"Bulge carrying" is the best of both worlds

[model of 1905]

And there you go.

 

[GigaBuist]

That is not to say some local police officer may not harrass you.

Happened in Grand Haven, Michigan about a year ago I think. Some guy was open carrying and got arrested for it. Case was later thrown out, not even sure if he was officially charged with anything.

Pretty surprising because the county prosecutor (Ottawa county) requires everybody that gets a CPL to appear before the gun board before they issue the license. He doesn't like people carrying weapons, but the law is the law.

 

[LibShooter]

I don't open carry because it makes me feel self conscious and uncomfortable.

But luckily as an HCP holder in Tennessee, I don't have to obsess over printing. I usually pocket carry(Bulge Carry?) a J-frame snubbie. Now my new Pachmayr grips peak out of my pocket. At first that freaked me out. Now I realize nobody notices or cares. Even my wife doesn't notice. She asks if I'm carrying almost every time we go out.

Would a peak at a Pachmyer under my untucked shirt be considered brandishing in other states?

 

[model of 1905]

I don't open carry because it makes me feel self conscious and uncomfortable.

But luckily as an HCP holder in Tennessee, I don't have to obsess over printing. I usually pocket carry(Bulge Carry?) a J-frame snubbie. Now my new Pachmayr grips peak out of my pocket. At first that freaked me out. Now I realize nobody notices or cares. Even my wife doesn't notice. She asks if I'm carrying almost every time we go out.

Would a peak at a Pachmyer under my untucked shirt be considered brandishing in other states?

My wife doesn't ask any more, she knows, whether it is obvious or not and she stays on my off side.

 

[Tiomoid]

I didn't read the whole thread. To many comments, but for those of you who CAN open carry and try to hate on those of us who can't, or don't wish too. Open carry, while nice, DOES PAINT A HUGE TARGET ON YOUR BACK in a serious situation. You will most likely be the bad guys first target...think it threw.

 

[model of 1905]

I have thought it through thoroughly. Open carry is a right, a right unused is a right soon lost. Actually if you think it through you will realize that it generally will deter a threat as opposed to putting a "target on your back". There are no guarantees in life. No one can say that your position or mine is right. I don't "hate on" anybody for choosing not to open carry. What I hate is people expressing opinions on open carrying when they have seldom if ever done it. I open carry often. If you don't or haven't, then your opinion or others' like you are better kept to yourselves. It carries no weight if you get my gist.

 

[30mag]

Actually if you think it through you will realize that it generally will deter a threat as opposed to putting a "target on your back".

Generally, possibly. But I'm not worried about generally. Generally, people don't run around gunning down people.
I would still rather CC (in most cases) than OC. It'd be nice to strap it on before going to the range and not have to worry about it. Stop in a gas station and grab a drink, or whatever.
OC has its place.

 

[TexasBill]

Texas law doesn't say anything about "printing" or anything like that at all. Texas law just says:




Accidental exposure, or simply having an bulge under clothing are not crimes. Intent to show a weapon would be part of the question. You may very well run into some cop with a bad attitude but I think you will have a hard time finding examples of carriers charged with this. It just doesn't come up that often.

The problem is the law doesn't define "conceal" clearly enough for some Texas DAs who have already shown they are prone to "interpreting" the law (check out the controversy that followed the legislature's reinterpretation of "traveling"), which means the LEOs in their counties may get you for any trace of the firearm being visible, i.e. bulging, or, if you're lucky, they might say it just needs to be covered up so the firearm itself isn't visible. It's all still subjective.

I do know of one incident in Houston where a CHL holder almost got arrested when a lady at a supermarket called the police because she "thought" he might be carrying a gun. She never actually saw any part of the firearm, but the guy was packing and the cops hassled him for printing. Our former DA was a real horse's behind about the traveling law change as well; told the troops to ignore it and continue to enforce the old definition even though the cases would be thrown out. Fortunately he got busted for ethics over some pornographic e-mails. In any event, the legislature had to go back and re-redefine the traveling standards to end the abuse.

Texas really needs to put on its big boy pants and pass open carry legislation. Summers are too darn hot down here to worry about concealed carry. Of course, I have to admit the current situation is better than the old "thou shalt not carry under any circumstances" with no permits at all.

 

[30mag]

Texas really needs to put on its big boy pants and pass open carry legislation. Summers are too darn hot down here to worry about concealed carry. Of course, I have to admit the current situation is better than the old "thou shalt not carry under any circumstances" with no permits at all.

