Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Openly Carrying Guns

Having been a cop for 29 years, I don't see open carry a lot different than when I wear a uniform. That said, I can't understand why anybody would ever want the attention.

Sounds about right on the second paragraph. On the first, I'm not out to be scaring no women and kids, but maybe they should be more used to seeing guns in the hands of good guys who ain't cops. Then again, if that were the case there would probably be little need to be carrying in those places where women and kids might get scared. One of them "conundrums" we been hearing so much about.

I have no problem with anyone carrying a weapon Concealed or Open. When you live in a free country you should be able to do what you like as long as you aren't harming anyone physically. You sound Paranoid just like the Anti Gunner trying to ban weapon carry of any type. I was in Walmart in Wytheville , VA not to long back and there was this 20 plus years old walking around in the Sporting Good Dept with a Desert Eagle in a Nylon Shoulder holster, just didn't payed it any attention. I was carry my 1911 at the time concealed .

I also don't have a problem with open carry. But, when you do, in a lot of places your looking for extra attention/grief, to prove you can.


maddog

I'm thinken Redneck is correct.

It would make it easier on me that's for sure.

Snake

It's legal here and was legal in Colorado before I moved to Arizona. Generally there's no problem with it. Except we did have one attention wh0re who decided to openly carry an AR-15 across the street from the convention center when Obama was speaking, that gained a lot of media attention.

I open carry when hiking, hunting or fishing out in the woods or desert. I have a permit and I carry concealed around town. I don't condone the in your face actions of the open carry movement, that didn't work out too well in California. I also don't buy into the pants wetting of, "Oh my God, he's got a gun!" that a lot of people who are anti open carry have.

Occasionally I'll see someone openly carrying here in Phoenix and it's not that that big of a deal. I see it a lot more out in the rural parts of the state and in a lot of situations it's considered normal. Yes, there are a few who make gun owners look bad. But honestly at times I can't understand the anti open carry hostility that comes from gun owners. At times it's no different than listening to handgun control's predictions of blood running in the streets everytime another state passesconcealed carry or another favorable gun law.

I am so tired of trying to keep my gun covered all the time. Winter is not bad but in the summer have to wear some type of shirt or vest,it makes an already hot Texas day even worse. Seems kinda' sad that in the reat of the West a man can carry his gun outside but in Texas oh no might scare someone. Think we are still living under a Reconstruction goverment. The ones here that carry open aside from the Highway patrol and a few County police are the one's I wonder about.

Perfectly legal here. Not that many have on their hip but a surprising number have in the car everywhere they go.



Can't recall who I was with but saw a guy in line at a convenience shop one time. After we left they commented on it, wasn't comfortable with the idea.
After telling it's perfectly legal, just like on the dash of the car, I said, "well, do you think the guy's got a criminal record, carrying in the open like that?"
"No. probably not."
Course not, I said. Then I asked "You think some punk kid is going to try and rob that place with that guy standing in line?"
"No, probably not."
Course not, I said. Then I said "I'm glad he's got it. I wish every third guy you see had one on his hip. Everyone would be accustomed to it and think nothing of it. Only thng better is if the other 2 of 3 had one concealed."

One major reason, I believe, why more people don't have one on their hip is because liberal agenda has everyone frightened, which gives clear advantage to criminals. If liberals didn't have a 30 or 40 year record of openly attacking the rights of fellow Americans more people would still be exercising the right and there'd be far fewer incidents of criminal activity.
2A exercised by more people would make us all safer, happier, and healthier. Guns should be almost as common as shoes socks. You don't see people's socks, but you know they've got them on.

This might get me put on ignore with the OP because I am going to talk about the 2A, but: We don't limit or revoke rights simply because we fear that somebody might abuse them. If we did do that, all firearm rights would easily be stripped away with just a few strokes of the legislative pen.

