10 reasons for open carry

[Axeanda45]

I open carry when hunting other wise I prefer the element of surprise.

*Face Palm* Here we go again with this TIRED, FALSE, and IGNORANT LIE......... Will it EVER die???????

[Axeanda45]

TKC. As a CCr, I think the element of surprise is my biggest advantage. When I was a kid, I would take stuff. Every time I did (three that I can think of) I got caught! Not a very good crook, I guess. However, if I were so inclined and I wanted something someone had and I knew he was armed, the easiest way to get it would be to ambush or just shoot the courier. Never give up the element of surprise.

Well, tell you what tough guy.... next time you feel so inclined that you want to steal something from someone open carrying a firearm, let me know.... I will give you the location I will be at and make sure I have plenty of money on me....

[fuhr52]

*Face Palm* Here we go again with this TIRED, FALSE, and IGNORANT LIE......... Will it EVER die???????

I guess this means you disagree. That's fine. You walk around scaring the sheeple and I'll walk around unnoticed.

[NavyLCDR]

TKC. As a CCr, I think the element of surprise is my biggest advantage. When I was a kid, I would take stuff. Every time I did (three that I can think of) I got caught! Not a very good crook, I guess. However, if I were so inclined and I wanted something someone had and I knew he was armed, the easiest way to get it would be to ambush or just shoot the courier. Never give up the element of surprise.

Anybody with any common sense or intelligence would probably find it much easier to wait two minutes for the person visibly carrying the gun to leave and target the next guy to come along who wasn't visibly carrying a firearm, or to just go down the street one block to the next convenience store which didn't have a visibly armed person there. But, whatever....

Time to pop the popcorn and get a beer, here comes the same old discussion with the same old tired arguments all over again...

[NavyLCDR]

TKC. As a CCr, I think the element of surprise is my biggest advantage.

When it comes time to use your element of surprise, it is likely to be because the criminal has already used their element of surprise and gotten the upper hand over you already. So, it comes down to playing "quick draw McGraw" and see if your element of surprise can beat the criminal's element of surprise, WHICH, they have ALREADY successfully deployed. I just don't get it. To me it seems like there is some hidden desire to have the chance to shoot somebody.

If my openly carried firearm DETERS one crime against me and my family, saving us from the trauma of the attack, followed by the trauma of shooting someone (even a criminal), followed by the possibility of a long and drawn out criminal and/or civil court defense.... if that happens just once... that's enough benefit for me. There has never been a case documented of Joe Citizen open carrier not wearing a uniform getting shot first.

AND, it's just plain easier and more convenient to simply put the paddle holster on the belt and walk out the door, I don't have to dress around my gun.

[Firefighterchen]

I thought I summed all that up pretty good in my not so aggressive two posts...but its so much more fun to see the battle rage on

[RockinAJ]

Before I received my CCW in the mail I open carried and went back and forth between the two...
What kind of stopped me was being told by a 6 or 7 year old that I didn't need a weapon cuz the army has bombs to protect me. This is all happening inside a gas station restroom. Then the little rug rat followed me out and almost to the door of the gas station and all the way asked about the mags on my shoulder rig and just about caused a scene.
Another time at Walmart some crazy dude flipped out a little and asked me what was going on and said I was carrying a gun...
I really dislike hoplophobic people even more so in Montana because firearms are a huge part of our culture and history.
I believe we as the good guys need to educate however I don't believe causing a scene is the way to do it.

[Firefighterchen]

Before I received my CCW in the mail I open carried and went back and forth between the two...
What kind of stopped me was being told by a 6 or 7 year old that I didn't need a weapon cuz the army has bombs to protect me. This is all happening inside a gas station restroom. Then the little rug rat followed me out and almost to the door of the gas station and all the way asked about the mags on my shoulder rig and just about caused a scene.
Another time at Walmart some crazy dude flipped out a little and asked me what was going on and said I was carrying a gun...
I really dislike hoplophobic people even more so in Montana because firearms are a huge part of our culture and history.
I believe we as the good guys need to educate however I don't believe causing a scene is the way to do it.

Open carrying isn't meant to cause a scene. That is not how open carriers plan to educate. People will have problems with anything. If you hide your guns because of the few who want to make a scene, they will never be seen as a tool for good.

You should have just answered them truthfully. I don't know what happened exactly, but it seems like you tried to ignore the child, and brush him away.

[NavyLCDR]

I really dislike hoplophobic people even more so in Montana because firearms are a huge part of our culture and history.
I believe we as the good guys need to educate however I don't believe causing a scene is the way to do it.

In your situation, you did not cause any scene to happen. Let's put the blame where the fault actually lies. If someone, a 6 or 7 year old kid or a soccer mom, flipped out because you were wearing a green shirt, would you feel obligated to not wear green shirts anymore?

[Ed Hamberger]

Not to offend anyone, but surprise is an offensive tactic. Most self defense scenarios are a defensive situation where surprise plays no role. There also has been no case where an open carrier was shot first in a crime.

I beg to differ with you FFC... Armoured Truck Couriers have been shot from the back, although they were carrying their sidearm out in the open. I personally know of one when I worked for Dunbar's Federal Armoured Express in the early 80's. They know your armed, so they approach you from the rear(gun out). They very seldom get what's on the truck, because the driver is trained to drive off and immediately place a distress call to his base Ops.