I agree.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I do know of one incident in Houston where a CHL holder almost got arrested when a lady at a supermarket called the police because she "thought" he might be carrying a gun. She never actually saw any part of the firearm, but the guy was packing and the cops hassled him for printing.

Right, cops with bad attitudes, but no actual arrests for bulges or printing. I've never heard of a single charge actually filed for it in Texas. Would love to see one if it's actually happened. It very well might have, but I've never seen anything on it.

A cop spotted MY carry gun once at a grocery store when I bent over to pick up something from a bottom shelf. All he did was walk up real close and whisper "your gun is visible when you bend over, might keep that in mind" and he walked off. Didn't even ask me for ID.

This one Houston DA, that's not even in office anymore, made people so afraid of everything it's just sad.

 

[LRaccuracy]

When I am carrying a weapon I don't want others to know that I am.

 

[Dr_2_B]

In these days of smart phones, PDAs, iPods, etc. the idea that a bulge is a gun won't even enter most people's heads

+1. I'd do it.

 

[TexasBill]

Right, cops with bad attitudes, but no actual arrests for bulges or printing. I've never heard of a single charge actually filed for it in Texas. Would love to see one if it's actually happened. It very well might have, but I've never seen anything on it.

A cop spotted MY carry gun once at a grocery store when I bent over to pick up something from a bottom shelf. All he did was walk up real close and whisper "your gun is visible when you bend over, might keep that in mind" and he walked off. Didn't even ask me for ID.

This one Houston DA, that's not even in office anymore, made people so afraid of everything it's just sad.

Unfortunately, the Harris County DA sets the pace for an awful lot of agencies and is one of the most influential DAs in the state. And the cop's actions don't mean he had a bad attitude; he could just have been following the policies he was given.

 

[Carl]

I CC for tactical reasons, not because I'm afraid of what others might think or do. It's all for the element of surprise if a situation arises where I'll need to defend my life or that of another. The threat won't see it coming, and it raises my chances of properly succeeding.

With that said, with all the stuff that people wear these days, I've bulged carried in Meijers with the plastic holster that comes with the gun(haven't bought a proper leather holster yet but wanted to get a head start on getting used to carrying it around), and nobody noticed. Of course, being new to carrying a gun, I feel as if everyone notices and everyone is looking at me, but nobody notices, not a glance. My girlfriend didn't even notice one day when I was OCing around the house until a half hour passed and she saw it on my hip when I leaned over towards her on the couch. Normal every day people are oblivious to their surroundings.

And with that said, people that might be looking for an armed individual to possibly scope out a situation (robbery, etc) will definitely notice someone that's OCing.

 

[Bishop.357]

I open-carry on a regluar basis except when I'm in a place where it whould make others uncomfortable,then I just pull my shirt down over it;I'm a big guy; 6' 3" and 240lbs,so its not too hard for me to conceal whatever I happen to be carryin' on any givin day.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Unfortunately, the Harris County DA sets the pace for an awful lot of agencies and is one of the most influential DAs in the state.

I understand that, but the Harris County DA that did those things is not in office. In fact, he lost his job for ethics violations. Not very influential.....

On February 15, 2008, Rosenthal resigned shortly after a lawsuit was filed by attorney Lloyd Kelley, seeking to remove Rosenthal from office on the grounds of official misconduct, incompetency or intoxication.

Pat Lykos (Republican) is now the Harris County District Attorney and so far she has done none of this nonsense, so there is nothing to be gained by fearmongering talk of what an ex-DA criminal may have done 2 plus years ago.

 

[Logos]

.

If I see a bulge I just feel sorry for the poor bastard......I figure it's probably a colostomy bag.

 

[essayons21]

Fortunately, living an open carry state, I can bulge carry. I've noticed that even when I do a horrible job of concealing, the majority of sheeple will never notice. Hell even when I open carry, 90% don't even notice the 1911 on my hip.

The people that do notice, LEOs, gunnies, and maybe a few observant criminals, I don't mind. Most criminals are cowards and will pick a softer target, so the bulge under my shirt acts as a deterrent. Also, in an invasion style crime in a public area, the criminals tend to be very focused on their intended targets, and to my knowledge there has never been an instance of a criminal shooting the OC'er first.

On the other hand there are a few examples of criminals completely ignoring the OCer, and winding up on the losing end.

