Open Carry?

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For those of you who open carry, why? Just out of curiosity and wanting to educate myself further. I read a thread on another forum where the poster lists all the places he has opened carried and where he plans to OC next to see the reactions of folks and "educate" people. Seems like a bad idea to me and that maybe he is carrying for the wrong reason (ego) but what do I know. I'm new to this. I have my CC and have started carrying, but unless it was in the heat of the summer and I was with like-minded people, I sure wouldn't want to advertise that I have a firearm or incite any issues. I can educate people who are willing to listen through intelligent conversation. Just a mini-vent. It seems as though there are 2 schools of thought. I guess I'm in the more conservative one. :)
 
For me in NJ when I see an open carry I immediately think plain clothes cop and don't give it a second thought.
 
This is not the political climate for Open Carry (OC), IMHO it sends the wrong message and the education thing will backfire. I've posted before and have no stats to back up my position but OC: 1. surrenders the element of surprise; 2. the person who is OC will be the first one taken out in an attack; 3. OC will attract unwanted attention from LE; & 4. OC can leave the individual open to a charge of brandishing, depending on circumstances.

The only time I want someone to know I'm carrying is when (if) I have an immediate need to protect myself. Why create all these problems when it is so easy to get a CCW permit in most states?
 
This is the perfect time to OC. People will see that a gun can be out in public and no one gets hurt.

I would bet that a good share of the anti's have never been to a range.


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Element of surprise?

I have never seen any info that even suggest proof that a person Ocing becomes the first target in a robbery. I have heard stories that suggest that the presence of a person OCing may have been a deterrent preventing a crime.

It takes more then a holstered gun to be charged with brandishing. Pa. Has no printing laws. So by your theory you could still be charged with brandishing if concealed.

OC is legal if a cop is harassing you for OC he is opening himself up for trouble.

Why do cops OC if it is such a bad idea?




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normanvin said:
This is the perfect time to OC. People will see that a gun can be out in public and no one gets hurt.

I would bet that a good share of the anti's have never been to a range.


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Click to expand...
I don't agree, that would require the anti's to have brains and intelligence. If the gun grabbers had any kind of a coherent thought process they wouldn't be trying to ban guns.
The only time they'd go to a range would be to point out the evil black guns and the people who own them.
 
In Pa. A ltcf permits you do do more then just conceal.


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OFT II said:
I wish we had open carry here in Texas. I wouldn't OC while in town but would like to be able to do so if I were outside the city limits.
Click to expand...

I see your point out there in Odessa, I feel like I wouldn't have much use for OC here in D/FW...

Thanks for your service BTW:cool:
 
We have open carry here in Utah, but very rarely see anybody doing it.

We had a situation just a couple weeks ago where a guy decided to "make a statement" by openly carrying an AR-15 into a local J.C. Penny. It was unloaded, but nobody knew that. Most people didn't bat an eye. However, some gal took a picture of it with her cell phone and it immediately went viral. The press got hold of it and all the anti-guns went berserk.

Hindsight being 20/20, it probably wasn't a smart idea considering all the negative press it caused.
 
Open Carry for the mere purpose to 'educate' the public is just plain dumb.

Folks that don't want anything to do with firearms or are afraid of them are not going to
change their minds because someone wants to 'show-off' or show 'em up, so to speak.

Hell, ya can give folks a lobotomy...But, ya can't make 'em like it.

I open carry when appropriate and conceal carry other times.

A man ought to use discretion in his daily travels....

Just cause it's legal....Don't always make it right.

That is all.



.
 
In Vermont you can carry any way you want, no permits or license required. However, I can't recall the last time I observed someone oc. I do know many people who cc, but, like me, are very discrete about it. Frankly the fewer people who know I own guns, and shoot regularly, the better. And that goes for cc. Consider this. If you ever find yourself in a situation with an opponent, and need a gun, would you rather this person be (a) surprised that you're armed or (b) prepared for it?
 
Open carry is the pro-gun advocates' version of what Act Up tried to do for gay rights: "Yeah, that's right! I'm in your face! I've got rights! I'm not going away so get used to it."

Meanwhile, the case for presenting a rational and calming perspective and opportunity for sane discussion is further damaged, because open carry is deliberately intended to upset the already irrational and fearful.

Open carry is inherently passive-aggressive, counter to our aims of greater acceptance of gun ownership and deliberately alarms the already irrational advocates of "common sense" restrictions on our behavior.
 
To me its like seeing a 15 year old in a mall wearing a duster and cowboy hat on a hot day. Helps to carry a comic book with you.
 
Again, the misconception is thinking that they think like we think. Criminals don't think like we think, proven time after time; thats why they commit crimes. Statements will be taken out of conduct and used against us. Photographs will be taken and lied about. We lost the last "public opinion" check in November. Yes, I'm saying anti gunners are criminals, some by comission, some by submission, but they are all trying to steal our constitutional rights. They do not respond to the sight of a gun the way normal people do.
 
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We have open carry here and its not uncommon to see people doing so but personally i prefer no one know i am armed. All ya need is for a situation to occur and someone yell "you've got a gun... Do something".
 
I posted this in another thread on open carry on this forum.
Here is it again.

In Florida we do not have open carry, and if we did I still wouldn't.
As others said, it draws attention to you and make you a target, and possibly a threat to bad guys.
A LEO in Tennessee was telling me a story last month about a guy who was carrying openly.
He went into a convenience store to purchase a few items.
While he was in the back, two thugs came in and proceded to hold up the clerk at gun point.
While this was going down, the guy in the back, oblivious to what was going on, headed up front to pay for his purchase.
When he emerged from the aisle, one of the bad guys saw him with a gun, and shot him. They then fled without harming the clerk.
The poor guy died in the store.

