Conceal Carry Etiquette

[RetiredUSNChief]

So, your reasoning is that it would be dishonorable because you would be hiding what they would disapprove.

If that moral standard is to be applied, there is no logical reason why it would be limited to the issue of gun carry only. Applying that logic, you should disclose, not just gun issue, but all other issues, such as your behavior or past actions, your ideas and beliefs that makes you feel that they might disapprove of you being in their place.

Do you?

Speaking only for myself, this would not be my reasoning at all.

"My house, my rules" applies to them just as much as it does to me and my wife in our own home.

Agree or disagree, whenever I enter another person's domicile I fall under THEIR rules. If I do not agree, I still have the choice of either complying or leaving.

It's not that it's "dishonorable" to hide what they disapprove (though it is that also), it's that I choose to abide by their rules while under their roof.

 

[Mp7]

Imagine it was a porn mag instead of a gun.


What would the social situation be like
when it suddenly becomes visible?

It`s homeowners rules.
If he is not comfy with sum1 sitting
at his table while carrying, u need to comply
with his wishes.

Wether u leave it at home, car ... or
put it in the homeowners cupboard during the visit,
is an individual choice.


- - -

I once experienced a situation where a .357 revolver
dropped out of a document case while having
after dinner espresso with a group of 10 people.

The owner of the gun had had quite a lot of whiskey.
Him having brought that gun to a non-pro-gun household
was impolite & awkward. He had been brought along
by a good friend of the family.

He was never brought along again.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You can just tell what the attitude is like about guns in the state where they live by the answers given. In states where guns are no big deal like in PA you can clearly hear the difference of opinion from those who live in states where guns are "out of place" or they have recently been granted the "right" to protect themselves. It's amazing how clear the differences are.

I carry a J frame daily and have done so since I moved to PA. I do not tell anyone I have a gun in my pocket and most people here in PA just don't care.

My mom was born in PA but moved to NY at the age of 19. She is now 89 and has lived in NJ for the past 20 some odd years. Both NY City and NJ are very strict on guns so she really isn't exposed to them. A few years back she happened to see my revolver as I removed it from my pocket at night. She asked me if "that thing" is loaded. I told her of course it's loaded, what good is an empty gun? She then said, "Isn't that dangerous?" My answer was Mom, when is the last time you heard of a gun firing itself, she said never. Well then, since I'm not going to pull the trigger and neither is anyone else I guess the loaded gun isn't dangerous. She said, "I guess not" and that was the end of it...

A gun sitting in a holster in your pocket or on your belt is not dangerous so why in the world would you want to make a big deal of it and tell someone you are carrying? This seems to only be a issue in places where guns are restricted or were restricted until recently. It's hard to combat a lifetime of propaganda, lies and prejudices especially when the schools and media spreads all those lies.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Imagine it was a porn mag instead of a gun.

And that's the problem. When gun owners treat their guns like something "sinful', "shameful", "distastefu", etc. How about this. How about if we imagine it was a cell phone instead? I put my cellphone in my pocket and my gun on my belt when I get dressed. Neither object emits an odor. Neither object is obscene. The gun might even be more quiet than the cell phone. Neither object is taking up any of another's space. And unless there is a specific need to use the object, both objects are going to stay holstered. Heck, some scientists suggest there is some evidence that the radio emmissions from the cell phone might be dangerous to your brain, but not the gun (unless you pull the trigger). How about if us gun owner's stop treating our guns like something that should be hidden away from society?

 

[TestPilot]

And that's the problem. When gun owners treat their guns like something "sinful', "shameful", "distastefu", etc.

Exactly.

Sure, if someone expressly tells me that he or she does not want me to come in with a gun in their home, then I won't, unless I have to and it is legal.

But, I do not want to participate in the movement of making actively seeking permission the norm.

I refuse to perpetuate the wrong idea that my gun carry is something I need to actively seek someone else's approval or excuse for.

I would ask certain people if they are armed. I would demand certain people in cirtain circumstances to disarm when coming into my home. But, I have no problem if I find out someone I allowed in my home is legally armed when I did not ask if they were armed or have demanded them to disarm.

 

[ares338]

Might just be me but I don't go where I can't at least conceal carry. I don't take offense I just don't go. It's their right to not want it and my right to not go. See how easy this stuff is?

 

[jbrown50]

Two years ago I had a contractor come to my house to work on the furnace. While working, his shirt came up just enough that I could see part of the belt clip to his holster. I then asked him what type of gun he carried. He told me that it was a Colt Officer's 45. He then offered to take it out to the truck and leave it there if it bothered me. I told him not to worry. If he was going to kill me or rob me or whatever, he'd have already tried it by now and he wasn't acting irresponsibly in any way. We then had a nice conversation about firearms and when he finished the work we had a brief look at one another's carry guns. I met a new friend that day.

