thoughts on my recent trip to Florida(and carrying concealed)

[Erik88]

I just got home from a trip to see my brother in the Bradenton/Parrish Florida area. I wanted to touch on a few things I noticed from the trip. But please do not use this thread to discuss why you do or do not open carry. This is not meant to be a debate, that has already been beat to death here.

When I'm in TN I OC on occasion when I feel the situation is right, I always OC when hiking and usually when I'm going to the range. I don't OC in places where I feel it would freak people out.

Regardless of how anyone here may feel about open carry, I just want to say that I am extremely thankful that we live in a state that allows us to openly carry. In Florida this is not an option and if you gun becomes exposed I am almost positive there is a penalty for it. Some kind of misdemeanor IIRC.

During the trip it was extremely hot and I was carrying my G26 in my CBST. I was constantly nervous the whole trip that my gun was going to become exposed and someone would see it. I realize it wasn't likely but I hated that feeling. I would rather have carried my G19 but there is just no way I was willing to risk carrying a bigger gun, I was nervous enough with my subcompact.

My brother lives in a more rural area and there were several times that it was so hot I would have much rather thrown the G19 into a OWB holster and OC'd. I highly doubt anyone would have cared at all.

There were 2 times that I was loading my luggage in my car and my shirt rode over my gun, luckily I was at my brothers house and no one said anything. And since it was 90 degrees outside it wasn't as if I was able to put more clothes on.

It is absolutely ridiculous that law abiding citizens are suddenly criminals if they bend over at Publix and their gun becomes exposed. I'm really not sure how CCW holders in Florida are able to keep em covered up with it being hot 8 months out of the year. I guess they just pocket carry a lot or wear really really big shirts.

Obviously I realize it gets just as hot here in TN but at least we don't have to worry about getting hauled off to jail if our shirt blows up over our guns in the summer.

The only point I'm trying to make is that I love having the freedom to OC if I choose to and I would love to see Florida pass open carry. I think most of the people here will agree, regardless of whether or not you choose to OC.

Edited May 28, 2011 by Erik88

[gregintenn]

You are correct, Erik.

[mikegideon]

I seriously doubt that you would get popped for accidentally showing your gun. I have spent a lot of time in Florida. You have to dress light to survive. I disagree that it's not hotter than TN. Did you get a chance to chat with some LEO's? There has to be some tolerance for printing, and an occasional flash. It would be interesting to hear how they handle it.

EDIT: And, I agree too. I like the freedom of our laws too. Open carry for comfort or convenience isn't a bad thing, if you are sensitive to places where it would cause a scene.

Edited May 28, 2011 by mikegideon

[Erik88]

I seriously doubt that you would get popped for accidentally showing your gun. I have spent a lot of time in Florida. You have to dress light to survive. I disagree that it's not hotter than TN. Did you get a chance to chat with some LEO's? There has to be some tolerance for printing, and an occasional flash. It would be interesting to hear how they handle it.

EDIT: And, I agree too. I like the freedom of our laws too. Open carry for comfort or convenience isn't a bad thing, if you are sensitive to places where it would cause a scene.

oh Florida is definitely hotter than TN, I may have stated that incorrectly in my original post. And you are right Mike, I doubt I would have been hauled off to jail if my gun was exposed, it would depend on the cop I guess. But the fact that I COULD go to jail for something like that really sucks.

[mikegideon]

oh Florida is definitely hotter than TN, I may have stated that incorrectly in my original post. And you are right Mike, I doubt I would have been hauled off to jail if my gun was exposed, it would depend on the cop I guess. But the fact that I COULD go to jail for something like that really sucks.

That's one of the main reasons the OC debate rages on. I'm pretty sure Florida law is there to prevent incidents. We have the freedom to prevent our own incidents in TN... until it causes problems.

[Guest TackleberryTom]

I grew up in Florida and have visited since I had my HCP. I grew up in Daytona and know a lot of people there. While I had to CC I wasn't too worried even though I was carrying a govt 1911, I know form friends experience that there is a leniency towards those who are abiding the law but accidentally show.

I travel all the time for work and just returned from driving to Wisconsin. There I had to OC by law. That was strange. And I had to unload and put the gun away every time I got in my vehicle. Not to mention travel through Hellinois. It is quite refreshing to return to states like KY and TN. It really makes you appreciate what we have here.

[Guest TnRebel]

Florida is working on getting OC .... But the Tourist Industry is afraid the Open Carry will scare off the Mousers .

[Guest clownsdd]

One of the few times the TN legislator's have used common sense is in the concealed/open law. The FL cc laws were used to assist in writing the TN. It was noted that if a cc customer reached for an item and the weapon was exposed, they were technically breaking the law. Therefore TN was written as a carry rather than concealed, while not advocating open carry.

