Concealed or Open Carry?

[jocko]

i guess the best question to this , which by the way has been written and talked about for ages is to do what you want to do. If you want to be challenged alot, carry open, if you want to be just yourself, then carry concealed. I have been on these gun forums for probalby to long but I cannot and I am sure there has been instances that I have missed but I have not read one post from any person who has ever been challenged by concealed carry, be it pocket carry or waist band, which by the way both do print, so IMO there is not getting away with perfect concealment, but that being said, people are not looking, civilians are certainly not looking. Leo's don't seem to be looking either, as I have drank coffee for years with 3 Indiana State troopers and pocket carried my PM9 every day with them and they have never even asked or noticed. If you carry legal and carry concealed then what is the big deal if even u are ever challenged. If you carry legal and carry open, trust me, you will get challenged ever damn day. Makes zero sense to me

I have to totally agree on the long gun thing to. Might be legal but if is frowned upon by most. Common sense for gun owners should always prevail. Lets not abuse the 2nd amendment by our own arogance ...

Have a good one, for this ol man as cold as it is ,,,,is going to go out and shoot his PM9 a 100 rounds, just because "life is good". Ask Tiger that!!!!

[jocko]

yup

Open carry of long guns is legal in Texas, just as a woman going topless is....but try walking up Congress Avenue either way, and see how far that will go without the local law stoppin' you.

ur dead right, but I bet the LEO'S would ride around the block about a dozen times before stopping this topless gal,

where as ur poor gun owners would get haulded over immediately:31::31:

Jsut putting alittle humor into this, for personally for me, If I seen a topless gal walking down our street, I would immediatley call the police and give them a far away phony address

[GregD]

I'm with Ol'coot .

[PaiN]

Open carry is not illegal here in CT, but I prefer to keep and carry my gun concealed. Toward the general public...out of sight is out of mind.
Not to get off the subject but, I also feel (and do) the same with a knife, it bugs me to see so many people going around with the hilt and clip of an obviously tactical and or large knife sticking out in plain sight. Having a tool on hand(which a knife is) and protecting yourself(which a knife can be used for) is one thing, trying to look "tough" is another. I say check the ego and attitude and hide those Jimmies

[ripley16]

I'm not a big fan of open carry in more densely populated areas. I believe it invites trouble. In less populated areas, where everyone knows each other it isn't a big deal.

My son open carries even though he has a CHP. It drives me nuts. We live in between Richmond and Wash.D.C., lots of people, lots of malls, schools, etc. I can't seem to convince him otherwise. I sometimes wonder if he gets a charge by being noticed... and that's a very poor reason to OC in my opinion.

Stealth is weapon unto itself, that's my view, and the less people know about what I have or don't have, the better. Virginia is a Shall Issue state, therefore I see no use to OC here. In other states it may be the only option... then I say "Do it" and also work to change the laws to allow CC.

[jocko]

yup

Open carry is not illegal here in CT, but I prefer to keep and carry my gun concealed. Toward the general public...out of sight is out of mind.
Not to get off the subject but, I also feel (and do) the same with a knife, it bugs me to see so many people going around with the hilt and clip of an obviously tactical and or large knife sticking out in plain sight. Having a tool on hand(which a knife is) and protecting yourself(which a knife can be used for) is one thing, trying to look "tough" is another. I say check the ego and attitude and hide those Jimmies

ur right, just draws unwanted attention.

[jocko]

and

I'm with Ol'coot .

basically what he is saying is "use common sense"..

[jfrey]

Like Jocko's coffee buddies, I sat at a table next to 8 Houston police officers eating lunch one day. I had a Commander 1911 under my concealment vest, the butt of which kept banging against the wooden chair back. No one even noticed, but me.

As to the topless woman walking down Congress Avenue in Austin, it wouldn't do you any good to try and call anybody. The lines would be jammed with "tea sippers" calling each other to come observe the spectical.
For those of you who don't know, tea sipper is what we Aggies call a student at tu.

[jeep45238]

I do both.

A lot of people's argument against OC is that it gives away the element of suprise.

I disagree. OC gives you the element of deterance, which prevents the situation from happening. That is much more important than suprise AFTER **** hits the fan.

Let me put it this way : I have yet to hear of an OCer being targeted by a criminal due to having a visible gun. I have heard plenty where it has occurred due to their uniform (law enforcement and security).



