What if open carry never went away...

[Zundfolge]

When you look at modern handguns, you find a lot of compact and sub-compact pistols, clearly designed to meet the demand for small, concealable pistols. This is clearly because of the expansion of concealed carry across the country.


But what if open carry never went out of vogue ... what if strapping a pistol to your hip was as commonplace as putting a cell phone on your belt has become today. What would the modern pistol market look like?

Would companies like Kahr, KelTec and Rohrbaugh even exist? Somehow I expect that if open carry was legal and common everywhere that concealed carry would probably be illegal in most places (and probably unnecessary as well).

I'm thinking that 1911s would still be as popular as they are today ... but I bet more people would pack "race guns" with aimpoints or other optics as their self defense pistols.

I also bet that violent crime would be close to non-existent

 

[lee n. field]

I think you'd still see small guns, though maybe not much of the itty-bitty Keltek .380 type guns. People would still want lightweight handguns.

 

[Dr. J Frame]

but I bet more people would pack "race guns" with aimpoints or other optics as their self defense pistols.

I doubt many would want to tote around a 40-60oz carry gun. I'd still take a sub-compact 9mm.

I also replace my cell phones with smaller models as they are released.

I enjoy comfort.

 

[Black Majik]

First thing I'd do would be to market HUGE aftermarket red dot scopes and Oversized everything. And then offer flashy colors with big Logos to go across the side of the gun. And then spinners handgun grips. All my products would say tactical across the side. Then get 50 cent to represent my products.

You know how much money I'd make???

 

[HighVelocity]

I did a google image search for big carry gun and found this

 

[Standing Wolf]

I also bet that violent crime would be close to non-existent

Public violent crime, anyway.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

But what if open carry never went out of vogue

When exactly was open carry "in vogue"?

I think you may be watching too many cowboy movies.

 

[TimboKhan]

Well, I think that there would be less of a craze for small guns, but by and large, I don't know that the climate would be all that different. I posted a thread on the next gun "fad" a couple of weeks ago, and I pointed out that 1911's are a current fad, which angered quite a few people, only because they misunderstood my point a little bit. What I meant when I said that is that at various times, there has been substantially higher public demand for a particular style of gun, and thus substantially higher production, from different manufacturers of that particular type of gun, regardless of how good that particular gun is (and for the record, I would be nuts to say that 1911's are not excellent guns). A perfect example of this is the so-called "Wondernine Wars" of days past. Anyway, my point is that small guns are a good example of what I mean by a gun "fad". People buy small guns for reasons other than the fact that they are theoretically easier to conceal, and IMHO, one of the biggest reasons is simply because something like a Para Warthog is just cool. Somewhat illogical to my way of thinking, but cool nonetheless. Fact is, alot of guys very successfully deploy full sized 1911's, and larger (I have packed my P90 at times) concealed. Heck, small guns are even marketable in relation to certain calibers; case in point the article in Guns a few months ago that proclaimed that the small springfield in .45 gap finally offered consumers a reason to buy into that caliber!

 

[carebear]

Good point, look at swords, they kept getting smaller and smaller for convenience.

Fashion alone, coupled with the low chance of really needing it, would probably relegate carry guns to small, convenient sizes that aren't too obtrusive.

 

[3rdpig]

Even if everyone open carried, the small, lightweight, easy to conceal gun would still be very popular, although maybe not as popular as today. Why? Because it's a hideout gun, it's a gun that no one knows you have. Even when you're disarmed you're still armed. Both criminals and law enforcment know the value of a hideout gun.

 

[Boats]

I'd second the notion that the hideout gun was invented during the "open carry" era. The pepperbox, the Derringer, the Lemon Squeezer and the Colt Frontier were all easily concealed in comparison to larger guns and all were introduced or perfected in the latter half of the 19th Century.

Even were open carry still the style, (if it ever really was in "civilized" areas), there'd be times, (like in church) where discretion would still rule the day and companies would exist to meet the demand.

 

[armoredman]

AZ - open carry legal. All kinds of pistols sell here....

 

[c_yeager]

Derringers, mini revolvers, cut down service revolvers etc. were all produced during the time when open carry was freely accepted. The desire to carry concealed has little to do with social acceptance, and alot to do with practicality. (actually even in those days there were times and places where it wasnt socially acceptable to carry).

 

[Ric]

If open carry never went away?
We would be driving these instead of Hummers