A BLOG ON OPEN CARRY

[williamlayton]

I am not offended to see open carry.
I don't think I want to open carry but the benefit of the law is being able to carry concealed without worrying about printing or accident revealment.
I could wear a Jacket or windbreaker as I do now--and--when I carry a revolver on my waiste and wear my 4inch belt and the jacket blows open--I don't have to flinch and grab.
Blessings

 

[Nico Testosteros]

I agree. But I'm not sure when we'll get open carry in Texas. Too many Californians and Illini moving here.

 

[Old TexMex]

With an open carry law ( Texas law now allows unintentional exposure, it's not an offense) will there Stll be a permit to carry? And if a dubious looking individual has a glock sticking out of his pocket, will LEO be allowed to stop and ask for said permit, or be obliged to wait until a violation of law generates a probable cause? What about profiling accusations should LEO ask to see permit, or will only the concealed handgun carriers be required to hold a permit? (as is the "long gun" carry allowance we have now)
Lots of angles to consider.

 

[Moonman]

OPEN CARRY is a real box of worms.

It's LEGAL here in Ohio but generally NOT RECOMMENDED.

The Midwest, Northeast, are a little more jumpy than the
Southwest with seeing folks OPENLY CARRYING A FIREARM.

 

[snubbyfan]

I've heard that open carry advocates believe that having an exposed firearm is a violent crime deterrent and that only criminals hide their guns. I also hear stories of open carriers being hassled by the cops, having their firearms confiscated and being asked to leave businesses.
I personally carry concealed, in WV and VA no permit is required for open carry but it can lead to hassles.

 

[Arik]

OPEN CARRY is a real box of worms.

It's LEGAL here in Ohio but generally NOT RECOMMENDED.

Same with Pa

 

[Springfeildkid585]

OPEN CARRY is a real box of worms.

It's LEGAL here in Ohio but generally NOT RECOMMENDED.

The Midwest, Northeast, are a little more jumpy than the
Southwest with seeing folks OPENLY CARRYING A FIREARM.

Agreed, over here in Indiana, we have a permit to carry, how you carry is your business. It all depends where you are: I've walked into a gas station in Rockville with my .45 out in the open and received a polite nod and a smile. At walmart in Lafayette, I had my cover garment ride up and was approached by another customer who demanded I cover my weapon.

 

[627 city hunter]

If its legal, its legal.

Just like governments programs I don't like, that I am forced to pay for.

Legal at the moment. Tell'em, "Call rank".

 

[GLV]

Look folks,

I would rather be in a place with some people carrying in the open. It might stop bad things from happening---but if it did not, I would hopefully not be a target, and might be able to play dummy.

 

[Moonman]

627 city hunter,

You might tell em' to "Call Rank,"
and end up in the POKIE for INDUCING A PANIC!

Different area of an offense.

 

[Old cop]

If open carry is legal it's okay w/me but not something I'll do, I prefer not to surrender the element of surprise. If you believe open carry will deter crime, or you becoming a victim, you may be in for a nasty surprise. The fact that almost all retired LEOs carry concealed should speak volumes.

How others respond to open carry is dependent on the area where the person lives.

 

[mc5aw]

My biggest concern about open carry has nothing to do with rights, but with wrongs. There's far too many self-righteous mall ninjas out there harboring delusions of gun-fighting grandeur ... the last thing I want or need is one of these chumpions of justice to mistakenly draw on me if I'm carrying open, or to be wandering around with happy trigger fingers on their own open carry firearms while looking for the OK Corral.

I'm happy with concealed. My business, no one else's.

 

[Old TexMex]

My biggest concern about open carry has nothing to do with rights, but with wrongs. There's far too many self-righteous mall ninjas out there harboring delusions of gun-fighting grandeur ... the last thing I want or need is one of these chumpions of justice to mistakenly draw on me if I'm carrying open, or to be wandering around with happy trigger fingers on their own open carry firearms while looking for the OK Corral.

I'm happy with concealed. My business, no one else's.

You refer to that youtube moron with the 10mm Glock PUNISHER, DUDE, right?

 

[sharpshooterassassin]

Up here in Alaska we can carry concealed or open carry even without being required by law to have a CCW. We can choose to go through the process of getting a CCW because of the reprocity of other states plus it looks good if you are being stopped by a LEO for other reasons. Also, I have yet to see anyone up here carrying openly but I know it happens sometimes.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

On November 1, 2012, the license issued by the State of Oklahoma just changed from being a Concealed Weapon License to being a Handgun Carry License. The local police departments and 9-1-1 centers underwent training to learn the difference between "man with a gun" calls and "some dude with a holstered handgun" calls. On Saturday evening, an organizer of a "Food Truck Festival" downtown ordered an open carrier to leave, thinking that his permit to block off the street gave him some sort of "ownership" rights. The open carrier invited the organizer to call the police, but, before he could, more open carriers showed up. The organizer backed down, and none of the other people at the festival seemed to notice or care if they did.

Me? I was carrying concealed to keep my wife happy. Yesterday, however, I open carried after it warmed up enough to lose the jacket. Nobody, including my wife, said a thing.

ECS

 

[joespapa]

Personally , I cannot fathom why anyone would want to (open carry). I live in Oklahoma and have had a chl for 15 years but grew up in a large northeastern city(had a permit there also) . Guess it's just my conditioning, but I'll keep mine concealed. Ymmv

 

[ogilvyspecial]

On the forum I used to frequent there were many,
mostly heated, debates dealing with Open Carry.

I wouldn't disagree in that it would probably deter most bad guys, kinda
like locking your car doors, you know, "keepin' an honest person honest."

Where I find a weak spot in that logic is that it attributes a rational
thought process to a group that, at times, exhibits irrational behavior,
for whatever reason, drugs, alcohol, mental issues.......

With that said, I wholeheartedly support those who exercise their right
to OC and have done so myself, but only when running trap lines.

 

[JFerg]

Your not gonna see OC in Texas because the upper crust of "our side" thinks CHL holders are a bunch of mindless idiots who aren't responsible enough for licensed OC.
Just pay your dues, stay under your rock and thank them for what you have.

 

[BSA1]

Hereeeee we go again. The arguments against open carry are being based on emotions and perceptions rather than on logic and facts. The facts are the same arguments are/were made against concealed carry yet the vast number of folks that are carrying with few reported incidents in the media show that gun owners are responsible when packing heat in public. Yet the mere act of leaving their jacket off turns them into irresponsible time bombs.

 

[M29since14]

...Just pay your dues, stay under your rock and thank them for what you have.

That's right, "stay under your rock." I am not at all concerned with open-carriers myself, except for one thing. I do believe they attract unnecessary attention, which will eventually translate into unfavorable changes in present laws - for all of us.

The best possible situation is that no one knows that you have your gun, and that you do everything you can to never need to use it. I believe gun-toters, once we decide to haul our guns around where other non-gunners are present, have a responsibility to every one to do what we can to keep a lid on the "going about armed in terror of the public" problem, if for no reason other than it's in our own self-interest.