Why Open Carry?

[Mark Torrence]

So, I absolutely agree with most of what has been said here about open vs concealed carry. I only open carry at home or in the woods. One thing I have not seen here yet. I am currently going through some legal issues in regard to what someone thought was trespassing. I had permission to be where I was and this person got me mixed up with someone else. The point is if you have a CHL it automatically ups the basic trespass to a CRIME! They confiscate then revoke your CHL. PERIOD! No questions of any kind asked. So be careful. What you say, do or where you go is impacted in ways you do not know about just because you HAVE a CHL.

 

[Arv56]

This is just my opinion, and last I checked, I am entitled to it.

You haven't been to Berkeley lately, have you?

 

[Roymil666]

I used to open carry a lot when I was a little younger and it was my experience that most people don't even notice a pistol on your hip. I've had mostly positive experiences when people did notice; from Salem to downtown Portland. I've even had police officers compliment me on the gun I was carrying at the time. If a place of business had a problem with it I just left without too much fuss. I'll still OC occasionally if the situation permits or if I'm just running a quick errand. No muss, no fuss. If you prefer to OC then why not do it; it' your right after all. If you don't then don't do it. Imo.

 

[SCARed]

i think most gun owners who CCW are too paranoid about people noticing, and giving the non-gun people too much credit in their ability to notice.

 

[11Charlie]

i think most gun owners who CCW are too paranoid about people noticing, and giving the non-gun people too much credit in their ability to notice.

UH NO!

 

[cowgirlkaboom]

UH NO!

i think most gun owners who CCW are too paranoid about people noticing, and giving the non-gun people too much credit in their ability to notice.

Well, until something like this happens: <broken link removed>

TL;DR: Police officer plans to go to range after dropping kid off at daycare, someone sees him dropping his kid at said daycare, police lockdown schools and blocks of a city. Stars aligned and derp happened. This is the unfortunate reality we live in, especially with people becoming overly sensitive about an issue / moving in from other places.

However, my argument for open carry is that franky, its freakin hard to carry concealed if your female in the summer. Even my small j-frame can be a hassle in summer clothes and there is already the dreaded risk of the ride up or an overly attentive person not minding their own business. I've spotted many people carrying concealed, or at least people who thought they did a good job of concealing. If you mind your business, don't loiter and go about your way you'll probably never have a problem - if only because police response can take longer then filling your car with gas or whatever. I once lived in an apartment complex where a concerned resident noticed me loading cased long guns into a car and called the police, who showed up, immediately apologized and said they were just required to give a response.

If you have to open carry, look professional (but not like a LEO or mall ninja), don't act shady, know your laws and don't loiter and you'll probably have few issues. (at least based on my 19 years of carrying) My mistake above was loading my car then waiting 25 minutes to leave. Police feel an obligation to respond to even what may likely be silly things theses days vs suffer political retribution and that is something to keep in mind.

 

[Koda]

However, my argument for open carry is that franky, its freakin hard to carry concealed if your female in the summer.

check out this website written by a woman firearms instructor who carries.
Concealed Carry for the Fashionable Woman | Cornered Cat

 

[ob1]

However, my argument for open carry is that franky, its freakin hard to carry concealed if your female in the summer. Even my small j-frame can be a hassle in summer clothes and there is already the dreaded risk of the ride up or an overly attentive person not minding their own business. I've spotted many people carrying concealed, or at least people who thought they did a good job of concealing.

Carrying concealed doesn't mean you have to make the "bump" in your pocket or wherever totally disappear. It means changing the weapon's appearance inside of your clothing so as not to make it a dead giveaway as to what it is. A bump is a bump unless you are letting it look like a gun, period.
This "printing" thing is more a notion of detective shows unless you are armed as a requirement of working undercover, in some respect. Not really germane to this discussion. As to all of those people who you have made carrying concealed, what were they carrying ? Holstered or not ? Was it a revolver or a pistol ? Blued or stainless ? If you can't answer those few questions, then all you really saw was a bump that you are assuming was a weapon. That means they did what they needed to do to carry concealed {and disguised}. It was left to the imagination of others to speculate. Bravo on them...they get a passing grade.
If you are uncomfortable with the outline you are presenting with your weapon, do something about it, disguise it. Use a pocket holster, a piece of some material to break up the outline, anything. I have used a small flip phone sitting below my piece just to break up the outline in the pocket of my shorts. Not a major undertaking or rocket science here. Just a little imagination and putting yourself into the perspective of others.
What ever you come up with is probably going to do better {than OC} in avoiding the anti-gun frenzy of hyper-sensitives that we are forced to live with now.
Last caveat... Whatever personal technique that you come up with, regular practice in drawing and weapons retention is a given. Though since you have already been carrying for so long, that is surely already in your tool box.

 

[carracer]

The Open Carry Argument

 

[Boboclown]

Because I don't think the fish will care if I open carry or conceal carry.

