Would YOU Open Carry???

Would or Do you Open Carry in Public?

  • Yes

    Votes: 173 41.8%
  • No

    Votes: 114 27.5%
  • It depends

    Votes: 127 30.7%

  • Total voters
    414
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After a day of atv'ing in the mountains my wife and I stopped at the Burger King in Salida Colorado just to get a quick bite. I had my 1911 on my side. A customer in line in front of us kept looking back at me and after he got his order he came back and with a very unfriendly tone said "Why you wearin' a gun in here?". I politely replied that it was my right and it wasn't against the law. "Well I don't like it" he said. He then walked away. If I had been a little quicker I would have said "Because there are people in here wearing backpacks (as he was) and I don't know what they might be carrying.
 
I politely replied that it was my right and it wasn't against the law.

See now I would have replied that I just left the field, was hungry and didnt feel like leaving it it my car. To his reply that he didnt like it I would have given him the famous:

"Well dude, filling my tummy fast takes precedence over your feelings, and if you are so upset, go to Mickey D's"

Don't get me wrong boys and girls...my disdain for those who want to teach the "sheeple" a lesson is equal to my disdain to those who want to shove their anti gun feelings in my face. I think open carry is inappropriate and smacks of ramboism under many circumstances, but you know what, its equally as inappropriate to voice my views to someone who is doing something lawful.

WAs Rule of Life 67.78 (a).....A person who publicly chastises another for acting, albiet lawfully, like an a*****e is equally an a******e.

Thats why I try to avoid leftist political rallies, to keep my inner sphincter under control :)


WildburguerkingAlaska
 
Given that the property rights of business owners to exclude firearms on their premises trump my right to carry them, it's just good sense to avoid that conflict altogether with proper concealed carry. After all, what they don't know probably won't hurt them.

Until you get caught and give the people who obey the laws and rights of others a bad name.

As you said, their right to refuse your gun supersedes your right to carry it.

Respect other's rights and wishes. If a store manager, owner, or employee objects to your gun, go out, remove it and re-enter the store or QUIETLY leave. Don't make a big fuss about it, you WILL lose and you'll give everyone else who carries a black eye. If a private individual objects, tell him to consult the manager of the place where you are. Deflect his objections to you personally and avoid a conflict at all costs.
 
Until you get caught and give the people who obey the laws and rights of others a bad name.

As you said, their right to refuse your gun supersedes your right to carry it.

Respect other's rights and wishes. If a store manager, owner, or employee objects to your gun, go out, remove it and re-enter the store or QUIETLY leave. Don't make a big fuss about it, you WILL lose and you'll give everyone else who carries a black eye. If a private individual objects, tell him to consult the manager of the place where you are. Deflect his objections to you personally and avoid a conflict at all costs.

The point is that the store manager is never put into a position to object in the first place, because it's concealed. However, the store manager is welcome to preemptively post his desire to not have firearms present, and I'll gladly take my business elsewhere because I'd rather not patronize a place that is openly hostile to concealed carry.

I'm not sure where you get off insinuating that I give firearms owners a bad name, but I find it insulting and I do not appreciate it.
 
Yes, been there, done that (in Arizona). However, I don’t open carry all the time. I believe there was someone here who open carried in to the bank, said he usually got strange looks.
 
Only my family and close trusted friends know I own guns, I figure the more people know, the more likely I am to get burglarized for my guns.

You know... I don't agree with many of the cons presented here against OC, but this is an argument that has merit. It wouldn't prevent me, but it does give me pause.
 
I also like the fact that carrying concealed allows me to decide when/if I want to respond in a situation. Carrying openly doesn't really give you that option.

Can you give an example here (preferably something that really happened)? I just don't see the difference in the decision process. Either you are in mortal danger and require the use of your firearm, or you are not.
 
I'm not sure where you get off insinuating that I give firearms owners a bad name, but I find it insulting and I do not appreciate it.

No insinuation, statement of fact. I "got off" saying what I did from YOUR statement that you would carry concealed into a store where it was expressly forbidden, regardless of the law or store manager's wishes.

I'll quote you again, in case you forgot what you wrote.

Given that the property rights of business owners to exclude firearms on their premises trump my right to carry them, it's just good sense to avoid that conflict altogether with proper concealed carry. After all, what they don't know probably won't hurt them.

As for your appreciation of my remarks, that is completely irrelevant to me.
 
No insinuation, statement of fact. I "got off" saying what I did from YOUR statement that you would carry concealed into a store where it was expressly forbidden, regardless of the law or store manager's wishes.

I'll quote you again, in case you forgot what you wrote.



As for your appreciation of my remarks, that is completely irrelevant to me.

