opinions on open carry


apguns

New member
Everyone I am new to the site how does everyone feel towards open carry I am conceal carrier but I have open carried in VA the last few days I feel more comfortable open easier access if I was to have to draw but I also like the fact of concealment I was just wondering others feelings on there carrying thanks
 

The element of surprise diminishes with open carry. I just use OWB for easy access in winter. Lately I had learned to use a clip and still practicing on and with it everyday. Consider the feelings of those who are antis when open carrying. Unless otherwise you are in a group of open carriers, e.g., the Starbucks meet, some people will always feel icky about open carriers. I am used to it. I don't mind people who open carry. It is their choice. Leave them be. They may not be as dangerous as think I am...:biggrin:
 
I agree with Tuckers mom....the element of surprise is gone and now that the bad guy/girl now knows you have a gun and might use it against you.
I prefer concealed.
 
Open carry can make certain people nervous. It is legal in VA and in the past when I was in business and carrying a bank bag with a cash night deposit I did it. The problem arises when you get in a vehicle. In VA it is against the law to have a loaded pistol in a car without a CCP. That is why I got a CCP. I can have my loaded pistol under the front seat or in plain sight on the passenger seat (if you want to go through a toll booth like that) and still be legal.
 
I open carry & have not had any problems. I know they say that the element of surprise is gone but that isn't completely true.
Unless you have your strong side towards people they most likely won't even see it. And unless they are looking at it it seems that most don't even notice it right away at least.
Now think about this. Your a bad guy & thinking about robbing a store. You see a person with a gun in the store. Do you now go in to rob them or wait? Who else in the store might have a gun? Does that person have a gun under their shirt or is it a cell phone? Does the clerk have a gun on them or under the counter?
There is now a lot of doubt in their mind & most criminals are cowards. They prey on the weak, not the strong. Just the sight of a gun on a single person can put them on edge enough to decide not to commit their crime.

I walk my dogs all over my neighborhood while I open carry so it's no secret to anyone who sees me.
I also get a crime report for my general area & it seems that in my area there is very little crime. There is still crime all around us but just not in our immediate area. Is this a coincidence? Is it just that crime hasn't happened here? Or does it have to do with just one crazy guy packing heat while he walks his dogs? I like to think so.

In my opinion we should all have the choice to open or conceal as we choose or as situations dictate. If we can keep them guessing about who's packing heat but also SHOW them who is packing heat, then we can put fear & doubt in their minds. Perhaps it will be enough to make them change their minds about being criminals in the first place.
 
Well said, Capt Cook!

I open carry all the time because when you conceal the gun you lose the deterrent value of the firearm. The majority of felons when interviewed admit that they will not attack a target that they know to be armed. It is simply too easy for them to wait the extra two minutes or go down the street one block where there isn't a person carrying a gun to rob someone who doesn't appear to be carrying a gun or to rob the convenience store where there is no gun present. I would rather deter a crime from happening to me than to have to defend myself against a crime that has already begun.

If someone doesn't like the sight of my gun, that's their problem, not mine. My gun admits no foul odors, invades no one's space, and makes no noise under normal circumstances. It is only an inanimate object on my belt. If they don't like it, they are free to leave and go somewhere else. If they are concerned about it, they can call 911 and make a report of a person engaging in nothing illegal.

Open carrying 95% of the time I have had many personal opportunities to discuss the firearm with those that are anti but curious enough to talk about it and they usually leave with a positive education about people who carries firearms. If we don't show people the image of normal Americans doing normal things in normal everyday American life, while wearing a gun because we care about ourselves and our families enough to protect them from violence, then the only image the general public will see of guns is the negative image pushed on them by the anti-gun groups and anti-gun media.

Open carrying 95% of the time in places such as downtown Seattle and SEATAC International Airport, I can tell you that about 99% of the general population either doesn't notice the gun or doesn't care.

The theory that openly carrying a gun makes you a target, or you will get shot first is only that - a theory. None of the people who believe in this theory have ever been able to present any examples in real life that prove that it happens in reality more than once in about every 10 years. If it was true that people who carry guns got attacked because of their guns, the anti-gun groups and anti-gun media would be all over it and shouting it from the rooftops.
 
It's simply amazing how many "pro-gun" people get their panties in a bunch over this:

Link Removed

That is an example of open carry in everyday life (it was Mother's Day two years ago.)
 
I have done both now I noticed today as I carried everybody has more curious look of why I had a firearm on others it didn't faze. But on the other hand I really like both I will be headed back to Arkansas so I will have to conceal again but I really think there are many strong points for both thanks for some great answers back
 
My opinion - most of the time it is a deterrent, as criminals are generally lazy and go for the easy targets.

