Open Carry: What are your thoughts?

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I can understand people from AZ and similar places OC as a matter of fact, but here on the East Coast I think is a poor choice because the risk of alarming good people is real, and I have little time already to do everything without wasting it explaining myself with the police.

Tactically, I think it's a poor choice in general, unless your concern is wildlife or your are in your home. Not being noticed, possibly having that extra moment to plan your move can make all the difference.

There is also the additional risk that, following a legitimate confrontation with a bad guy, you are mistaken for the BG by the police arriving to the scene. I'd like to hear the cops on this forum on this one, to validate or disprove it.
 
OPEN CARRY CLOWNS!
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If you can carry a clown (openly or otherwise), I'm sure not messing with you! :D

I like that I have to option to OC here. It means I just have to cover the gun enough that it's not immediately obvious, and people won't notice. If the the bottom half of the holster shows, it's no big deal. And if the gun accidentally shows, it's no big deal.
 
Some people make a big deal out of going out and about while OC. They like to go where they will get noticed , upset people , have the police called , get all defensive and belligerant with the cops for violating their rights , and brag about it on thier OC forums. Some also believe that if you don't OC , you are in fact anti-gun rights. They think they're crusaders educating the public.

I call 'em OPEN CARRY CLOWNS!
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+1 or whatever the count is at now - well put

Too many look at it not as a convenient way to carry but as some half-baked political statement - but that "in your face" attitude turns more folks off than on
 
More than just posting on OC forums, they love making YouTube videos of the incidents that they themselves instigate.

I think in some cases there are some egotists that are out-of-touch with reality. They see themselves as heroes and crusaders, and their goal is to get their 15 minutes of YouTube fame.

I'd rather they not use the 2nd Amendment and the issue of carry as their choice issue to propel themselves to stardom.

Can't they do that by protesting fur and throwing red paint on some poor celebrity? Or go free the cattle before they get processed, or stop the Japanese from hunting whales or something.

I just wish they'd pick something else to act like dicks about...
 
I view open carry how i view smoking, i support you having the right to do it, but don't think its a good idea. Besides, if i was carrying i wouldn't want anyone to know, if a bad guy starts somehting the first person he will go after is the guy with a gun on his hip.
 
I tend to OC when I'm on the farm, but when I leave, I'll throw on a long shirt or a jacket. Nothing political :D.

We have a lot of non-Virginians around here that scare easily. Don't really need the the hassle.

I had to go to the drug store (CVS) a while back. I was waiting outside, having a smoke when a breeze blew my shirt up, didn't even notice it. Next thing I know the local Sheriff rolled up, the lady who called him saw my handgun, she was from N.J.


I hate N.J. :D
 
I like living in a state where both are legal. Open carry fits some situations. I think my neighbors are coming around to the fact that I have a gun on my hip when I'm home. I carry open in the woods, at the gas station (just outside my truck) and other locations. However, when I go to bigger cities, I usually have it hidden. It's not ideal for everything, but then neither is CC.
 
I wonder if the people who call the cops are doing it to make a statement.

I live in Illinois so maybe my views are skewed. But I've seen guys who were carrying before and I just assume they're planiclothes cops or off duty.

Unless they look like a thug or gangbanger - why would I assume differently?

I think if I were in any other state and I saw someone carrying, and they didn't look like thugs or gang members, I wouldn't assume they're breaking the law or criminals.
 
C0untZer0

I think if I were in any other state and I saw someone carrying, and they didn't look like thugs or gang members, I wouldn't assume they're breaking the law or criminals.
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I do have a beard and a ponytail, so I guess I look looked like a hippie with the Hawaiian shirts I wear :) so not much like a gang member.

I knew the Officer so no harm no foul. I did ask her to inform the lady from N.J. that its legal to carry OC or CC.

EDIT: She saw I had a nice holster and decided I wasn't a BG and just asked to make sure I still had a permit.
 
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I wouldn't open carry even if it were legal in my state for a few reasons.
Me being a mid 20s ,black male I would get a lot of unwanted attention from citizens and LEOs. They would more than likely assume that I am a "thug" or "gangster" even though that couldn't be farther from my character.
I am active guard and don't carry through the week (can't on military installations).
I can't think of a reason for myself to open carry ; concealment is good enough for me.
 
EDIT: She saw I had a nice holster and decided I wasn't a BG and just asked to make sure I still had a permit.
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This makes no sense. If she has decided you're not a bad guy, why does she care whether you have a permit?
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EDIT: She saw I had a nice holster and decided I wasn't a BG and just asked to make sure I still had a permit

This makes no sense. If she has decided you're not a bad guy, why does she care whether you have a permit?
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Most of the BG around here are MS13 and carry the guns in the front of their pants, or the back pocket. They usually don't pay $90+ to $100 for holsters.

Sorry if my comment irritated you


OHHH and why she asked to see if to see if my permit was up to date.

1. They has to.
2. She'd be dumb not to.
 
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I can understand people from AZ and similar places OC as a matter of fact
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I'm in Arizona.

The thing is, concealed carry without a permit is also legal.

In my unqualified and unprofessional opinion, you might as well conceal it if you are going to bother.
 
Sorry if my comment irritated you
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Not really irritated; at least not at you. I still don't see what the point is of siccing the police on somebody just to see if their papers are in order. If she was actually scared (legitimately or not), yes. But that's not what you described. This is more like she was just trying to make a political statement, or punish you for doing something she didn't approve of.
 
The trend I seem to see in this thread and in others on the same subject is that OC is relatively trouble-free in areas where it is accepted, but it very well may be too much hassle, even if legal, in places where it provokes a negative and/or fearful reaction from the public and LE.

There also seem to be some intent on provoking those reactions as a sociopolitical statement. While I understand their sentiment, I am not sure that their tactics are effective. Civil disobedience entails not only the refusal to cooperate with unjust laws or customs, but also the willingness to accept the consequences of that refusal in order to demonstrate the injustice of their position to those committing injustice. A lot of militant OC folks seem to want to engage the former without the latter portion of the tactic.

The saddest post of this thread is that of Trigun87. We have come a long, long way, but racism has not left us entirely when good people have to consider their own race in making self defense choices.
 
I agree with open carry in theory ... but even if Texas passed an OC statute, I'd never do it ... for me, the best reason to carry concealed is the element of surprise; if I need my gun, no sense letting the BGs know I have one ... another good reason, for me, is so I'm not targeted for my gun ... they're expensive, I plan to keep the ones I have ...
 
I open carry all of the time, everywhere I go. I figure I am old enough to do what I want, not what everyone else thinks I should do. Retirement is fun. I don't carry a cannon, I carry a .38 special. I am aware of my surroundings all of the time. I don't want to scare you concealed carry guys, but I am open carrying while I write this.:cool:
 
I don't wear a $500 gold watch, a gold chain, a fancy ring or a gun in plain sight. I also don't wear a sign that says please hit me in the head and rob me.
 
Generally the only time I open carry is in the woods. I have on occasion open carried on the job for safety reasons. But I generally advocate concealed or mostly concealed carry for day to day kinds of life situations.
 
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