Just another day.

[rdf37]

I was in Richmond Indiana yesterday at Best Buy. I was concealing but as me and my family were in line at the cell phones, I noticed a young man open carrying. I said nothing to him although I wanted to thank him. Then I wanted to lift my shirt up and open carry also but I didn't. Instead I just watched peoples reaction as he walked around. What was wonderfully awesome to me was that everyone I saw showed little to no reaction. It would be great if all days were as such, and people would just go about there day like it is just another day. I gotta say, that I felt a little safer knowing another gun was there besides mine in case the need arose. Cudos to him and his family and all that were in Best Buy yesterday.

rdf37

 

[hotrod150]

I guess open carry is viewed as a political statement? That's great, but IMHO (esp in an urban or at least non-rural area) open carry may give some people the idea that you are "looking for trouble". I know a guy who got a cop sicced on him by an oldder woman who got nervous when she spied his open-carried pistol.
Also IMHO, openly carrying is a poor tactical choice. It makes it pretty easy for someone so inclined to ease up on you and suddenly snatch your gun and/or prevent your access to it. To me, the beauty of legal concealed carry is that the baddies don't know who's carrying (or how) and who isn't.

 

[kaaskop49]

No, cudos to YOU for carrying concealed. This is a contentious issue, I know. Nevada is an 'open carry' state, no license needed to do so. Yet I can see a potential tragedy unfolding with some unknowing person dialing 911 that 'there is a man with a gun in the xxx store at yyy.' Police will respond in a heightened manner, understandably. It's that 'gun' word.

I've often believed, perhaps incorrectly, that this carry mode applies more appropriately to unpopulated areas, like the desert which is 99% of the state. As I posted elsewhere, there are many folks who are very hostile to firearms and firearms enthusiasts, more than you might think. I see no reason to incur needless hostility, or risk the potential above confrontation. Just because I can do so...

 

[Capt.Jim]

I am always 50/50 split on this issue...

While I see the both sides point on this here it goes;

Most opponents of OC says why bother, some scared person will call the police saying "there's a man with a gun at xxx......."
Yeah it may be true but how long these proud gun owners or 2A believers going to hide in the shadows...???

In one hand I say let everybody OC where it is legal to do so, let police get thousands of calls, let them fed up with these calls and after a while police will begin to answer those calls as;

- Ma'am, what is the person with the gun doing? Is the gun on his waistband or in his hands?

Let the police tell those frightened people with the sight of a gun " Ma'am it is legal in our state, there is no need for you to be scared of those law-abiding citizens"...

Because if you hide in the shadows like if you were doing something shameful all you're doing is NOT educating the people or NOT helping the GUNS become a common sight of our daily lives...

Show people that you're not carrying Locknest Monster attached to your hip...
Let them experience that during their mall day they came across 3-4 gun wearing guys and girls but nothing bad happened.
If these incidents repeat again and again soon or later those who freak out today will begin to accept the idea is not a danger to their lives.

People want all the rights and acceptance without fighting for it a little bit...
People risked their lives and some died for us to have those rights..
If you don't exercise them just because there may be a little discomfort for you..... Well, you get my point!

I never understood why an OC will cause a BG to jump and grab your gun.
Does the BG know that there will be nobody else in the area who may be carrying concealed to stop him?
Does every LEO loose their gun to a BG?

In a mall any given minute if you look at a crowd and see 2-3 OC, do you think a BG will think that will be a good place to wrestle with someone for his gun?

Which BG would like to commit a crime but couldn't afford a gun goes out to look to find a OC person to steal his gun to rob him or a nearby 7/11 ?

Lot of questions to think about...

 

[kaaskop49]

Hi Capt. Jim! Please check my post of today (#30 I believe) on the 'Nugent arrest' thread in CONCEALED CARRY. Many thanks.

 

[shouldazagged]

This subject has been done to death in other threads; but once more I'll say that speaking just for me, the lower a profile I can maintain the happier I am. I pray I never have to draw my gun in self defense. But I'm old and half-crippled and slow. If I do have to draw I want as much of the element of surprise as I can get.

And once more: open carry has been legal in Kentucky far longer than concealed carry has, but I live in a large city. Other than LEO's and people working, hunting or fishing on their own land, the great majority of people I see open carrying around here are immature idiots trying to impress lesser mortals in Wal-Mart with how bad they are. I fail to see how these people are advancing my treasured Second Amendment rights or educating the doubtful. Quite the contrary. They're giving people suspicious of gun owners the impression that we are all that kind of swaggering oafs.