However - more "professional" criminals such as bank robbers will target you if you're in the bank they are planning to rob. Or ego-driven gang members would target you if you were on their "turf" and carrying openly.

So - personally - I want the option of either/or.
 
I heart this thread alot. I personally prefer to conceal most of the time. Ill explain why, buckle in: It really does depend where you live. All my country folk OC. Once you get deep in the city its a bit of a card game. Try to OC at galleria in tysons 2 VA. Let me know what kind of reactions you get there, as an experiment. (use caution). Ive OC'd in all sorts of environments, some rich some poor. The skinny from my experience is this: Poor to middle class people will enjoy your company. Period. Some of them will be wary, and a little scared. Their animal brain comprehends you are there to help not hurt, however you have to keep in mind we do such a good job of mocking gun owners and attacking their rights and images in the media and all through school that most people in the US have NEVER SEEN A GUN IN REAL LIFE unless its on an LEO. Their upper brain is conditioned to respond differently to an armed citizen. The unfortunate part is its not always positively.

While to you the sheepdog, always aware danger is not likely, but possible and deadly and then we think wouldnt it just be easier to shoot danger in the head should it charge? Obviously. Thats why we invented guns in the first place, im purposely leaving out the part about land and population control. Whether raised from birth or through a series of events like myself its a tool on your belt of tools, each tool having its purpose. To the sheep it is a grim reminder seen a few times in a lifetime, of the horrible weapons of war. Real, actual, in their face, and in their space.

If its your neighborhood OC may effectively lower the CR and raise peoples opinions of firearms. If its random people when you are out at dinner or w.e in the city the people will have their opinion and never see you again for eternity. It never occurs to the sheep on a typical day that harm could actually come to them, you are reminding them of this. Which is why I am often torn between OC and CCW. I agree that it will never change unless we educate the public, and get them used to seeing damn proud Americans protecting the flock every damn day in addition to all the sheeply duties we abhor because thats what a good citizen does, but I also think while the constitution is beautiful the laws are not.

The media hates us, so America sort of does too to some large extent. Some anti-gun folks really, really, really hate the idea of your right to arm yourself. Often I find its easier to just keep it out of sight and out of mind, but its still there if anything should happen. Personally if a criminal wants to rob the store im in, I intend to meet him with force. Id also rather him not know I intend to meet him with said force if hes already planning an attack. I can see him just saying "Well I still need that crack, but this jerk has a gun so... theres that other store down the street and no guy with a gun there".

Once we have a stronger base of owners and carriers I will feel better that theres another one of us at the store down the street as well waiting for him. Dont get me wrong, I dont want to shoot anyone. Criminals are simply a product of a broken societal hierarchy and lack of proper education. Its their fault for what they do I guess, but nobody robs a liqour store for 30 bucks because he finds it amusing or empowering. Sorry to break it to you. Under all the pooptalk theres a terrified citizen in there that has not a clue what hes doing. The poor sap you may have to put down is just you under different circumstances. There is some downright evil out there, but muggers, burglars, and robbers usually arent that from my understanding. If it has to happen though I dont have a problem doing it and thats why I OC and CCW. Both have their place.

Do not get mad at the sheep, should they hiss or bark, it is not their fault their instinct is danger because they have been force fed that garbage their entire lives. When you see someone with a gun, and you are unarmed, it is uncomfortable. For good reason, if ***** hits the fan everyone with a gun will have a much better chance at survival, and will be much more productive in a chaotic environment than unarmed folks. This is why some countries demand that every single able citizen own a gun. To say the guy with the gun is a target if criminals are around is foolish and ignorant, EVERYONE is a target when criminals are around.
 
I agree with Tuckers mom....the element of surprise is gone and now that the bad guy/girl now knows you have a gun and might use it against you.
I prefer concealed.

Surprise is not a defensive tactic. If you have to draw your gun you've already lost the element of surprise because you're reacting to an attack
 
Surprise is not a defensive tactic. If you have to draw your gun you've already lost the element of surprise because you're reacting to an attack

You're right. Surprise is an offensive tactic and IMO a very effective one. Using a firearm is never defensive even if you're doing it to protect yourself. Nobody uses a gun to deflect incoming bullets. Guns are used to take the fight to the enemy regardless of the situation. The moment you bring your firearm to bear on a target with the intention of shooting, you've just gone on the offensive.

I support OC but it's not for me personally.
 
