My first open carry experience

[DaveTN]

I saw a guy in my local walmart one night, DUAL-wielding Glock 22's in the open.

I would have been laughing out loud… I could not have helped it.

Was he wearing a cowboy hat?

[Mike.357]

Good for you Kirk.

yep OCing brings trouble, mostly from a few people here on this webste.

In spite of there being virtually no proof to any of it happening, OC'ing will cause you to start a panic, have you targeted by bad guys , someone will take it away from you etc... Sort of along the lines of having a NRA sticker on you vehicle will make you the victim of vehicle break ins.

[East_TN_Patriot]

LOL! My wife says I'm antisocial, and that I don't do well around people. You guys make me think that she might just have something there.

But just humor me for a second, what would you do in such a situation.

I'd do as one other post said. I'd wait for her to stop ranting and ask her if she was done. Then I would compliment her for being one bad mo-fo for having the gonads to aggressive confront such a dangerous armed individual in order to prove a point.

[Guest kirkosaurus]

The same thing I would do if it was a man… walk away. What’s she (or he) going to do physically stop me? At that point they go to jail.

A more realistic scenario (I think) while you are playing Mall Ninja would be if a group of gang bangers would see your gun and decided to take it. Once 4 or 5 guys move within arm’s reach; there isn’t much you are going to do except lose your gun.

Of course I don’t have those problems; I don’t open carry.

And of course the same thing can happen to you conceal carrying

Man loses concealed weapon in armed robbery | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | Local & Regional

[gregintenn]

If you stay calm and she's really yelling and screaming like you describe, can you guess which one will look like an idiot to the average bystander?

If you're in the produce dept. at Wal Mart decked out like Rambo, I'd say both of you. As far as self defense goes, there's something to be said for blending in, and not attracting attention to one's self.

[JC57]

Sooo... back to the original topic. Sounds like you had a really nice ride, Kirk. Makes me nostalgic for the days of my youth cruising along the highways on my Suzuki GT750 I had back in the late 70s.

Only time I open-carried while riding it was to and from work, but it kind of went with the rest of the police uniform I was wearing at the time so nobody much gave it any thought.

Glad you didn't have any incidents due to open carrying, though one day is probably not a good test. If it fits in with your lifestyle, perhaps you could do it more often and see if you get any interesting reactions. Probably nothing bad will come of it unless you intentionally seek out trouble, which it doesn't sound like you're doing.

[G27]

But just humor me for a second, what would you do in such a situation.

I'd just shake my head and walk away.

Not really sure why this seems so tricky...

[G27]

yep OCing brings trouble, mostly from a few people here on this webste.

Hahaha, nicely done.

[Motasyco]

LOL! My wife says I'm antisocial, and that I don't do well around people.

My wife, and some of my co-workers, say the same of me. Perhaps we could form an antisocial club to meet and not talk to one another.

[gregintenn]

My wife, and some of my co-workers, say the same of me. Perhaps we could form an antisocial club to meet and not talk to one another.

I'd enjoy that.

Open carry is kind of like breast feeding in public or picking your nose; it's legal, but there are some places where you do it that you can expect people to be offended.

[JC57]

In your case, Greg, you could explain that you are a holster manufacturer and you are testing out a new model for fit and function prior to offering it for sale.

[gregintenn]

If they don't see it, I don't have to explain anything.

[Guest Linoge]

After becoming a fan of Linoge's blog "Walls of the City" I've started thinking more and more about open carrying. So I decided to go for it today.

W00t! Another convert .

Good to hear that your first open carry experience was pretty much a non-event... that phrase completely describes 90% of my open carry experiences - the simple truth is that the overwhelmingly vast majority of people do not consciously notice you openly carrying, and of those who do, most do not care enough to do anything about it. In fact, as I wrote over my way:

I have been openly carrying my Walther PPS here in Tennessee for over a year now (in other news, wow, time flies). In the space of that year, I have had the opportunity to educate two fellow handgun carry permit holders as to the legalities surrounding open carry (one on that very first day), inspire a third to openly carry himself, inspire a fourth to consider it, be thanked by two separate people for openly carrying (one of whom concealed carried, one who did not carry at all), have a very professional and reasonable interaction with the police regarding me openly carrying (although my car probably would have preferred me missing out on that opportunity), talk with neighbors and local politicians about firearms and related laws, educate a Canadian subject about America’s firearm-carry-related laws, discuss sidearms with a liquor store owner (and get one hell of a discount in the process), and generally openly carry in all kinds of places in both Tennessee and Georgia.