Maybe it's different where you live, but Kentucky was recently rated the fifth most gun-friendly state in the country and I'd like to see it stay that way. The borderline anti-gun folks vote, and there are more of them in the cities than in rural areas where open carry might not be such a surprise. I won't be a party to converting them to full-blown gun hatred based on fear.

 

[Capt.Jim]

So OC people you see around are mostly immature idiots or swaggering oafs?

Wow, I guess anti-gun community scared you so much that as a proud concealed carry person and a defender of the 2A, you're finding it normal to call names for the other people on your side of the gun issue...

Open Carry? Oh my God, we might scare people, let's not do it...

Gun at homes? Oh my God, we might scare our neighbors, let's not do it!

Concealed Carry? Oh my God, we might piss off the anti 2A people let's not do it!

What else you propose we shouldn't do in order not to piss off the other people and keep a low profile?

I am sorry but this, "let's not be heard", "let's keep a low profile, so probably they will leave us alone" mentality causing anti-people to chip away every part of our liberties and rights piece by piece on a daily basis...

Remember those good old days where young boys (and even girls) owned cap guns? We all played cowboys and indians or cops and robbers in our neighborhoods running around shouting bang, bang!

Now, 5 yr old little John is getting suspended from school and becoming a national news because he bit his Pop-Tart in a way that the remaining part resembled a handgun?

On top of it all of his preschool classmates offered therapy to ease the shock they just exposed of because of his unthoughtful action...

Keep your low profile, keep quiet, don't ever let anybody know you own a gun, even if it comes at a conversation with your neighbors or co-workers act like you hate guns and gun owners..
If someone exposed as a gun owner on the streets because of his or her OC, call them idiots or swaggering oafs.

Hopefully that will please anti-gun community and they won't touch your rights and who knows, those thoughtful anti-gun people may be even expand your rights as a gun owner...

If you keep that mentality, I bet it won't take that long before you kiss your beloved 2A goodbye!

 

[DigiRebel]

The reason I am in favor of OC is because the more people see guns, the less they will notice them, the less they will be scared of them.

From a tactical viewpoint sure concealed lets you get the drop on someone... Of course, seeing an open carry or two is a deterrent for most people up to no good too.

Both CC and OC have their places, their uses, advantages and disadvantages. It seems foolhardy to me to rule one or the other out, or to say, this kind of carry is the only one worth considering.

 

[rdf37]

As an open carrier at times (I do mostly carry concealed). I believe it is my right to do so. I do not do it to make a political statement, nor do I do it to make a stand!!! I do it because there are times when for me it is a hassle to conceal or it is just plain to hot or some other reasons to. That is what is great about the 2nd A, It is not based on opinion of others...It is based on mine, and all Americans' right to bare arms. I am glad I live in a country where I can carry my defense openly. Am I suprised when I meet oppisition? No I am not, however I will continue to carry open and concealed at MY choice without wavering because of opinion. What about the men or women who have not got their license to conceal yet? Should they not carry because of public opinion? I think they have as much right to carry openly as we have the right to conceal!!! How quickly we want to act like we know someones motive for open carry!!!

Just my opinion

rdf37

 

[Protected One]

I was in Richmond Indiana yesterday at Best Buy. I was concealing but as me and my family were in line at the cell phones, I noticed a young man open carrying. I said nothing to him although I wanted to thank him. Then I wanted to lift my shirt up and open carry also but I didn't. Instead I just watched peoples reaction as he walked around. What was wonderfully awesome to me was that everyone I saw showed little to no reaction. It would be great if all days were as such, and people would just go about there day like it is just another day. I gotta say, that I felt a little safer knowing another gun was there besides mine in case the need arose. Cudos to him and his family and all that were in Best Buy yesterday.

rdf37

I was in line at Home Depot next to a guy open carrying - in Detroit, of all places. Nobody seemed to make special notice of it, which kind of surprised me. I remember thinking "good for him".

Personaly, I don't think I would do it unless I was in a remote area or hiking or something (where concealment offered no advantage).

 

[Old cop]

I saw a guy at Cracker Barrel OC a couple of days ago and no one seemed to take much notice, even though it is not something you see much where I live.

 

[Capt.Jim]

I saw a guy at Cracker Barrel OC a couple of days ago and no one seemed to take much notice, even though it is not something you see much where I live.

I was in line at Home Depot next to a guy open carrying - in Detroit, of all places. Nobody seemed to make special notice of it, which kind of surprised me.

The reason I am in favor of OC is because the more people see guns, the less they will notice them, the less they will be scared of them.

