Open carry in Alabama?

[AL Ranger]

If you check out the AL Open Carry website you will see that we just had our first annual (?) Christmas dinner in the north AL area. We had several members (their guns) and their families show. In total, about 16 people. We were there from 5pm to just after 7pm and we didn't have a single problem. That is the way it should be for LAC enjoying the RKBA.

We have had great success for a website that just started in April. We have made in-roads in several of our largest cities and we plan on doing even more in the coming year. Get ready for some big changes in our state.

 

[AL Ranger]

For those who are wondering about the reason for open carry, here are a few:

1. Open Carry is a deterrent to crime. It reminds criminals that citizens carry guns too. If there is one gun in the open, how many are being carried concealed? Two OCers in Kennesaw, GA indirectly stopped a robbery simply by OCing their 1911s. The criminals admitted they were going to rob the place (Waffle House) but saw the two guys with their guns. They were apprehended by Sheriffs deputy as they sat in the parking lot, guns at the ready, waiting for the two OCers to leave. For the story, Google Waffle House, Kennesaw GA, open carry.

2. Concealed carry is useful only AFTER the crime has started and you have to pull your gun and get involved. Open Carry may deter the crime from ever starting. Which would you rather be involved in? Personally, I'd rather AVOID a shootout, thank you!

3. In the heat, open carry can be preferable during the hot, muggy days in AL. Instead of wearing more to conceal your gun or carrying in a hard to get to bag or pack, its easier to carry it exposed on your hip. Open Carry allows you to carry a larger pistol, more ammo instead of packing a small caliber pistol you can stick in your pocket.

4. In the cold, if your gun is covered by layers of clothing, it may make it hard to get to in an emergency. Open Carry allows for easier access.

5. When you Open Carry, you can also conceal carry. There is nothing that limits you to one pistol. Carry as many as you feel comfortable carrying.

6. Open Carry means you don't have to worry about whether or not your concealed gun is "printing" or becomes exposed while you move around. So, what if people see it or know you are carrying. It's legal! Don't worry about it!

7. For those who say that criminals know you are carrying and will take it away from you...how many police officers have their guns stolen for carrying openly? Very few! The uniform and the car tell criminals "guns are here"! They could rob the officer, take the guns from his squad car, etc. They don't and they won't from you, either. But you still have to be alert.

 

[emtpacker]

same experience as the OP

BhamRichard,
I took the same class at Jefferson County and was told the same thing and left just as disappointed as you probably were.

Thanks to everyone here, especially AL Ranger, for their contribution to this thread. I see a lot of validity in the arguments for open carry as a personal preference over concealed carry and definitely feel that it should be a legal option and one more recognized by local law enforcement. I will be joining the alabama open carry movement soon! Thanks again!

 

[AL Ranger]

emtpacker, we have more EMT and FF on our site than probably almost any other profession. If you support the RKBA, you are welcome to Alabama Open Carry. There is no mandatory carry requirements. We have OC, CC and NC.

 

[AL Ranger]

I've listed seven reasons in this thread about why open carry can be preferable to concealed carry. But allow me to help calm your fears about open carry around Huntsville as I live here. We have had discussions with local LEOs and the DA. The DA is aware of our group and that OC is completely legal. If you run into a LEO that hassles you for open carry there are only 2 things he can even try to charge you for. One, is violation of carrying on premises not your own (13A-11-52). They have to take this out of context, but some have. The defense is 13A-11-55 which states the only unlawful carry of a pistol on premises not your own is CONCEALED carry meaning without a permit. Two, is for disorderly conduct (13A-11-7). They also have to take this out of context. First, there is no mention of any firearm in the DC statute. Second, they will use the phrases "alarm", "annoyance","public inconvenience" or "recklessly creating a risk". But the defense is they must prove INTENT according to this law and there is NO provision in this law where anyone (LEO, DA, judge, etc.) gets to define the terms mentioned above. The law actually names 6 things that are considered to be Disorderly Conduct and they make no mention of guns. I carry open throughout the city and county as do some others of our group. So far, we have had no problems.

 

[smince]

You guys knock yourselves out.

Your '7 Points' not withstanding, I prefer CC even if OC is legal.

I don't carry for political reasons. I don't like to stand out in a crowd. I can and do carry a full-sized gun concealed all winter or summer with little inconvenience or printing.

I carry strictly to protect my family and myself.

But that's just me...

