open vs concealed carry

[knkali]

your thoughts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx_YU...eature=related

[Bawanna]

While this is certainly thought provoking and worthy of constructive discussion, historically threads involving open carry and exercising that right have tended to head for the drain and get very very ugly and heated in a very short time.

Lets make a valiant attempt to keep it civil, no mud slinging, leave the emotion someplace else.

Ok, everyone go to a neutral corner and let the games begin.

[knkali]

Thanks Bawanna for the caveat. I think that it should be an option to all ccw holders. If you feel it is beneficial then go for it. The gun is a hunk of metal. What the person does with it is what matters. I am not going to have a quick draw contest with a BG. If he draws first, it really doesnt matter if my gun is out or concealed. Besides if at all possible, permit holders should look to get away first.

[OldLincoln]

I understand and agree with the "right" and the explanation that eventually the population will "get over it." I would open carry in the woods, etc. where legal to carry loaded, but not in town where it becomes a issue. May be legal but doesn't make it okay.

I goes like this for me, if I legally open carry, then so can the gang bangers with their gang colors and bad boy attitudes. So can those citizens who I am wary of by nature although I'm sure all but a few are really good people.

So, would I want to push my wife in her chair into a Starbucks crowded with bad boys and other suspects? Hell no. My SA would go off the map! If I wouldn't take her into a place like that, why should I open carry in the same place? Because I can isn't a good answer for me.

There's a town somewhere back east (everything's east of me) where there is no law expressly banning going nude on the street. I'll bet if I walked nude all the time there they'd eventually get over it right? Mothers with their young children wouldn't even glance my way, right? Well, I "can" but "should" I?

[knkali]

Old Lincoln,

I am not reading your post right. Please do not take this the wrong way. I am having problems with your position not because I disagree with you, but because I do not fully understand what your position is. Please give me another shot (sic) at what your point is. I want to express that my original post considers open carry is only done where it is legal.

[ltxi]

Not at all fan of provocative open carry.Thing that sorta saves this for me is that it was Wisconsin and the comment at the end regarding CCW.

[knkali]

What is the law in Wisconsin re open/ccw?

[beatlesfan]

It's legal to open carry here in Indiana. I'm not down south, but up north in a nice semi big town. I have open carried before, but I get a lot of strange looks. It draws attention. Why draw attention if I don't have to? If the bg is going to do something anyways, he'd probably target the guy with the gun(me) first. I carry owb in a non retention leather holster and wear an unbuttoned short sleeve shirt over it. Issue solved.

One time I was at a local car/bike show. It was a bit windy and the shirt blew open before I could stop it. A LEO noticed, walked over to me, and asked how I liked my Sig 239. We chatted for a bit and parted ways. He never asked to see my permit or anything.

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[Bawanna]

For me the beauty of open carry is just to cover any wardrobe boo boo I might commit. My vest opens, or my jacket pulls up or whatever. People will still be concerned, I'll still get looks, calls will probably still be made but I'm still ok.
Washington is an open carry state. I do not and will not open carry. If I was in the woods I would do so and I used to back in BC (before chair).
It would take a long time for the public to get used to seeing guns openly again. Doubt it would ever happen. Until then all we have is a bunch of guys trying to prove their right by exercising it and thinking they need to go around and teach Law Enforcement their rights. LE gets enough test everyday without dealing with this kind of stuff.
And Old LIncoln raised an awfully good point about bad guys and gang bangers etc walking around with guns. I don't like that thought at all. I avoid places they congregate anyhow but I'd really go no where if they were open carrying.

[.45fan]

Open carry when legal is no big deal, I have been doing it about 40% of the time I am awake for a couple years now.

I have a dollar to bet that the majority of those against it are either in a place where it is not legal (sorry for your luck) or have not even bothered to try it because of the fear of not being PC.

I have OCed in many major metropolitan cities and have not had any issues. If you carry yourself in a manor that DOESN'T scream "hey I'm armed and you can not do anything about it" you will be fine.

The fact of the matter is that most people are so rapped up in their own self that they can not take their eyes off their b l a c k b e r r y (stupid swear filters), ipod or whatever to even notice I am OCing.

[jeepster09]

As a former leo, I would say it just isn't worth open carrying. The attention you bring to your self is not worth it. Many people from Utopiaville will call police and say they "saw a man with a gun". Do you want this constant attention? As a leo I would wonder what your problem was also and you would certainly be watched closely. This may be diverting time and manpower from other serious issues. I feel the people that do it when they could conceal it are attention hogs with perhaps other issues as well.
Just like you can also carry a tire iron with walking down the sidewalk legally, it also may not be a good idea depending on where you are. Common sense needs to prevail.