Thanks to all of you for making my point to those who are stubbornly think to showing a gun to public via OC is a bad, bad thing...

When it was a new thing people looked at girls in bikinis, mini skirts, guys with long hairs, earrings...
What happened? Did they disappeared?
No, people became accustomed to see them around and nowadays nobody cares...

There is only one way to accomplish the same...
There is only one way to gain public trust for guns carried by the law abiding citizens.

Show them!
Show them at a Starbucks, Home Depot, Cracker Barrel, Staples, Wal-Mart, etc....

Let them experience people with guns around on a daily basis and still life goes on as usual without anything bad is happening.

Soon or later, they will realize "more guns = more bad things" theory is not true.

Again, I don't mean just for this purpose you should OC all the time.
Of course not...

But even when it is convenient and legal if you're still not doing it because you are too scared of upsetting some anti-gun people or you may be looked down by some, then just accept that you're not helping the cause...

and at least, STOP being demeaning to those people who chose to use their constitutional right and OC (full time or whenever it is convenient for them to do so).

Honestly?
I salute them!

 

[Kanewpadle]

I don't know how many times this has to be hashed out.

Open carry is simply a statement which say's "LOOK AT ME!!"

Nothing more. It does NOTHING to help our 2A rights.

Anti gun folks need to be educated. But they don't need it shoved in their face! They need to know that guns are not evil and are completely safe in the right hands. They need to know that there is a legitimate need and use for guns.

If open carry were such a good thing, you would find more of doing it and more of us supporting it. But that hasn't happened now has it?!

 

[Protected One]

I don't know how many times this has to be hashed out.

Open carry is simply a statement which say's "LOOK AT ME!!"

Nothing more. It does NOTHING to help our 2A rights.

Anti gun folks need to be educated. But they don't need it shoved in their face! They need to know that guns are not evil and are completely safe in the right hands. They need to know that there is a legitimate need and use for guns.

If open carry were such a good thing, you would find more of doing it and more of us supporting it. But that hasn't happened now has it?!

I see Captain Jims point and yours as well. In a way, I think that Capt.Jim could say his idea IS the best education the public could get on the myth that open carry is synonymous with trouble. Last year in Royal Oak Michigan a LARGE group of people (100+) open carried at their annual Arts, Beats and Eats street fair. Their purpose was to demonstrate that it could be done - incident free...and they pulled it off! Still, I don't see myself doing it unless I'm camping, hiking in a remote area, or some other situation that takes me away from populated areas. I'm glad we have the "right", but not interested in the unnecessary attention it COULD bring.

BTW. The governor was planning to sign into law a bill that would have reduced the number of places that it's now illegal to carry concealed, but the Connecticut incident ruined that.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I see Captain Jims point and yours as well. In a way, I think that Capt.Jim could say his idea IS the best education the public could get on the myth that open carry is synonymous with trouble. Last year in Royal Oak Michigan a LARGE group of people (100+) open carried at their annual Arts, Beats and Eats street fair. Their purpose was to demonstrate that it could be done - incident free...and they pulled it off! Still, I don't see myself doing it unless I'm camping, hiking in a remote area, or some other situation that takes me away from populated areas. I'm glad we have the "right", but not interested in the unnecessary attention it COULD bring.

BTW. The governor was planning to sign into law a bill that would have reduced the number of places that it's now illegal to carry concealed, but the Connecticut incident ruined that.

I see your point. But at least here locally the OC movement has stalled. The last "march" they did on the capital was a failure. Much less than 800 showed out of approximately 250,000 licensed concealed carriers not to mention those that own guns but don't carry.

I understand that in some states OC is legal. But I will never be convinced that it is the right thing to do. I've weighed the pros and cons and OC is not only no good for me but most others too.

I also understand that OC is a regional thing. In some places it's more acceptable. Some not. But the movement has stagnated in some areas because the "cause" has simply been to educate the public. THE PUBLIC DOESN'T WANT BE TO EDUCATED IN THIS FASHION.

If you do something merely because it's your right but with no other cause or reason what do you have? Not much.

The OC movement suffers from a lack of leadership, organization, and a meaningful purpose.

 

[DigiRebel]

When it was a new thing people looked at girls in bikinis, mini skirts,...

Maybe not you... but I still look at these... every chance I get... New or not... LOL

But I will never be convinced that it is the right thing to do. I've weighed the pros and cons and OC is not only no good for me but most others too.

