Would You Tell Someone If You Noticed Them Printing.

Arizona is an open carry State. I see carry handguns very often when I go out in public like Home Depot, Supermarket, the range, and a restaurant.

I would not say anything to anyone about their firearm…. Way too many crazy people today.

Usually I try to be as "gray man" as I can be. I don't wear my NRA hat, Sig Sauer or GOA t-shirts. Once in a while I will wear my T-Rex Arms hat when I go to the range. My range bags are DeWalt Tools and Craftsman Tools. There are no stickers on my vehicles that would indicate my belief or support about anything.

I spot guys all the time that are carrying and if its not open, I can often see that the bulge being "printed" on their hip is not a cell phone or a knife.

I'm not paranoid… I just don't need to be noticed.
 
Brings to mind a printed cartoon I saw: Dark of night on a street corner under a light pole, a citizen is being robbed at gun point. The victim is seen bending over forward trying to get a closer look. The robber says: "I don't care if you are a collector. I said hands up."

When I see open carry I try to identify make and model, but not if semi autos. Just not interested in them.

I vaguely recall in a ccw class an instructor stating that if legally and licensed concealed, the FA is shown printing thru a garment, that is not legal. Any truth to that? I don't get it. Could that be called brandishing?
 
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If I knew them or was at a mutual friend's party where he or she was known by that mutual friend, probably yes. A perfect stranger in a non mutual environment - more than likely no.
 
Normally I mind my own business.
However, I once helped my son with his vendor booth at a convention. Most everybody knew each other and all were quite friendly. A young man knelt down to go through a box of books on the floor. His shirt rode up and completely uncovered his 1911. Since the venue was a no gun zone, I quietly whispered to him that his gun was showing. He immediately covered it and said thanks.
I thought I should tell him as I was carrying too. ;)
 
.455_Hunter said:
I guess I remember that exchange- many more important things have crossed my mind since. I guess you folks were really insecure about your wives- better keep them locked inside the house. The OC display I mention here was a different event, but neither one was in Boulder proper. As just so you know, BPD and the local DA appreciate when a citizen draws their weapon in public when it's justified.
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I remember the exchange but I don't remember where it was at.

And I still stand by what I said if it was in Boulder or Denver or some place were even if the police or someone supportive the people around probably will not be then I would break my rule and say something.

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As for the wife, very shortly we will be living out here and I won't have to worry about strange men approaching them in the grocery store
 
I made a major exception the other day to my "see something, don't say something" personal rule regarding this. An individual inside a Walmart had holster protruding about an inch below his untucked T-shirt. There was a bulge on his opposite side that was about the size and shape of a badge. If it was an LE, as his physical appearance screamed, thought he might want to know he was ridiculously easily made as a gun carrier, which could be unhealthy for him. "Yes, I just got off shift and came right here to buy milk and bread". He was pleasant enough about it, but didn't seem to care. I'd done my good deed and called my part done. Most LE's do care and do make a solid effort to conceal, unless they are actually open carrying.
 
No, I would say nothing. You don't know the mindset of a stranger. They may be off-dute LEO, they may be a CCW permittee, they may be unaware of printing and they may go bat feces crazy on you for pointing out their error. I'm not looking to create a scene, I try to be as inconspicuous as possible.
 
No. I've seen both strangers and people I know printing and I've said nothing to either.
The neatest one was a young mother with child who had an NAA mini revolver on her belt. I saw it when she reached to get groceries out of her cart at the market.


For several years I thought my neighbor carried and I never said anything. Then I learned he had a colostomy bag.
 
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rockquarry said:
Is "printing" a term that came about only because of the concealed carry hobby/fad/ duty? I don't recall the word being used in such a way before that.
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No, it's not new. I've seen warnings about concealed guns printing since I got interested in concealed carry in the mid-80s, so it probably goes back for as long as weapons have been carried concealed.
 
Well, when your out and about, your head is on the swivel, yea? It's fair to assume you'd notice printing , or the newly permitted holder who's always touching to make sure it's their. For me, I'll assess the situation on whether or not to comment, but once, in Sally's world, the guy in front of me and his wife were checking out, he kept touching his side, I leaned in and asked him what he's carrying, he sorta looked at me funny but it was his wife who asked me how I knew.
 
I did. I'd want to know if I was doing it poorly. In his case, the 4 o'clock IWB with shirt between him and the handle was having difficulty hiding much at all. At that point, just open carry!
 
