Open Carry

[Sketcher]

Maybe you've heard of it, but how many criminals do you think try to rob someone they know is armed? Predators prey on the weak.

Man openly carrying new gun in Gresham robbed by armed man

 

[sylverpiano]

True, but inattentiveness and lack of situational awareness is stronger than carrying a gun...

Situational awareness and attention to your surroundings are much more important to your safety and well being that carrying a firearm. Anyone can be taken by surprise. I was grabbed from behind in a parking garage attached to a rather posh hotel, dragged between two parked cars and then beaten, raped and sodomized at knife point.

I did not carry a firearm then but without situational awareness, it would not have helped. I train constantly so that this will never happen again.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Such an awful experience, God bless you, sister. And your point is very spot-on!

Situational awareness and attention to your surroundings are much more important to your safety and well being that carrying a firearm. Anyone can be taken by surprise. I was grabbed from behind in a parking garage attached to a rather posh hotel, dragged between two parked cars and then beaten, raped and sodomized at knife point.

I did not carry a firearm then but without situational awareness, it would not have helped. I train constantly so that this will never happen again.

 

[pescador]

Open carry is legal in my state but not too many people other than the police carry guns. There are many, many signs in places of business that read something like "No firearms are permitted on these premises. Possession of a firearm here is a second degree felony."

 

[dentonz]

I watch a video of a smaller stature gang member threaten other larger stature gang members by walking past them and flashing the gun tucked in his waistband. Seconds later with his back turned several of them came up behind him, beat him to the ground, took the gun tucked in his waistband, and then proceeded to shoot and kill him with his own gun. I don't want to appear weak but I also don't want to be on anyone's radar. In the final analysis if I happened to be preyed upon I want every advantage at my disposal which includes a concealed handgun that no one knows I have. Further, if the concealed carry is well trained the last thing the predator will think during the final moments of his own personal shock and awe is, "I just messed with the wrong dude(tte)."

I agree with all of the responses to my post. I personally do not open carry, however there is a reason that law enforcement and military do openly carry their firearms. Physical presence is the first step to security. As has been mentioned various times in this thread, awareness is the number one most important thing to personal security.

 

[PRESIDIO]

Open carry is legal in my state but not too many people other than the police carry guns. There are many, many signs in places of business that read something like "No firearms are permitted on these premises. Possession of a firearm here is a second degree felony."

Just an FYI on this, just about every private establishment can decide whether or not they will allow concealed weapons in their establishment and those postings must be honored and you are running afoul of the law if you dont honor them. However, many states have specific sign requirements e.g. they must be prominently posted at each entrance, must be a particular size, etc. If they do not meet requirements they may not have the force of law. I think it would be very helpful to familiarize yourself with state and municipal laws in your area. I have lived in areas where there were specific sign requirements and I can tell you most of the establishments that posted signs did not meet the threshold requirements set by statute and therefore those signs did not have the force of law. I would consult a couple of good websites: nraila.org and handgunlaw.us. I am not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[PRESIDIO]

Also, this is not an exhaustive list but generally you can count on federal buildings, state govt buildings, and schools being off limits.

 

[PRESIDIO]

sorry for the triple post madness...also, since the title of this thread is open carry if you were to walk into a private store that had no signs prohibiting carry however, someone in charge of the establishment asks you to leave because you are open carrying, you must.

 

[marineimaging]

I....the guy with a gun on his hip will be the first one shot. Having it concealed gives me the advantage that no one knows I'm carrying.

If I may ask, how many people have been shot or had their guns robbed from them that you personally know of? I have carried all my life as RPO and with family and I know of none. Personally, I open carry when hunting, of course, but even though it is still legal to do so, if I have to stop at a store or restaurant I will put my sidearm into a safe which is in my truck. The safe is also locked by steel wire to my seat post. I do that as a Christian because it is not my intention to cause disruption or concern to my fellow citizens who should have no reason to worry about me. Nor to know that I also have a concealed carry in my IPWB holster they can't see as I walk into the 7-11 after scouting through the glass from outside to make sure everything is normal and nobody is acting suspicious and watching me to see what I am going to do.

 

[381465]

I can carry concealed in several states, just not the one I live in.
Never carried open in public, feels weird for me.
See some open carry in DE. Unfortunately most of the open carriers look a little off and trying to be controversial.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, open carry is like a sign screaming "shoot me first" to someone with criminal intent.