Ever Open-Carried your handgun?

[SwedeSteve]

In Alaska, if you can legally purchase a hangun, then you can carry it concealed. I normally carry concealed because I do not want to alarm some tourist outsider. I do open carry at times, as do many of my friends. The notion that this somehow puts a "bullseye" on you is ridiculous! If a criminal wants a gun, he already has one. If they think taking one from an armed citizen is the best way to go, they don't exist anymore! What if everyone carried openly? Would you attempt to snatch a purse if 12 people around you had a handgun? Would you attempt to rob a liquor store if everyone inside was openly carrying a handgun? Me thinks not. Police do not get excited about open carry. At least not here. I don't live in the woods. I don't sleep in an igloo. I probably live in a larger city than a lot of you. I would love to see everyone open carry one day a week. It would probably make a lot of punks rethink their position in life.

[tlarkin]

Originally Posted by billy

i can legally but there is no reason to.
i dont need one in the woods either.
marmots arent very dangerous.

No but giant man pigs are pretty dangerous.

[andrew cochran]

I wish I lived in Alaska.

[TXplt]

Like I said in the CCW thread, I'm all for OC but do believe it alerts BG's and to some extent does tip your hand. Does this make you a target ? For some criminals, it will deter crime by OC (i.e. "target of opportunity" or coward-type thugs might well not commit their crime). Against others (i.e. the "shoot it out with the cops" types willing to commit the crime and use whatever violence it takes or psychotic sorts) it does make you more of a target in that you are now identified as a threat.

The ADT sticker thing is actually kind of a good analogy. If you have a monitored alarm system, do you really want to advertise this fact ? Maybe it'll deter the amateurs, but now you've told everyone you have an alarm system and what type it is. If you face determined professionals (who might have learned the specifics of your system in jail), it has now become more likely that they'll cut the phone lines or work to defeat the alarm because they know its there. If they don't know (and thus don't attempt to defeat the system) the alarm should work.

AK and VT have the best idea--you can carry open OR concealed without restriction. This way, a criminal never knows and is less likely in any case to commit a crime against a potential victim armed or not.

[ACfixer]

The way I read the laws here in the Soviet State of Southern Kalifornia, it is perfectly legal to carry open in most areas, but perhaps not loaded (which sort of defeats the purpose) except in your home or place of business. So with that in mind, go ahead, give it your best whirl and walk into a 7-11 with your 1911 strapped to your belt. I'm betting by the end of the day you're either bailing out of jail or in the urgent care getting it removed from your keester. That crap just doesn't fly around these parts... I don't support it but it's just reality in 2008.

As far as Montana Twister, I understand you wanting to wear your sidearm... That sounds cool to me too. But using the grizzly bear for a reason is pretty silly, I'm betting 99% of the people get through every day without wearing one unless they are in the woods. I'm also willing to bet that the statistics of 18 year old that have killed dangerous bears in small towns in Montana with a handgun are about as close to zero as you can get.

Have fun, just be sure of the law, and not only that respect local custom. Some people aren't comfy with you wearing a piece in their establishment and it's our job as responsible gun owners to honor their wishes while on their property IMO.

[TexasT]

I agree with what people like Jersey Jailer and Billy said.

Originally Posted by twisterx44

Where did you guys get that I'm carrying it to be cool? Or for looks? The area in MT I am heading to is known for aggressive black bears, grizzly bears, and cougars. My mom grew up hearing about plenty of attacks from all three animals. Not once have I indicated my intended use, and the assumption that I want to prance around a shopping mall with a .45 strapped to my hip is an incorrect one. Again, I am disappointed with this notion that because im 18 and not 21, I'm too young and too irresponsible to "play with the big boys" if you will. Let me state again that I would much prefer CC but I cannot. I will not be OCing in any major cities (including my hometown). It is for small towns and the woods in MT. We'll be doing a lot of hiking, and I don't feel like trusting my life with bear-spray.

That being said, I would like to thank everyone, even the ones against young OCing, for their opinions. All are valid and most make good points. I'll consider them all.

Because you never said why you felt you needed to OC. You only stated that you were excited to for OC. You can't see it now, but you still are immature, no matter how grown up you think you are. That's just the way it is. You'll look back when you're 21 and say "boy was I immature at 18" and when you're 25 you'll look back and say "boy was I immature at 21". I don't trust teenagers to OC responsibly. It's difficult enough for an adult to decide when to use a firearm and when to not. Here's my analogy of adults vs teenagers. I like to call it connecting the dots.

An adult trying to connect the dots: . . . . .
A teenager trying to connect the dots: .-----------------------------------------.
Notice there's lots of room to stray.

It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[LefthandShooter]

I have to agree with TexasT in that Teenagers aren't as mature as they might think they are. Don't get me wrong: some are or more than some adults! It is just in today's "MTV society" kids are doing things for peer acceptance rather than responsibility (sex is a great example). I look back now and say the same thing. AND I look at today's society and say "Heaven Help Us!" in some cases.
In a sidebar: I have my S&W 642 on my waist right now OC'ed. It is unloaded though as I am getting used to the new holster. Doors are locked and the house is alarmed though or it would be loaded.

