To open carry or concealed carry. That is the question.

2

2GunCorcoran

New member
As a disclaimer, let me say that I have nothing against open carry, and I think it should be legal in all 50 states.

This is an open question to all those who open carry. Why do you do it? I've heard a thousand gun owners on why CCW is the best thing to be invented since the firearm itself, but I want to hear your side of the story. What are the advantages to carrying openly rather than concealed?
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A friend open carries in here in Kentucky. We walked into walmart here and where ever else we went that day I was with him and nobody said boo. Sometimes it's just more comfortable. Especially in the summer.
 
I lived in Alaskafor about 13 years and up there it didn't really matter how you carry. They tried passing laws about this at one time,but it didn't last too long. I don't know for sure if there are laws concerning open or concealed carry now, but if there are, they are just ignored by all. The standing rules that are/were observed by all were very much like concealed carry rules here in Texas. You don't take your gun into a bank, a bar, a church, a public or govenment building or a hospital. If there is a sign on the door that says don't bring it in you either don't go in or you surrender it to the owner/manager/person in charge when you go in. I chose to open carry. The reason was that I believed that it would prevent arguments from even starting. I don't know if it actually prevented any arguments from starting. If it did, how would I know? That is not to say that I never got into an argument. It just means that my gun was never a part of any of those arguments. But that's the way I thought about it. I carried a gun and everyone in our village knew it. A number of other people carried as well, some open, some concealed, but everyone knew who they were. Which is another good reason to open carry.If everyone knows you have a gun, why try to conceal it? In that thirteen years I never heard a shot fired in anger. There were no gunfights, no murders, no armed roberies and I never heard of anyone pulling there gun on anyone, although I did have a woman pull a shovel on me once. I'll tell you for sure, even if you do have a gun, you 9don't mess with an angry woman with a shovel in her hands.
 
I do a compromise of the two, i carry owb. And to an educated person, I'm printing a little. But not enough so that you can tell what type of gun, (or if its even a gun) is under my shirt.
 
"I do a compromise of the two, i carry owb. And to an educated person, I'm printing a little. But not enough so that you can tell what type of gun, (or if its even a gun) is under my shirt."


I don't know about CT, but in TX if you are printing at all, you are under arrest and you can kiss your CCW permit goodbye! Police officers here are pretty much "educated persons" in that regard. Good luck.
 
I only have one carry gun, and it's a big one. So in a Tucson summer at 105F, ask me if I like putting a jacket over it...
 
I OC sometimes .....

1. Because I can. A right not excercised is like a muscle: unused, it will wither.

2. It is more comfortable with a full sized gun.

3. It makes Nancy Pelosi cry.

4. If people see you carrying a gun and acting completely normal, maybe it will counter some of that Hollywood/Video game mindset that because there is a gun present, somebody is going to get shot.....
 
Open carry s legal in ct. And our permit to carry pistols and revolvers does not specify or differenciate between open or concealed carry, or anything in between.
 
I dont want anyone to know my capability. I concealed carry. I also dress very conservatively and tend to try my best to blend in at the edge of the crowd. If no one remembers I was there I consider it a win.
 
If it's legal, do what you prefer. You're gonna get answers for both sides of the debate, and no conclusions will be drawn. You're obviously curious, so do it and see what happens.
 
Unless you open carry with at least a Level II retention holster, you run the risk of having your gun taken from you when you least expect it. This could put you in a very sticky situation, and is probably the biggest reason that open carry in an urban setting isn't a very good idea.
 
I don't know about CT, but in TX if you are printing at all, you are under arrest and you can kiss your CCW permit goodbye! Police officers here are pretty much "educated persons" in that regard. Good luck.
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Not true. If it is accidental printing you're fine. If you're wearing a tight lycra top (ahem) and carrying a G21 then yeah, you're in trouble.

Read the case law, meet some cops...
 
The usual answer seems to be that the carrier doesn't give a rat's patootie what others think, he is going to make an "in your face" statement and nobody better try to stop him!

IMHO, not a good attitude at all. Even if some folks don't get upset by seeing an open gun, many others will, and they can vote and influence others - or run screaming for the police to shoot that bad man with the gun.

When I was a LEO we were ordered to ALWAYS conceal our guns when in plain clothes to prevent just that kind of problem. In the summer, a loose shirt or baggy tee will do. "Printing" is not too important (except in some states), only someone who knows what to look for will notice, that anti-gun "nervous Nellie" won't.

Jim
 
Only in the woods.. in the civil world I cover it up.... I think open carry is a double edged sword..

90% of our customers who open carry regularly do so for the wrong reasons (to look and act macho). The last thing any of us need is macho man wiz bang running around with a Glock on his hip in an open top holster infront of all the Anti's.

I also think it develops poor mindset and training habits. There is only someone preaching the "the bad guy see's my gun on my hip.. hes gonna move on." Personally I think this is flawed logic on many levels, and if you have something they want badly enough they are gonna grab your gun (because most people are trained in a retention grab) or just flat out shoot you before you ever knew it was coming.

I am not saying this is every open carrier.. but lets face it... there are probably more wiz bangs out there that have firearms.. than there are responsible people that have firearms... a trip to the local game land range proves my theory.
 
I'm in Arizona, where open and concealed carry are both lawful.

It seems to me that the only real reason to carry openly is comfort, which is entirely reasonable.

If you can carry concealed, you might as well.
 
I'm about a 50/50 split. When I open carry it's more a matter of being too lazy to worry about covering up. That's mostly in the summer. This time of year, it's no trouble to pull a sweat shirt or a jacket over a gun. It's a bit more aggrivating trying to keep it covered in August.

I suspect someone wearing a cover garment in August in Virginia, and points south, stands out more than someone open carrying.
 
Depends on where I am. In Missouri, open carry is generally legal but you are subject to the local laws of the county or municipality. City = keep it concealed. Rural areas = show it off.

But even when open carrying, the one you see is just a distraction, it's the one you don't see that will get you.
 
I do open carry in the woods when I am hog hunting. It is not easy to draw a Ruger Blackhawk .41 Mag with a 6.5 inch barrell from concealment. Nor is comfortable to try carrying that way.

I did once on accident open carry it on the way home from the range. I forgot it was in the holster on my hip. I went into a sandwich shop in a semi rural town. I even talked to two cops while I was waiting in line. Neither of them said a thing about it. It was in a leather cowboy rig too. I forgot to take the rig off, and did not even notice it till I got home and dressed down for a shower.
 
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