Either is legal in my state (Nebraska). I CCW most of the time since my manhood does just fine behind my zipper and I don't need to carry a substitute for it on my hip. On the other hand, I am not paranoid about my pistol showing, and often fuel my car or do other short tasks with my vest or my jacket in the car and my pistol exposed. At 6' 3" and 350#, with a face that would cause a Polar Bear to run for cover, I am not worried about surprise or deterrent. I am not a person that has "victim" stamped on his forehead. That being the case, I am not really worried about the "average" criminal, but the psychopath that really does not care and is going to kill you anyway (as has happened in a couple of convenience store robberies lately). That is why I usually have Glock 21 or Glock 30 on me, and I can draw it just as fast from under my vest as I can without the vest (the benefit of practice). When I am somewhere that CCW is required (either due to the situation or due to the request of someone that I respect), I carry concealed. My Glocks in cold weather, and my Beretta 85 in warm weather.
 
Either is legal in my state (Nebraska). I CCW most of the time since my manhood does just fine behind my zipper and I don't need to carry a substitute for it on my hip.

Why is it that you feel the need to make such immature and ridiculous statements about fellow pro-gun Americans? Seriously, you lose 100% credibility when you make such childless and useless statements. If you want to portray yourself as a man, than speak like a man instead of an imbecile.
 
Using a firearm is never defensive even if you're doing it to protect yourself. Nobody uses a gun to deflect incoming bullets.

I actually agree with you on that. However, firearms can also be deterrence. Deterrence is only effective if the enemy knows about. Given two targets within fairly close proximity to each other that are relatively equal to each other with the exception that one is known to be hardened by the presence of a firearm and one is not - the choice of which target to attack is clear, given the ease with which a firearm can be obtained by the criminal by many means other than taking from an armed person that can kill them in the process.
 
While I personally dont care how one carries, as long as you carry, a hypothetical question does come to mind.

Suppose all CCWs were revoked and no longer available, would those of you opposed to OC no longer carry?

Now dont cloud the question with particulars of state law such as OC not being legal, or not legal without a permit. Just suppose it was legal and your only method of carry, because folks that is the only method of carry protected by the 2A.
 
I actually agree with you on that. However, firearms can also be deterrence. Deterrence is only effective if the enemy knows about. Given two targets within fairly close proximity to each other that are relatively equal to each other with the exception that one is known to be hardened by the presence of a firearm and one is not - the choice of which target to attack is clear, given the ease with which a firearm can be obtained by the criminal by many means other than taking from an armed person that can kill them in the process.

"Hardened"??? As in armor protection??

Given the choice of a target that is unarmed and a target that is armed (and thus can kill you easier), only a fool would first shoot the unarmed one. This is common sense at its most basic level.
 
While I personally dont care how one carries, as long as you carry, a hypothetical question does come to mind.

Suppose all CCWs were revoked and no longer available, would those of you opposed to OC no longer carry?

Now dont cloud the question with particulars of state law such as OC not being legal, or not legal without a permit. Just suppose it was legal and your only method of carry, because folks that is the only method of carry protected by the 2A.

I would OC. It's certainly better than nothing but not better than CCing IMO.
 
"Hardened"??? As in armor protection??

Given the choice of a target that is unarmed and a target that is armed (and thus can kill you easier), only a fool would first shoot the unarmed one. This is common sense at its most basic level.

Why attack at all? 99.5% of the American population walks around visibly carrying a gun. Only a fool would attack the .5% of the public visibly carrying guns when they have 99.5% of the rest of the population to choose from.

To quote Captn Cook in this thread:
I know they say that the element of surprise is gone but that isn't completely true.
Unless you have your strong side towards people they most likely won't even see it. And unless they are looking at it it seems that most don't even notice it right away at least.

To quote Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League:
Gun Owner Saves Lives In The Richmond VA Golden Market Shooting
Here are my thoughts from watching that tape:

Talk about a cold-blooded, fast attack where an innocent was shot without warning! Unbelievable. Situational awareness is really important. Luck doesn’t hurt, either.
Open carry was an advantage in this case because in the video I saw just how fast the GO managed to draw his gun and begin to return fire. You always hear about how open carry is so bad tactically – you’ll be the first one shot, etc. Oh, yeah? The GO had a HUGE gun in plain sight and he was NOT shot. Who got shot first? An unarmed store owner.

I'm sorry, but the "you'll be shot first" theory just does not prove to be true in real life. Is it possible to happen? Certainly. It's also possible to be killed by a flower pot pushed from a skyscraper balcony by a monkey.

BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Monkeys create havoc in Delhi
 

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