[samuel]

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

In Alaska, if you can legally purchase a hangun, then you can carry it concealed. I normally carry concealed because I do not want to alarm some tourist outsider. I do open carry at times, as do many of my friends. The notion that this somehow puts a "bullseye" on you is ridiculous! If a criminal wants a gun, he already has one. If they think taking one from an armed citizen is the best way to go, they don't exist anymore! What if everyone carried openly? Would you attempt to snatch a purse if 12 people around you had a handgun? Would you attempt to rob a liquor store if everyone inside was openly carrying a handgun? Me thinks not. Police do not get excited about open carry. At least not here. I don't live in the woods. I don't sleep in an igloo. I probably live in a larger city than a lot of you. I would love to see everyone open carry one day a week. It would probably make a lot of punks rethink their position in life.

Your post was very dissapointing to me.I thought you would at least sleep in an igloo.If you have trees you should stay in them so you can keep cool.Actually,according to the second amendment everyone has the right to carry either way and there is no age limit,just responsibility.But responsibility is something we don't teach anymore,we just pass another crazy law that is supposed to take care of it. sam.

[tlarkin]

In the city you shouldn't need to open carry or conceal and carry in any day to day place like a shopping mall, grocery store, restaurant, etc. I think it may be wise to carry on person when on foot or in your car because that is when muggings and such happen.

My neighbor got mugged at knife point two days ago. Guy took his money and his bike. After I heard about that I now keep my revolver loaded and closer to me than it was before. Before I had my 9mm and a full mag next to me. So I had to load the mag and cock the slide, now I just have my 357 magnum loaded and ready. It is loaded with .38s at the moment though because I think that a .357 magnum may go through a few walls and into my neighbor's house possibly, and I want to be completely 1000% responsible with my firearms.

I need to get a 12ga.

[Taurus Fan]

I agree with the people that have done it and felt uncomfortable, the people that see you do it feel uncomfortable too. I don't think police officers like seeing someone walking down the street with a gun on their hip either, probably will want to stop you and check you out with EXTREME CAUTION, (that means guns drawn) and if I were a clerk in a convenience store, the last thing on earth I'd want to see is someone walk through the door with a gun. Legal or not, after recovering from the shock, I'd be really pissed-off at the chucklehead who did it.

[TXplt]

Originally Posted by tlarkin

In the city you shouldn't need to open carry or conceal and carry in any day to day place like a shopping mall, grocery store, restaurant, etc. I think it may be wise to carry on person when on foot or in your car because that is when muggings and such happen.


I need to get a 12ga.

Respectfully, sir, I must disagree with the day to day carry part. I believe it to be prudent to carry (for me usually concealed) EVERYWHERE you can all the time you can -- this includes malls, grocery, convenience stores, restaurants, etc. You never know where and when you'll need your firearm for self defense--this could be in the most benign of environments (not too long ago, a CCW holder successfully stopped a church shooting, and there have been several shopping mall shootings where a CCW holder could have helped things turn out better than they did). The first rule is HAVE A GUN.

[SwedeSteve]

Sam- Have slept in an igloo and snow caves. Not much fun.
TaurasFan- You don't get taken down for OC here. If i lived in NJ, I wouldn't even shower without a gun. Your world is completely different than mine. People that have lived here a while are just as comfortable with OC as the police and myself !!
TXplt- I agree !! Your standing outside you car in the parking lot being robbed, because you locked your handgun in the glove compartment while you ran into the store ??

[tlarkin]

Originally Posted by TXplt

Respectfully, sir, I must disagree with the day to day carry part. I believe it to be prudent to carry (for me usually concealed) EVERYWHERE you can all the time you can -- this includes malls, grocery, convenience stores, restaurants, etc. You never know where and when you'll need your firearm for self defense--this could be in the most benign of environments (not too long ago, a CCW holder successfully stopped a church shooting, and there have been several shopping mall shootings where a CCW holder could have helped things turn out better than they did). The first rule is HAVE A GUN.

I respect your opinion but I am saying this from a person who has lived in area where people get mugged, raped and murdered on a somewhat regular basis. The murdering is done on the farther east side of town but it is still close enough. I have never needed a gun, nor would I carry a gun into a grocery store during day light when I typically go shopping. That just seems paranoid to me.

Now, when I am out and about and walking around or going into certain parts of the neighborhood, fine.

I would keep one in my car at all times, but not always on my person.

[squirrelbaster]

i have heard several storys about local police here in ohio tackling/tasering inoccent people who are open carrrying all of the people have gotten the charges droped right away but none the less they got tased/tackled for nothing, that can definatly ruin your day... we have the right to open carry here but a lot of the cops dont seem to know it since almost noone does it.

p.s i hate to say it but cops here in central ohio are a bit trigger happy woth there tasers, but thats for another thread.

