Posted on 06/02/2011 6:40:19 AM PDT by marktwain
If I’m carrying a gun, no one else needs to know about it. Living in an open carry state—within a proverbial stone’s throw of DC—has reinforced this belief. There are just too many stories of OC’ers being harassed. I don’t have time to be held up by local law enforcement called in by a gun-shy ignoramus. Spending the weekend in TN changed my perspective . . .
With all the moving between venues, changing clothing and gear was impractical. As TN’s an Open Carry (OC) state, most of us carried openly while moving through hotels, gas stations and restaurants on our way to and from events. No one called the cops and no one even gave us a second look. To be honest, it was refreshing to see people treat openly carried firearms as if they were “no big thang.” Which got me thinking . . .
How many of us would actually choose to open carry if your state allowed it, and in what situation would you most likely choose to do so? I know a lot of people view OC as the equivalent of a wearing a T-shirt that says “Shoot Me First,” but wouldn’t that cease to be an issue if OC reached critical mass?
Ima no go to Maryland ... anymore.
Ooops. Sorry about that!
You’re not the first to suggest it - and I will try it out at some point. Can you sit down normally ? I find that a kidney carry on anything larger than my Bersa .380 jabs the barrel into my thigh or leg.
Ditto, Maryland is like California without the scenery. Every time I go there I come home with more material for a “Marylanders Are The Craziest Peoples” book. All their lead is in their drinking water, far as I can tell.
“Being harassed is exactly the reason to open carry.”
If you are wearing a gun to make a political statement, you are carrying it for the wrong reason.
Truth be told, I think most people just want to be left alone to take their own decisions.
I forgive you. It’s what I deserve for posting in the hazardous #2 spot. :)
Why would a cop shoot anybody openly carrying a holstered pistol and was not acting in a provocative manner in any way what so ever?
Last I checked, perps don’t walk around wearing holsters in the open, they seem to prefer to hide their weapons and shoot them sideways when they do pull them for some reason.
When I see someone in public, openly wearing a holstered pistol, I come to a couple of conclusions. First, that person might be a LEO such as a detective, prosecutor, etc. Second, that person, if not a LEO, is someone who is almost certainly well schooled in how to safely handle that piece on his hip and is likely the most law abiding person in the room who happens to have the courage of his convictions.
I feel safer when I’m in a room full of people wearing guns. It would be the last place in the world likely to be held up, but if the SHTF, at least I wouldn’t be the only one packing.
BINGO! we have a winner.
the 2nd amendment does not give an indication of the type of holster you use or where you locate it...
I’m Pro Gun, I’m Pro Weapon Carry Permits and the right to carry a pistol. I’m also for the least amount of problems for gun owners carrying a pistol for self defense.
I’m also a Cop.
I remember when Tennessee Carry Laws were being originated and debated and in all truth open carry was not the intention of law makers. Their hope was that common sense would prevail and that responsible gun owners would carry concealed and go about their business. The open carry aspect was to cover any problems with a weapon marking through your clothes or of a concealed weapons butt sticking our here or a pistol barrel sticking out there and so on. This was the real idea and was done so the carry could not be construed as an un-concealed weapon and give credence to some anti gun zealot to call the Police for the infringement of concealed carry.
I’m generally not upset at open carry in my line of work unless it’s on a call where someone wants to bring a gun into a disturbance call or like situation where they should be smart enough to disarm until after the situation is resolved.
When I’m off duty and in plain clothes I carry concealed, I don’t want to upset the community that has no idea I am an Officer or draw attention to myself as being armed for any reason unless there is cause for me to reveal my weapon. If I’m hunting or in the woods or other like situation it doesn’t matter, I carry on my hip; but in a public situation I carry concealed and recommend the same to everyone else.
I just guess Common sense isn’t common anymore is it?
“Question of the Day: Would You Open Carry?”
