Hypothetical situation.

Open carry is legal here too. The only time I have done so is when fishing or hunting and running in a service station to get a drink or slice of pizza. It amazes me that no one seems to notice a .44 or X- frame in a service station but they seem to notice a Glock 20. I'm not sure however if they are thinking I'm cop or robber? And while I personally only carry concealed there, if at all, I usually see at least one openly carried handgun in Wal-Mart locally. So I doubt most would change anything about their carry habits in areas like mine. (As far as the mares leg goes they truly are offputting at best to shoot. Same as pistol gripped Mossbergs and Sig scorpions/ Ar pistols, to me. Fun to try to shoot, but not very useful to most. But I took that part of the op as more of a joke than some did)

Open carried my 1911 once in a leather taguay holster. It's very comfortable on the body, but uncomfortable in the mind. I don't like the attention.

Needless to say, after about an hour or two, I concealed it. As it's been said before, you lose your element of surprise, and possibly become a target.

TrickyDick said:

Open carried my 1911 once in a leather taguay holster. It's very comfortable on the body, but uncomfortable in the mind. I don't like the attention.

Needless to say, after about an hour or two, I concealed it. As it's been said before, you lose your element of surprise, and possibly become a target.

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This is how I feel. I don't like the attention.

Besides at the end of the day that 15 ounce gun feels like it weighs 5 pounds.

Warning this idea entirely tickles my funny bone.
Because all I can picture is Fobbits galore.
Out-of-breath mallninja from toting 5# carbines with 17# of "needful" accessories bolted on. (and body armor)

And, the ones you have to watch out for would be the same as the ones you do now.

I'd carry an AR alot, always with a 2" .38 or such to preclude any ideas anyone might have of a muscled snatch and grab. Otherwise a 9mm pistol, perhaps a .357 once in awhile. Depends where I was going, what I was doing for the day etc.

Klint Beastwood said:

I could tell you I wouldn't want to carry anything more than the situation requires. Ive lived and slept with a rifle more times than I can remember and it's anoying.

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I agree, after almost 21 years in the Army carrying a rifle while I slept, ate, did business in the john, and while operating a vehicle, I definitely don't want to experience that any more.

Long arm open carry has been legal in Texas forever (handgun open carry was legalized two years ago), I'm a 66 YO native Texan, and I've never seen anyone toting a rifle or shotgun around. As people have said, it's just too awkward.

Flynt said:

Long arm open carry has been legal in Texas forever (handgun open carry was legalized two years ago), I'm a 66 YO native Texan, and I've never seen anyone toting a rifle or shotgun around. As people have said, it's just too awkward.

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I agree in part. The problem is the practice is discouraged, and with the "extra attention" you will currently get it is certainly not worth it. Now in Israel it is a norm, no one looks sideways, the police do not come racing out to "investigate" anyone carrying a long gun. And that is the main issue. If it was the norm nationwide and even a small percentage of people practiced it every day things would be different here too.

Blkhrt13 said:

if it was nation wide legal to open carry anything, long or hand guns, what would you carry. ...

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I would carry just what I now carry ... and I would still carry it concealed.

I have zero interest in "open carrying" a firearm.

For the large number of us who hunt in season, carrying a rifle all day has it's fun side - and then you are done with it.

Two weeks in the Reserves/NG for training and you lose your humor about it and accept that its a necessary grind. Which is EXACTLY why handguns were continually improved so we could cut the weight of lugging around a 4 foot encumbrance. Show up in public now with a rifle - even 140 years ago and you get asked what's the trouble? Now the trouble is YOU.

Still, the idea of wearing a gun to be publicly viewed will mean a slowly ratcheting escalation as "that guy" starts wearing one with that something extra. Instead of all the black plastic I see, or another Glock, how about a S&W 4566TSW in stainless? Hmmm? And next month somebody would be dragging out their engraved and gold filled 1911 Grandpa willed them, and the race would be off.

Pretty soon it's "Todd Jarrett" with speed holsters. We already have that contest going on already - take a look in some 'hoods with athletic shoes, the office with watches, in the shop with custom auto OTF knives, ad infinitum.

After that you'd start seeing AR pistols in belt holsters. I thought we'd mocked that idea into oblivion already, here we are trying to save it with the breath of life.

Still, it would be the thing to step from a stainless bodied Tesla in your exclusive tailored 5.11 body armored suit, a meteorite gripped Caspian 1911 double stack in .50 AE slung in a hybrid carbon fiber and exotic reptile shoulder holster over the jacket, pulling out your 12" Iphone/tablet to start a 3D group conversation over why your tailor, mechanic, and valet failed to make you uniquely superlative with those mundane Scarpa "Afghani" SF - issue mountain boots - they are everywhere on the street! Or at least good fakes - look, another Amazon delivery by drone at the lobby and even the doorman is wearing some!

"Harold, tell my gunkeeper we need to order those LED's for the new Chiappa double chain cylinder revolver, I won't be upstaged like this again!"

I think I will just carry concealed.

Reminds me of Svalbard, Norway where most everyone carries a rifle in defense against polar bears. I saw a photo of racks of rifles a hotel has for guests. I suspect the TV show "Fortitude" is based on places like Svalbard. A girl in the show placed her rifle in a cart while shopping for groceries.

It's on my list of places to visit, so I'd be openly carrying a 30-06.

M60. Your going to get literally everyone's attention open carrying anyway. Might as well look like Rambo doing it . I'd still stick to concealed.

