personal thoughts on open carry

[Ltlabner]

It's my right to file for bankrupcy protection. It would be silly to file for bankrupcy protection when I'm making money hand-over-fist and all my debts are paid.

I have the 5th admendment right against incrimnation. I'd be silly to plead the 5th if the evidence shows I'm not guilty and the state isn't making their case.

Just because you have a right doesn't mean it's always the best course of action to exersise it.

Seems to me OC is sorta like "Glock or 1911". Neither side will ever be convinced the other side's argument has merrit.

But I still remain amazed that suggestion descression and picking your battles wisely would be conisdered by some as "a bad idea". I'm not saying don't OC, just choose wisely when you decide to OC if it isn't a common practice in your area.

 

[bogie]

Guys, a few years back, when Missouri had CCW on the ballot, one fellow told me, in all seriousness, that if he knew someone had a gun in a restaurant, he'd take a steak knife and kill them before they could shoot someone. I could NOT persuade him that some folks with guns were carrying them for -good- reasons. He was fixated that "guns = criminals" and couldn't get his mind around the concept from any other direction.

If I open carried, I'd make DARN SURE that it was a good retention holster, and designed such that an idiot couldn't get his booger hook inside the trigger guard while in the holster. Because all it takes is one uneducated doof deciding that he's going to "play hero" and "take the bad guy's gun."

 

[RenardSubtil]

I think before I can really answer without ruffling any feathers, I need to give a little background before I answer...

I'm relatively new to guns in general. I hit the range every weekend I can with my C&R rifles and a 1911 "clone". I'm an urbanite in the SF bay area (I don't hug trees). I'm a conservative. I live in an upper middleclass neighborhood. My family's never been a home invasion statistic - though we've had a car stolen from our yard and broken into once in the last 30 years of my residence in the bay area.

I don't see the point in open carry where I live.

 

[ozwyn]

My thoughts towards open carry is open envy: the debate takes place in a state where gun rights are in far better shape than mine.

some people like ketchup with french fires, some of us just like salt. others like mayo.

but we all like fries. My favorite way to have them might not be yours, but that's ok.

same deal with open vs concealed carry IMO.

 

[SuperNaut]

SuperNaut, You're dancing around it.

No, actually I'm not. If you want me to be more direct; I can.

I was raised very strict Latter Day Saint and we were taught strong prohibitions on ostentatious displays. Open carrying a firearm would be considered an ostentatious display and therefore vulgar.

What I wrote is exactly what I meant. Do you see where the social norms thingamabob and regional doohicky come into play?

 

[WayneConrad]

I was raised very strict Latter Day Saint and we have strong prohibitions on ostentatious displays. Open carrying a firearm would be considered an ostentatious display and therefore vulgar.

That is an answer I can completely respect. Thank you for your honesty. Yes, social norms certainly do come into play.

 

[SsevenN]

Bubba-Gump keyboard-commando mall ninja open carrying in line....

Where did you learn my super secret special squad code name?!?!

 

[cleardiddion]

It's statements like what the thread starter put out that really tick me off.
Like many other posters have said, it is an individual's choice.
But, in addition to that, one must consider those who have no other choice.

I, as an 18 year old, cannot legally carry a concealed sidearm unless on private property. However, I am able to carry the same openly for self protection.

Just because people my age like to think that we are invincible, does not mean that we are by any means and I'm definitely aware of this fact. Just because I'm under 21 does not mean that I should have less of an ability to protect myself or my loved ones, don't you think?

(BTW, I know my location reads FL, but I'm actually only here for school.)

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Unremarkable

One of our objectives is to make firearms ownership and the carrying of them unremarkable.

As we make progress toward ubiquitous ownership and carry, we should keep in mind that our goal is to make it entirely a matter of personal choice.

At some point in the future, the only remark you should hear about someone's open carry is, "Why would you carry a chromed gun with that suit? Dude has no fashion sense."

I want to walk down the street and see holsters as fashion statements wherever I go. I want to see six-shooters and 1911s given -- openly and with pride -- as graduation presents at all respectable schools.

I want to live in an armed, polite society.

 

[SuperNaut]

One of our objectives is to make firearms ownership and the carrying of them unremarkable.

As we make progress toward ubiquitous ownership and carry, we should keep in mind that our goal is to make it entirely a matter of personal choice.

At some point in the future, the only remark you should hear about someone's open carry is, "Why would you carry a chromed gun with that suit? Dude has no fashion sense."

I want to walk down the street and see holsters as fashion statements wherever I go. I want to see six-shooters and 1911s given -- openly and with pride -- as graduation presents at all respectable schools.

I want to live in an armed, polite society.

Well gosh, when you put it that way open carry sounds kinda cool.

 

[M1911]

I live in MA. Although there is nothing in our laws that make open carry illegal, I would not recommend it due to the reaction it would likely cause.

Personally, I prefer concealed carry -- a thug is less likely to try a gun grab if he doesn't know the gun is there.

 

[JesseL]

Regarding the Social Impact of Open Carry:

Besides finding open carry eminently practical (my primary reason to OC), I'm inclined to see open carry as an unabashed declaration of the carrier as a free, self-reliant, and intelligently prepared Man (or Woman). This tends to make me question the motives of someone who would be offended by the sight of open carry.

There are unquestionably many people today who would like to see you subjugated, neutralized, and helpless. They want people utterly dependent on them to provide their assurance and security. Concealed carry is bad enough to them, but open carry undermines their work with the masses.