If somebody can take a "right" away from you, then it's not a "right." Apparently it's just a "privilege" that got revoked. And that is one benefit I see that comes from those that OC. It brings the issue to a head and does so before we have had to suffer a gradual erosion of our right to carry. It's easy to squeeze the last breath out of a right that has been slowly suffocated over the course of time. It's a lot more difficult to walk up on Day 1 and just kill it. OC may actually prove to be a help in limiting anti-gun legislation.

Even if open carry was legal in Florida, I wouldn't do it. It would be an invitation for time wasting and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement.

Exactly..

Most likely.. You absolutely SURE about that? Lotsa flaming libbies in earth shoes have never HEARD of socks..









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A superlative point.

Shame it isn't commonplace everywhere

A armed society/populace is a very polite society.

Been legal in Oregon and Washington for as long as I can remember. It is seldom seen at least by me.

I live in an extremely liberal part of the state. I carry every day but I choose to carry concealed as many of the liberals in town would likely wet themselves if they saw a gun.

I do not see a problem with in in my part of the world.

I intended to put a smiley face after the "warning"-my apologies to the forum for not doing so.

I happen to agree with the points you make with regard to the 2A , but "how to get THERE , from HERE,is the issue in my mind.

Before we got a CHL law in Texas [I have a CHL] I spent a few thousand bucks on lawyer's fees to "educate" LEO's about the "rights" we had under Texas law re the carrying of weapons."Unlawful carrying of a weapon" was a felony , and I couldn't trust that a judge or jury would rule correctly,ie,in accordance with the law.

The problem was-and still is- that the local yokel can charge me with an offense with zero bad consequences to him if he is [as they were] proven wrong.Lawyers don't defend you in a Felony case cheaply.

Now,as far as the gang-bangers not carrying becuase they are convicted felons,what is a cop going to do about it?I think AZ. has shown how hard it is to give cops the right to check out suspicious characters.How can he question a gang member who is carrying openly , without checking out EVERYONE who is carrying openly? Including me.And if he checks out everyone , that's clearly a violation of the 2A.

I was hoping one of the Texas LEO's would opine on this deal.

Arizona is both an open carry and a constitutional carry state.
I carry concealed or openly depending on the situation.
A local group also has "Open Carry Dinners" where a group goes to a restaurant that allows open carry(a surprising number do), and they have a large group dinner while openly carrying. These dinners have lead to many positive interactions with people who are not aware of the open carry right, or perhaps have never been around guns. Every single dinner for the 3 or so years they have been doing it has been very successful and positive event both with the general public and the dining establishments.

I can say for a fact though that I don't know a single person in Arizona who has had a negative encounter with the public or L.E. while open carrying.

Perhaps things are just different here in Arizona. I am not compalining about that for sure...

LE needs to be trained that not everyone who possesses a gun is a criminal. ON the other hand they deal with the scum of the earth everyday and need to be ever vigilant.

The problem with open carry is for years we have been deluged with some nut-case shooting up a school or mall so people are wary and fearful of those who do open carry.

Personally it doesn't bother me, but it does let me know who is armed. It's when and if they have it in their hands for no good reason that I get worried.

I alway OC when in the woods, but conceal carry in towns to keep the women and liberals from freaking out. Because you know your gonna have to deal with the police pretty quick if one of them see you with it.

I've only met two gang bangers, they were at our range with their girl friends. They approached me and commented on my shooting so I offered to help them. Seemed like nice guys to me, they were polite and respectful during the time I was with them.

My wife used to like to tell people when I had a gun with me. She is from MN and didn't grow up with people she new even having handguns. Well, I would blow it off, but talk to her about not saying anything about when i am carrying and the reasons.

So, I started to OC around the house on a regualr basis. When she asked why I told her so the kids get used to it so they don't think it is a big deal when we are among other people and start telling everyone I have a gun on me. Like their mother does. That did it, she has never mentioned it again.

the open carry law has been proposed in this session of state legis. in Ga. i think it only relates to pistols and such though.

i hope it passes.