Concealed carry gives me a tactical advantage, I don't appear to be a threat to anybody, and I don't draw attention.
JMHO.

Stu
 
Stu

What would have happened if the bad guys had seen the guy OCing when they walked into the store?




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i had a thread on here about open carry, where i was asking what people thought in today's political climate about OC, even tho i have CCW...my last post will explain why i have decided AGAINST open carry 99% of the time now, relying on CC for my mode of armament...the problem isn't always the good guy with the gun, sometimes it's the guy who THINKS he's the good guy with the gun...
 
I think he was looking for people who do open carry and asking them why they open carry. Not "why not to open carry"... 2 threads have already been over this recently.

And police open carry because they are police... they are armed... they are out in the open and exposed already. Worst argument ever.
 
Stu1205 said:
I posted this in another thread on open carry on this forum.
Here is it again.

In Florida we do not have open carry, and if we did I still wouldn't.
As others said, it draws attention to you and make you a target, and possibly a threat to bad guys.
A LEO in Tennessee was telling me a story last month about a guy who was carrying openly.
He went into a convenience store to purchase a few items.
While he was in the back, two thugs came in and proceded to hold up the clerk at gun point.
While this was going down, the guy in the back, oblivious to what was going on, headed up front to pay for his purchase.
When he emerged from the aisle, one of the bad guys saw him with a gun, and shot him. They then fled without harming the clerk.
The poor guy died in the store.

Concealed carry gives me a tactical advantage, I don't appear to be a threat to anybody, and I don't draw attention.
JMHO.

Stu
Click to expand...
You have a link to this story?
 
Yeah the cops are out there.
http://news.msn.com/us/chicago-police-no-longer-responding-to-all-911-calls
To free up more officers to deal with the most serious crimes, 911 dispatchers will no longer send officers to attend calls deemed less pressing.



Chicago police are no longer responding in person to 911 calls reporting vehicle theft, garage burglary or simple assault in a change aimed at freeing up officers to deal with more serious crimes.

According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the change came into effect on Sunday and also covers crime where the victim is "safe, secure and not in need of medical attention" and the offender is "not on the scene and not expected to return immediately."

Chicago authorities are hoping the change frees up more officers to attend to the most serious crimes, such as serious assaults and murders.

Instead of sending officers, 911 dispatchers have been told to transfer the calls to the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section, which is staffed by officers on light duty.





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normanvin said:
Element of surprise?

I have never seen any info that even suggest proof that a person Ocing becomes the first target in a robbery. I have heard stories that suggest that the presence of a person OCing may have been a deterrent preventing a crime.

It takes more then a holstered gun to be charged with brandishing. Pa. Has no printing laws. So by your theory you could still be charged with brandishing if concealed.

OC is legal if a cop is harassing you for OC he is opening himself up for trouble.

Why do cops OC if it is such a bad idea?




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Click to expand...

You obviously didn't read the other thread on open carry.

You will never hear about problems with someone that carries concealed properly. But if you look around (google) you will find examples of people that became victims due to open carry.

Why do cops open carry? Come on man! Think!
EVERYBODY knows that cops carry guns. So why hide it?

To compare the average concealed carrier to cops is not realistic. A cop can execute a felony stop with gun in hand. Concealed carry or open carry folks have to WAIT until the threat presents itself.

To think that OC is a deterrent is wishful thinking at best.

The difference between OC and CC is common sense. OC is a bold in your face statement which says LOOK AT ME!! DON'T LIKE IT? TOUGH!!

Open carry is selfish and childish. It accomplishes nothing. It has done nothing to promote gun ownership. If OC was so right then why hasn't it grown? It hasn't. It has been stagnate.

OC does not represent me or my views about the responsibilities of owing a gun.

Just because it's legal to do in some areas doesn't make it right. Hey, they got nude beaches! So are we all going to walk around nude to promote it?:rolleyes::eek: You go ahead. Wait for me. I'll be right there.:p NOT!!
 
I live in a small rural community. I often open carry when I'm about my property or the local area, two country stores and a cafe, and it's legal here. If I go into town, I conceal. The only thing that concerns me is that some of the local farm land is being subdivided and nonlocal people are moving into the area.
Today after hauling a trailer load of hay with a neighbor, three of us went in the local BBQ, we were all carrying open; three State Troopers came in and ate right next to us. We talked Super Bowl, and college recruiting, nothing even said about guns.
Oh, as to why I open carry, it was 70 degrees here today, and my day consisted of hauling and stacking fire wood, which I may not need, and the the hay run, that stuff would be a pain to do with my conceal piece, covered up. The 686 was no problem on my belt.
 
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Chromedhearts said:
I live in a small rural community. I often open carry when I'm about my property or the local area, two country stores and a cafe, and it's legal here. If I go into town, I conceal. The only thing that concerns me is that some of the local farm land is being subdivided and nonlocal people are moving into the area.
Today after hauling a trailer load of hay with a neighbor, three of us went in the local BBQ, we were all carrying open; three State Troopers came in and ate right next to us. We talked Super Bowl, and college recruiting, nothing even said about guns.
Click to expand...

Good for you.

I am completely against OC. HOWEVER, it would depend on where I lived. In your situation I would probably do the same. Around here? Forget it!
 
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