[Oh Shoot]

Florida is working on getting OC .... But the Tourist Industry is afraid the Open Carry will scare off the Mousers .

Well, as I understand it, Disney World/Epcot are among the few places that are still off limits to having gun, including in the parking lots, even though FL passed a handgun friendly parking lot law. "Explosive hazard". Right.

- OS

[JAB]

We spent last week on vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida and Gulf Shores, Alabama. I was a bit nervous on the trip down because of Florida's 'concealed only' law. I even bought a fanny pack made for concealed carry at the last gun show so I'd be sure to remain 100% concealed while in Florida and then I ended up not really even using it. I wore shorts and t-shirts the entire time in Florida and carried my S&W 642 in a pocket holster in my right front pocket every day. No one seemed to notice or care. I did cut a little rectangle from a piece of leather left over from a holster making project to slide in the pocket in front of the holster to guard against printing, just in case. The only time I didn't carry it was when we went deep sea fishing (caught a bunch of amberjack, several spanish mackerel and I caught a dolphinfish/mahi-mahi, albeit a small one, which is something I really wanted to do.)

We were in Florida from Sunday until Wednesday and I never had a bit of trouble carrying. That said, I was a bit relieved when we headed to Alabama where open carry is allowed. The only time carrying was even an issue was the night my wife wanted to go to LuLu's (owned by Lucy Buffet, Jimmy Buffet's sister.) They were crowded and on a long wait but offered first-come, first-served seating in the bar area. I had to tell them, "No thanks, we'll wait," because, even though it is legal in Alabama to eat in a restaurant where alcohol is served, any part of the restaurant where the sale of alcohol is the primary purpose is legally off limits. That meant we waited for nearly two hours for a table to come open.

I almost never OC but I do often carry in an OWB holster with only a thin, unbuttoned shirt as a cover garment. In fact, that is my preferred method of carrying when I'm not going to be somewhere that absolute concealment might be an issue. In the winter, I often carry my Ruger P95 in an OWB with a slightly thicker, unbuttoned shirt, vest (no, not a shoot-me-first vest) or jacket for cover. I consider that to be 'casually concealed' and don't worry too much if I get 'made'. I'd not be comfortable carrying with that setup in Florida.

I didn't notice a single place anywhere in Florida or Alabama that was posted. Maybe that is because the signs don't have force of law, anyway, I don't know.

Oh, and Florida may be technically 'hotter' than TN but the heat sure wasn't as stifling/uncomfortable - at least not around Panama City Beach. Maybe it has something to do with the ocean breezes or something. It is much more uncomfortable here right now than it was in Florida last week. Of course, that could also simply be the effects of being on vacation.

Edited May 31, 2011 by JAB

[Guest 270win]

You just have to use the right holster and right gun to keep it from being exposed. I carry a S&W 642 all over the place in many different states and it is not ever exposed. I use a pocket or ankle holster, depending on my clothes. A full sized belt gun worn on the belt with the wrong holster with a T shirt can sometimes be exposed by the shirt riding up.

It is not that big of a deal to require to be concealed because many businesses will ask you to leave if they see your gun in many areas of the country, even if you are legal. Legal doesn't mean squat when the property owner asks you to leave the property. That is where concealing a small gun with the right clothes and holster go a long ways. Once you do that you don't have anything to worry about and can go about your business in public not worrying if others spot your handgun.

[ProfEngr]

This thread is 3yrs old. Have any conditions changed since?

[JAB]

This thread is 3yrs old. Have any conditions changed since?

 

I also belong to a forum dedicated to Heritage firearms (because of my Rough Rider.)  The administrator over there lives in Florida and (synchronicity) the topic of absolute concealment came up in a discussion this week.  I asked him if that had changed and he said that the concealment requirement was relaxed at about the same time that the law was changed to allow carry in their state parks.  How much it was 'relaxed', however, I am not sure.

Edited September 5, 2014 by JAB

[Garufa]

This thread is 3yrs old. Have any conditions changed since?

 

Yeah, OP now lives in Florida.

[Erik88]

I completely forgot that I created this thread. I made it just 2 months before I got the job offer in FL.

 

Anyways, not long after writing this FL made it legal to have brief exposure of your firearm so long as it was not intentional. It's still illegal to open carry unless you are camping, fishing and I feel like hunting is included as well.

 

I still miss having the option to OC.

[Kopis]

It's definitely nice to have the option either way

[dawgdoc]

I went to Florida recently, and I was definitely reminded of the benefits of OC that we have.  IWB holsters can get hot.  I normally CC almost everywhere, but often it is an OWB holster covered by a shirt.  In Florida, even with the incidental exposure law, I just didn't feel safe carrying that way until we were leaving the state.  I ended up pocket carrying often, but I didn't worry about printing as long as it wasn't gun-shaped.

 

I like having the option to OC, even I don't often use it.