Open carry?

I would worry about the determined bad guy seeing you open carrying before you get a read on what they are up to. You become their primary target.

Most criminals are cowards, but you never know when a hardened criminal is around.

Open carry, when not nessesary, is not a good idea. It does turn you into a tartget, that's true. It also serves to make non-antigun people uncomfortable and can push them over the cliff to anti gun instead of neutral. Like strapping that bloody dead deer to the roof of your station wagon, its is not illeagal, and it is your right, but it does turn people off. Excersice discretion.

Kind of a can of worms here on THR, I have never done it, never needed to. Don't show your cards. Just my .02

Open carry is legal here in Virginia. I wouldn't do it, for the reasons already stated. There are some people here locally who do it, mostly to make a statement. I think they're making a mistake. Just my opinion.

We do have a lot of threads on open carry in our archives. They tend to get very heated. Some folks prefer to keep their guns hidden to keep from alarming people (or for "tactical" reasons) and others say going visibly armed is more beneficial as a way to raise social awareness of what our rights really are.

If folks get too hot under the collar, we'll close the thread rather than treading that ground over again. At times, we don't really look like we're all on the same side. :-|

Open carry, when not nessesary, is not a good idea. It does turn you into a tartget, that's true.

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You have personal experience with this to back up your statement?

In Indiana its a License to carry in any manner desired.

I don't think I would have a problem with "open carry" where it's legal, (it's NOT legal here in Texas), but I have never really been exposed to it. As long as the folks carrying are cool about it, I don't see why it would be a problem for me.

I do understand that some people are squeamish about openly displayed guns, and I respect their opinions, but if the law allows it, such as it does in Arizona, for instance, I believe open carry should be a non-issue.

I carry concealed and doubt I would ever carry openly, even if it were legal here. I just prefer to keep my options to myself.

Walter

I love open carry.

Problem is, I'm not much of a people person and would rather be left to my own business. Ironically I did spot an OC fella and his wife at the grocery store. We had a nice conversation about carry issues.

Njal Thorgeirsson said:

Hello,

I was just curious what everyone's opinions are on open carry. Do you believe it is a good idea to respectfully open carry for firearms awareness, or do you think its a bad idea? I've heard plenty of mixed responses from the pro-gun crowd.

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First and foremost I believe open carry, just like concealed carry, should be an individual choice free from government restriction, and should be treated the same as concealed carry.

I open carry from time to time. 2 times per month, on average, probably. Have been for 6+ years and across 4 states.

People spout about it making you a target, but there is no real evidence to support this. Sure, it's POSSIBLE. No decision in life is correct 100% of the time, and this is no different. Overall I believe deterrence is more likely than making you a target. It is very difficult to get examples of this, though, because it's kind of like proving a negative. There is no report saying "nothing happened" or "the open carrier was not selected/targeted for attack".

However, we do have this...an armed robbery crew deterred by a couple guys with pistols on their hips.
http://www.examiner.com/article/open-carry-deters-armed-robbery-kennesaw


Also, my experience shows that open carry is a great way to let other people know that regular joe private citizens can and do carry guns...and it isn't a big deal. It can be a nice conversation starter, usually with people you encounter or talk to anyway, like checkout clerks and the like

Specific example: I have open carried to the largest mall in my state more times than I can count, as well as many many other places. No problems to report.

I can. I have. I don't. I support the legality of it, but choose not to exercise the right. If you're going to do it, don't do it for shock or political reasons. Please. I have to admit that Ohio's open carry law makes me very comfortable carrying concealed..... Knowing that it really doesn't matter if I print or if my shirt pulls up...especially on the bike.

Christmas rush shopping at the Mall of Georgia.

Few people care at all. That's the only video I've taken in 6 years of carrying openly, and I did it as stealthily as possible because, well, taking a video goes against the "it isn't a big deal" thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WHTIL4yIaQ

What I like about open carry is when carrying while normally concealed I do not need to worry about the need of exposing the firearm while reaching for an item on the top shelf or for any other happening.

Number of years ago I helped a lady with a flat tire on a Dodge Mini van, in the process of getting the spare cranked down and off its hanger my vest came up and the lady noticed I was carrying. She only asked if I was a Detective, I replied No, just a legally armed citizen. She was cool with the answer.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered.

3twelves said:

The nail that sticks out gets hammered.

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Tell me more about your experiences with this.

I open carry all the time here in Northern VA. No MWAG calls, just some funny looks.
Some people's eyes bug out of their heads, but a smile and nod makes everything normal.

Its WAY more comfortable in the summer than stuffing a full size CZ75 in your pants on a hot day (VA gets REALLY hot for some reason). OWB in the winter, but jackets, etc usually cover that up.

I have never seen any data at all that OCers are 'targeted' if anything it deters crime. If someone can cite ANY source saying otherwise, I'd rethink this but as of now it seems to be the same illogical 'common sense' that many antis use when coming up with 'common sense' gun control laws.

