Open carry or Concealed Carry?

[bugmania]

As I was e-signing an online petition for open carry in Texas, i got to thinking. If you had the choice, which would you do, open carry or concealed carry? Along the same lines, would you use a full size pistol if you open carried?
Personally, I would prefer open carry with a full size since I shoot better with a full size and they usually have better capacity.

 

[FoMoGo]

I open carry every day.


Jim

 

[P90shooter]

I CCW my full size .45 just about every day. I signed the petition but I'm not very optimistic that its going to pass.

 

[BernieD]

Washington is an open carry state, and I have a permit to conceal. I do have the choice. I always conceal. I've never open carried in public. I might if more people did, but they don't, so it would just draw unnecessary attention to me and my little friend.

 

[RedAlert]

I think that even if it becomes law there, you would have a period of time of citizens who don't know better calling the police about the man who is carring a pistol on his hip and just went into the mini-mart.

 

[Prepster]

I do a mix of both. I've never had much of a problem, and there are benefits and drawbacks to both methods. There's a place for CC, and a place for OC. Where, when, and what those places are should be determined on an individual basis based on your own needs. I find THR in general is more of a CC kind of place (no disrespect), you should check out opencarry.org if you want a different perspective.

 

[possum]

i could carry open, but i will never do it, there goes the "tactics" portion of: mindset, tactics, skill, and gear.

you have lost your element of suprise, you are not blending in with the crowd like you should, you are standing out, everyone sees you and everyone knows you are armed, the good people the bad and the ones that don't care too.

for me it is mind over matter, i don't mind concealing my weapon, and no one else matters. (if they see it, if they know i have it, i hope that they don't.)

 

[Mainsail]

…you have lost your element of surprise…

The ‘element of surprise’ is an offensive tactic, not a defensive tactic. If you surprise an attacker with a hidden gun, that’s called “damage control”, not surprise.

Nevertheless, I carry openly whenever it’s too warm for a jacket.

 

[okespe04]

Here in Oregon I cc unless I'm in the woods, then open carry is common.

 

[Treo]

I have a choice I do both depending on what I'm doing .

everyone sees you and everyone knows you are armed, the good people the bad and the ones that don't care too.

You'd be amazed at just how clueless people are, most are so wrapped in themselves you could walk right by them OCing and they'd never notice it.

 

[possum]

mainsail,
are you never gonna be in a situation where you are gonna have to go on the offensive to win a fight? do you know that for sure? are you a sheep that waits be preyed on? ever heard of take the fight to the enemy? are you aware of your surroundings, when you are out do you constantly scan and look for things that are not right? if so then you are using an offensive tactic, otherwise you would put your horse blinders on and walk around and wait for someone to attack you and have to react. is counter ambush offensive or defensive? can it not be made either way quick fast and in a hurry in the right ir wrong sittuation?
the enemy aka bad guy already has the advantage, he is initiating the attack, what he dosen't know can hurt him in this case. ever heard of the o.o.d.a loop? if he the bg sees you have a gun and attacks anyway he is stupid, even though he knows what can and might happen however if he initiates an attack and you draw from concealment, you have a better chance of deterring him of his actions, as soon as he sees you draw your tool, that he didn't know you had.

as well with him initiating the attack, knowing that you are armed he will be alot more likely to attack at a time distance which benefits him the most, ie. right up on you, where you can't get the gun out to use it. if i was a bg and i was hell bent on attacking someone with a gun in the open, i would get close, wait till you were distracted and do any number of things.

i don't see what is so hard to understand about what i am trying to get across here. it seems like common sense to me but i guess it isn't.

you are not John Wayne, and you are not in the wild west.

maybe i am one of the few silent professionals, and i don't need anyone to know what they don't need to know.

deterrence, De escalation, and avoidance, that is what i live by.

active beats reactive.