The vast majority of the general public is unaware that you've got a gun on your hip. It's truely amazing how many are sheep.

[jocko]

to me

I do both.

A lot of people's argument against OC is that it gives away the element of suprise.

I disagree. OC gives you the element of deterance, which prevents the situation from happening. That is much more important than suprise AFTER **** hits the fan.

Let me put it this way : I have yet to hear of an OCer being targeted by a criminal due to having a visible gun. I have heard plenty where it has occurred due to their uniform (law enforcement and security).



The vast majority of the general public is unaware that you've got a gun on your hip. It's truely amazing how many are sheep.

not an excuse for open carry:7:

[jeep45238]

not an excuse for open carry:7:

Who said I had to make an excuse, or that it was an excuse? Excuses are for when somebody messes up, and they try to explain what they did without taking personal responsibility for it.

I have a constitutional right to openly carry firearms. I have a privilege to carry a concealed handgun.



A right unused is no longer a right :7:

[jocko]

u sure do, can't argue with that, not even worth arguiing about IMO. carry what ever floats ur boat..

OC gives you the element of deterance, which prevents the situation from happening

just sounds like an excuse/reason/belief/right or what ever..

[jeep45238]

u sure do, can't argue with that, not even worth arguiing about IMO. carry what ever floats ur boat..

OC gives you the element of deterance, which prevents the situation from happening

just sounds like an excuse/reason/belief/right or what ever..

I generally CC - but occasionally do OC. I do it at least once a month from March through November after IDPA in a college uppy town. Because A) my gear is already in place and B) if any of them are observant enough to notice, maybe they'll notice I'm not shooting anybody either.


If people NEVER OC, then that just further fuels the "gun = bad guy" mindset so many have.

However, from a standpoint of what real benefit does it give the user - avoidance of having to use the gun period is a massive benefit.

And you're right, it is an

excuse/reason/belief/right or what ever..

Just like carrying a concealed firearm.

[ripley16]

I have a constitutional right to openly carry firearms. I have a privilege to carry a concealed handgun.



A right unused is no longer a right :7:

Why do you consider one a right and the other a privilege? The two methods are really the exact same thing. IMHO, a privilege is no longer a right, but a lost piece of freedom...state owned and operated, taxed and limited.

Just curious.

[mr surveyor]

in a perfect situation, legalizing open carry in those states that are currently concealed only would expand legally armed citizens right to carry. In the real world, which ain't perfect, concealed carry permit holders would take a real beating.... at least in Texas.

In Texas, our concealed carry laws allow us to carry almost anywhere that is not posted with signs containing exact wording, with a minimum lettering heighth of 1 inch, with lettering and background being contrasting colors, English AND Spanish..... These signs are to be posted in locations at entrances. Very, very few businesses or other facilities post these signs. The "gun buster" signs are posted at quite a few places, but have NO real effect on licensed concealed carriers. The state specified places that are "off limits" are within school buildings (or at school sponsored events), court house (where actual court proceedings take place), prison/jail facilities, professional sporting events, establishments that make over 51% of their revenue from sale of "on premises consumption" of alcoholic beverages, The federal stuff is the same for all states... post office, federal buildings, corp of engineers properties, etc. Up until a few years ago we were also disallowed carry in churches, hospitals, nursing homes, amusement parks and a couple of other places, but that was taken care of with a tiny little hidden item added at the bottom of that subsection. Banks, establishments that sell alcohol for off premises consumption, restruants that sell AB's (but less than 51% revenue from sale of alcohol) are also not off limits.... unless properly posted with the exact sign.

Now... where am I going with this?

If more business owners start actually seeing the guns coming into their places of business, and recognizing the loss of business due to the squirmishness of the general public, we will see a huge increase in the revenues of the people that make the signs to legally prohibit carry on privately owned business property. There will be very few locations we would be able to carry, concealed or open, once this happens.

So, to those that agressively push for "open carry", I hope you stay OUT of Texas. We have come a long way in regaining our rights to carry, and are gaining more ground with each legislative session (hopefully the "Campus Carry Bill", and "Employer Parking Lot Bill" will both be brought to vote, and passed, in the next session). Unfortunately for those that think open carry is their "God Given Right", the general public WILL disagree. What they don't see, they aren't aware of, so have no reason to pee their pants.

just my ramble on the subject.

surv