Why Open Carry?

[ntrngr]

I've been told over and over that OC is bad. My father, who has had more guns in his hand than any man should have the privilege to have, says it makes people nervous. My Sheriff friend (Iron Mike) says you don't want BG knowing you have a gun. My wife says she's worried about someone taking my gun and possibly using it against me or her.

...and you know what? I agree with all of them and disagree with them all at the same time. I OC when I feel its appropriate and I CC when I feel like it.

Here is my 2c worth(Actually, its about 25c worth, but whos counting?):

Dad says it makes people nervous: This is the main reason I OC. People need to see guns in town, in the stores, on peoples' hips, etc instead of JUST in the hands of BGs and police. Thats why they are nervous! HE'S GOT A GUN!!! should be a call to bring people together to see what he's carrying and not a statement of fear. If people see other people as LRAs (Law Reinforcement Agents) instead of BGs the anti-gun ignorance our society is virtually paralyzed with will go away. I call it softening up the Sheeple. (I don't use sheeple with disrespect. I'm just not in denial. Sheeple are.)

Iron Mike says its a tactical disadvantage: True, however, is it really? If a guy is casing a place and see armed LRAs walking around, he'll go on down the street. Non-armed robbery people will steer way clear of anyone with a gun. We overpower them 1000s to 1 and they want the money not a hole in their whatever. Besides, if you're walking around in a store and a couple armed thugs bust in, what if you're right handed and you're left side is facing them. They don't know. An reasonably trained guy with an OC pistol can beat a trained guy with a CC pistol just about any day of the week. With OC you're already half way there. But, what if you're a couple isle away? Then it doesn't really matter, does it? So, that argument is already about 75% dead. I think the only time an OCer would be in worse shape than a CCer is in some kind of bank heist when you're standing in line and they don't care about anything but the money. Again, this is a TV stereotype. I don't know how true it is.

Teenuh says: The BG might take the gun from you if he sees you have it and shoot you with it (or me!).
I'm not sure this is true, because the BG has to do several things.

1. He has to get his hand on my holster. If I OC its at 3 O'clock.
2. I don't care how quick he is, unless he's done my holster before, they're all different. Snap is different. You can't get the holster off of my belt and you can't get the snap undone unless you've practiced it.
3. I'll break your F***ing arm right before I break a few ribs. You might get lucky but you might get an expensive plaster sleeve too.
4. I carry a S&W Mod. 59, double action hammered with crossbolt safety. I carry it with the chamber empty and the crossbolt safety on. You have to flip the safety off and rack one before it will fire. ...sometimes. Other times I carry it chambered, safety on. Other times, I carry it chambered, safety off, hammer on half-cock, double action ready. The point is, he won't know! He might grab it. Me, knowing it won't fire I'll tackle him. Unless he's a reallybig guy he's gonna get hurt. (I fight dirty. I fight to win. Its self-defense, not a boxing match.) The point is you're taking a huge risk unless you've practiced. 99% of crooks don't practice anything except greed and violence.

I seriously doubt that he has the forethought to do this and will shy away.

[HK4U]

The main one I would disagree with is that open carry means the BG will change his mind. If a psyco decides today he will kill as many as he can at the mall down the street, the neighborhood church or elementry school I doubt the fact that he sees me with a gun on my side will change his mind. It will most likely make me his first target though. Just my 2 cents worth.

[2beararms]

Dad's right it makes people nervous ... if it makes a bad guy nervous so much the better, the remainder will get used to it.

Ask Iron Mike why he and the deputies don't therefore conceal??? I've never seen a uniformed cop that is not open carrying.

On the third, I never argue with wives... period.

However retention holsters have come a long way. Level III are hard enough for the carrier to remember how to get the darn gun out.

Here in Florida of course, open carry is not legal, a circumstance I hope they change one of these days. But down here where it is hot, it is really common place for LEO to open carry in street clothes. They are supposed to have the badge next to the gun but many times they just took off a jacket and have the badge in a pocket so they just look like anyone else except with a gun ... and no one notices. If a civilian open carried here in South Florida (if it were legal) most would just assume he is LEO because they have become so adjusted to it.

Its all perception.

BTW - a gun with an empty chamber is called a hammer.

[hiwall]

Another plus for open carry is that in some states you do not need a permit. So in those states everyone should buy a retention holster and open carry.

[Big Gay Al]

Originally Posted by HK4U

The main one I would disagree with is that open carry means the BG will change his mind. If a psyco decides today he will kill as many as he can at the mall down the street, the neighborhood church or elementry school I doubt the fact that he sees me with a gun on my side will change his mind. It will most likely make me his first target though. Just my 2 cents worth.

