I know there has been talk about either one being their own personal choice.
I keep hearing that open carry puts a target on u when a bad guy sees you with one.
My argument is that if true: Then why does all LEO, FBI, ATF, personal or private security, State Troopers, Game and Fish Officers, and even Park Rangers all Open Carry.
So how come they die not conceal carry if open carry seems to be the wrong way to go??
I say if a bad guy sees their gun then they may not mess with them, then me when I conceal they will not know I have one and then engage with me.
What are the different sides to this discussion??
Then why do I need to keep my concealment a secret, if having one is ok, cause open carry there is no secret to having a weapon on you??
The reason on duty, generally in uniform, law enforcement officers open carry is because we know they are armed. We expect them to be armed. There is no surprise there. So the most secure and also accessible holster type gets the nod. Itās just a totally different scenario to have a uniformed or obviously identified LEO with a firearm vs a regular private citizen going about their business.
Also, the first level of force for LE is officer presence. Being seen, being known to be a cop, being known to be armed, is a level of force. They are trained in this.
What % of current private citizen concealed carriers could pass the weapons retention and defensive tactics training LEO must pass before they are certified, for example? ;
We donāt āneedā to keep concealment a secret IMO, butā¦there is definitely a difference between the average person and a cop who is on duty.
Heck we even maybe want the cop to be the first one targeted. THatās their job. They are the protectors, they are the lightning rod, they are the target so the rest of us arenāt (when and where they are present and targets are selected)
Another way to look at it: How many cops open carry when they are completely off duty and out of uniform? Basically none, right?
For me it boils down to this, I just donāt want to advertise. Maybe itās just me, but if something is going down and the bad guys are observant, I donāt want my open carry saying āshoot me first.ā On another note, law enforcement carry around more stuff than I care to. As was said above, we already know theyāre carrying, no surprise there. But have you noticed that over the last 30 or so years armed guards in banks have all but disappeared? I used to work for a financial institution, and they cut out the guards of all types because they were always the first to be targeted. In my case, that sunk in. Also this community is after all part of USCCA, Iām a huge advocate of the CC in the name. Just my opinion only.
If the ābad guyā does not see a gun, does he see me as an easy unarmed target? If the bad guy sees my firearm on my hip, does he turn and go find an easier target? The idea that a lazy criminal POS is going to walk into the grocery store look around and find, then engage an obviously armed person makes no sense to me.
It must be the beginning of a new season. New thread topic, the same as the first topic. No disrespect op but there are a dozen other threads on this very topic. If you use the handy dandy search button up top. You can read several hundred posts about it and no need to wait for replies because this particular dead horse has been kicked, beheaded, and put in some Hollywood Movie Producers bed. (I get bonus point for working in a āGodfatherā reference).
Open Carry has been around since we were able to carry our guns in a belt with bullets openly like in the western era.
Conceal carry has been around when u need a secondary gun. Conceal carry should be an alternative way to carry, not the main reason.
Open Carry should be the default cause it is the original design on how to carry ur weapon. As individuals such as civilians or law enforcement we all open carry.
Conceal carry or open is a personal choice, but one should not be over the other, but it seems to me open carry for civilians is not acceptable way to carry.
No one every searches for anything anymore. Weāre a lazy species. you should see the bike forums with people asking about oil type, filter model, tire pressures, etc. like we have nothing better to do than work as free researchers for lazy people. I nearly always take the time to suggest they try Google or a forum seach first.
Although I open carried as a uniformed LEO I prefer concealed carry. I did conceal my back-up gun though. Now I only open carry at the range. I like to have the element of surprise thatās why I conceal carry. I do believe that open carry makes you a target to a person with bad intentions.
Iām respectfully not sure I follow. A lot of guns these days are designed around concealed carry. Maybe thatās not what you meant?
Agreed.
I live in an open carry state. You only need a license to conceal carry. I have seen open carriers on occasion, but not often. I appreciate seeing them and knowing they are armed. I also love the fact that I have the flexibility, but itās an option Iāve exercised on extremely rare occasions outside of the range or training. For example, I left a training course once and simply forgot to untuck my shirt leaving the range so I open carried in my vehicle all the way home (but thatās likely not what we are talking about anyway).
Iāve also never had an instructor encourage open carrying. But admittedly, more than half of my training has taken place in a no open carry context.
As for the ādefaultā, I like concealed as the default. That way you can just go about your business without busybodies and nosy folks minding your business, and that way the bad guys have to guess at who is or is not armed, itās not always obvious or discernible. Call it General Deterrence
More than a few stories like this one. Have also seen a couple stories of people who were concealed carrying but the shape of their firearms could be clearly seen under their cloths and their firearms were taken by criminals or they had to fight to keep them from being taken.
Firearms may deter some criminals but they will attract others if they see a clear opening to get their hands on them.
Many of the open carriers I see seem far too willing to let others get close enough to get a hand on their weapon while taking no action to position themselves to prevent that from happening.
Careful with old western days as the guiding principle, there were also old west towns where there were no guns allowed to be carried in city limits. As I understand it such a scenario was not uncommon