[twisterx44]

I wouldn't ever OC in a large city like portland, detroit, new jersey, etc. Again, its for small towns in MT like Bigfork and Kalisbell. I went last year and there were plenty of OC'ers hiking, shopping, and walking around. No one batted an eye.

if I OCed in portland I would likely be tackled, tasered or shot with pepper spray. PPD has a bad history of trigger happiness and over-agressive tactics.

I think if I CC, (which i WILL when I'm 21) I Will try to do it as often as possible. Otherwise, the one time i need it, It won't be on me. Always works like that.

[TXplt]

Originally Posted by tlarkin

I respect your opinion but I am saying this from a person who has lived in area where people get mugged, raped and murdered on a somewhat regular basis. The murdering is done on the farther east side of town but it is still close enough. I have never needed a gun, nor would I carry a gun into a grocery store during day light when I typically go shopping. That just seems paranoid to me.

Now, when I am out and about and walking around or going into certain parts of the neighborhood, fine.

I would keep one in my car at all times, but not always on my person.

I wish you the best, and hope that you're never caught without a firearm when you might need it. I'll continue to recommend that people with a CCW carry whenever and wherever they can. I'll also not consider that in any way "paranoid" -- after all, I always wear my seat belt even when just driving a couple of miles to the store at 30 mph. I'm not expecting to get into a car crash, and, even at this relatively low energy situation, I choose to use all of my safety equipment just in case. A firearm is no different than any other tool or piece of safety equipment. With my luck the one time I'd leave it at home or in the car is the one time I'd need it.

Cheers.

[billy]

[quote=LefthandShooter;552544]

Originally Posted by billy

i can legally but there is no reason to.
i dont need one in the woods either.
marmots arent very dangerous.[/quote

No zombies in your woods?

pistols are only for killing your way to a rifle!

[miaz86]

Every darn day. Just don't go near the bank or the bar. Certain businesses can ask you to forfeit the weapon until you leave. This is in the great state of Arizona. I ride a motorcycle through Mesa, AZ every night between the hours of 11pm and sometimes 3am. If anyone here knows about Mesa, they know what I mean. Sure, open-carry looks like your asking for trouble, but being a responsible armed citizen can keep you out of trouble. Just because your armed doesn't mean all the sudden your Joe Schmo Neighborhood Watch on patrol. I've been open-carrying for around 2 months. Gotten quite a few looks, nothing serious. AZ law, you can draw your weapon if you feel your life or someone else's is in danger. Someone is very lucky they didn't swerve into my lane on purpose one more time.... another story another time. Last 2 cents.............. i'm getting my concealed carry permit saturday.

[cubbieman]

Originally Posted by tonystewartfan

I don't think I like Oregon/Montana gun laws. Fourteen/eighteen year old kids carrying guns.

with a parent accompanying them, the entire purpose of age restrictions is so that people don't act immaturely with the items, parental supervision will provide the necessary maturity in having some one to stop the person from shooting someone. 18 year olds are adults, that is where the line is almost unanimously drawn. if 18 year olds are mature enough to do just about anything else, including join the military, and get trained on how to kill people, coming back to a society where illegal guns are easy to get, with lots of money and combat experience, why not let them OC? the biggest argument is that arguments will turn into gunplay, but OC gives someone else the opportunity to step in and de-escalate the situation.

note:I type this fully understanding next year i'll probably look back to now and say "dang I was immature", as with the examples TT stated, and my opinions may change, they've changed too much in the past year for me to ignore anyone saying "you'll understand when you're older"

[TexasT]

Originally Posted by cubbieman

with a parent accompanying them, the entire purpose of age restrictions is so that people don't act immaturely with the items, parental supervision will provide the necessary maturity in having some one to stop the person from shooting someone. 18 year olds are adults, that is where the line is almost unanimously drawn. if 18 year olds are mature enough to do just about anything else, including join the military, and get trained on how to kill people, coming back to a society where illegal guns are easy to get, with lots of money and combat experience, why not let them OC? the biggest argument is that arguments will turn into gunplay, but OC gives someone else the opportunity to step in and de-escalate the situation.

note:I type this fully understanding next year i'll probably look back to now and say "dang I was immature", as with the examples TT stated, and my opinions may change, they've changed too much in the past year for me to ignore anyone saying "you'll understand when you're older"

Ok, let me tell you how maturity works. Maturity is not an age. Maturity is knowing how to respond when placed in various situations. It takes years of emotional development. Maturity is also about physiologic brain connections. First of all your brain has to be developmentally normal, and secondly it must respond properly to stimulus. Most people have not been through enough at 18 to be deemed emotionally mature. And I think that is almost without exception. I was never a bad kid or anything. I had big goals at 18 and I acted on those goals, but I wouldn't call myself mature at that age. More mature than most 18 year olds, sure. I don't know many 18 year olds that can de-escalate a bad situation. And heck, let's not even get started on 14 year olds.