I'd say there's a bit of a difference between your "typical" BG, and the occasional "psycho." The "typical" BG is much more common, and much more likely to go on down the road, to look for a safer target.

[ntrngr]

Originally Posted by HK4U

The main one I would disagree with is that open carry means the BG will change his mind. If a psyco decides today he will kill as many as he can at the mall down the street, the neighborhood church or elementry school I doubt the fact that he sees me with a gun on my side will change his mind. It will most likely make me his first target though. Just my 2 cents worth.

In your cited specific situation, thats true, however, how many small time shoot 'em ups did it discourage? Like I said, a moderatly trained individual is way faster with an OC holster than one where you gotta dig your piece out of an IWB. I'm not saying you're wrong, you are correct, tactically it would seem you at more of a disadvantage. But, you'll have to be right there in front where the phsyco comes in. LIkely, you'll instantly zip behind an isle and he'll never know you're even there because, since you are OCing, you're way more aware than if you're CCing. (May not be true either.)

Generally speaking, OC is a tactical disadvantage. Overall, it think its the smart way to go.

Basically, what I'm saying is if you're in the psycho block of town, tuck it!

[ntrngr]

Originally Posted by 2beararms

BTW - a gun with an empty chamber is called a hammer.

I call it a "Hope Hammer"...

Hope I have time to rack one in, if I don't, hope I can hide until I do.

[S&WM&P40]

Here in New Hampshire we have a Huge open carry movement going on. We have both Concealed carry laws and open carry laws so people can do both. But a huge group of people do open carry all over the state. Some even go to town's/cite's around the state and test the water to see how open the town is to open carrying. 97% of the time the only people who call it in are people from out of state(NY,MA) and other anti gun states. They see the gun ans flip out and think we must be doing something wrong and they want us arrested on the spot. My feeling is if you don't like it stay the hell out of our state. For the most part the cops up here are great about it they show up when called because they have to. We did have a problem with a cop Cussing out a open carrier and yelling at him last week. I have a UBG owb holster but i have as of yet to start carrying dew to money matters ( lol i still have to buy a gun). But I'm also going to get a IWB holster when the time comes. We do have a guy who open carry's a Ar-pistol around the state lol. Here is the Video of the cop being a dick head for no reason at all.

YouTube - NH Cop acts belligerent and uses...

[Big Gay Al]

Originally Posted by ntrngr

4. I carry a S&W Mod. 59, double action hammered with crossbolt safety. I carry it with the chamber empty and the crossbolt safety on. You have to flip the safety off and rack one before it will fire. ...sometimes. Other times I carry it chambered, safety on. Other times, I carry it chambered, safety off, hammer on half-cock, double action ready. The point is, he won't know! He might grab it. Me, knowing it won't fire I'll tackle him. Unless he's a reallybig guy he's gonna get hurt. (I fight dirty. I fight to win. Its self-defense, not a boxing match.) The point is you're taking a huge risk unless you've practiced. 99% of crooks don't practice anything except greed and violence.

I used to have a Model 59, nice pistol. But it is more difficult to get the safety off on that model. Like most DA/SA semi autos, the safety is counter-intuitive. Unlike the Model 1911, where the safety is properly designed.

And unless you practice that move, to the point it becomes 2nd nature, carrying it with an empty chamber, could be a problem all it's own. I've known people who carried like that, and when it really mattered, drew their weapon, and started pulling the trigger. Some actually pushed the safety off, but most never racked the slide.

[ntrngr]

I propose this: For any LEO that violates a right to carry law, they should be ticketed $100 right off of their takehome pay. Then, that $100 then goes to officer education. That would stop this moronic garbage. The word would get around and we'd have LEO instead of Policy Enforcement Thugs.

Originally Posted by S&WM&P40

Here in New Hampshire we have a Huge open carry movement going on. We have both Concealed carry laws and open carry laws so people can do both. But a huge group of people do open carry all over the state. Some even go to town's/cite's around the state and test the water to see how open the town is to open carrying. 97% of the time the only people who call it in are people from out of state(NY,MA) and other anti gun states. They see the gun ans flip out and think we must be doing something wrong and they want us arrested on the spot. My feeling is if you don't like it stay the hell out of our state. For the most part the cops up here are great about it they show up when called because they have to. We did have a problem with a cop Cussing out a open carrier and yelling at him last week. I have a UBG owb holster but i have as of yet to start carrying dew to money matters ( lol i still have to buy a gun). But I'm also going to get a IWB holster when the time comes. We do have a guy who open carry's a Ar-pistol around the state lol. Here is the Video of the cop being a dick head for no reason at all.

YouTube - NH Cop acts belligerent and uses profanity to Law-Abiding Citizen for open carrying.