The 2d Amendment to the US Constitution does NOT qualify. Open carry or concealed carry should not be regulated. Additionally, since the US Constitution is the "law of the land", there should be no ban on universal carry by any state in the union.

You are wrong. Federal courts and SCOTUS have stated in case law that the government can regulate firearms, so the regulation of firearms is constitutional. Federal courts (not sure about SCOTUS I have to read Bruin again) have stated that either concealed carry has to be allowed outside of the home and/or open carry, but banning both is unconstitutional.

The U.S. constitution gives the Federal courts and ultimately SCOTUS the power to rule on merits of what's constitutional and what's not. You can't have it both ways. Claim to be pro-Constitution and then also be against the Combat.

Gun owners will continue to lose every right they have due to eating their own.
This thread is a perfect example.

If you don't like open carry, that is spectacular just don't do it, then shut up and move along as you will not change anyone's mind with your science fiction horror stories.

Articles have been written about criminals being caught (waffle house in GA about a decade ago, comes to mind) where they waited to rob a business due to open carriers inside, after the ocer left the cops caught the criminal as they were entering. Not to mention the articles NOT written because the criminal left and nobody knew, but hey those all must be lies because the experts here say it NEVER happens.

I have to exit this train wreck before I say what I really think and get banned.

Pretty simple isn’t it? But another of these well worn out threads will pop up in the near future.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

I have my leather all coordinated according to what the style influencers say. Your belt and shoes should match. Of course there are many who scorn this rule which is neither here nor there, but I want people here to know that this helps.

I am in NC and open carry has always been legal here. It does make an important difference for me to be clean, fit, and well groomed and properly tailored in my appearance. I should look "put together" as they say. I am not talking about our God-given 2A rights; I am talking about being a credit to my community and my family and looking the part.

Even our 2A community members who disapprove of OC will think of you as a different category when your shirt is clean and pressed and tucked in and your shoes, your spare mag pouch, and your holster are all matching in color and style. At least they will be less hostile about it. You look deliberate responsible and capable.

Of course it is purely a hot weather issue for me. By September it is time to throw a sport coat on anyway.

What do you think. Am I on the wrong track?

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696-6906-457-38-3913-CS40-411

If there's anything that makes gun owners in general look bad about open carry it's this, every Walmart that I go to has a sign out in front asking people to refrain from openly carrying a firearm in the store.

When I see open carriers walk right past that sign and disregard the clear preference of the property owner that makes us all look bad.

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Retired Career Security Guard

As long as you don't wear a white holster after labor day

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Retired Career Security Guard

And never wear brown when in town.

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GOA FL Dir. & Nat. Spokesman

I think that an open discussion on this subject pro and con is very healthy.
Getting different opinions/examples (videos) for or against gives readers an opportunity to give thought too how they carry and may enlighten some, if they OC, as to what could go wrong and if they OC might do differently to carry safely.
The posts brings to light the importance of properly securing your firearm and the need to have a plan if someone does try to get your gun.

I have been in a high end mall with “No Gun” signs and “Gun sniffing dogs” patrolling the hallways to see a armored car guard standing, as he waited for his food order, involved in reading/texting on his cell phone totally oblivious to what was going on around him with people walking close by carrying his gun (exposed too everyone) in a level One nylon holster.
I did report this as a concern to the Security office and mentioned that this was not the first time a guard has carried a gun in this way.

Thanks everyone for your input! JMO

To me open carrying in public is tantamount to having a large sign reading “shoot me first”. I’ll pass thank you. I do OC on my farm or while hunting, but not in other scenarios (and I’ve carried legally for the better part of 4 decades now). When I worked as a firefighter I did not routinely wear the uniform off duty either for the same reason-thought being a thug is likely to attack before reading the badge or patch. I’ve seen a few open carry folks (and it is legal here) but I much prefer they grey man approach. Why would you choose to deliberately draw hostile attention to yourself? (Not just the bad guys, but the soccer moms, Karen’s, and other folks who associate a firearm with criminal intent/thought? ). YMMV.

Agree 100%. Carry your gun how you want and respect what others choose

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Is that a gun No a lifesaver

I'm not an open carry guy myself, however... A wise man changed my mind on the subject of the laws.

He pointed out that, there are many places where a lawful concealed carrier can run afoul of the law, and be arrested, should his concealed firearm become inadvertently visible. Some states allow for a momentary exposure, as in one's cover garment is raised while reaching for something in a store, or the wind blows one jacket up. But others make no such allowance.

Legalized open carry protects concealed carriers from arrest if their t-shirt rides up over their holster.