I don't have a fear of firearms so I don't think that I'm entitled for people
to respect my fears. As long as a legitimate visitor acts responsibly on my property or in my home it doesn't matter whether or not they're carrying a gun.

 

[rodinal220]

Nobody's business but mine. NO. Concealed means concealed.

 

[Claude Clay]

start with -- to get some place i must travel.
as i am responsible for the safety of me & mine i choose to be armed, concealed, when out and about.

i also feel that i have the carry cert -- not my car. which can be stolen along with what is in it. i do not want my gun, unsupervised by me, in a strangers hands. thus i do not stash it while i run inside. rather i will plan a trip to a forbidden area accordingly; run that errand and get back home, dress and continue my days necessaries.

so, going to an others home, perhaps as a tag-along friend, i'm of the don't tell.
if i know in advance they are opposed, than i wont carry and perhaps i will not go.

cause i still have to get there and back -- them not wanting it in their home has me to be without for the entire trip. and i know Murphy; your easy drive may get detoured by an accident or construction... i'm not paranoid, so to go or not is a decision that will be made case by case.
and taking away one tool does not mean i am completely defenseless...
mindset, skillset, toolset -- be balanced.

 

[scaatylobo]

This goes for ANYPLACE

In my not so humble opinion,this goes for ANYPLACE that does not actually welcome CCW on premise.

I do not believe in a "gun free zone" that is a very personal belief and I am sure some [ not the majority ] will disagree.

that is their right,I am willing to be asked to leave IF by some miracle I was spotted with a heater on.

I have been practicing the 'art' of CCW since a young man in NYC [ yea,you might get that ? ].

I was an LEO and learned to spot others who were armed,I believe I do well as all my friends that know I CCW - ask me if I am healed as they cannot tell .

Unless I go through a magnetometer I am "not" armed.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

All right, since it's always possible to postulate a circumstance wherein one point of view will prevail over another, I'll do so for this:

My wife had a cousin who, for want of a less offensive term, I shall refer to by name as "Effin Idiot".

Effin isn't just an idiot. He's flat out dangerous, and I'm not talking clumsy-dangerous. He's a bigoted know-it-all who has sucked tens of thousands of dollars out of his parents, has put a strain between his parents and my in-laws (who have been very supportive of the parents in many ways), and has threatened serious bodily harm to his own parents, including with a gun.. And that's just for starters.

And he carries concealed, presumably with a concealed carry permit since he's also a lawyer and knows better than to carry concealed without one.

Not that he obeys all the laws with respect to concealed carry in SC, most especially with respect to carrying concealed where he's not supposed to. Like in other people's homes. See post # 27.

I said he's dangerous, and I'm not kidding. There isn't a family gathering that my family attends that I am not absolutely aware of where he is at all times...and where our kids are. My wife and father-in-law know what I'll be doing with the kids at the first sign I have that things are starting to go down hill with Effin.

Personally, I will not let this man into our house...and most certainly NOT while he is armed. Neither will my wife. In fact, given his history, my wife and I have discussed what to do should he ever come knocking at our door. Don't open the door, don't talk to him, and call the police. PERIOD.

I don't believe in "gun-free zones" either. But a person's home is THEIR castle and they have the right to set whatever conditions THEY feel are appropriate on their home turf. "Gun-free zones" aren't about homeowner's rights...they're about government restrictions involving public access in certain areas. Don't confuse the issue of "gun-free zones" with homeowner's rights.

I'm sorry...there ARE times when a homeowner will ask someone NOT to bring a firearm into the house. Whether you or I agree with this is beside the point. We don't know the reasons why, and quite honestly it's none of our business why in many cases. We are duty and honor bound to comply with their wishes on their own turf. If we don't like it and don't want to leave our guns elsewhere for the duration of the visit, then the choice is simple: leave their property.

That's ALL there is to it. LEAVE THE GUN OR LEAVE THE PROPERTY.

And if you live in a state where you are obligated by law to request the permission of the homeowner or resident with respect to bringing a firearm onto their property, then either DO IT or don't go in the first place. If not, then concealed means concealed.

 

[HoosierQ]

Don't ask, Don't tell. If its concealed properly, nobody will know.

This would be me. Concealed is actually concealed, not squished up under a tee-shirt. Under a long tailed shirt, no need to say anything.

 

[Haywood]

I always carry, never tell.