Open Carry

Status
Not open for further replies.
4

40SWHero51

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
51
Location
Kennesaw, GA
I have a Ga Firearm License - specifically so that I can Carry Concealed.

However, I have heard that in GA a GFL also allows you to Open Carry as well. Is this true? Where can I find the details about Open Carry in GA? Does anyone at THR Carry Openly in GA?

Is it a better idea to Conceal Carry over Open Carry due to the public factors involved? Where does the law stand if someone calls the Police on me if I do Open Carry?

Open Carry is so much more comfortable to me - what do you think?

What are the Open Carry laws like in other states?
 
You'll get much more informed answers if you ask this question over at opencarry.org, especially in their Georgia forum.

I know next to nothing about the laws or social climate of Georgia, but here in Arizona open carry is about as well accepted as you can get (legally and socially). I've open carried pretty often since I got my first handgun at 21, 9 years ago. Reactions from the general public and police have ranged from neutral to positive with very few exceptions.

I suspect that if anyone ever called the police on me for open carry here, the police would inform the caller that carrying a holstered pistol isn't a crime and unless I'm being threatening or dangerous they should ignore me.
 
What are the Open Carry laws like in other states?
Click to expand...
Well, here in Virginia, no permit is needed to open carry, whether on foot, or in a vehicle. We do have silly laws though, like the one that says you need to have a CCW permit (here it is called a Concealed Handgun Permit) to carry a gun that 'was designed by the manufacturer to accomodate a suppressor or folding stock, or has a magazine capacity greater than 20rds' or something along those lines. So, any good citizen (or anyone who can legally own a gun) can open carry just about any common handgun. By common, I mean any regular handgun. This law means you can't carry, for example, a HK USP tactical, or Mk23, since they were designed from the factory with a threaded barrel, without having a CHP.
 
Nevada allows open carry on you or in your car. CC needs a permit. Can't carry into public buildings/buildings with a metal detector; university grounds; school grounds/buildings.

Lots of folks OC out in the country and around the small towns. In big towns, around crowds and crowded stores, CC makes more sense.
 
In Virginia open carry is legal. AFAIK no one has ever run screaming in panic when they see me. No one has ever made a negeative comment, again as far as I know. I've never had the cops called, or if they were I was gone by the time they got theree. Never had a cop who has seen me ask me anything about the gun. Never been mentioned at all.

I have had people ask "Can I do that too?" "Do I need a permit to carry?" "What kind of 1911 is that? Colt or Kimber?"

Most people simply don't seem to give a hoot. I do keep an old shirt in the car for when I do what to "cover up" (I do have a CHP) but most of the time it just stays there. If I'm going to conceal, I'll have on a sports coat, or during the winter a jacket, sweat shirt, etc.
 
Michigan allows open carry but I`ve a CCW and never tried OC`ing personally.

I suspect most people, if you are 1/2 way discreet and not flaunting the pistol will look at you as a cop or detective and ignore it.
If someone complained, a cop can`t do anything as long as it is legal except ask you a question or two and observe your actions. I suspect he`d likely ask for ID, and then if things appear proper, leave.

I`d check out the open carry web site posted above and get info from people in your area that carry. It will probably be more reliable then you`ll get from me or others in other states
 
You can Conceal Carry or Open Carry here in TN. I prefer to Conceal Carry
 
Is it a better idea to Conceal Carry over Open Carry due to the public factors involved? Where does the law stand if someone calls the Police on me if I do Open Carry?

Open Carry is so much more comfortable to me - what do you think?
Click to expand...
It's perfectly legal. It may get you hassled in some jurisdictions, but it's legal. The Georgia Firearms License does not distinguish between concealed and open carry.

That said, I see maybe two or three people a year carrying openly in public (not "gun-oriented") situations.

The Eastern Cobb County area is largely populated with jittery yuppies from up north, and from what I've heard, they're the ones who'll give you a load of grief, not the police.

Just please, in the name of all that's holy, don't do it with this mindset :)
 
See this page for an explanation of GA’s confusing gun laws “in plain English”: http://www.georgiapacking.org/law.php

The code section relating to concealed carry is OCGA 16-11-126, which says, in pertinent part:

(c) This Code section shall not permit, outside of his or her home, motor vehicle, or place of business, the concealed carrying of a pistol, revolver, or concealable firearm by any person unless that person has on his or her person a valid license issued under Code Section 16-11-129 and the pistol, revolver, or firearm may only be carried in a shoulder holster, waist belt holster, any other holster, hipgrip, or any other similar device, in which event the weapon may be concealed by the person's clothing, or a handbag, purse, attache case, briefcase, or other closed container. Any person having been issued a license to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to Code Section 16-11-129 shall be permitted to carry such weapon, subject to the limitations of this part, in all parks, historic sites, or recreational areas as defined by Code Section 12-3-10 and in all wildlife management areas.
Click to expand...
(emphasis added)

With a GFL, you may carry openly, concealed or anything in between.

I open carry fairly frequently and have only had one person ever have any kind negative reaction.
 
Well, here in Virginia, no permit is needed to open carry, whether on foot, or in a vehicle. We do have silly laws though, like the one that says you need to have a CCW permit (here it is called a Concealed Handgun Permit) to carry a gun that 'was designed by the manufacturer to accomodate a suppressor or folding stock, or has a magazine capacity greater than 20rds' or something along those lines. So, any good citizen (or anyone who can legally own a gun) can open carry just about any common handgun. By common, I mean any regular handgun. This law means you can't carry, for example, a HK USP tactical, or Mk23, since they were designed from the factory with a threaded barrel, without having a CHP.
Click to expand...

