Who here open carries?

[Euclidean]

Completely illegal in Texas except on private property. So no I don't. I don't count firing ranges, etc. where it's expected you should have a gun.

 

[redneckdan]

I'm currently open carrying because my 1911 is in the shop and my 6" k-frame isn't exactly concealable.

 

[ExtremeDooty]

Is it legal to open carry in Michigan?

Yes, it is. I used to open carry when I lived there, mostly on my own land. However, in places around Detroit, I heard people got hassled for OC.

Here in Colorado, I open carry around my place, but stay concealed everywhere else.

I have one question I always wanted to ask. If it's so easy for someone to "snatch my gun," why wouldn't it be just as easy for me to snatch it right back?

 

[CajunBass]

Here's another question, for those of you who do open carry, how do you answer when you are asked, "Why do you need to open carry?"

It's never happened, but my answer would be...

Because I want to.

 

[wizard of oz]

I openly carry at work. Police have never asked to see my licenses or permits. Members of public have never made a comment, though everyone is very aware of the firearm. Best thing is that it is there, ready to rock on a moment's notice.

 

[.38 Special]

Is open carrying legal in CA?

No, not really. Section 12031:

"(a)(1)Every person who carries a loaded firearm on his or her person or in a vehicle while in any public place or on any public street in an incorporated city or in any public place or on any public street in a prohibited area of an unincorporated territory is guilty of a misdemeanor, and will be shot by the police".

Okay, I added the last part myself, but the rest is straight from the Code. There are some exceptions, like being allowed to carry openly if you reasonably believe there is a grave and imminent threat, in between the time you have called the police and the time they arrive. Also if you have a reasonable belief that you are in grave danger from a person against whom you have a restraining order, you may carry openly or concealed. Although I wouldn't try the former, and I'd be willing to bet that the latter would still get you in trouble with what passes for the court system here in California.

You can also carry openly in designated shooting areas of unincorporated territories. Which doesn't include South Central, for some reason.

Interesting to note that you can apparently carry openly as long as it's unloaded. This will still get you shot by the police, but your loved ones will have the condolence of an L.A. Times article condemning the shooting of an unarmed man. Even though the mere presence of a gun on your person makes you a criminal madman or a Republican, and the Times isn't sure which is worse.

And yes, it is perfectly legal to carry in your place of business. This will get you shot by criminals, which is defensable in California courts under the "He was trying to prevent me from pursuing my chosen trade" argument.

HTH!

 

[Zach S]

I voted "Only in certain situations and circumstances"

Almost never in public. I have at the range.

Otherwise, mainly when working outside on my property, or family's property. I've also open carried at a junkyards, junk cars sitting in tall grass seem to be snake magnets, so I open carry one with shotshells in addtion to my defense pistol.

Never had a problem, with carrying openly anyway. I have shot a few snakes though.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

In my opinion open carry defeats the purpose of carrying. I carry to have an advantage in an attack situation..not so other people can know I like and own firearms. Any advantage that an attacker is aware of in advance is not truely and advantage.

 

[Zero_DgZ]

I do, and will be until my CCW clears.

 

[JesseL]

In my opinion open carry defeats the purpose of carrying. I carry to have an advantage in an attack situation..not so other people can know I like and own firearms. Any advantage that an attacker is aware of in advance is not truely and advantage.

In that case, why do police and military open carry? Because people know they're armed anyway? So by your reasoning, why should they have weapons at all?

I think you may have thought the issue through only halfway.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

JesseL,

Re-read your own post and see if you cannot tell how you are comparing apples to oranges.

Police and military are also allowed to use their weapons in a premptive fashion. Drawing their weapons before a threat can occur. They are also there as an open deterent to aggression. You have none of those priveldges nor share those duties.

 

['Card]

I generally open-carry in a drop-leg holster when I'm hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and kayaking.

I've been asked about it a few times by people I've met, always as a friendly question. I usually just smile and say something along the lines of "If there's a problem out here in the middle of nowhere, what're you gonna do? Call 9-1-1?"

Oh, and one guy asked me "Isn't a .45 kind of overkill for snakes and such?" and I said "Some snakes walk around on two legs."

