I am not a LEO. I have never played the part of a LEO in a movie or on TV, but i do know that firearm retention is a big issue whether you carry openly or concealed. Retention holsters have become the standard from what I observe. Before you decide to carry in public there are lots of decisions to be made.
Arizona has very permissive laws concerning carrying firearms. No permit is required for concealed carry, although we have provisions to obtain a permit which is recognized in several other states. I carry concealed almost all the time and I have spent a lot of time and money to decide what is comfortable and what works for me. I have spent several hundred dollars on holsters and carried several different firearms. The solutiom I came up with is a compromise of several things and probably wouldn`t work for someone else. The only time I carry open is on the ranch or when I don't plan to be out in public. I even modified my chaps to allow for open carry without another belt. One pair has a holster attached to them.
There have been some very good reasons brought up for not carrying openly in public. Firearm retention being one of them. Also not letting people know you are armed and public perception (paranoia) concerning the prescence of a firearm. I support the idea of a national concealed carry permit to enable people in some of the blue states to decide for themselves.