Hiding your weapon to appease the people who would see you enslaved hardly seems like good strategy to me. Obviously most people who get upset by open carry probably don't fit this category, but the best cure for them is education and desensitization.

 

[TAB]

At some point in the future, the only remark you should hear about someone's open carry is, "Why would you carry a chromed gun with that suit? Dude has no fashion sense."

See that is a big part of the prob... lots of people think having a gun on thier hip is a fashion statement. Others do it to show off.

Until we get passed that, we will never live in "a armed, polite society."

 

[JesseL]

See that is a big part of the prob... lots of people think having a gun on thier hip is a fashion statement. Others do it to show off.

You are missing the point.

At some point it would be nice if openly wearing a gun was so normal and unremarkable, that the only thing about it that might be commented on is the particular choice of gun.

If you're going to open carry, it doesn't make any sense to not consider the aspect that it is an integral part of your fashion attire, as well as a serious tool.

Just because a wristwatch is a tool for keeping track of time, doesn't mean that you'd wear a Rolex with your jeans and t-shirt, or that you'd wear a Casio from Wal-Mart with a tuxedo.

A firearm is always first and foremost a deadly weapon, to be taken seriously. It doesn't change the fact the some guns/holsters are gonna look silly with some outfits.

 

[Ltlabner]

A firearm is always first and foremost a deadly weapon, to be taken seriously. It doesn't change the fact the some guns/holsters are gonna look silly with some outfits.

Carefull, I got roasted for stating I don't care for fanny-packs because they don't look very good.

 

[TAB]

you missed my point... lots of people don't see it as a tool, they see it as a piece of jewelry or a cock piece.

I understood the point he was trying to make.

 

[JesseL]

you missed my point... lots of people don't see it as a tool, they see it as a piece of jewelry or a cock piece.

Like who? I haven't seen anyone here give that impression.

Carefull, I got roasted for stating I don't care for fanny-packs because they don't look very good.

I'd rather carry a Hi-Point in an Uncle Mike's holster than wear a fanny pack. Hell, I'd be tempted to go unarmed before wearing a fanny pack.

 

[TAB]

Like who? I haven't seen anyone here give that impression.

you read THR much? dozens of posts about it... the most recent was the one about walmart...

 

[Sato Ord]

Well, I have stated that my main reason for open carry would be comfort. I don't mean comfort like I'd rather sit in a recliner than on a couch. I mean anythign that constricts and adds weight to my waist is painful on my back. It isn't just an ordinary case of what most people think of as sciatica, it's neurological damage from multiple breaks and other spinal injuries. You can choose to not believe me if you like, that's you option, I don't care. Just like I tell the people who insist they have a right to see my proof that I have a right to the handicapped plate on my car, "If you have a problem, call a cop. My physical limitations are between me, my doctor, and the state of Florida.

Unfortunately Florida doesn't give a tinker's damn about my disabilities when it comes to defending myself, so I will suffer through as I have to. I guess that if I were in a wheel chair I could hide my gun without having to wear it.

Open carry would allow me to have the option of defending myself without having to carry a couple of extra pounds of weight on my waist. I could wear an actual gun belt slung low enough to move the weight down to a more comfortable level. It has nothing to do with being macho, it has to do with pain, and managing it. Open carry still causes pain in my back, but it is more versatile and easier to adjust the load.

Now, that all being said, bogie has a good point. Open carry does also open you up to someone knowing you have a gun and trying to tackle you for it, or just plain trying to steal it while your hands are full, or whatever.

Some people who open carry, not all by any stretch, and not even most, but some, just have no idea what a new can of worms they are dealing with when they go out in public with a firearm carried out where God and everybody can see it.

If open carry were made legal in Florida, I don't know that I would start wearing a low slung western rig, or a nice tactical holster right away. I might continue to carry concealed for a while until the fervor died down. On the other hand, if I moved to Arizona, like I would like to do, I wouldn't think twice about open carry, just like most of the people who already live there.

 

[JesseL]

you read THR much? dozens of posts about it... the most recent was the one about walmart...

Yeah, I've been following that thread too.

I didn't see anyone in there OC'ing because they see their sidearm as "a piece of jewelry or a ___ piece".

It looked to me like the OP in that thread was open carrying simply because it seemed to be the sensible thing for him to do at that moment.

 

[WayneConrad]

Now, that all being said, bogie has a good point. Open carry does also open you up to someone knowing you have a gun and trying to tackle you for it, or just plain trying to steal it while your hands are full, or whatever.

Internet myth. Is there a documented instance of this happening to a non-cop, to someone who wasn't cornering a bad guy?

 

[TAB]

It looked to me like the OP in that thread was open carrying simply because it seemed to be the sensible thing for him to do at that moment.

we must be reading diffrent threads...
You know the part were he actually asked the manger to call the police, to prove himself right... If thats nots showing how "manly he was" I don't know what is.

 

[JesseL]

we must be reading diffrent threads...
You know the part were he actually asked the manger to call the police, to prove himself right... If thats nots showing how "manly he was" I don't know what is.

We've found the problem! You missed some key parts of the thread (specifically post #102). altitude_19 did not ask the manager to call the police to prove himself right. The manager had already decided to call the police and asked altitude_19 to stick around while the police settled the issue.

 

[TAB]

Thats not what he said in his 1st post( I personally stoped reading that thread in the 50s)...its not the only example, there has been several others. This site alone has several poeple that will go out of thier way to start confrontations about carrying a weapon. I actually find it very funny, there attemps to "spread the word" is actually shooting all of us in the foot.

 

[WayneConrad]

TAB, Can you please quote the posts you're referring to, so we're all on common ground?