A BLOG ON OPEN CARRY

[keith44spl]

I kinda fall into that big...Don't give a hoot what other folks do category!

I am not offended by open carrying of firearms, nor am I offended by the concealed carry of same.

I open carry in plain clothes when working and carry concealed most times when not.

Other than the occasional comment/question, "Ya know your pistol's cocked?"

The one and only time anyone has a pacifically ask about my sidearm was a 11 year old kid...

'He wanted to know if I was carrying a Gov't model 1911.'

I see folks caring concealed and openly every day...If they ain't throwin down on me,

it ain't none of my business, or anyone else's for that matter.

I just don't see what all the hooplaa is about. Gees!


Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[Houdini1953]

In Tennessee we have a Handgun Carry Permit, and Open Carry is OK as well as Concealed Carry. When taking the required course it is told that it is best if you carry concealed which is what I do, there are times I carry openly like when going to the range or out on the lake doing whatever like fishing or even wake boarding, then my weapon is in a vault tethered to the boat.

I see some new permit holders carrying with all sorts of weapons and wonder just what they are thinking, yes it is legal but it can cause more problems that it would solve, people not seeing a firearm do not get disturbed nor do they look at you as a target to stop so they can perpetrate a crime. the bad guys are probably carrying concealed since they are criminals that more than likely should not legally even own a firearm much less have a permit to carry one at all times.

Do yourself a favor and be quite and indiscreet about you and your firearm and your method of carry, the element of surprise is always to you advantage concealed but to your disadvantage if you openly carry!

 

[feralmerril]

I can do either here in utah as I have the permit. Except for in the boonies rideing the trails on atvs, I NEVER see open carrying here in town. I have seen several where they meant to be concealed. Personaly, in my tame area I dont feel the need to open carry in town but I will concead some probley SHOULD open carry just for the fact to keep the right alive. By that I mean that if no one use`s the privlege someday it might be argued we dont need the privledge as no one use`s it anyway!
I open carried on my job for over 35 years but I just dont like the "attendtion" out of uniform. I aint saying I am right, it`s just the way I am wired. I will let others carry the torch on this. I have several other friends here that are retired leo`s. They also carry concealed but never openly either.

 

[mkk41]

Most are young , new to guns , and are doing it to get attention or kick up a fuss wherever they go. Otherwise they wouldn't have all these 'open carry' forums , where they can't wait to go out in public where they know they'll get noticed , have some sort of confrontation , come home and blog about it. They say they're "raising awareness".

Yeah , OK!

 

[bp231986]

Most are young , new to guns , and are doing it to get attention or kick up a fuss wherever they go. Otherwise they wouldn't have all these 'open carry' forums , where they can't wait to go out in public where they know they'll get noticed , have some sort of confrontation , come home and blog about it. They say they're "raising awareness".

Yeah , OK!

Really burns me when people judge with out asking one why he does certain things. I have open carried. Why? Because its my right to if i choose to do so. Im not looking for any type of attention. And not once has an LEO confronted me. I have actually had two gentleman come up to me and thanked me for supporting out American rights. Yes there are some that do it for attention. There are the Rambo types out there, but please do also considere the other types that when we open carry its no more than like having a cell phone on the hip, ya im more aware of my sorroundings and such but i do not go out to look cool and gather attention. Like stupid drivers on the road there will be stupid people that carry but this does not mean all are stupid.

 

[Chaosrob]

Wow, some of the stances are pretty judgmental. I thought we were all firearms lovers. There are areas where it is more than acceptable. Open carry in many parts of Missouri is very common. If you get away from the cities, and major counties surrounding them, you see it on a daily basis.

IMHO we have allowed firearms to become as dirty as illegal drug use in many ways. We have allowed people who do not participate in our sport to develop deep seated fears over them by hiding them away. The less contact people have with them, or even visibility, the worse the perception people have of gun owners become. It's like hiding a dirty secret. Media hype is the only information people have of us, and that is not always pretty.

There are places I would not carry open, as I would not like to tip my hand,, but that should be my decision. If we allow the conditioning to continue against us we will lose the battle.

 

[mkk41]

Really burns me when people judge with out asking one why he does certain things. I have open carried. Why? Because its my right to if i choose to do so. Im not looking for any type of attention. And not once has an LEO confronted me. I have actually had two gentleman come up to me and thanked me for supporting out American rights. Yes there are some that do it for attention. There are the Rambo types out there, but please do also considere the other types that when we open carry its no more than like having a cell phone on the hip, ya im more aware of my sorroundings and such but i do not go out to look cool and gather attention. Like stupid drivers on the road there will be stupid people that carry but this does not mean all are stupid.

Perhaps. But when members of an OC-based forum spend hours trying to rally other OC'ers to gather at a public place where 1 was told open carry was not welcome or acceptable , or keep going back to such a place just for something to blog about , it's not "raising awareness". It's just like 'trolling'.