Granted, a PPS is not exactly the most obvious of all firearms out there, but it is in a nice, blue stingray holster and I would imagine that attracts at least a little attention .

That said, I am quite willing to wager that more people stared at me for my long hair and sideburns in Slovenia than do for my openly-carried pistol here.

But just humor me for a second, what would you do in such a situation.

I would smile, thank her for her concerns, and walk away, being mindful of her presence, what she does, and whether or not she decides to do something stupid. If she continued being belligerant and obstructed my path, I would calmly inform her that I would be more than happy to call the police and inform them of the situation, and her behavior, if she did not move.

And, of course, the second she got in my face, I would reach into my pocket, pull out my cell phone, and turn on the voice recorder... One only needs one party's assent to record conversations here in TN . (And, yeah, I know I should have that on all the time... I am lazy.)

Really, this is not a complicated or difficult situation.

(In before this thread inevitably devolves, as it is already doing...)

Edited February 20, 2011 by Linoge

[Guest carter]

this was many moths ago... i was at a local Kroger, so an older gentleman open carrying...looks like an older sig P6 of sorts... also noticed an UNARMED security guard hanging around the pharmacy (makes no since to me what so ever to have an unarmed security officer) but thought if something did happen the BG is going to be looking at the gun before anything else... I think it just sets you up for failure to open carry, I carry every where I go...concealed though, I don’t want to draw attention to myself, and if anything does go down I have a better chance for a sneak attack than being the first one the BG notices...also if there is some situation that I don’t want to get involved in, no one knows I’m carrying and didn’t do anything... which I’m sure would be attacked by the media and so forth, just think the open carry is a bad idea... O LOOK AT ME IM A BAD ASS I HAVE A GUN DONT MESS WITH ME... which is not a good persona to have

[JReedEsq]

If you're in the produce dept. at Wal Mart decked out like Rambo, I'd say both of you. As far as self defense goes, there's something to be said for blending in, and not attracting attention to one's self.

You must of missed the part of my post where I said I hardly ever OC... Wal-mart dressed like Rambo wouldn't be me. I'm not an OC proponent... Just answering the question you asked by providing what I feel would be an appropriate response to someone raising a stink by yelling and screaming at someone who is carrying. The only time I've ever OCed in a business is when I took off my jacket in a business owned by a friend of mine who knows I carry and is about to take the HCP class himself. One of my problems with OC is that I feel it can result in some whiner saying they feel uncomfortable and a business places a post in response. As far as looking like Rambo- When I'm dressed casually I'm usually wearing a jacket or some time of untucked shirt that will conceal a weapon just fine. If you ever saw me OC it'd be either in a sparsely populated area (like out hiking), or wearing a suit and taking my jacket off for a minute because I'm hot. In the summer, I often pocket carry a baby Glock, yes it prints a little but I honestly think no one stares at my pockets enough to notice. When the weather is cooler I plan to keep the suit jacket on and move up to a bigger weapon. I doubt people think "Rambo" when they see a skinny bald guy with a suit, tie, and brief-case. Again, I hardly ever OC and generally don't like people to know I'm carrying. I just felt like I had a resonable answer to your scenario and I don't really buy into the belief that responsible OC will cause mass chaos. Then again, maybe it's just that I'm a member of such a hated profession that the average citizen isn't surprised I might be packing.

Edited February 20, 2011 by JReedEsq

[JReedEsq]

I think it just sets you up for failure to open carry, I carry every where I go...concealed though, I don’t want to draw attention to myself, and if anything does go down I have a better chance for a sneak attack than being the first one the BG notices...

I agree with your sentiment about not wanting attention.... That's why I don't OC. I just don't buy into the "he'll shoot you first thing", thing. I think there are very few circumstances in which they wouldn't just find another person or business to rob. If this theory keeps some people being descreet instead of stirring up trouble by OC'ing in a bank or acting like morons by refusing to conceal when politely asked by a business, then so be it. I still don't buy it though....

[Guest kirkosaurus]

I agree with your sentiment about not wanting attention.... That's why I don't OC. I just don't buy into the "he'll shoot you first thing", thing. I think there are very few circumstances in which they wouldn't just find another person or business to rob. If this theory keeps some people being descreet instead of stirring up trouble by OC'ing in a bank or acting like morons by refusing to conceal when politely asked by a business, then so be it. I still don't buy it though....

My thought is that open carrying makes you LESS of a target. Bad guys look for easy targets. There's always that one crazy BG but generally they don't want to take the chance of getting holes in them.

