Open Carry concerns???

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FWIW. I've been that guy the OP describes. I had good reason though. I was on my way out to the boon docks to go bear hunting and I had I rarely go hunting without a side arm and always wear camo.
Idaho is an open carry state and requires no blaze orange so I could easily be mistaken for nutbag militia wannabe...

however in Idaho, unless it's a government building(post office, court house, school etc) no guns allowed signs do not carry the weight of law so even if someone has no guns allowed they can't do anything about it. they can call the cops and report a disturbance if they want but by the time they get there I'll be well on my way to run another errand or head up the mountain...

just how I look at it... your .02 may buy something different.
 
We have open carry here in Georgia, It really is not a very common thing to see. Most people do a pretty good job of carrying concealed here.

When I get my carry permit, I plan to carry concealed everywhere except our own property. If on my own property, I don't necessarily mind that a trespasser can see I have a gun on my hip, it will probably encourage them to not want to start anything with me and wander back wherever they came from.
 
In my opinion, these folks, the open carry ones are most often doing so for the attention and to achieve the "shock and awe". Add the camo clad factor and I see it even more of a "look at me" need for a testosterone boost.
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Really? "He's just compensating"?

I live in the urban confines of Fairfax County, Virginia, and have a fair amount of experience with open carry. Guess what? It's not an issue, even in gun-loathing Northern Virginia. Maybe that's because I'm a passably-groomed middle-aged white guy, who isn't given to wearing "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out" T-shirts. Or maybe, as I suspect, 99.987% of our fellows go around in a state of near catatonia.

On the other hand, I have seen scrofulous young men open carrying, decked out in Armageddon black from head to heel, looking like they were out to pick a fight. No thanks.

Funny story from last Saturday: I was shopping in a Wegman's supermarket in Fairfax, and as I rounded an aisle, I was confronted by a stunning blonde, all, oh, about 6'1" of her. Forgive me, Lord, married man that I am, I just had to appreciate this wonderful example of God's handiwork. As the eyes drifted along the curving coastline, whoa! she was open carrying an HK30 (I believe). Now, that is rare in these parts. The holstered weapon, not the woman! :p
 
Can we please not bash people for carrying a weapon legally and safely?
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Yes please, be it OC or CC. I have no problem with OC and have done it occasionally here in Michigan where it's been legal since statehood. Especially, up north in the wild when I didn't have a CPL. Now that I do, I prefer CC, but reserve the right to OC whenever, without trouble from anyone.
 
Open carry here would identify you as a of duty police officer or prison officer and quite possibly get you shot. So probably not a good idea it would also let terrorists know you were armed so when they came for you they would make sure you didn't get a chance to use it. Again not a good idea the only reason i can see for open carry is posing.
 
I agree with last post. I am a LEO and only OC on duty. CC the rest of the time. Not saying not to if you're legal where you can. If its lega and you want to then its your right. Just saying it ain't for me.
 
Open carry for permit holders is ridiculous. The option is good if you accidentally print, you don't get in trouble.

To walk around and just want to open carry to me is ridiculous.

Like these kids taking a video of themselves open carrying where it's legal..and getting all butt hurt when the police approach them accordingly. How they're trained. I think they're complete morons to be honest. That's asking for trouble.

The other who do it..I don't get it. Someone will know to either take you out first, or you may just be lucky and have unknowingly deterred a violent/criminal situation.

Your time will come though public carrying. Someone is always bigger and badder than you and has a superiority complex to want to show it, who better than the guy with the neon target sign on his hip?

Pardon the harshness. -__-
 
Open carry for permit holders is ridiculous. The option is good if you accidentally print, you don't get in trouble.
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This could vary from state to stae, but doesn't OC need to be in plain view at all times when carrying?
 
bonefamily said:
This could vary from state to stae, but doesn't OC need to be in plain view at all times when carrying?
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You know how some of these things are written. Florida has a funny version of that. Has to do with printing. So wind blows. You're open carrying. Wind stops. You're concealed. No foul.
 
Constantine said:
The other who do it..I don't get it. Someone will know to either take you out first, or you may just be lucky and have unknowingly deterred a violent/criminal situation.

Your time will come though public carrying. Someone is always bigger and badder than you and has a superiority complex to want to show it, who better than the guy with the neon target sign on his hip?
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Any references for this statement? It seems to be "common knowledge," but I haven't seen anything beyond sparse annecdotes. Is there some well respected reference that I have somehow missed?
 
this is an interesting thread... I actually see a lot of guys getting angry over what is essentially the 2nd amendment at it's finest. open carry, the ability to possess and maintain a firearm on your person WITHOUT a license or permit as a prerequisite. it is about as far from infringement as you can get really. a concealed carry permit does allow you to do so discreetly but open carry can be just as much of a deterrent.

say you have a van full of punks ready to knock off a store and just as they are about to bumrush the door they see a group of guys like the OP describes, wearing camo and flashing guns on their hips, do you honestly think that those guys are not going to think twice before going through with a heist?

ok that is a highly hypothetical situation but the general idea remains. in a society where people actually execute their right to open carry, the perception of firearms ownership among the general public becomes much heavier, it becomes much more apparent just how many people have firearms and aren't afraid to use them. this would be a serious deterrent for premeditated violent crime because it would just go to show that there really is no such thing as a 'safe place' for crime.

any guess why schools and ironically military bases have become the hot spot of choice for deranged lunatics?
 