That is true only in certain areas .... the Commonwealth of VA is much larger than just the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach and the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William. I know that people from these area seem to try to forget that Virginia has a lot more land to the west of the Eastern Shore.

§ 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.

It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, or any person having a valid concealed handgun permit or to any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The exemptions set forth in § 18.2-308 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section.
Click to expand...
 
In PA open carry is legal without a permit or license of any kind throughout most of the Commonwealth. There are the usual exceptions and also Philadelphia.
 
I suspect he`d likely ask for ID, and then if things appear proper, leave.
Click to expand...

Unless he is detaining me for suspicion of committing a crime, he can ask, but he isn't going to get any ID.

LEO: Can I see some ID or your CPL?
ME: Am I being detained under suspicion?
LEO: NO.
ME: NO.

Washington state is OC legal when out of the vehicle without any permit. Legal to keep a lodad handgun IN the vehicle only with CPL. Never legal to keep a loaded rifle or shotgun in the vehicle - figure that one out!
 
I have always wanted to OC in Virginia seeing as how I can since I'm 19 but I don't exactly look of age and I just see it as being such a hassle. Its a shame really because I've heard stories of people around my age getting crap from police and other people when they aren't doing anything wrong.
 
Unless he is detaining me for suspicion of committing a crime, he can ask, but he isn't going to get any ID.

LEO: Can I see some ID or your CPL?
ME: Am I being detained under suspicion?
LEO: NO.
ME: NO.

Washington state is OC legal when out of the vehicle without any permit. Legal to keep a lodad handgun IN the vehicle only with CPL. Never legal to keep a loaded rifle or shotgun in the vehicle - figure that one out!
Click to expand...
GA REQUIRES a license to open carry, so you would have to show your license. This is the reason that I really hate licensed open carry, because every cop you see can and probably will ask to see your permit.
 
Is it a better idea to Conceal Carry over Open Carry due to the public factors involved?
Click to expand...

In my opinion....

Open carry is primarily a political statement (and a good one). When you open carry, you may reduce a potential aggressors willingness to act. Or, you may mark yourself as his first target. You do raise public awareness of firearms, and (if you comport yourself correctly) provide a positive role model of gun ownership.

Concealed carry, on the other hand, establishes the element of suprise for you. It makes no statement about you, politically or otherwise. It make you much less likely to be the target of hostility from non-aggressors (anti-gun people).

So, (once again this is my opinion, others will disagree) I am much more comfortable with concealed carry as a self-defense measure. I would employ open-carry as a political statement.
 
sqlbullet said:
Concealed carry, on the other hand, establishes the element of suprise for you.
Click to expand...

The ‘element of surprise’, as a defensive tactic, is a myth that seems to exist only in the realm of concealed carry. Surprise is an offensive tactic, not a defensive one. The mugger will use surprise when he attacks you. By then you are in damage control mode and it may be too late for you to draw anything other than your wallet (if you know what’s good for you).

From No Nonsense Self Defense:
There is a big difference between self-defense and personal safety. Self defense is predicated on the fact that you are in a very bad place to begin with. Things have already gone to hell in a hand basket. As such, self defenses is making sure the situation doesn't get any worse -- it is damage control, pure and simple. However, no damage control is EVER as good as preventing the problem in the first place. That's personal safety...
Marc MacYoung
Click to expand...
 
I have always wanted to OC in Virginia...
Click to expand...

Technically, in VA, there is no law that says you may open carry. However, with the exception of specific exclusions (courts, state capital, etc) there simply are no laws that say you cannot open carry.

Just saying, if someone bugs and wants to know what law you think allows you to carry that gun, just tell them that no law does. But there is no law that disallows you to, hence it is not illegal to open carry.

I see people around my home (Albemarle Co. and Charlottesville area) open carrying - not a lot, but some. It doesn't seem to raise any fuss that I've seen.
 
mainsail

I agree regarding defensive tactics.

However, not all self-defense situations are going to be directed personal attacks in which your only options are defensive tactics.

In the case of the Virginia Tech Shooting, or the Trolley Square Shooting in SLC, or the Marriot Center Hostage incident of 1993 (where I was a hostage), an offensive move was possible from a defensive position within a crowd. In the first two instances, had the shooters identified an armed victim, I feel certain they would have immediately directed fire at that victim.

In the third instance, the assailant claimed to have a bomb and a remote detonator. However, open carry was not permitted at that venue. (At the time, Utah was not a shall-issue state, so for all intents and purposes, carry was not permitted.) Were this incident to repeat itself today, I feel certain open-carry would still not be permitted. I am not sure about concealed carry.

None-the-less, in all instances the visible presence of a weapon identifies you as one that is more likely to resist rather than comply. Logic dictates that this will either decrease/eliminate the amount of aggression applied, or increase that aggression to ensure no response is possible.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Open carry. Which holster?
2
Replies
36
Views
1K
Clipper
C
M
  • Locked
Open Carry
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
Ala Dan
A
N
  • Locked
When concealed carry becomes open carry
Replies
16
Views
2K
Autolycus
A
M
  • Locked
What If Florida Got Open Carry?
2 3 4 5
Replies
116
Views
5K
Water-Man
W
P
  • Locked
Why Aren't More People In South Carolina Open Carrying?
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
138
Views
6K
Will Munny
Will Munny
Back
Top