According to FBI statistics in the 2.5 million times a handgun is used in self defense every year 96% of the time it is not fired. Just the presence of a gun is enough to thwart an attack.

So yeah, I don't buy into that whole myth that you'll be targeted or shot for first for OC'ing either. I think chances are you'll be less likely to have to use your firearm. I certainly like the odds better that keep me from having to shoot someone. I hear that can be expensive.

[Guest carter]

My thought is that open carrying makes you LESS of a target. Bad guys look for easy targets. There's always that one crazy BG but generally they don't want to take the chance of getting holes in them.

According to FBI statistics in the 2.5 million times a handgun is used in self defense every year 96% of the time it is not fired. Just the presence of a gun is enough to thwart an attack.

So yeah, I don't buy into that whole myth that you'll be targeted or shot for first for OC'ing either. I think chances are you'll be less likely to have to use your firearm. I certainly like the odds better that keep me from having to shoot someone. I hear that can be expensive.

agree some what...but i still will not open carry unless im out hunting or on a farm, you take the rath of robberies that murfreesboro had months ago, the discount smoke shops, those idiots came in guns drawn and masked already...not like they hung out for a bit inside to wait for the moment to strike, if your open carrying and at the counter and your back is to the door when they come in...what are you going to do when they have a gun already pointed at you and demand your firearm? I dont think most of the citizens would react, I took a class not too long ago, the instructor pointed the gun at a student, the instructor said ok what do u do, the student reached up and pushed the instructors arm out of the way and drew his weapon, the instructor could not get a round off before the student had the firarm pointed away from him...the human mind just can not process fast enough...and it was done over and over and could not do it... guess if your going to open carry TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN...

[Guest carter]

one other thing i forgot... you guys that do open carry... do you carry in condition 1 or condition 2 or condition 3? and what type of holsters are you guys using? any rentention on them? and retention techniques you have practicied?

[Mike.357]

O LOOK AT ME IM A BAD ASS I HAVE A GUN DONT MESS WITH ME... which is not a good persona to have

so someone open carrying is portraying a bad ass?? Are you serious? You gotta be freakin kidding.

There is no law in TN against OCing. You don't wanna do it, fiine. But the fact you think that someone lawfully going about their business is a wannabe bad ass is beyond words.

[gregintenn]

Like it or not, there are two kinds of guys who carry.

Type 1 is a normal person, wearing normal clothes, acting like a real human. This guy doesn't seem threatening to anyone. He can usually pull off open carry with hardly anyone even noticing.

Type 2 is the guys you see walking around wearing all manners of "tactical" garbage, peeking around corners before proceeding, and while they often have some technical firearms knowledge, they rarely have any practical firearms knowledge. These guys wear combat boots to the library. They try to dress and act like law enforcement. Truthfully, they scare the h3ll out of me, and don't provide a very positive image of gun owners. These people, in my opinion, do more harm than good for gun rights.

Type 2 is the guy who is noticed, and the guy by which we are all judged by the general public. I've ran into a few guys who made me reconsider for a split second the soundness of the handgun carry law. I've met several people from this forum, and none so far would fall into this catergory.

Edited February 20, 2011 by gregintenn

[DWARREN123]

Good account of your exprience. Responsible people do not get really noticed.

Be safe and have fun.

[Erik88]

Well this thread has gone better than the others but I hate that it always has to turn into a debate. If open carry isn't for you then don't do it. It's that simple

Edited February 20, 2011 by Erik88

[Guest kirkosaurus]

Sooo... back to the original topic. Sounds like you had a really nice ride, Kirk. Makes me nostalgic for the days of my youth cruising along the highways on my Suzuki GT750 I had back in the late 70s.

Only time I open-carried while riding it was to and from work, but it kind of went with the rest of the police uniform I was wearing at the time so nobody much gave it any thought.

Glad you didn't have any incidents due to open carrying, though one day is probably not a good test. If it fits in with your lifestyle, perhaps you could do it more often and see if you get any interesting reactions. Probably nothing bad will come of it unless you intentionally seek out trouble, which it doesn't sound like you're doing.

It was a nice ride! I think i may do it again today! It's been far too long. Looking forward to warmer weather again where I can ride this thing everyday. With a 50 mile round trip commute everyday it sure will save me a lot of money on gas.

And you are correct, I have no intentions of seeking out trouble. Matter of fact carrying like this will actually encourage me to be more polite.

[Guest kirkosaurus]

W00t! Another convert .

Hehe....And I feel honored to have my post linked on one of your latest blogs!