Just recently, in my hometown, a would be murderer/robber was stopped (for good) by an OC'er wearing a 7 1/2"(!) bbl single-action revolver in a western drop-leg rig. This guy was standing a few yards from the clerk who was shot, in the robbers line of sight, yet he still did not notice the HUGE gun on the OC'ers leg until he started recieving return fire.

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum54/28482.html

I understand that the plural of antecdote is not data, but until I see an argument for the tactical advantage of deep concealment more compelling than the theories of internet commandos, I will continue carrying as I see fit.

 

[Logos]

I suppose there are also a few stories of how an open-carry proponent took one in the back of the head because some guys thought it would be nice to steal his gun.

Like many things.....it all depends.

 

[essayons21]

I suppose there are also a few stories of how an open-carry proponent took one in the back of the head because some guys thought it would be nice to steal his gun.

Like many things.....it all depends.

Being very tuned-in to self-defense and OC news stories, I have never come across an example anything like this. Not saying it couldn't or won't happen, just I don't know of any instance.

Do you have an example you could share with us?

 

[Logos]

No, just seeing it as a likely outcome.

If more people openly carried there would probably be plenty of such stories. In reality, actual open carry is pretty much non-existent except in a few isolated rural areas where it is seen mostly by coyotes.

In Minnesota I have never seen a single person open carry in my life.....not one. I don't expect it's greatly different most other places.

Just came back from a trip through North and South Dakota in rural areas and didn't see a single one there either. Lots of cowboy boots......no gun belts.

 

[kyo]

I want to share some Open carry thoughts here. I carry a simplyrugged leather brand belt/holster, with a buckler on the front. My carry weapon is a P345 with the SS slide. I carry at 4 o'clock. right behind the hip above my butt. Its comfortable in the car, its comfortable when I walk, sit, anywhere. I can do IWB or OWB, but I like IWB so if I want to wear a tank top and conceal it, its easy. I am young, 24 and stand at a slim 5'10"
The first time I open carried was into a gas station. I live in GA btw. There are no open carry laws here. I can legally open carry without a holster even, only need a holster for concealed, but I use my rig all the time. boy was I nervous. I walked in and I tried to not really look at people because I was nervous. I had a though then, that I am not a criminal, and I am not doing anything illegal. Worst thing that happened was that some guy was looking at me when I came up behind him in line to pay and leave. I then went to Publix where I went shopping and ran into 2 kids with a mom shopping beside me. The kids were swarming around me, meowing like kids. So I took out my phone and showed them my puppy. Small talk with the kids/lady. Smiles around.

Why do I really open carry? Well, because I don't feel line wearing big baggy clothes sometimes. Sometimes I feel like the tank top. Sometimes I feel like wearing a tucked shirt in. I did this a few days ago at Publix. Waved to an officer in the process, said hi, and he just kept on goin in side the store. No one said anything to me, or didn't really look weird at me. Maybe 2-3 people were wondering what was up. I was wearing jeans and a tucked in black short sleeve shirt.

Whats the point of the story? Well, people are very nice to me when I have a gun. I don't think its because of the gun, I think its because they know that I am around with a gun. I don't open carry because I want to feel gangster. I open carry because I want people to know that I am a young man who is capable of being responsible with a firearm in public, and that GA is a great place to exercise my rights as a citizen. The message that I send when I walk around with my 45 is that I am courteous, respectful, thoughtful, and most of all prepared. I am not sure what I am to the "bad" guys.

 

[Logos]

Sooner or later, some bad guys will see you as a source for a free gun.

 

[essayons21]

No, just seeing it as a likely outcome.

If more people openly carried there would probably be plenty of such stories. In reality, actual open carry is pretty much non-existent except in a few isolated rural areas where it is seen mostly by coyotes.

In Minnesota I have never seen a single person open carry in my life.....not one. I don't expect it's greatly different most other places.

Have you ever been over to OCDrg? While OC is not exactly common, it is pretty much accepted in most parts of Virginia, including cities. Most people and LEOs don't even bat an eye when they see someone OCing. Regional OC dinners attract between 25-100 participants monthly, and are always growing.

Hardly "non-existant" down here. VA probably has the highest rate of OC, and the only self-defense incidents have resulted in the OC'er coming out on top. And its not anything new... the shooter in the story I linked wasn't even a member at OCDO.

Sooner or later, some bad guys will see you as a source for a free gun.

They already see me as source for a free wallet/watch/car/cellphone... whats your point?

 

[Logos]

I hear a lot of big talk about open carry......I can only relate what I see.....or in this case, never see.

Wallets, watches, cars and cellphones are not as attractive as a gun.....that's the point.