I had never thought about it that way. It changed my mind.

I believe also that it is location dependent. But there is an element of “use it or loose it” at play here. Why do so many people “freak out” by someone exercising a perfectly normal Constitutional right? Part of open carry is to expose the public to the idea that this is a legal ordinary right. And to educate LEOs on the fact that their job is to investigate to see if a law is being broken or a threat to public safety exists ; not to intervene and prevent the right from being exercised. A constitutional right should not be infringed because of the public’s irrational reaction or disdain for that right.

I agree that many young or inexperienced citizens open carry to show off or to provoke a reaction. I don’t generally open carry but there are times/places that I would.

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otis

I prefer to avoid trouble - minding my own business while not doing anything at all as a statement works for me. I'm not sure how many bar fights I've had to respond to over the wrong team hat, the wrong t-shirt slogan, etc., but I need no such trouble in my life.

Out where I live in the mountains of West Virginia, guns aren't just part of the home decor but a fashion accessory as well.

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Keep on Chooglin'

That’s XXL Hawaiian shirts.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Or pink and blue hair.

The problem here is that there is no “wrong hat or slogan “. The problem is that society and the judicial system has chosen to go lightly on or excuse those who start a fight over a hat or slogan and to vilify the person wearing the hat! It is one of the reasons why the RKBA is so crucial; so that no man should be attacked or imposed upon for a hat or a slogan. I personally prefer having the element of surprise. I feel that it gives me an advantage over any would-be threat. But to each his own.

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otis

I get the positions taken in favor of O/C. They are not "wrong", but generally have no appeal to me. I want to be unknown and gray as much as possible. I rarely dress like a lawyer. I don't have my work ID visible as it is a target tag.

In LE, I had to deal with snowflakes who had a wild emotional response to people O/C while at the grocery store. I could tell from the area code in the call data that this was going to be a western WA snowflake. He did not respond well to being told we were not going to make contact as that would be a civil rights violation. All that O/Carrier did was draw attention and make us a serious enemy. We already have too many enemies.

I also had a recent learning point at work. I have had a bunch of public records requests about alleged violations of a form of protective order. Based on my experience and education, I think they are not only BS, but that the conduct is protected speech. The respondents (defendants) are not only restrained by the order, but had to get rid of all of their guns. I looked at the petition for order and think it is weak, but during some of the arguments (neighbors and former friends) respondent was O/C. That may have been the tipping point. It is vital that one never give ammo to those who hates us. We have had laws enacted here about open carry at demonstrations because of the unwise folks who carried pistols and slung rifles.

I just saw a vid on the "Washington Gun Law" channel about an appellate argument in ... Maryland I think, that claims that the 2nd amendment must yield to the 1st because speech might be intimidated by the armed. Putting aside the intellectual weakness of the position and its reliance on "feelings", we cannot have that position take hold. WLG is run by an attorney who generally seems pretty sharp to me, and he does not restrict his vids to WA. Anyone who has an interest in legal aspects of firearms ownership and use (which should be every person who owns a gun and certain every member of this an other fora) should be aware of and watching his vids.

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NHI, 10-8.

With open carry you are denied that look of total surprise should the time come

Not to hijack this thread, but if I had my way it would still be that way, only free.

You've missed the point. People are often irrational and unpredictable, and it takes little to start trouble that ends poorly. Open carry where it's neither normal nor expected draws attention, much of which will be negative, some of which may escalate into utterly unnecessary acrimony.

If I can walk into a grocery store and do business while attracting no attention whatsoever, my life is good.

Speaking of parents, back in the 1960's I learned not to leave my military records on the kitchen table in between duty stations.

What’s even more stupidly dangerous are people that carry their gun in a slick nylon holster with NO retaining strap.
And that applies to both inside / outside the belt carry.

Cowpies! Hard core criminals get elected to office.
Seriously, don't believe everything you hear. Prisons are not finishing schools for criminals, skinners don't have a harder time than other I/Ms, or not much, and Bubba in the cell with you isn't a frequent occurrence.

Obviously, you've never seen the prison yard surveillance videos of prisoners holding disarming/sidearm snatch classes.

OK, maybe they could have been dance classes

I agree with the above, be invisible. I open carry a 44 mag at my mountain home where I won’t see another person for days.
At my home in the city I carry concealed.

There are always exceptions but some people like the attention.
It’s possible that the person who is offended by your open carry is covered head to toe in ink, blue hair and 2 lbs of metal piercings.
Both are seeking attention in their own way.

There is no profit in trouble.

Go about your life and let others do the same.

Read all 79 posts. How interesting. Closed.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220