Why? So that the bad guy can shoot me first? Or try to disarm me? I try not to attract attention, and to have the element of surpise if I need it.
you’d have to experiment with it, and it does take a bit of getting used to. i carry cross draw, with the barrel right behind my hip, it took a couple days of wearing it to get really used to it, and figure out perfect placement, but once that was figured out, i can stand, sit, drive, ride my motorcycle, run around the park with my kids.. didn’t even have a problem squatting down as catcher in a softball game.
I think that undoing a lot of the sissification and hopolophobia that exists in America is probably facilitated by open carry. Just getting people used to the idea that guns are a net positive for society is crucial, and visibility probably helps that a lot.
Speaking of visibility, I worked overseas for a long time, and nothing is sexier than a fit female with a dropleg holster. ;-)
If you see me OC, then someone has either been shot or scared off, or I made it to my truck and am at the low ready with my Wilson Tactial SBS or AR platform.
Look, the concept of open carry as a means of educating the public is a canard. If you want to educate the public, become a certified trainer, an expert of sorts and well versed in the laws and facts and figures, then take that to the radio stations, NEWS outlets, schools and other venues for education.
What does education have to do with self-defense practices? It is the foundational aspect, it is awareness and logical application of the natural rights of man for self-preservation.
Okay, now to self-preseravaton applications (very briefly).
Open carry in other than hunting, field work and related environments is nothing more than a telegraph of a (potential) punch. How aware are you? If you are not an “operator” (and I mean professional type) you are not operating on a proper alertness/awareness level-nor would you likely be able to maintain such acute awareness for long-even pros cannot.
Concealed carry is a process in which a “sheepdog” keeps his mouth closed and minds himself and by extension, the sheep around him. (I use the traditional english rules, so I won’t state both sexes, “he/him/his” implies both sexes unless specified, of course).
Some are of the opinion that OC does not increase the risk of focused attack from a criminal, they will leave you alone-I am from “Missouri, show me” the numbers. I say that anyone, armed or not, who has a mindset and outlook that they are in fact, capable of controlling the situation, will probably succeed, while one armed to the teeth and fully kitted out, but has not confidence and assertiveness (learned from expereince and realistic simulation/practice), will be much more likley to fall.
An armed citizen, with no social stimgma of a uniform and badge, has no real “power” over a situation, rather, they must be so much the more careful.
I could care less about the concept that OC is an activist process and so on. MY life and those of my companions/family is teh reason why I carry. If the general public is stupid, so what. Educate them via an educational platfrom. Sheep seeing a sheepdog “proned out” cuffed and otherwise violated because they walked around with their mouth open and thier fangs bared, is not likley to engender agreement and awareness of the facts, rather only, derision,fear (they are sheep, remember) and distancing from the truth.
I sincerely doubt sheep can be transformed in to sheepdogs....”Darwinism” and all.
On the other hand, carry openly in the GP if you wish to and it is legal, it’s your life, and I would prefer everyones attention be on you, rather than me, in the context of armed self-defense.
Tactis-again briefly- OC allows me to know how to attack or avoid, rather than making assumptions- I would approach/depart (as would LEOs an OC from the strong side and behind, to limit exposure to natural pointing ability, then close in fast to eliminate the free use of the strong side. Do you think bad guys don’t think? On the other hand, just what hand will I use if I don’t show you where my firearm is in advance? Right side? Okay, 90% of the time you will be correct (given that 10% of the population is left-handed).
(Maybe, I have thought about that and carry two-one for each hand (One is none, two is one, etc)?
I know those hard-over on the idea of OC will shrug it off and say stuff like “eduation, faster response etc and will continue to practice what they beleive is best, but as the old saying goes, “you may think you know, but I know better”.
Don’t take my comments the wrong way, open carry advocates; you are free to practice self-defense in any legal way, and I am more in agreement with you than not, but development and progress must be a living constantly changing practice, not a rigid “this is what I do, and that is the way it is” fact.
I do OC when/where appropriate
Best;
Common sense has not been common sense for a long time. All the requirements for permits, background checks, paper work to buy a gun, etc are all part of the problem. All these laws are unconstitutional and are recent in our history. Government just wants to control us.
???
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.