Have you open carried?


I get cops drivimg by me all the time. I had a conversation with one,while OCing, he asked, "have you open carried?". I pointed at my hip and said, "every day, all day.". He recoiled and looked at me like I did something wrong. Probably time for him to hang it up...
 

tricolordad said:
I get cops drivimg by me all the time. I had a conversation with one,while OCing, he asked, "have you open carried?". I pointed at my hip and said, "every day, all day.". He recoiled and looked at me like I did something wrong. Probably time for him to hang it up...
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Outstanding detective he would make LOL
 
I just bought a nice kydex owb holster and have been open carrying the past 3and days I like it but to much staring kinda make me uneasy ill kept trying tho
 
samwhite said:
I just bought a nice kydex owb holster and have been open carrying the past 3and days I like it but to much staring kinda make me uneasy ill kept trying tho
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I OC all the time for a long time. I do not see much staring. Mostly quick glances. For me it has got to the point I do not even notice them looking. In the rare occasion I do get a stare down I look them in the eyes with a pleasant smile and say how you are doing today. Some take that as I am approachable and will start asking questions and I get to be an educator on open carry and gun laws. Others after the greeting will be short say fine and go about their business. Check out open carry dot org for lots of open carry info and hundreds of posting on where and how it went while open carrying.
 
Agreed. Ive OC'd for 2 years, and only two people have mentioned it at in a negative way (I simply ignored them). I see the glances to my hip, but that is natural. Heck, more than anything it is a conversation starter and people accept and respect it. I've noticed that the more comfortable I have become OCing, the more comfortable they become too.

Dont forget to take your shades off... it helps put many at ease when they can see your eyes and a smile.
 
I Open carried in Pizza hut, in MO the other day. The jeans I was wearing at the time were too tight for IWB carry, so I switched holsters. 99% of the time, I conceal carry. I did like the comfort better OWB, but you entirely lose the element of suprise. I noticed a few strange looks while I was in the restaraunt, but nobody ever said anything. I'll look to see a "No open carry" sign on the door during my next visit. I do think that people judge you for open carry. They wonder if your a criminal, if they're about to get robbed. They never think that it's for self and other's protection against such a threat. Also, people don't know the laws, including some law enforcement. They just assume it's illegal because it's frouned upon. I KNOW the laws, can be represented and CAN PROVE my knowledge to any judge.
 
tkrugen said:
I Open carried in Pizza hut, in MO the other day. The jeans I was wearing at the time were too tight for IWB carry, so I switched holsters. 99% of the time, I conceal carry. I did like the comfort better OWB, but you entirely lose the element of suprise. I noticed a few strange looks while I was in the restaraunt, but nobody ever said anything. I'll look to see a "No open carry" sign on the door during my next visit. I do think that people judge you for open carry. They wonder if your a criminal, if they're about to get robbed. They never think that it's for self and other's protection against such a threat. Also, people don't know the laws, including some law enforcement. They just assume it's illegal because it's frouned upon. I KNOW the laws, can be represented and CAN PROVE my knowledge to any judge.
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Ah...the element of surprise..:) Anyways...

Do you really feel people thought of you as a criminal? OR that you projected what you feel about open carriers onto others? I ask, because I have never had a police confrontation due to my open carrying over the past year, and I have only had 1 person be negative with me (and when I found out he was from Texas it made some sense). That would make me feel that people don't judge me negatively, they are either neutral or positive about my firearm.
 
tkrugen said:
I Open carried in Pizza hut, in MO the other day. The jeans I was wearing at the time were too tight for IWB carry, so I switched holsters. 99% of the time, I conceal carry. I did like the comfort better OWB, but you entirely lose the element of suprise. I noticed a few strange looks while I was in the restaraunt, but nobody ever said anything. I'll look to see a "No open carry" sign on the door during my next visit. I do think that people judge you for open carry. They wonder if your a criminal, if they're about to get robbed. They never think that it's for self and other's protection against such a threat. Also, people don't know the laws, including some law enforcement. They just assume it's illegal because it's frouned upon. I KNOW the laws, can be represented and CAN PROVE my knowledge to any judge.
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Good for you to have made sure you know the laws! And good for you for open carrying too. As for folks giving you strange looks... well... it used to be that people who had lots of tattoos were given "strange looks" but after a while seeing people with lots of tattoos became commonplace and those strange looks don't happen so much anymore. Same thing will happen with open carry when more people do it and seeing guns becomes commonplace... but just like the folks who have tattoos deciding to stop hiding their tats people have to decide to stop hiding their guns too.

About that "element of surprise" thing.....

The element of surprise really is nothing more than the bad guy discovering his victim has a gun.