Dress professionally, being nice to everyone, keep your head on a swivel.

And as the sniper from TF2 puts it: "Be polite, be efficient, have a plan to kill everyone you meet"

People spout about it making you a target, but there is no real evidence to support this. Sure, it's POSSIBLE. No decision in life is correct 100% of the time, and this is no different. Overall I believe deterrence is more likely than making you a target. It is very difficult to get examples of this, though, because it's kind of like proving a negative. There is no report saying "nothing happened" or "the open carrier was not selected/targeted for attack".

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The ONLY case of someone being made a target(edit: that I have heard of) was a story shared here on THR:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=687288

That said, I've been heavily considering trying open carry with my 1911 locally... but I've chickened out every time as my time is important and I can't deal with a MWAG call while my wife and baby are at home waiting for me to get back from the store or something. I also need to shave so I don't look so homeless... whenever I decide to try open carry I am going to wear a nice dress shirt and appear professional(maybe how you might expect a plain-clothes cop to look?).

I have my CCW so I'm set there... I may carry openly some time when I have time to have a conversation with somebody to educate a future gun-owner.

tyeo098 said:

I open carry all the time here in Northern VA. No MWAG calls, just some funny looks.
Some people's eyes bug out of their heads, but a smile and nod makes everything normal.

Its WAY more comfortable in the summer than stuffing a full size CZ75 in your pants on a hot day (VA gets REALLY hot for some reason). OWB in the winter, but jackets, etc usually cover that up.

I have never seen any data at all that OCers are 'targeted' if anything it deters crime. If someone can cite ANY source saying otherwise, I'd rethink this but as of now it seems to be the same illogical 'common sense' that many antis use when coming up with 'common sense' gun control laws.

Dress professionally, being nice to everyone, keep your head on a swivel.

And as the sniper from TF2 puts it: "Be polite, be efficient, have a plan to kill everyone you meet"

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Yup.

Kind of like the "blood will run in the streets", "fender benders will be shootouts", and "arguments will end in slaughter" things that the antis talk about whenever a new state goes shall issue. It never happens, and despite many states where it could have happened for decades, it isn't a problem.

So it is with open carry. Lots of "but this will happen!" when, well...it doesn't

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

So I open carried.

And there was no fuss. No MWAG calls. I don't think anyone even noticed.

I was a little disappointed. I was carrying in a really nice holster. Spent a lot of money on it. Would have been nice to get a compliment or two.

I'll do it again one of these days when I feel like it. Right now it's too cold to go out without a coat, so it's not really practical!

Open carry just for the purpose of exercising our 2A right may be something like using the F-word a lot just to exercise our 1A right - which is to say that it is unnecessarily provocative in some contexts.

Then again, as Sergei Mosin experienced, "I don't think anyone even noticed."

I would consider only practical reasons to carry openly or concealed.

We do this often, but I welcome a change in the current subject.

Yes we can open carry. Yes we should stand up for our rights like Rosa Parks did. But at the same time, we don't need to give those who previously had no reason to complain...a reason to complain. If they are oblivious, let them stay that way.

I open carry when I'm outdoors doing outdoor things. If I stop into a convenience store out in these areas, I don't bother to conceal it.

One thing I must object to is the theory that it makes you a target. I think it it is at least as strong of a deterrent. If you are a criminal, looking for random victims, and you see one who has a gun, do you REALLY think to yourself; "YES!! I'm taking this one first!!" OR.....do you abort?

I will recommend, if you do open-carry, use a holster with good retention.

I also find it a bit amusing that opinions on whether or not it's a good idea usually fall along whether the state the person is from allows it. If it's not legal in most situations where you live, you get trained in the risks of ever exposing your gun to anyone.

Sam1911 said:

Some folks prefer to keep their guns hidden to keep from alarming people (or for "tactical" reasons) and others say going visibly armed is more beneficial as a way to raise social awareness of what our rights really are.

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The problem with these threads is that both of these positions are correct.

Alabama is an open carry state. I can count on one hand how many times I have seen open carry in the last year. In general I think open carry is a bad idea. In the even of an active shooter situation who will more than likely attack quickly or be concealed carry (illegally probably), seeing someone openly carrying just sets up a priority of who they will shoot first.

Sure open carry will help you draw your weapon slightly faster if you haven't practiced drawing concealed enough. But there have been no legitimate studies that show that open carry reduces crime via deterrent. As compared to concealed carry reducing violent crime everywhere it is easily allowed minus "may issue" states such as NY.

Opinion #1 (Based on SD) I prefer CC for the obvious stated reasons.
Opinion #2 (Based on current environment) I am becoming a HUGE proponent of OC for awareness.

Also, my environment (Rural Maine) is not exactly a crime haven