Open Carry Today

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red rick

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I saw something unusual today while I was eating lunch a Hardee's today .

First , a scruffy looking man , looked to be in his late 20's came in wearing a pistol , in a bad fitting shoulder holster . Too the Hardee's employee's credit , they did not freak out and talked to him about carrying a gun . He seamed nice enough and carried on a conversation with the employee that was waiting on him about carrying a gun .

Second , The very next person that came in was wearing a fixed blade hunting knife . He looked to be in his mid thirty's and had his two young daughters with him . He was very polite to me and excused himself to me as he walked in front of me as I was leaving and he was walking to his table .

Do y'all think all this talk about a terror act this 4th of July has got more people looking at defending themselves ?
 
That is possible but it could also be a normal day in the Old Dominion. I regularly open carry when the weather gets too hot. The responses they got are normal in my part of Virginia.
 
No....

If open carry is legal in your state or community, then it just may be armed citizens or hunters-campers that carry guns/knives.

I'm sure you are probably only one out of maybe 50 or so that noticed these items.

As for any CONUS terror attacks I wouldn't really connect the 2 events.

Rusty
PS; there was a shooting outside a popular theme park, Kennywood, near Pittsburgh PA. It got a huge LE response but turned out to be some nitwit shooting a gun off during the 4th of July then the bullet struck a by stander. :rolleyes:
 
If open carry is legal in your state or community, then it just may be armed citizens or hunters-campers that carry guns/knives.

I'm sure you are probably only one out of maybe 50 or so that noticed these items.

As for any CONUS terror attacks I wouldn't really connect the 2 events.

Rusty
PS; there was a shooting outside a popular theme park, Kennywood, near Pittsburgh PA. It got a huge LE response but turned out to be some nitwit shooting a gun off during the 4th of July then the bullet struck a by stander. :rolleyes:
It's not much of a hunting season around here in July and the girls were in dresses .

I doubt anyone would miss a shoulder rig .

Two years ago a 9 year old boy was killed here , on the 4th of July , going to watch a fireworks show with his dad , by someone shooting a .40 caliber pistol in the air . They are still looking for the shooter . Since then they passed a law here , called the Brandon Law . It gives much stricter punishment in cases like this .
 
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I never go out of my house on 4th of July or New Years, LOTS of people around here shoot guns in the air. Media always publicize not to do it, never has any effect.
 
Somebody was killed when they put a fireworks mortar tube on the top of their head killing them instantly. Has nothing to do with OC either.

Open carry is common in my town, you will see it at auto parts houses, etc.

As for "scruffy" looking, it's part of the fashion genre, too. To put it in the best light, work garardine and a screen printed t-shirt are almost de riguer fashion about town if you are off on Saturday. A three day shave is a current trend - even in a suit, which is a rare sight on the streets. Suits are generally work wear for upper management bank, retail, or jewelr story sales people. And Macy's counter persons.

Otherwise, what Old Navy used to sell, the faux distressed military surplus look is still in high demand and there are those who bring it upscale with ripped knees in their $85 designer jeans - new off the rack.

The rules of fashion still apply - "scruffy" has to be carefully accessorized, and in this case a shoulder holster with $500+ firearm put the owner completely out of the homeless ranks into the middle class look so carefully nurtured here and in the major urban areas.

I would suggest the suburban view of white tennis shoes and neatly pressed clothing is the outlier - a sheltered style preserved in small enclaves behind the times. "Scruffy" is what is being done nationwide in positions where no uniform is required. Which is most of us.

My daughter in law just returned from a summer tour of Europe in a number of countries - the single most common outdoor item of clothing? Black leather jacket - temps in the 40's to low 60's and the urban lifestyle mean it gets prohibitively expensive to clean a lighter colored cloth garment. Black leather just shrugs it all off.

Things look kinda scruffy there with most of the population in the same color and material. Here in cool weather the #1 most popular jacket is a Carhartt style canvas work hoody. Or Mossy Oak.

And a gun OC.
 
Do y'all think all this talk about a terror act this 4th of July has got more people looking at defending themselves ?
It may be more appropriate to have asked them there than us here; they know why, we can at best speculate. ;)

I noticed a common thread in your post- that both were polite and non-confrontational. That's something I've noticed from people carrying openly, myself included; we tend to be a polite bunch and demonstrate a positive message as gun owners. Of course you probably won't see any polite OCers on youtube; it makes for a rather dull video.
 
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Open carry is legal in my state, just not as common as concealed carry. For one reason or another I rarely see another person open carrying. I am a bit of a gun nut so I take notice of what people carry and how. Which has sprung up conversation with fellow gun lovers. Connected to July 4th increased awareness? Not sure. Haven't left the house much this weekend.
 
Heck if it wasn't at a Hardees it could have been me.
OC is pretty common in Virginia. You just have to look up from your phone :rolleyes:
 
Heck if it wasn't at a Hardees it could have been me.
OC is pretty common in Virginia. You just have to look up from your phone :rolleyes:
How long have you lived in Va. ? I have lived here 54 years and have only seen it twice in the Richmond area . I wouldn't call it common . Oh , I have a pay as you go flip phone .
 
I'm. 73 and carry almost every day everywhere legal. Generally a Kahr K40 with a inside the belt holster. I use a heavy made for guns belt. Not much of the gun show generally. I really don't care if any shows or not. Hardly ever does anyone notice or say anything about it. And that's my thoughts.
 
Red rick: “Too the Hardee's employee's credit, they did not freak out and talked to him about carrying a gun.”

So what was the “Talk” about? Gun talk, general conversation, discussion of the menu, or concern?

Just as an off comment; I got a kick out it a while back with a woman who was probably 4’6” at most with a fixed blade knife on her belt that was so big that the end of the sheath was down to her knee. No one paid the slightest attention.
 
It was something about carrying a gun . I was to far away to here word for word .
 
I OC all the time. Unless I have to go into work. Then I will CC there and back.

Nobody really pays any attention.

I did have a city police officer roll by in his cruiser the other day. He just wanted to know what I was carrying. We talked for a few minutes. Apparently he couldn't wait to take his new Glock long slide to the range.
 
What advantage do you see with open carry or is it just easier to dress around ?
 
I don't overtly OC in general public, what I like is being able to throw a shirt over my Tee shirt and call it good or pull on a fleece in spring or fall. I'm a fan of OWB holsters and being able to carry casually without tucking shirts in IWB's is priceless to me.
I am baffled by states that have criminal codes against exposing a gun on ones person.
At this time I'm working in South Texas and I hear frequently how some can carry full sized handguns without issues but not me.
I prefer to carry in a holster that is readily accessible and easy to draw from as well as reholster and I don't believe that there is a gang banger behind every tree that wants to steel my gun.
 
I saw 10 guys I believe were Ccw at our City Fireworks on the Lake. They had those 3-5 o'clock bulges and a few I saw their holsters when they sit down. Plus we had 5 cops and 4 fireman in our area .

I felt extremely safe .
 
I've seen 3 people open carry in Richmond in the last two years. One was an off duty cop in plain cloths.
 
How long have you lived in Va. ? I have lived here 54 years and have only seen it twice in the Richmond area . I wouldn't call it common . Oh , I have a pay as you go flip phone .

I see someone open carrying around once a week or so in my area. I am assuming it's just the area you live.
 
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