I am 100% behind you on your choice to not OC. I am 100% opposed to your decision that no one else should. Its a personal choice. Saying the ONLY reason people do it is to make a statement or to scare people is pretty narrow minded. Speaking in absolutes is the surest way to be wrong.

I won't deny there are SOME who OC to make a point. But there are plenty of others who OC for a whole variety of reasons don't involve politics.

More importantly though who are you to decide how anyone else chooses to exercise their 2nd Amendment protected right? You have good, valid reasons, but individual rights, belong to individuals. You have no more right to declare OC or CC for someone else than I do to determine your magazine size.

THE PUBLIC DOESN'T WANT BE TO EDUCATED IN THIS FASHION.

Is it worth noting that many of these same "public" DON'T WANT you to even OWN a gun, let alone carry one CC or OC?

If you do something merely because it's your right but with no other cause or reason what do you have? Not much

I can see where you're headed with this... and I kinda agree. But I suspect that the reason people OC in MOST cases is the same that you CC. The gun doesn't care if its outside or inside your pants. It doesn't function any differently. You trade tactical advantage (surprise) for visible deterrence.

As I said, both have their place.

Just as a curiousity, if CC is so superior why do police OC? (I'm not asking to be smart, there are actual valid reasons that police OC, and I don't see why most of them wouldn't apply to anyone carrying to personal protection.)

 

[AZretired]

I have no objection to OC but I do see that it can be a potential problem.
Example: Your in a store OCing and someone calls the local PD and says there's a man with a gun in the store. As said above the police could respond in a heightened state of alert and cause problem OR they might not respond at all because the Dispatcher might ask a few simple questions, such as "Is he doing anything wrong?" etc. I can remember when my department would get those calls. Different reactions by different officers. Same issue on traffic stops. Some cops take your gun, empty it , run it and others just say "have a nice day" The more people that OC the better, we need to change the way we all think.

 

[Capt.Jim]

Maybe not you... but I still look at these... every chance I get... New or not... LOL



I am 100% behind you on your choice to not OC. I am 100% opposed to your decision that no one else should. Its a personal choice. Saying the ONLY reason people do it is to make a statement or to scare people is pretty narrow minded. Speaking in absolutes is the surest way to be wrong.

I won't deny there are SOME who OC to make a point. But there are plenty of others who OC for a whole variety of reasons don't involve politics.

More importantly though who are you to decide how anyone else chooses to exercise their 2nd Amendment protected right? You have good, valid reasons, but individual rights, belong to individuals. You have no more right to declare OC or CC for someone else than I do to determine your magazine size.



Is it worth noting that many of these same "public" DON'T WANT you to even OWN a gun, let alone carry one CC or OC?



I can see where you're headed with this... and I kinda agree. But I suspect that the reason people OC in MOST cases is the same that you CC. The gun doesn't care if its outside or inside your pants. It doesn't function any differently. You trade tactical advantage (surprise) for visible deterrence.

As I said, both have their place.

Just as a curiousity, if CC is so superior why do police OC? (I'm not asking to be smart, there are actual valid reasons that police OC, and I don't see why most of them wouldn't apply to anyone carrying to personal protection.)

Thank you!
You saved me a lot of typing... I can't say any better myself!
My God, I am tired of repeating myself to the people here who believe their way is the only way!

This October I will be traveling with my wife in our RV.
I will CC while we're driving through CA but when we enter NV I can't.
NV doesn't recognize CA CCW. But lucky for me OC is legal in NV!
So while in NV I have two choice... Put my gun away in a locked container or OC....

I chose to OC throughout NV...
I am not worried about disturbing some anti gun NV residents (who doesn't want to be educated) with the exposure of my gun...

So, whoever comes in contact with me while I OC throughout the state of NV will think "that man with the gun on his belt was a very nice gentleman!" after I leave.

That's my 1 cent in the box of educating the public about the issue of "every gun carrying person is not a criminal, nut-job or danger to public".

Yours may vary!

P.S. I still look at those too... But at least I am not thinking it's the end of the world anymore! I just realized how damn old I got...

 

[Smithsrevenge]

Only time I open carry is at work. In a level 4 safariland 6360 on my duty belt Unless someone knows the als system..and grabs it at a correct angle faster than the speed of light ...they ain't snatching anything.

Otherwise.....well they don't make secure enough holsters for cc for me to feel comfortable enough to oc. Otherwise. Plus when I cc.....I don't want people to know its there.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[chief38]

IMHO the only way I would ever open carry is if I literally had no other choice! Concealed just makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE. One exception of course - - - on my own property while hunting or hiking.