I'm not sure that 44 states actually allow it, but that aside, if you live in a state like mine where cowboys and thugs would end up killing each other when egos get in the way of rational thought, it would be an issue. That's how I see it.
That's the same logic used to argue against concealed carry as well. Somehow allowing people to carry guns means they'll be pulling them and gunning each other down in the street.
"Thugs", i.e. criminals, are restricted from having guns at all, not that it stops them. They don't comply with concealed carry laws and I doubt even more that them hiding it in their jacket makes it less likely they'll use it versus carrying it on their hip. Thugs are going to carry guns and shoot people whether a state has open carry, concealed carry, no carry (look at Chicago) or outright bans. Only law abiding citizens are being impacted by any of these laws, criminals do what they want regardless.
Kentucky is a constitutionally guaranteed open carry state, and I see very few people open carry and know of no issues with it whatsoever having lived here my entire life in both rural and urban settings. Most of it is people going to/from hunting stopping in a corner store on the way, that sort of thing. It's our right, we can exercise it when we see fit, but it certainly hasn't led to people carrying guns and shooting each other.
If people are responsible enough to carry a gun in a jacket they can handle carrying it on their hip. If they aren't they shouldn't be doing either, but no law will stop them from it, which is why we need to allow those who are responsible to carry however they choose.
Mind you I do agree open carry can make folks nervous, so you can't expect the guys in the store at 2am to not notice or maybe get nervous, but they're being foolish. Like ccdw,it's not the people with guns on their hips you have to worry about, it's the ones you don't see coming. Still, that's why few choose to open carry other than in specific cases, but they should have the right to do so and exercise their judgment.
I know you're not arguing against it per se, so we're all on the same side here, and we all see it as a right, but coming from an open carry state of long standing I wanted to put in my observation that I haven't seen any negative impact or impact on behavior of our criminal element. I certainly understand your concerns but I don't think they'd come to fruition if Florida allowed open carry. I agree 100% open carry evokes a certain reaction from people though, which is why it should be (and is in open carry states) used judiciously.