 

[bp231986]

Perhaps. But when members of an OC-based forum spend hours trying to rally other OC'ers to gather at a public place where 1 was told open carry was not welcome or acceptable , or keep going back to such a place just for something to blog about , it's not "raising awareness". It's just like 'trolling'.

Yes i agree with you on that!! You also have the ones that purposely take a camera with the intent of confronting with LE. Those i would like to smack on the back of the head.

 

[mkk41]

Yes i agree with you on that!! You also have the ones that purposely take a camera with the intent of confronting with LE. Those i would like to smack on the back of the head.

Yep , that seems to be another favorite past time of what I call 'open carry clowns'. I'd just as soon keep it concealed , as I have for over 30yrs , and go thru life unnoticed. The police and I have better things to do with our time.

 

[MaximumLawman]

Seems like open carry appeals to the nutjobs a lot more than concealed carry for some reason.....

Really burns me when people judge with out asking one why he does certain things.

Well isn't that ironic.

Because its my right to if i choose to do so.

That's what two young morons told me when we got called on them walking around the subdivision at 3:00am wearing black ninja-like outfits carrying slung AK-47's.

If you believe open carry will deter crime, or you becoming a victim, you may be in for a nasty surprise.

No kidding...people would never walk around in some areas flashing a wad of cash, but they'll walk around with a thousand dollar gun on their hip? Just sort of screams "rob me" to me.....But wait...it's a deterrent, right? Nobody would rob someone of their GUN, right?

 

[Springfeildkid585]

I wish open carry were more accepted for one simple fact; comfort. I was sitting at a McDonald's in Rolla, Missouri today. It was definately jacket weather, which I was glad for, the problem was I got inside, sat down and began sweating as they had the heat up in there. I began tugging off my jacket when I remembered that the aforementioned action would call attention to the .45 that was on my hip beneath said jacket.

 

[Stophel]

The Right to bear arms means the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. Period.

And the notion that if people are allowed to actually bear arms (gasp!) there would be a bloodbath like never before seen is utterly asinine. I live in Kentucky. We are a free open carry State. You can, and some do, carry a pistol on your hip into the State Capitol building. NO license (meaning government privelege) required. I wonder why we're not the crime capitol of America???

 

[gary1954]

I have been in law enforcement for 33 years. Handguns do not offend or alarm me, visible or concealed, in public or private. It is not the handgun that I have to be concerned about. It is what is being done with the handgun.
What does concern me with open carry is that there are way too many people out there who dont do things the legal way. If they want a gun and cannot legally purchase one open carry turns into opportunities for them to take yours. Police officers train regularly on weapon retention techniques and use holsters with 2 or 3 retention features and yet evil doers still manage to take an officers gun away and turn it against him/her. I would hope that anyone carrying open would be well trained and walking around in a constant state of orange, always aware of who is around them, how close they are, and what the possibilities are if someone decides that they want your gun. At least with concealed carry the scumbags dont know if you are armed or not. Open carry is like waving a bag of candy in front of toddlers and asking who wants it. If you think it cant happen to you, YOU ARE WRONG.

 

[Joewisc]

To my mind open carry invites unwanted attention and the possibility of attempted theft as the above poster suggests. Also, chances are you'll wander somewhere -- a school zone, public building, etc. -- where it is prohibited. If you must carry, concealed is the way to go.

 

[MP22]

Open carry is legal in Kentucky thanks to the Second Amendment...but I never see anyone exercising that right.

 

[williamlayton]

I drew the attention of some youg folks at Mc D's the other day when the shirt i was wearing as a cover snagged on the chair without me noticing. Luckily the ones that saw it were kids not law dogs.
Now, i really don't think much would have been said if it had been a cop---but you never know.
I turned in the chair and a couple of the kids were punching each other and pointing at it.
I would want open carry only for this reason or a very liberal interpretation of printing/brandishing when this happens again.
I am sure it has happened before---sure.
Blessings

 

[beemerrider]

I am in agreement with 'Old Cop' in his post. I do not want to advertise I am carrying and do not want to tempt someone to try a "gun grab". Even when deer or elk hunting, I prefer to keep my handgun concealed.

 

[LewisKChristian]

I agree also, to me it's a personal thing. For the same reasons that I do not discuss politics and religion at work.

 

[WuzzFuzz]

Hmmmm.....Some of those who advocate "Open Carry", I'd sure like to play poker with them. I'd like to see your hand, while I keep mine close to my chest.


WuzzFuzz

 

[Tliryc]

With an open carry law ( Texas law now allows unintentional exposure, it's not an offense) will there Stll be a permit to carry?

Old TexMex several of the states that have open carry still require a permit if you want to carry concealed. Personally I don't ever plan on open carry unless I'm out hunting somewhere. As far as I know in Texas it is all ready legal to open carry when hunting so no big deal to me. Now for my opinion (for what it's worth) I think an individual puts themselves at more of a risk (both physically and legally) if they are open carrying.