 

[NavyLCDR]

I carry strictly to protect my family and myself.

But that's just me...

So, if you carry strictly to protect your family and yourself, then why do you choose to carry in such a way that has no chance of deterring a criminal attack against you or your family? A concealed handgun is defense. A visible handgun is deterrence.

I would rather the bad guy see a visibly hardened target and move on to the next guy who doesn't look any different than anyone else (who just might be carrying a gun, but who knows) and just leave me alone. That seems like a better alternative to me rather than putting my family through the trauma and court cases if I should have to defend us with my gun. But that's just me.

 

[AL Ranger]

Smince, we don't like to stand out in a crowd either! Believe me, you hear it a lot when someone OCs for the first time about how nervous they were. It takes a while for the nervousness to abate but you still have it around. Our reason for Open Carrying is not to show off but to reassert our rights. OC hasn't been done in so long that most people (LEOs included) thought it was illegal and acting accordingly. We have the right to OC and the only way to keep it is to practice it. If two men can stop a crime just by OCing their pistols, what can a room full of them do? Open Carry Deters Robbers! We want to retain the choice on how to carry. We want the right to be able to carry without worrying about background checks, paying a fee, having to produce a license (Papers, please!) or harassment just to enjoy the RKBA. Criminals are not going to Open Carry and 99.9% of them don't use holsters. We have nothing to hide and it shows - literally!

 

[smince]

I will paraphrase a friend, who has stated this much better than myself, but whom I agree with:

I don't need to be seen with a gun to be non-selected by a BG. Attitude and how you carry yourself goes a longer way toward not having to use a gun than OC.

In my AO, in my experience, concealed carry is a better tactic than OC.

For myself.

YMMV.

Really, I don't see the need to have a gun hanging off my belt for the whole world to see anymore. There is a reason I don't and it has nothing to do with being hassled by the police or losing a right. I don't want ANYONE to know I'm armed. Not the neighborhood gossip, not the thugs, not the everyday folks going about their business.

If I am going outside of the house at night, I do open carry but that's about it. If I am going anywhere else I would rather have my gun concealed.

I would only OC if that were the only legal way to carry.

I am sure that some of the criminal element will just pick another target, but some is not all. The visible gun will not make you the bane of criminals and solve all your problems. And most people are not as tuned in as they think they are.

Weapon retention is more of an issue with open carry. If you have had at least academy-level retention classes or a comparable private class, all the better. How many OC'ers have? Now how many do you see OCing in a $5 holster from the bargain gun show table?

There are a multitude of reasons for and against open carry. If that's your thing go for it. I prefer not to.

 

[bamawrx]

The value in legal OC is that it protects all of us. If your concealed weapon becomes visible, it sure is nice that OC is legal. If you are dealing with a post disaster environment, like I did after Ivan, OC is a necessary tool. If your permit lapses, or your sheriff goes off the reservation you have OC as an option.

Too many people get caught up in the tactics questions surrounding OC. Its a tool in your tool box. You may never need it, but its there. Know it and protect it. That is the key.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I often open carry when fishing or hunting or doing most anything outside. I have a slight build and when CCing it is easy for my weapon to be inadvertently exposed. With legal OC I can breathe easy about it and continue about my business.

 

[AL Ranger]

Right now, we have legislation being sent to several legislators that are anxious to get it in committee. We may have new gun laws for our state within the next year, if all goes well. We hope to get rid of the need for a license to carry in a vehicle as well as getting rid of 13A-11-52 which causes a lot of confusion. Since it is superseded by sections 55 and 73, it really isn't needed anymore.

If you haven't been to Alabama Open Carry, please drop by and sign the petition. It is only through the strength of active 2A supporters that we will get these changes made. Also, show your support for gun rights by joining ALOC because as our numbers grow, so does our political clout in Montgomery.

 

[AL Ranger]

Currently, ALOC has legislation moving through the state house and senate to clean up some of the language in the current gun laws. We are excited it has made it this far but there is no telling if anything will get through the legislators, let alone to the governor.

We hope that all you guys will join us at ALOC to get these laws changed or repealed to stop the harassment of law-abiding gun owners.

 

[Owen Sparks]

I saw a video of someone open carrying in another state (New Hampshire?) and when the police swarmed in he had a copy of the state law in his hand and someone with a camera filming the incident along with several other witnesses with cell phone cameras so that the police could not get away with Tazering or beating him.

If you test the law I suggest not being alone.