Open Carry: What are your thoughts?

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Az. has been open carry from the time of statehood. It is fairly common here & no one pays any attention. I do it some & the only time anyone even mentioned it, was an older gentleman walked up to me & asked how he could get a permit. No one legal for any kind of carry needs a permit here. :D
 
I open carry daily and I am also licensed to Concealed Carry. I have had CHP permits in Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia and New Hampshire.

There are many good reasons to do both. It all depends on the laws in your area and your circumstances in life. There are times where CC is either only or best option. Other times Open Carry can be a viable option and in a few cases, it can be the only choice for many.

As long as it is legal and done properly, I have no problem with either method!

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Where I live, OC is legal. However, unless I'm out in the woods, I don't do it. Here's why: OC tends to frighten non-gun people, legal or not. Scaring the public, legality aside, does NOT help our cause. If anything, it's the other way around. It also leads to the police being called by those same non-gun types, which can result in needless, embarrassing encounters with the local constabulary for the OC person. Second: I see no need to advertise. I'll stick with CCW.
 
Can you beleive that ultra liberal Washington State (Seattle /western side), is an open carry state? Concealed is the only way I carry unless (like others) I am camping, hiking etc. And like a nip slip, so what if you bend over to pick something up, and give someone a quick peek?
 
I definitely don't OC. The last guy I saw OCing was a dorky looking guy with a 1911 and two spare mags. That guy had all sorts of attention, even in OC friendly AZ.

Thank you no... Keep mine concealed and the element of surprise in my hand.
 
I wish OC were legal in NY, but only because of the printing/accidental exposure issue.

My general feeling on OC is that it should be done whenever it would also be acceptable to stroll around with a long gun. Out amongst the non-gunnie, public, nah.

There is also a societal issue. One of the arguments for CC is the deterrent effect: If the bad guys know that anyone on the street might be packing a gun and the bad guys don't know who that might be, that alters their willingness to engage in various sorts of crimes. Criminals don't like suffering bullet wounds as a work-related injury.
 
I live in Kentucky and open carry is legal. Personally, other than being in the woods, I don't find any advantage to carrying openly. I have my permit and when I carry, I prefer that no one knows I am carrying. I mean, why draw attention to yourself good or bad?
 
Suppose one is open carrying and standing in line at the bank or gas station or what have you. Suppose at that moment one or more guys comes in to rob the place. Is one suddenly at a tactical disadvantage, in danger actually as well as any innocents standing nearby?
 
In Vermont, we have no laws against either concealed or open carry except in places where they prohibbited like schools, couthouses, federal buildings, etc.

But just because I can open carry on the streets doesn't mean it's a good idea. I think we add fuel to the anti-gunners argument out there every time they see someone carrying, especially if they appear a bit odd in any way. Carry a weapon concealed and no one knows the difference.
 
I am in Florida, it is my understanding that as part of our "local gun laws clean up" legislation, there is a provision that allows for "flashing your petticoat" by mistake. It just got inacted 3 or 4 weeks ago. So as long as is is by accident, it's ok.

If you go to the St Pete times online, you can search for the details.

I wouldn't OC, I'd feel like I was tempting every bad guy in the area.
 
I carry openly, concealed, and indifferently concealed.

Once every year or two, someone notices I've got a gun on my hip. I use that as an occasion to make a modest pitch for the Second Amendment. I've never encountered any hostility. No one's ever tried to help himself to my gun. It doesn't cause me any fear, nor, I'm sure, has it caused anyone else any fear or consternation.

America would be a safer, saner, happier, more polite nation if virtually everyone saw ordinary, law-abiding citizens keeping and bearing arms safely and to good civic purpose every day. At my age, I figure I may as well lead as follow.
 
NC is an OC state. I don't do it and I'm not interested in it.

May not be popular to say so, but I really feel like there isn't much reason to OC in public other than to intimidate people or attract attention. If your purpose in carrying a gun is defense, I don't see how OC helps you at all - seems like it does the opposite and paints a target on your back.

Occasionally I'll read through some various OC forums out of curiosity. Always seems like there's a lot of people who are seeking confrontation with store owners, LEO's, etc so that they can "educate" them. And then there are those who seem like wannabe LEO's, trying to break up fights and so on....
 
I totally disagree with open carry. Nothing about it seems to be right, and a whole lot of problems come with it. It's mostly a psychological issue.
 
I OC more often than not. If I'm wearing a sweatshirt or a jacket it may conceal all or part of the firearm. If it's summer, I may wear a t shirt not tucked in, but I make no real effort to conceal. So ok call it partially oc. I put the holster on my belt and the gun in the holster and I go.
 
It's legal for me but I have no intention of ever carrying openly. I live in a large urban area and I don't hunt or get out into the woods.

My state allows businesses to post "Gunbuster" signs which carry the weight of law if they are properly posted. All it takes is one employee or customer to notice an open carrier and complain to management, and the next week a new business will be posted that wasn't before.
 
i live in florida which is not a open carry state. i would like it to be. not so i could open carry, just so that if my gun is accidently exposed i would get in trouble(it is illegal if your concealed weapon accidently becomes not concealed). and second is that if it did become exposed it would freak out people as much as it would if it were a open carry state.
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This is completely FALSE in Florida - the issue of "printing" being akin to brandishing, was addressed and handled - it is not a crime any more

Personally, unless I am hunting or in a similar mode, OC is just asking for trouble, confrontation, and appears to be some form of "sticking it your face" attitude - which does more harm than good for the overall goal re RKBA
 
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