Open carry question

Status
Not open for further replies.
WA is open carry. I wouldn't do it, but I see others OC on occasion. This last Sunday, I was seated with my wife in spot that allowed me to see the entrance to a *very* busy breakfast brunch place. This guy comes in OC'ing a glock (why is it always a Glock with OC, anyways? Don't 1911 or Wheelie devotees ever OC? I've only ever seen mid-size glocks... but I digress) and the thing that amazed–and always amazes– me is how few people noticed. I mean, nobody ever looks at hands/waistlines unless they are also fast hands/waistline sorts themselves. I saw the guy on the way in the door but, the whole time he's in line with his wife/girlfriend (probably a good 20 minutes in a line wrapped around the room), only one other person looked down and saw the plastic. She recoiled a bit, but didn't raise a stink, and that seems about par for the course in my area.

FWIW.
 
I'm in TN and I OC everyday at work. I work in a remote area with no cell service. We are responsible for our own safety. It is necessary for me to be prepared to defend against 2 and 4 legged assailants. Once the work day is over and I head back to down I pull my shirt over the gun. I see OC from time to time in TN but it is few and far between and in my experiences people around here that OC in public are usually the kind of people that I'm scared to be around with a gun, most have a chip on their shoulder and act like they have something to prove. I wish it was not this way. I would love to OC all of the time if it were more socially acceptable, it's much more comfortable and accessible.
 
Minnesota
Open carry is allowed, but not many practice it
I have from time to time stopped somewhere between the range and home with a pistol in a holster, on my hip.

Depending on WHERE you are in MN, you will get different reactions,
A trip thru Rottenchester aka:"MedCity" will generally draw nervous stares from the majority of folks that have even been aware enough of their environment to notice

North Minneapolis, well if your alone and Caucasian, you better be armed !!

You get out into the more-rural-areas, and hardly a soul will bat an eye at you..

I prefer long,light shirts in the summer, which last about 70-days most years,
otherwise were all wearing parka's dontcha know , and den its reel eazy to slip it into a inner-pocket.
 
I will OC as I feel the spirit. In the summer months there is a crush of many tourists from all over and they react oddly at times. As a Firefighter in town I work with the local LEO often so they know me well and the looks when someone puts up a stink after outing me with little reaction from the locals or LEO is priceless.:cool: I do it to assure the tourists don't forget that it is legal and OK to do it here.

Unfortunately not a lot of people do OC in my area.
 
Last edited:
Great info guys. Sooner or later I'm going to leave ct and while I am familiar with most states gun laws I n ow there's a whole social acceptance issue too. States can brag that they are open carry but if its more of an inconvenience to actually do it then all the hype went out the window.

I can't even imagine oc'ing in ct. Haha. I might as well walk down the road with an rpg. Bad enough the fear of my shirt popping up makes me worry all the time.
 
In Oregon it is leagle to open carry & I do so most of the time. Open carry is a right that I choose to exercise. Others asking me if it is all right doesn't bother me. I inform them about state law &99% are happy that they found out & often state they will OC in the future! As far as scarring people, I am more afraid of the politicians than the people!
 
Nevada is an open carry state. I have seen a few carrying in places like the supermarket and Walmart but not very often. I OC when I am out on BLM land and most people you meet out there are armed. I don't think OC in places where there are lot of people is a good idea because it makes a lot of people uneasy and it would be easy for someone to come up from behind and grab your gun.
 
Open Carry might be alright in States where it's been done for awhile and it has become commonplace.
Here in PA in light of the recent happenings, I personally don't think reprecussions steming from Open Carry are needed.
 
KimberUltra said:
I've heard alot about states having open carry and what not. But I can't find out which states actually practice it. Open carry doesn't mean a whole lot if its not actually practiced.

Any input from you pro gun state citizens?
Click to expand...

I actually practice it in Georgia. All over, fairly regularly, including many many times at the largest mall in the state (Mall of Georgia, Buford).

I have also open carried in Indiana (extensively), Kentucky, and Tennessee.
 