I mind my business. Most carriers who don't print are paranoid about it and other who do, are overly relaxed about it. Open carry is not legal in my state but printing is not a crime.
 
I was in a hardware store when I guy came in and I noticed he was printing in bold letters. He was also wearing a tee-shirt that read "the first rule of gun safety is carry one" I figured he wanted everyone to know.
I tend to mind my own business.
 
I had picked up a medium sized revolver at my FFL and simply stuck it in my right front pocket. As I often wear bib coveralls with decent size pockets none of it was actually visible. On my way home I stopped to get a soda at the corner gas station. As I approached the counter the cashier asked me "is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" I told her, I am always glad to see you. She laughed. End of subject. Around her guns are kind of like pocket knives. Everyone knows lot of people have them and nobody is shocked when they see one. Open carry normally isn't real common, but, gets more common during hunting season. I have never see anyone get excited about it at any time.

I often carry a snub 325 in an outboard holster while wearing a T shirt. If your looking you can see a bump from the grip. Nobody has ever said anything and I have never detected any awareness. But, I think my extra large size and stunning good looks is to much of a distraction. Actually I think people notice a really big guy and that's their impression and then they quit looking. The days of the women seriously checking me out are gone. Waaaaa

I firmly believe that If there is something to focus a bit of attention away from where the gun is you'll drop the odds of someone noticing a lot. A hat, a logo on your shirt. I bet if I wore a derby, I could pack my an X frame around and almost nobody would notice. They would all focus on the stupid derby

I believe gun guys are way more apt to notice printing or open carry. Several times I have noticed people open carrying when my wife and once my wife and MIL completely missed it. Most people are so wrapped up in their own little world they aren't paying attention to much of anything.
 
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Smoke said:
I frequently read posts in which people say nobody notices them printing. I really wonder does nobody notice or is nobody saying anything?

So here's the situation, you're walking through Walmart. You notice somebody Who You Don't Know printing or the butt of their gun is visible in their pocket.

Would you mention it or mind your own business.
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In an open carry state, like Texas, I don't believe it matters other than skeering that woke libbie and that can be fun. Carry open at your own risk though because there is always that ***** who may start screaming. I am conscious of mine printing but my shirts cover it pretty well. You never know when the SHTF.
 
Smoke said:
I frequently read posts in which people say nobody notices them printing. I really wonder does nobody notice or is nobody saying anything?

So here's the situation, you're walking through Walmart. You notice somebody Who You Don't Know printing or the butt of their gun is visible in their pocket.

Would you mention it or mind your own business.
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I would mind my own business. IMHO if the guy was an active shooter, he would have already had it out and shooting. Odds are, he's just like me and came in to pick up a can of paint.
 
I'll make small talk with just about anyone who seems open for exchanging pleasantries. But I wouldn't open with "your gun is showing." Much like I'm not going to go up to someone and say "your zipper is down" or "you have toilet paper hanging out." Noticing somebody carrying a gun often means they're of like mind, so I don't sweat it. It's their business, not mine.
 
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sousana said:
Well, when your out and about, your head is on the swivel, yea? It's fair to assume you'd notice printing , or the newly permitted holder who's always touching to make sure it's there. For me, I'll assess the situation on whether or not to comment, but once, in Sally's world, the guy in front of me and his wife were checking out, he kept touching his side, I leaned in and asked him what he's carrying, he sorta looked at me funny but it was his wife who asked me how I knew.
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.02c. Depends ?
Context and circumstances.
90% of the time..no.
It's a problem that usually takes care of itself.
People that actually pay attention to their surroundings when they carry are the same ones that pay attention to not printing or unintentional display.
More often than not they will find it themselves in short order or it gets re-covered with the often used shirt flip on the carry side.

and..that 10% that are printing because they wore a shirt that is either too tight or rides too high.
They chose that path. They can live with the consequences if it is a commie state that goes after unintentional display.

It's not difficult..
Opsec, opsec, opsec…
Someone that chose a shirt poorly suited for the task. Ignore them. They weren't interested in the opsec to begin with.
 
So, we're on the third page, and most respondents are saying they would mind their own business.

I would certainly mind my own business unless, as I've said multiple times through the years, I was in some place like Boulder or Denver, where I knew that if the person got caught they would be in trouble.

So I don't think you can safely say that just because nobody's ever commented on your gun printing, it doesn't mean that nobody's ever noticed it.
 
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