tahunua001 said:
open carry, the ability to possess and maintain a firearm on your person WITHOUT a license or permit as a prerequisite.
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What you describe is Constitutional Carry. Open carry is simply carrying a weapon where it can be easily visible.

tahunua001 said:
say you have a van full of punks ready to knock off a store and just as they are about to bumrush the door they see a group of guys like the OP describes, wearing camo and flashing guns on their hips, do you honestly think that those guys are not going to think twice before going through with a heist?

ok that is a highly hypothetical situation but the general idea remains. in a society where people actually execute their right to open carry, the perception of firearms ownership among the general public becomes much heavier, it becomes much more apparent just how many people have firearms and aren't afraid to use them. this would be a serious deterrent for premeditated violent crime because it would just go to show that there really is no such thing as a 'safe place' for crime.
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I agree, this is a hypothetical situation. Unfortunately, the evidence of OC deterring crime is as sparse to non-existent as the evidence suggesting OCers are the first targets.


tahunua001 said:
any guess why schools and ironically military bases have become the hot spot of choice for deranged lunatics?
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I think we can all agree that Gun Free Zones are not safe, and that no sign keeps people from carrying a gun- regardless of one's intention. How many times have we seen posts from CC folks (of whom I am one) suggesting that someone carry a weapon concealed despite the property owner's preferences (i.e. "concealed means concealed.")
 
perhaps I am blessed to live in Idaho where we like our guns but the way I understood it most open carry states work the same. as long as it's visible on your person, you don't need a permit... then again Texas is the only state I've paid much attention to that is also Open carry.

apparently we are constitutional carry states?
 
Open Carry concerns???
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Nah. Here in Texas I hope they allow it and some 'Doc Holliday' guy comes into a convenience store while some Yankee anti-gun transplant who just moved down for a good job (cause there are none where they came from.)

Love to see the expression on their face when 'Doc' taps on the ivory handle of his six shooter.

Maybe then they will GO HOME.

Deaf
 
You know, we're all in the same fraternity. We should be sticking together.
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IM[rarely humble]O is a very dangerous attitude. It's the same mentality that mutated the national unions into their current form, and is in the process of destroying both political parties. When you blindly support other people actions because they are "members of the same club" you wind up loosing touch with the rest of the world, and weakening your overall position.

Personally, I think open carry is a right and should be legal - I do it myself when hunting/hiking. However, I also am willing to admit that a large segment of people who open carry do it to make a statement, and to get a rise out of people. Doing that is tasteless, and won't do us any good in the long run.
If it's this hotly debated among gun enthusiasts and 2A supporters, how exactly do you think it's perceived by the public at large?
 
My state of Indiana is silent on the OC VS CC debate. So therefore OC is legal for people holding their License To Carry. I OC regularly but if I am with my wife and kids, I like to CC. The other day a friend and I were comming back from my in laws shooting range. We were both OCing and wearing camo long sleeves. We stopped in at a fast food resturant to eat and only got a few looks. We also were complemented by several older gentleman. I like to use it as a time for public education if possible. The mainstream only sees cops and bad guys as people with guns. The only way they will become more comfortable with guns is if they see law abiding citizens with them in a legal manor. That is at least my opinion.
 
JimmyR said:
I agree, this is a hypothetical situation. Unfortunately, the evidence of OC deterring crime is as sparse to non-existent as the evidence suggesting OCers are the first targets.
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Absolutely true. Which resolves nothing, really. If it's legal and proper, what is the difficulty with it? I personally agree that anyone open carrying to prove a point, "to get in people's faces" (not JimmyR's quote) would be best advised to knock it off. But there are lot's of us who aren't about getting in people's faces.

I once carried openly because that was my only legal option. Now, that's not so much a problem. If I choose to leave my jacket in the truck, that's not a problem, either. I love Virginia!
 
IM[rarely humble]O is a very dangerous attitude. It's the same mentality that mutated the national unions into their current form, and is in the process of destroying both political parties. When you blindly support other people actions because they are "members of the same club" you wind up loosing touch with the rest of the world, and weakening your overall position.

Personally, I think open carry is a right and should be legal - I do it myself when hunting/hiking. However, I also am willing to admit that a large segment of people who open carry do it to make a statement, and to get a rise out of people. Doing that is tasteless, and won't do us any good in the long run.
If it's this hotly debated among gun enthusiasts and 2A supporters, how exactly do you think it's perceived by the public at large?
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Nobody is condoning bad behavior. All I am was saying is, we need to support each other rather than criticize for one's method of carry as long as it's legal.
People may not agree about the tactical aspect of open carry, and that's fine.

As far as trying to ''get a rise'' out of the public, I've never witnessed such an act, so I can't comment on your ''assumption''. I do however admit, one of my reasons to OC is to project the attitude that guns are not ''evil''. I guess this would be inline with your, ''making a statement''.

I don't blindly follow anyone. Just because somebody is wearing camo and open carrying, I don't see that as a cause for ''concern'' which the OP alluded to. While that MO doesn't fit my personal taste, should we restrict that person's attire? Should we insist on level III retention holsters for everyone? I think not. Do I think a good retention is best, absolutely.

Only on one occassion have I ever had a problem with the public. It was a pure case of someone sticking their nose into my business. Some people just have nothing better to do.
Sure, I've noticed someone looking at me funny.
I've also had some very friendly conversations with curious members of the public. It becomes an educational tool.
 
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