Nothing like giving away the element of surprise. I see only nut-jobs and wannabees open carrying out of uniform. Look at me…I got a gun!
1 Like
Hi @Larry5. Just going to weigh in here. My husband open carries most of the time. He’s former Special Forces, was a national level IPSC competitor before he detached the retina in his right eye, and used to train most of the police forces in Los Angels area.
Not actually a nutjob or a wannabe.
Sometimes people like my husband open carry because they believe that allowing people to see ordinary folks carry provides an opportunity for dialog about firearms and rights with other people.
Sometimes it’s because open carry, done appropriately helps other folks realize being around guns isn’t necessarily dangerous and not all “gun people” are evil.
Sometimes its because they believe in exercising their 2nd amendment rights, and in doing so the way that they choose to.
I know you’re new to this forum and you may not know how this one is focused. We’re here to teach each other and learn from each other, and to make an environment where those who are new can feel comfortable bringing their questions without being bagged on or judged. We’ve found that overgeneralizations don’t help that mission much.
There are a lot of different reasons a person might choose to do a thing, and not too many absolutes. I hope you’ll stay and read and take some other people’s points of view into consideration.
4 Likes
Zee,
Thanks for getting back to me. I made my decision mostly based on a situation where I guy came into a restaurant with a pistol strapped on his hip (legal in Alabama). When he went into the restroom, someone took his pistol, wallet and left him lying on the floor. He never saw who it was. I think a lot of people are alarmed at the site of plain clothes individuals openly carrying. I ALWAYS conceal carry and, as a retired law enforcement officer, feel like a sheep dog watching over the flock of soft targets. I guess it’s all in the way you look at it.
I’m sorry if I offended you or your husband. I certainly did not mean to offend anyone.
1 Like
Yep. ha ha!
1 Like
No worries, neither of us is easily offended… oversensitive isn’t a good plan if one’s going to carry 
There are some people doing foolish things… carrying and not being aware of your surroundings like your bathroom vic would be a pretty good example.
There’s always a choice between the element-of-surpise effect of concealment and the I’m-not-your-victim-just-walk-away effect of open carry.
I prefer concealed if I’m in public, for the most part. My hubby prefers to open carry and educate people whenever theres an opportunity. We both open carry at home on the farm.
There a lot of ways to do this, and each has risks and advantages… if people are working that through, training, choosing gear accordingly, and making considered choices, that’s what I’d ask for.
BTW thank you for serving in LE, it’s a tough job, and not one I’d choose. Where did you work as an officer?
I hope you’ll weigh in on things with your experience, it’s a perspective many of us have to lean on others for.
1 Like
Zee, I’m retired from Mobile (AL) PD. I also was an international police trainer in Baghdad, Iraq. I currently teach handgun safety classes locally.
Unfortunately, in law enforcement, officers become jaded because many times when there is an incident, the public takes the side of the criminal. Obama proved that when he automatically condemned the officer publicly, then had a beer with him to make amends. I worked traffic homicide so I worked with good people under bad circumstances most of the time. As a rule, I love people who just try to live their lives and be left alone.
Didn’t mean to go off on a tangent.
1 Like
There are those out there, but I haven’t seen too many of them. Most of the open carriers I see carry themselves appropriately.
Glad to have you here, @Larry! Thank you for your service!
1 Like
I don’t know how Mobile is, but Baghdad had to be a rough time. 
I imagine traffic homicide would really wear on your soul after a time.
I’ve seen that - we’ve had some interactions with LEOs with really bad attitudes, and some interactions with LEOs that have been helpful and positive, and occasionally excellent. It makes me cautious because I don’t know who I’m gonna get, but I try to let each one show me who they are 
I think Obama did a really bad thing there with the whole jumping to conclusions thing. Really bad.
I know anyone who deals with a small slice of the population will start to get a skewed perspective on the whole species. Glad you’re here hanging out with us. Lots of perspectives here, most of them thoughtful.
I always try to be respectful to whatever officer I’m dealing with. You never know what kind of call they just got done dealing with. I learned that from an auto crash outside my home when I was 16. Head on collision, no survivors, 3 children in each vehicle (6 kids, 4 adults in total).
I watched the responders, including LEO struggle to maintain composure and do what needed to be done, but that kind of carnage involving children is just too difficult to compartmentalize.
I went to work after and spent my night trying to process everything, yes I saw everything, I was first on scene, I called 911 for that crash. I don’t remember everything now, but I distinctly remember being grateful nobody else was home to see that.
There were a lot of complaints where I worked about cops in the area that night. I remember wondering how they might react differently if they knew what I knew, saw what I saw.
Regardless, when open carrying we are very much putting ourselves out there as ambassadors of all law abiding firearms owners. Have a good holster, have a good attitude, be polite and courteous. Also maintain the best awareness you can and please use the stalls instead of urinals!
1 Like
When I am home oc otherwise I always cc. I initially started out oc in public then switched to cc afterwards.
1 Like
@MilVet was there a particular event that changed your mind? Or did that just evolve?
it did not evolve just research, advice, conversations with other gun owners.
1 Like
Not everyone is clean cut, but if they are a gun owner, they are an ally.
Maybe stop and talk with them about guns! They might need some friendly education, or maybe they could offer some.
3 Likes
I was once in a Rite Aid and the guy in front of me was open carrying, while I was concealed. Everyone in the store was looking at him, and not one of them knew I was armed as well. That’s the way I like it.
3 Likes
That’s why I love CC. I only open carry at the range!
1 Like
That’s one of the things I’ve been watching for since my hubby open carries and my granddaughter and I concealed carry. In our area, nobody seems to pay much attention to open carry. On the 4th, we went to the county fair, my hubby was the only one I saw open carry, and I didn’t see anyone paying particular attention to him. We were people-watching for carry-related the whole time we were there.
Maybe it’s just that it’s not inner-city Missouri or that we’re a constitutional carry state but people around here don’t seem to pay a lot of attention to open carry.
1 Like
Are they in condition white and just oblivious? I would hate for that to be the reason, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
1 Like
I’m in “Northern VA” (closer to DC). Open carry just scares people and draws unwanted attention here. The police might be called too and you’d have to deal with that. I do open carry on my property (I live in the woods on several acres), but in public, I never open carry. It’s just so much more “convenient” not to have to deal with the extra drama. 
1 Like
Probably true for some. For others, you can see them notice, but it doesn’t get a second glance.
Many people in Maine open carry. He was simply getting more attention than the normal person in line.
1 Like