The problem we run into in Utah is when an Opinion Enforcement Officer decides that having a concealed firearms permit requires concealment of the weapon. It allows carry of a fully loaded handgun, whether it's concealed or not, but some don't want to understand that. (Utah Valley University Police, are you listening?) I CC almost all of the time, but I OC enough that I get some odd looks. We're rural enough that most people don't even notice.

I believe that if more people would OC where it was legal, it would quickly lose its novelty with the spectators. It seems to be working that way in Utah. The only time I was challenged by an LEO when OCing, the officer asked me what law on the books allowed Open Carry. I told him that since there was no law forbidding it, it was legal. After a little hemming and hawing and a call to his supervisor, he decided to be nice and "let me off this time."

Matt
 
SouthernBoy said:
Which mall and in what part of Virginia did this happen?
Click to expand...
It was in Fredericksburg, but I don't remember the mall specifically (if there's more than one). Looking at the map, I think it could have been the Spotsylvania Towne Centre. Would have been about 4-5 years ago.

I looked for signs upon entering the parking lot and looked around the entry door pretty closely. I didn't see any signs.
 
beatledog7 said:
If it's so easy to snatch a gun from someone who's open carrying, why do so many LEOs open carry?
Click to expand...

This analogy/argument/whatever doesn't work. Everybody knows that sworn peace officers carry a gun. Even if they concealed it, everybody would know they have it. Might as well carry it openly for the superior retention those holsters offer, as well as the ease of officer-access.

Don't get me wrong, I am obviously a proponent of people openly carrying if they choose, and I do it myself semi-frequently, but the above point just doesn't work.
 
This analogy/argument/whatever doesn't work.
Click to expand...

Yes it does.

Everybody knows that sworn peace officers carry a gun. Even if they concealed it, everybody would know they have it.
Click to expand...

Utterly irrelevant. SInce a person knows a LEO will have a gun, that would make him or her more vulnerable to the snatch than the average citizen in plain clothes, about whom this would not be known or even assumed unless specifically observed. It's much easier to spot a uniformed officer than it is to spot my gun.

If I open carry, I use a retention holster and do not dress in a "Hey bad guys, I obviously have a gun on my belt" manner as most LEOS are required to do. I blend in, and so does my gun, even if it is on my belt and not concealed. The LEO does not.

Might as well carry it openly for the superior retention those holsters offer, as well as the ease of officer-access.
Click to expand...

When I open carry, keeping people from knowing I have a gun is obviously not my primary goal, so I can apply that same principle.
 
Oklahoma has recently passed open carry law but as of yet.I have not seen anyone open carry. I carry concealed value my privacy and don't want to attract undue attention to the fact that I'm armed. I believe the law is good as it protects you if your weapon is seen you will not be fined or loose your right to carry.
 
Here in CT you get a permit to carry. There is no CC or OC rule. However, in the 2 years I've lived here I have never seen anyone OC, except in gun shops. As you can imagine, the whiny blues carry on like you're a gang banger out for their head. CC makes the most sense but after this BS from the government us CT gun owners should have an OC day of the week, every week just to make them aware that we exist and are real people, not bad people.
 
.....This guy comes in OC'ing a glock (why is it always a Glock with OC, anyways? Don't 1911 or Wheelie devotees ever OC? I've only ever seen mid-size glocks... but I digress).....
Click to expand...

Because Glocks are very popular? It might have also been an off-duty officer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
Do You Open Carry or Seen Others Do It in MS or AL?
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
Vern Humphrey
V
H
  • Locked
So open carry is legal in NC?
2 3
Replies
73
Views
9K
iiibdsiil
I
mesinge2
  • Locked
Open Carry?
Replies
3
Views
607
mesinge2
mesinge2
B
  • Locked
A couple of questions about open carry.
Replies
3
Views
591
Ben Shepherd
B
A
  • Locked
Which "large" cities do not frown upon open-carry?
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
Drjones
D
Back
Top