I wouldn't open carry in an urban area, even though it's legal. I would feel like a target.

Rural areas, though... .

And yes, I sometimes carry a G27 or some other concealable pistol.

If nationwide carry, concealed or open, handgun or long gun, suddenly became legal, I would not carry a long gun. If you are going into combat, carry a long gun. If you are not, carry a handgun.

Soldiers carry a long gun because they are going into combat. However, historically, not all soldiers carried long guns. Pistols were the weapon of choice for soldiers in jobs where they needed their hands free until WWII when the M1 Carbine was designed with those troops in mind (and it was a gun with roughly the same power levels as a stout .357mag).

Police, who are far more likely to walk into an ugly situation than the average person carry handguns. Many (most?) carry shotguns or rifles/carbines in their trunks so they can get them easily when they are expecting to walk into trouble, but usually they are not expecting it so they have handguns.

When you need to be doing other things, a rifle often will just get in the way. Especially in everyday life when the chances of needing it are low.

So, given the OP's stated situation, and these criteria, I'd carry a handgun and I'd carry concealed. Concealment, as a private citizen, gives a little bit of a tactical advantage over having criminals know we are armed (and carrying something valuable that is easily sold). I'd have different CCW options for different concealment/dress/backup needs: 1911 Commander, 1911 Officer, S&W M&P40c, SIG P290RS, small .380 (LCP until traded on something with better sights), and a revolver or two for camping and occasional use at other times. I would probably follow the lead of police and have a long gun in the trunk of my car in case I drove into a larger situation that called for more.

The exception would be something like the LA riots or the Katrina aftermath where regular citizen homeowners, business owners and their employees basically found themselves in a combat zone and armed themselves with rifles and shotguns to protect their livelihoods and property (though, I guess it isn't really an exception if I had a long gun in the car to cover such unexpected situations).

Could carry it legally, just can't get one on a form 4.

If anything were legal. Hmm.
I'd imagine that my 1911 would still be my choice. If I anticipated needing a firearm, I'd just stay home that day. Post #8 hit it. I've been required to carry a rifle everywhere I went. It can be a serious impediment to going about your normal day.

If I anticipated needing a firearm, I'd just stay home that day.

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I have to say If not playing some gun game I use my firearms more on my own property than anywhere else. In fact the only other times I have ever used one anyother place was when hunting on someone else's property.

I know it's not the "hypothetical" the op was wanting but the only place I would consider/have open carried, is on private property.

I'd rather throw myself down a flight of stairs than carry a long gun everywhere ever again.

I did that for a year once when I was a private in the army in a small detachment full of the kind of people that end up as leadership in poorly regarded units. My MOS by nature didn't lend itself to carrying a long gun - it was always in the way. I had to beg and borrow to get a pistol and then could only carry it when away from our control freak, sociopathic commander who never knew I signed for one from supply. I'd leave the long gun in whatever arms room or TOC was available at forward locations I went.

Then I volunteered to go to a better unit with better people and better gear. Everyone was issued an M4 and a pistol. I carried just a pistol the next two tours 99% of the time, including outside the wire on direct action missions. I didn't take an M4 unless it was for the flight to or from somewhere where I was traveling on my own and maybe had to rely on only myself.

Long story short, I lived through Iraq and Afghanistan with only a pistol and then many years here in America. I won't be schlepping a long gun anywhere until the apocalypse.

Kleanbore said:

You "prolly" would not like a mare's leg much at all. The idea was devised to give Steve McQueen's character Josh Randall a "gimmick" to differentiate him from the other fictional screen characters who walked around with big Colts in heavy rigs.

McQueen reportedly took the one shootable example to a range once. He said shooting it was awful.

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Yes, But Gina Torres looks so nice carrying that Mare's Leg........
I wouldn't change anything I do. The only time I carry open is during hunting season

If open carry is the norm and everyone is carrying, I would be using a slung AK pistol (M92 or Draco).

I doubt anyone would mess with you when you're carrying an AK47 ...

Wisco said:

I'd rather throw myself down a flight of stairs than carry a long gun everywhere ever again.

I did that for a year once when I was a private in the army in a small detachment full of the kind of people that end up as leadership in poorly regarded units. My MOS by nature didn't lend itself to carrying a long gun - it was always in the way. I had to beg and borrow to get a pistol and then could only carry it when away from our control freak, sociopathic commander who never knew I signed for one from supply. I'd leave the long gun in whatever arms room or TOC was available at forward locations I went.

Then I volunteered to go to a better unit with better people and better gear. Everyone was issued an M4 and a pistol. I carried just a pistol the next two tours 99% of the time, including outside the wire on direct action missions. I didn't take an M4 unless it was for the flight to or from somewhere where I was traveling on my own and maybe had to rely on only myself.

Long story short, I lived through Iraq and Afghanistan with only a pistol and then many years here in America. I won't be schlepping a long gun anywhere until the apocalypse.

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This is more of a hypothetical scenario and not a real world situation. Like somehow in the future, citizens are allowed to carry their weapon of choice and it would be considered normal and not frowned upon. You don't always have to carry a long gun or heavy weapon, but on certain days you can choose to based on your purposes (or just for fun).

I see nothing wrong with a law-abiding citizen carrying an M4 openly as long as it is done safely. I think it's more of the sheep who get scared by this sighting.

Thank you for your service btw.