealed (have permit). I don't need any attention and have nothing to prove.

Where I live (northern OK) it is legal but not often seen. I saw it once in Enid and once a few months back in Ponca City.

The only time I OC is when I am dinging around on my farm.

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Let's be careful out there

Bro. Dave: In retrospect I think you're correct. Not sure if I had a previous version of the bill on my brain or what. I am awaiting the "latest" version of interpretation from Texas Law Shield and will let you know if they say anything contrary to the Texas Law Library.

I did reread the actual bill yesterday and it is confusing to say the least - for me anyway. What is plain, however, are the long lists of the myriad of places and situations where Constitutional carry is still prohibited and where permitted carry is allowed. It would not take much effort to wander from legal Constitutional carry to illegal Constitutional carry.

I certainly plan to maintain my license and don't know anyone, who has a license to carry, who is planning to let it lapse in favor of permitless carry. The actual bill refers to permitted carry, license to carry, and permitless carry and not once to Constitutional carry - interesting.

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Ordnung muss sein
SWHF #789

TXBryan I looked at the legislation as well and would have much better luck with Swahili. You can count me in on not giving up my permit since I desire reciprocity and ease of purchase. I know Central Texas covers a lot of ground, but if you ever get over towards Stephenville let me know and we can go make a burnt offering of gunpowder together.

Very common as a kid in Northern NM, ranchers, cowboys, local kids, no one seemed to care. Now that we have a major influx of Californians and similar ilk whenever someone is open carrying the PD is flooded with panicked calls, which they respond to even with an eye roll!

I’m not against open carry (OC), I’m not someone who tells others what to do, but OC makes me uncomfortable. Where I live it’s unusual to see people doing this, I prefer to be the Gray Man & believe it surrenders the element of surprise.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I see open carry once in a while including Walmart. Most recent was last week in Academy Sports while looking over their sparse ammo selections.

Last year I went to the post office to mail a package. I had to wait in a small line where the post office mail boxes are located because they will only let one in at a time. I wasn't there maybe five minutes in comes a guy in jeans and white tee shirt open carrying right hip and pass by us going into the post office. I asked as he went in you're jumping ahead of us. He didn't say anyting.
I don't know what the postal employee said to the man but he bolted out of there and apologized for jumping ahead of us as he passed by. He left and didn't come back.

A few that I've meet open carry and started a conversation with him are some of the nicest people to chat with!

However, I've yet to see a woman open carrying. I guess her gun color don't match her outfit!

Here, in Ohio, I am allowed to do both at the same time.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Careful with your aim there, Rusty!

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I've still got it made.

Surprise of what?

We haven't had a violent crime in my part of the county in years. Y'all sound like you live in a war zone.

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I've still got it made.