 

[SolaScriptura139]

You have none of those priveldges nor share those duties.

What law says that I can't draw my weapon if I feel that my life is in danger? I've come to think that open carrying would also deter criminals from coming after me, partly because it seems easier to attack an unarmed person. Plus, if I use a retention holster, it will be much more difficult for someone to get the gun away from me before I notice it.

 

[Juna]

Police and military are also allowed to use their weapons in a premptive fashion. Drawing their weapons before a threat can occur. They are also there as an open deterent to aggression.

I agree, but I think this supports, rather than goes against, the argument for open carry.

1) It's "an open deterrant to aggression", as you said. Why would an assailant go after a guy he knows is packing when there are tons of people around that guy who may not be? Plus, who's going to try to assault any person if there's a guy right next to the potential victim with a gun on his hip? I would think it would be a deterrant for crime in general at that location & time, not just against the person carrying. (Wouldn't this be great...Imagine a street full of people with guns on their hips. What idiot is going to try to assault any one of them? Think of how safe our streets would be!)

2) It allows for pre-emptive drawing. Are you going to wait until a BG is right on top of you trying to kill you, or are you going to draw & shoot ASAP if the SHTF and you're in danger?

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Juna,

First...you cannot draw your weapon until you are in imminent danger. Doing so premptively will lose you your carry license and maybe land you in jail and almost certainly get you sued.

Second..if everyone open carries a weapon then the bad guys will just know that they need to either shoot you in the back or attack in a way to prevent you access to your weapon. Just ask law enforcement officers how big a problem they have with people taking their weapons. It happens more frequently then you would like to think. And people are hard wired to not attack cops. The best defense is an offense that noone can see coming. I am not out to look like a bad ass or attract attention to myself. Just to be prepared in a bad situation.

I saw a special on the history channel once that said in the old west people had to check their guns with the sheriff when entering town because open carry did not seem to deter crime but escelate it.

 

[gunner03]

First...you cannot draw your weapon until you are in imminent danger. Doing so premptively will lose you your carry license and maybe land you in jail and almost certainly get you sued.

Depends on what state your in. Some states like MN do not have a brandishing law. We were told in our class, if we were to cross a dark parking lot, gun held at our side, no problem. Just be sure not to point at anyone.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

gunner03,

True, but pull a weapon and point it at someone without being able to prove your life was in danger and see where it gets you. Most likely it will get the pants sued off of you and maybe some jail time. I am not saying I agree with that...it is just the reality we have to live with as gun owners.

 

[XLMiguel]

Though I generally prefer concealed carry for the usual reasons, I am also of the 'rights not used are rights lost' camp.

Monday my wife and I decided to explore the arroyo by our house. Since it's still snake season and there have been reports of a cougar taking pets and poultry in town near our house, I carried my Kahr P9 (yeah, I know, not a cougar gun) openly while we hiked. We ran into a couple neighbors, no one said anything (I'm not sure they even noticed). We plan to do a lot more hiking, so I guess I'll be carrying openly more. I guess I'll have to get a nice OWB rig for my 1911 or M21.

ETA: Update - A Santa Fe Sheriff's Deputy killed a young cougar 14 miles south of town. They don't know if it's the same cat. It was 5' long, 20" tail, 40 lb (just a baby, maybe 18 months old). It was treed in some guys yard, and had just eated a neighbor's cat. The constabulary arrived and call and waited for Fish & Game to come witha traquillized gun. Unfortunately, the lion decided to try & leave before F&G arrived and the Deputy felt sufficiently threatened to shoot it (he siad it was a "heavily populated area" (heavily populated? - he's obviously never been to a big city , it's mostly multi-acre parcels down there)and he didn't want the cat to come back and maybe hurt a kid!?!). The cat was killed with a .45 handgun, the article didn't mention what type or load. Sad for the cat, but probably the right thing to do.

 

[TallPine]

I put carried my Kahr P9 (yeah, I know, not a cougar gun) openly while we hiked

Actually, I believe that most cougar hunters use a .22 RF to kill treed cats

And BTW ... we had either a cougar or a bear take a swipe at one of our horses a couple days ago - left claw marks on her side but didn't break the skin. Looks like she moved at the last minute, because the claw tracks follow a < path.