Not what I said at all. Please go back and look for where I advocated breaking the or carrying against the express wishes of the property owner... I did not. I stated that concealed carry avoids the conflict with property rights. It's simple, firearms aren't usually a big issue on the mind of most business owners, and I prefer to keep it that way by keeping them out of sight so they don't decide they need a policy against them.

As for your attitude and insults, they are unwelcome and all you've accomplished is earning yourself a place on my ignore list from this point forward. It's unfortunate that people can't conduct themselves in a civilized and respectful manner in an online community.
 
It's rather expensive here in Louisiana to take the class and get a 4 year license (around $250, $500 for both my wife and I). I'm having to open carry until I can save the money for the license.
 
mjoy64 said:
Can you give an example here (preferably something that really happened)? I just don't see the difference in the decision process. Either you are in mortal danger and require the use of your firearm, or you are not.
You're kidding right? You really can't conceive of a realistic situation where it might be to your advantage to have a firearm that a criminal doesn't know about?

One excellent example was posted awhile back.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=60164&highlight=range+display+case+glass&page=2

An man went into a gun store/gun range and took all the employees hostage using a gun he rented at the range. None were carrying openly, but one employee was carrying concealed and the criminal didn't discover it. The criminal was taking them out back and made it clear that he was going to shoot them. The armed employee bided his time and when he got an opportunity he was able to pull his firearm and disable the criminal with no injury to any of the employees. Had he been carrying openly he would have been forced to respond immediately or he would have been disarmed.

"After several minutes on the range, however, Stevens returned to the club's gun store and shot at the ceiling. He then herded three store employees out the door into an alley, saying he intended to kill them, Morec said.

Unknown to Stevens, one store employee was carrying a .45 caliber handgun concealed beneath his shirt. When Stevens looked away, the employee fired, hitting Stevens several times in the chest and bringing him to the ground."​
In another example (go here and search on Peebles), a doctor and his wife were kidnapped and forced to drive a criminal to Mexico. Unbeknownst to the criminal, they had a concealed pistol. The doctor was able to retrieve the pistol and take the criminal by surprise ending the scenario, but not until they had crossed at least one state line. Again, had they been openly armed instead of armed with a concealed gun they would have had to respond immediately or they would have simply been disarmed.

Here are some more. Go here and read about Jacob Evans who waited for the right moment to pull his hidden handgun. Search that site for "John Brimmer" to read of another concealed carrier who waited for the right moment to respond but who would certainly have been forced to respond immediately or be disarmed otherwise had he carried openly.

I find it pretty surprising (just about incredible, in fact) that it's necessary to defend the idea that having an "ace in the hole" could be an advantage.
 
I also like the fact that carrying concealed allows me to decide when/if I want to respond in a situation. Carrying openly doesn't really give you that option.

I find it pretty surprising (just about incredible, in fact) that it's necessary to defend the idea that having an "ace in the hole" could be an advantage.

Clearly there are some cases where concealed carry would be an advantage. If you had phrased your opinion around the *potential* tatical advantage of conceal carry, I wouldn't have asked the question.

I see what you meant now. Your statement is oriented around conceal carry allowing greater latitude in "when/if" you respond. I get the "when" now (after reading your examples), but focused on the "if". To me the "if" part seems cut and dried unaffected by concealed vs. open carry.
 
Depends. I have open carried in many placed when going to and from hunting or fishing.

For daily carry, I prefer concealed. You don't spook the sheep, you have the element of surprise if there is a 'problem', and it just seems more polite (although there is no real logic to that last).
 
I voted yes, because if it were fashionable in Michigan, there would be times when it would be a lot more comfortable. Biking, for example. In a way, I open carry when doing that now, but a safety vest mostly covers it at night. If I biked in the daytime, you'd probably be able to see the G26 through the holes in the vest. There are other times when I definitely would.
 
The advantage to concealed carry is surprise. The down-side is it's slower to bring into play.

The advantage of open carry is it sends a message to the perp, "If you want me, you're gonna have to work for it." The disadvantage is some people may object to a gun right next to them in a restaurant.
 
I open carried for the first time last night. My wife and I took the dog for a walk around the neighborhood. We passed some neighbors and ten minutes later saw a police car zoom down our street as we approached from a cross street.

We kept walking.
 
It depends.....on what "open carry" and "concealed carry" are defined as.....

I see "open carry" as a way to wedge out the CHL permit (and cost to exercise a SCOTUS-affirmed RKBA) system and have a Vermont-style carry (concealed or open) in Texas. After all...if you're carrying concealed & no one sees it, no biggie. If it's exposed, it's now open carry.... ;)
 
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