 

[possum]

You'd be amazed at just how clueless people are, most are so wrapped in themselves you could walk right by them OCing and they'd never notice it.

i am in the military i know exactly how clueless people can be, however, i wouldn't feel comfortable oc'ing. and i would always feel like people were looking at me even if they were or they weren't

 

[okespe04]

If you are dressed respectably you could open carry all day long. The only people that would not know you are not a plain cloths man are maybe your neighbors. Not to mention most people would not even notice at all anyways.

 

[possum]

If you are dressed respectably you could open carry all day long. The only people that would not know you are not a plain cloths man are maybe your neighbors. Not to mention most people would not even notice at all anyways.

me and my training partner tried this theroy, and it was true, if you dress semi nice, no one will have an issue well fewer people anyway, if you dress like a bum people seem to get a little uneasy.

 

[okespe04]

It helps to carry yourself in a professional manner as well.

 

[possum]

It helps to carry yourself in a professional manner as well.

it does. i agree.

i am still waiting to hear from mainsail.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

Concealed. I don't want someone to get freaked out and call the cops. Even though it would be legal in m state, it would still be inconvenient, maybe even dangerous.

 

[possum]

Concealed. I don't want someone to get freaked out and call the cops. Even though it would be legal in m state, it would still be inconvenient, maybe even dangerous.

another great point and one i forgot to add thank you sir.

 

[Mortech]

I do both , no one even notices here ... I tend to carry a full size 1911 especially suring the summer months . During the winter its easier to carry concealed because of weather .

 

[possum]

i am glad that there are so many that carry open, and have good luck doing so that is good to hear.

 

[conw]

The ‘element of surprise’ is an offensive tactic, not a defensive tactic. If you surprise an attacker with a hidden gun, that’s called “damage control”, not surprise.

Nevertheless, I carry openly whenever it’s too warm for a jacket.

Oh, hogwash. A military ambush (purely offensive tactic, let's say for argument's sake) may use the element of surprise, but that doesn't preclude using surprise when one happens to be defending oneself.

Defensive encounters don't fit into a neat little box with a ribbon on it, do they? When you realize you're defending, you don't automatically say "Well, I can't do this, this, or this..." - If you've got your head screwed on right, you're gonna do whatever it takes to survive. That includes taking advantage of down and dirty surprise tactics...

 

[shotgunjoel]

Here in Illinois people would be happy with any kind of carry. I get a little envious every time someone talks about cc and assumes that every does/can do it. I do think that you are allowed to open carry in "rural areas" whatever that's supposed to mean. They probably only have that so you can carry your handgun when you hunt during handgun season.

 

[conw]

BTW, I did open carry for a time before I got my CCW.

It really freaked my girlfriend out, she felt like/noticed people were staring at me.

Some of them may have thought I was a plainclothes cop, some may not...most people may have been fine...but, fact was, I was getting more attention than if I'd been barefoot and shirtless, and I didn't like that one bit. I especially didn't like it when my hand was forced in front of rowdy looking folks in parking lots, in lines at gas stations, etc...it was like saying "You know what I've got...I can't do a damn thing with it unless you go first."

 

[possum]

Oh, hogwash. A military ambush (purely offensive tactic, let's say for argument's sake) may use the element of surprise, but that doesn't preclude using surprise when one happens to be defending oneself.

Defensive encounters don't fit into a neat little box with a ribbon on it, do they? When you realize you're defending, you don't automatically say "Well, I can't do this, this, or this..." - If you've got your head screwed on right, you're gonna do whatever it takes to survive. That includes taking advantage of down and dirty surprise tactics...

+1 well stated and i agree 100%

 

[zammyman]

I prefer to conceal carry (except in the woods, hard to hide a 7" 44 mag) for two reasons. First, if somebody walks in and decides to start shooting, they'll probably take a shot at me first if they see my gun. Secondly, business owners have the right to ask you to leave if they or their other customers are made uncomfortable by the gun on your hip, they may legally ask you to leave, even if you don't pose a threat. If you don't leave immediately get ready for a talk with the PD.