[Russ]

In my opinion, I think it is foolish to open carry even if it is legal. It is an ego trip in my opinion and the woman on the tape alluded to it with regard to the guy packing open. The one huge tactical advantage carrying concealed is the bad guy doen't know you can match their threat if provided the opportunity. If a bad guy is casing a place and they discover a person armed it may discourage them from carrying out their intent to comit a violent crime, but if not, the very first person they will pop off will be the person with the weapon.

When I was a child before concealed carry was legal a gun man took hostage several government employees I believe at work in a library. What the gunman failed to realize was one of the hostages was an undercover cop. The police officer untucked his shirt to hide his gun when the hostage situation was first taking place. Over the course of several hours the hostages where held up in a room and the gunman nor the other hostages did not know one of the victims was armed. Over the course of several hours the cop was able to access the situation and pick the ideal moment to end the situation. The ending was positive for all the hostages. Everyone walked out alive and the bad guy got a pine box. What I learned from that experience is if you are carrying concealed don't advertise it even to those law abiding associates you may work alongside. Had the hostages known one among the group was armed it could have made it difficult for the officer in this situation to choose the ideal moment to act or worse he could had been discovered. People can do strange things when their life is on the line. Just my opinion Russ

[.45fan]

For me the beauty of open carry is just to cover any wardrobe boo boo I might commit. My vest opens, or my jacket pulls up or whatever. People will still be concerned, I'll still get looks, calls will probably still be made but I'm still ok.
Washington is an open carry state. I do not and will not open carry. If I was in the woods I would do so and I used to back in BC (before chair).
It would take a long time for the public to get used to seeing guns openly again. Doubt it would ever happen. Until then all we have is a bunch of guys trying to prove their right by exercising it and thinking they need to go around and teach Law Enforcement their rights. LE gets enough test everyday without dealing with this kind of stuff.
And Old LIncoln raised an awfully good point about bad guys and gang bangers etc walking around with guns. I don't like that thought at all. I avoid places they congregate anyhow but I'd really go no where if they were open carrying.

My friend we have had discussions on this before so I will post once and let it go.
If Law enforcement would spend a minute and learn the laws they are supposed to enforce there would be no need to educate them, right?

On the gang banger topic, sorry but that sounds like the antis saying that their will be blood in the streets if people are allowed to carry a gun. read more drama then needed in life.

If a gang banger is going to carry a gun can either you or OldLincoln honestly look me in the face and say that a law or 2 would stop them?

As a former leo, I would say it just isn't worth open carrying. The attention you bring to your self is not worth it. Many people from Utopiaville will call police and say they "saw a man with a gun". Do you want this constant attention? As a leo I would wonder what your problem was also and you would certainly be watched closely. This may be diverting time and manpower from other serious issues. I feel the people that do it when they could conceal it are attention hogs with perhaps other issues as well.
Just like you can also carry a tire iron with walking down the sidewalk legally, it also may not be a good idea depending on where you are. Common sense needs to prevail.

I really would like to know where all these calls to the cops are happening and then would like to know why the dispatcher doesn't ask a few SIMPLE questions that would put the call to bed immediatly.
I am loving the fact that a person on a 2A forum calls somebody that is doing what is a right given to them long before birth an attention hog.





I am out of this one before it gets locked.

[JFootin]

I like this one. A little close to the woman with the baby, but he obviously knew what he was doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZrdb...1&feature=fvwp

[TheTman]

I think we are pretty much allowed to open carry throughout the state, but many cities had laws against it. Now we have a statute that says state law outranks any local ordinances, but I have never seen anyone open carrying. Used to see a lot of pickups with shotgun and rifle in the gun racks, but that invited too many break ins and most have quit doing that except during hunting season. We are expressly allowed open carry while hunting, fishing, and have seen people particularly fishermen carrying openly, for protection agains various types of varmints. While on your own property, and in your place of business are also expressly allowed.
The only place I've seen open carry has been in gun stores and pawn shops. I do not want anyone to know I am carrying, except perhaps those I am with, and if I enter someones home I ask if they mind that I have a concealed weapon. I usually know in advance the friends that don't mind and those who want a gun nowhere around.
I often open carry while working on the farm due to the feral dogs that come up now and then, and for skunks that carry rabies a lot here. There's no one around to freak out and it makes salesmen nervous, so it works ok for me.
I think open carry in towns just causes people to freak out and call the cops. I really think those guys out in CA that open carry unloaded firearms are really nuts, what the hell good is an unloaded weapon going to be? Why draw attention to themselves? I guess they have some point to prove, but I forget what it is.
I think most businessmen don't open carry so the customers don't freak out, but I bet many have a gun stashed very conveniently, particularly in liqour stores and kwik marts and places that are frequent robbery targets. So if you want to open carry on your land, or in your business, fine, but open carry on the streets seems foolish to me. But if it's legal in your state and you want to do it, thats up to you. I think you're inviting more problems than solving, but do what you feel necessary.