It depends on the situation. I was surprised at how many posts were dead against it based on legality- and the fear that the perp would run off and dial 911. If you've sized up the perp as a threat, chances are he's not the type who wants to call the cops, fill out a report, etc- he's up to no good.
The second issue I hear, is how revealing one's CCW deprives you of a tactical advantage.
* There seems to be little consideration (here in this thread) of the normal psychological reaction to finding out someone is armed. The normal reaction is to simply go away- why antagonize someone who is armed? Criminals look for easy prey. So revealing a CCW can actually de-escalate a situation rapidly in some situations.
I'm not saying anyone should brandish or reveal their CCW in any situation, but the flip side of that is wrong too... saying one should never reveal their CCW.
Ok, I usually don't write long posts as many THR members have short attention spans, but this story is worth telling. If you care to read it, yes there is a point- it illustrates how revealing a CCW can de-escalate things with perps.
My brother-in-law was taking night college classes. He couldn't carry on campus due to the school rules (didn't want to risk getting expelled). He was driving home from class late (after 10 pm) when his car stalled on a hill in the city. He coasted to the bottom of the hill and turned into the first parking lot he saw. The car was dead. He looks around and realizes he pulled into a low-income housing project. He didn't have a cell phone. However, luckily a police car was there and he was able to get the attention of the officer.
Basically the cop helps him out, calls his Dad for him (who lives 30 min away). Then the cop says he has to get going to respond to another call, but says "well, you're in a pretty bad part of town. I'd lock your doors and lay on the floor of your car- stay out of sight until your Dad gets here." And then the LEO promptly leaves.
Well, within 10 or 15 minutes the locals of the housing project become pretty interested in him. Apparently first some teens on bikes road up, looked in, and realized he was in there, then began to circle the car and make insulting comments and question why he was there, etc. Remember, he has no cell phone and no weapons in the car, doors are locked, windows up- he is waiting for his Dad to show up to pick him up.
Then a crowd begins to form about 30 yards away, containing teens, and young adults... with apparently nothing better to do at 10:30 at night. The begin to yell out challenges, jeers, such as "why you in our neighborhood you white m------!!?" etc etc. I’m just telling the story, not trying to upset anyone. My brother-in-law notices the small crowd begins to near him a little at a time- almost as if they had to work up their courage. They basically had moved within 15 yards of the car and were throwing things (pennies, aluminum cans) when his Dad shows up. They were sort of thrown off by the arrival (his Dad drove up pretty fast and confidently) and backed off about 20 yards, but were still standing staring there watching.
My brother-in-law's Dad is an engineer, pro-2nd amendment advocate, born-again-Christian, and did two tours in Vietnam. He gets out of his car, and my brother-in-law gets out too. Of course my brother-in-law is quietly pleading to leave, but his Dad wants to check under the hood and see what is wrong. But he also notes the small crowd and at this point the ringleader gets his courage back and begins to make verbal taunts and threats, etc.
His Dad gives the guy a look, but the guy keeps running his mouth- trying to pump up the group. Then he simply pulled his sweatshirt up in an absent-minded way as he leaned over to check the engine, blatantly revealing his stainless steel 1911 on his hip. Literally there was a sudden shout of "Sh--! The old head is strapped!!" followed by the sound of scurrying footsteps. The parking lot was clear within 10 seconds. The situation was completely de-escalated.