With concealed carry the bad guy is "surprised" to see his victim has a gun AFTER he has attacked his victim. The presence of a hidden gun does absolutely nothing to show the bad guy his intended victim can fight back.

But when the victim pulls his concealed gun and the bad guy sees it and stops attacking it was the sight of the gun that "surprised" the bad guy and caused him to stop attacking. And the "element of surprise" stopped an attack already in progress.

With open carry the bad guy is "surprised" to see his victim has a gun BEFORE he begins his attack. The presence of a gun right out there in plain sight sends the message to the bad guy his intended victim has a gun to fight back with. And when the bad guy sees the gun and changes his mind BEFORE attacking... then the "element of surprise".... prevented the attack from happening.

I don't know how other folks feel about it but I'd rather use my "element of surprise" to prevent attacks from happening instead of having to use it to stop an attack already happening.
 
Bikenut said:
Good for you to have made sure you know the laws! And good for you for open carrying too. As for folks giving you strange looks... well... it used to be that people who had lots of tattoos were given "strange looks" but after a while seeing people with lots of tattoos became commonplace and those strange looks don't happen so much anymore. Same thing will happen with open carry when more people do it and seeing guns becomes commonplace... but just like the folks who have tattoos deciding to stop hiding their tats people have to decide to stop hiding their guns too.

About that "element of surprise" thing.....

The element of surprise really is nothing more than the bad guy discovering his victim has a gun.

With concealed carry the bad guy is "surprised" to see his victim has a gun AFTER he has attacked his victim. The presence of a hidden gun does absolutely nothing to show the bad guy his intended victim can fight back.

But when the victim pulls his concealed gun and the bad guy sees it and stops attacking it was the sight of the gun that "surprised" the bad guy and caused him to stop attacking. And the "element of surprise" stopped an attack already in progress.

With open carry the bad guy is "surprised" to see his victim has a gun BEFORE he begins his attack. The presence of a gun right out there in plain sight sends the message to the bad guy his intended victim has a gun to fight back with. And when the bad guy sees the gun and changes his mind BEFORE attacking... then the "element of surprise".... prevented the attack from happening.

I don't know how other folks feel about it but I'd rather use my "element of surprise" to prevent attacks from happening instead of having to use it to stop an attack already happening.
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This is true. When you carry concealed, you appear just like any other potential victim to BG's. They don't know you're carrying and since their plan tends to revolve around the element of surprise, they could be on you before you can get to your gun.

Now I would venture the fact that even those who open carry on a regular basis (as myself), also find times when for whatever reason, concealing their sidearm is in their better interests. But I can also tell you from personal experience that when doing this, the awareness antenna definitely extend a little further. Awareness, whether open or conceal carrying is tantamount to one's safety and ability to react, of course. But I have to say that one those infrequent times that I carry concealed, I seem to be more aware than usual.
 
Lost but not forgotten, open carry.

Years ago I OC'ed at a gas station out in the middle of no where and it proved to be no problem, long before Ohio had any CC laws on the books. I have my CHL and really haven't thought a lot about OC. This thread has really got me thinking about changing my method of carry, not completely but to the point that I stop worrying about keep my weapon concealed. Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread you all have helped me with a concern I can let go. Thanks Dog.
 
My "open carry" goes with my training. Its always covered with something as to help with retention and visibility. I guess you could call it a hybrid version of open carry.
 
Austin said:
My "open carry" goes with my training. Its always covered with something as to help with retention and visibility. I guess you could call it a hybrid version of open carry.
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Can you explain this a little more? Or upload a picture of how you carry...is it concealed or open?
 
Firefighterchen said:
Can you explain this a little more? Or upload a picture of how you carry...is it concealed or open?
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My guess would be it's similar to how I "OC" sometimes.. I always have an OWB duty-style holster, which is obviously huge, and will throw my sweatshirt or jacket over it. You can still see the end and the massive imprint, but it's a little harder to notice, and certainly gives a little better retention as my jacket would have to be lifted.

I usually only do this if I'm going into an area with more people than I feel I can reasonably keep track of, such as a very crowded tight area, and I'm carrying my level I holster. I don't usually worry about it so much with the 6365.
 
Austin said:
My "open carry" goes with my training. Its always covered with something as to help with retention and visibility. I guess you could call it a hybrid version of open carry.
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: Try to convince a cop of your Hybrid Version, watch how fast cuffs come out if you dont have a concealed permit..LOL:no:
 
I have open carried since it became legal to do so in Oklahoma. Have had 0 negative instances. One thing for sure, it is much more comfortable than IWB carrying. I felt a bit strange at first, but getting quite used to it.
 
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