 

[WayneConrad]

Your state's law is not everybody's state law

The laws in your state are not the laws in the other 49 states.

In Arizona, there are situations where you may lawfully threaten the use of deadly force--point a pistol at someone--even though you are not authorized by law to use deadly force in that situation. Similarly, there are situations where you may draw your sidearm, not pointing it at anyone, and not run afoul of any law. Therefore, in this state, there are situations where you may draw preemptively even though you do not yet need to fire.

There are exactly 49 other states with 49 other codes regarding the circumstances under which you may legally draw, legally threaten, and legally use deadly force.

 

[Norm357]

I open carry about half the time here in Atlanta. Have done so for almost 15 years. Had a grand total of one cop ask me if I had a permit. When I asked him if he wanted to see it, he declined and we both went our seperate ways.

 

[Juna]

First...you cannot draw your weapon until you are in imminent danger. Doing so premptively will lose you your carry license and maybe land you in jail and almost certainly get you sued.

I agree. I wasn't advocating randomly pulling guns on people you think gave you a dirty look. I'm talking about if somebody clearly means to do you harm (i.e. imminent danger or threat of bodily harm), you want to draw your gun and fire before they're right up in your face if at all possible. If you wait until they're pointing a gun at you or have a knife to your throat, what good is your gun? It's always better to draw as early as possible if you truly feel you're in danger. Are you going to let fear of a lawsuit get you killed? Probably not.

Again, at no point did I advocate pointing a gun at anyone until it was absolutely necessary--but at that point, the earlier, the better, especially if the assailant also has a gun. Are you going to wait until they have a gun drawn and pointed at you, or are you going to get prepared to fire before they get to that point. If you have a legitimate belief that you are in imminent danger, then your actions are justified. This is exactly what I was talking about.

Second..if everyone open carries a weapon then the bad guys will just know that they need to either shoot you in the back or attack in a way to prevent you access to your weapon. Just ask law enforcement officers how big a problem they have with people taking their weapons. It happens more frequently then you would like to think. And people are hard wired to not attack cops. The best defense is an offense that noone can see coming.

I agree partially, but I disagree partially. If multiple people walking down the street are carrying guns, then if the BG shoots you in the back, odds are the other 10 people clearly packing are going to draw and get ready to return fire. Your scenario is only true if it's just you who is armed and no one else around you is. No one other than a team of professionals is going to fire at you when people around you are also armed.

I do agree that a stealthy offense is good, but at the same time, a random criminal would have to be determined and plot out beforehand how to attack you (and specifically you) having known that you open carry. Most thugs on the street act spontaneously when mugging someone. A premeditated crime like that is usually a personal crime committed by someone who knows you or has reason to hate you personally. Just some food for thought.

Also, I would never advocate open carry unless your thoughts are consciously and constantly focused at least peripherally on where you gun is at all times. This is basic gun safety, IMO. Use a retention holster and always be aware of where you gun is and of your surroundings. I'm an observant person. I always know when my keys are in my pocket. I always know when someone is watching me or something is out of the ordinary. Being constantly aware of your surroundings is an absolute necessity if you're going to openly carry (or even carry concealed, for that matter). It's part of responsible firearm use and ownership, IMO. This goes without saying, IMO, which is why I didn't mention this before.

 

[ezypikns]

To each his/her own.

I can't open carry in Texas because it's illegal. If it were, I still wouldn't. Personal reasons. Just like your personal reasons for carrying openly. I don't think there's a right or wrong decision here.

 

[carterbeauford]

I am going to VA this weekend and will try this open carry thing. While legal in PA, it seems to be a lot more common down there. I have never seen a non-sworn citizen open carrying in PA.

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

Although it is legal to open and conceal carry here in Georgia. I always IWB conceal carry. It's just my preference. I have only seen one person open carry in the last several years at least where I am from. And if you are from the Atlanta area (which I am not) I would dare say you would be taking a great risk by open carrying. I have even heard of one incident where a guy was arrested for disturbing the peace for open carrying in GA. Too many Jim Brady's out there for me. I have much better things to do with my time that have to put up with a bunch of idiots.