 

[Koda]

The Open Carry Argument

And a poor argument at that, the bad guys will just change their tactics.


Didnt a guy get robbed of his open carry just a few years ago right here in Portland?

 

[11Charlie]

And a poor argument at that, the bad guys will just change their tactics.


Didnt a guy get robbed of his open carry just a few years ago right here in Portland?

Yep! If you open carry your awarness better go up with it.

 

[etrain16]

I don't have anything against open carry in principle, but I am against open carrying in the wrong places and the wrong times. Some will argue that a right not exercised is a right lost, yet all of our rights do have some reasonable restrictions - and I prefer those restrictions are not enforced with laws, but rather common sense on the part of those exercising those rights.

The best way I can relate this is to compare it to our 1st amendment rights. I have the right, in a public place, to say anything I want, without fear of reprisal by our government. Does that mean that some folks who may disagree may get in my face and try to stop me? Of course not. If I decide to exercise my free speech in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong crowd, then I am responsible, at least in part, for the consequences of my choice. Choose to exercise a right in the wrong way, wrong place, wrong time or wrong crowd and the constitution won't protect you - it only protects you from the government trying to shut you up. It won't stop private citizens from making your life miserable.

The same can be said for open carry. There are places and times to do it, and places and times people should be smart enough to recognize it just isn't the time. I would never think to open carry in downtown PDX, for example. Why? Because probably 98% of the people down there wouldn't support my 'right' and would find ways to make my life miserable as a result. Would the law protect me (assuming I am lawfully carrying openly with a current CHL - as required for open carry in Multco) for open carry? Probably, but I'm going to create grief for myself and likely for others in the process. And for what? To be a prick? To stroke my own self-serving ego? To make sure that my actions affect others in a negative way? Sorry, but that's just being selfish and short-sighted if you ask me. People that do that stuff, like the folks that put their OC interactions on YT, in my opinion, are only hurting the rest of us and casting even more negativity on lawful gun owners. Why? To settle some need for personal satisfaction? Personal attention?

I wouldn't think twice about carrying openly in the woods - it's appropriate. I wouldn't think twice about carrying on private property - my own or someone I know. I wouldn't think twice about carrying openly in areas I know are open-carry friendly. But I don't carry to make political statements, to prove points or to boost my own ego. I carry to defend myself and my family, period. I just happen to think that concealed carry allows me to do this with much less hassle, so I can go about my day without wondering if someone is going to call me out - whether there is a legal issue or not, my time is valuable, and I don't want to spend my time trying to explain the lawfulness of my actions to police or bystanders. And, I'll add that carrying concealed allows me to be the 'grey man', whereas open carrying, I'm likely to be spotted by folks whose attention I don't want.

So, I will continue to conceal carry because it's the best for me. And I will continue to think negatively of those that choose to foolishly open carry in ways or places that they know are going to cause problems. Don't like my opinion? Guess what, you don't have to. That's the great thing about our country - I'm right, you're wrong, and I'm okay with that.

 

[carracer]

And a poor argument at that, the bad guys will just change their tactics.


Didnt a guy get robbed of his open carry just a few years ago right here in Portland?

Yeah, turned out he knew the guy that took the UNLOADED handgun from him in an after midnite drug deal gone wrong.

I don't think any of the article is a poor argument any more than you guys think that CC is the better way to go. No one will ever convince the CC'ers that OC is a legitimate method of carry anymore than you will be able to convince me that CC is a tactical advantage. The best we can hope for is to stop the bickering back and forth, Carry as you wish and both work toward keeping carry legal and the 2A alive.

 

[Roymil666]

It sounds to me like most of you pretty well have your minds made up on the OC subject. But how many of you have actually carried openly and came to the decision based on your own experiences (in public)? I've had many people tell me that they wish they had the courage to OC after seeing me doing it. It's definitely not the best option for every scenario but I don't think you can actually come to a reasonable conclusion without even trying it. And like that essay stated, all I ever hear for arguments against OC is unlikely what-ifs and hypotheticals (the Hollywood scenarios). Can't we all just get along?!

 

[etrain16]

It sounds to me like most of you pretty well have your minds made up on the OC subject. But how many of you have actually carried openly and came to the decision based on your own experiences (in public)? I've had many people tell me that they wish they had the courage to OC after seeing me doing it. It's definitely not the best option for every scenario but I don't think you can actually come to a reasonable conclusion without even trying it. And like that essay stated, all I ever hear for arguments against OC is unlikely what-ifs and hypotheticals (the Hollywood scenarios). Can't we all just get along?!

I don't see how that makes any difference in how folks come to their opinions. I don't have to walk alone, in NE Portland at 3am to know it's a bad idea, and highly likely to be dangerous for me. I don't have to ride a motorcycle without a helmet to know it's not a good idea and could be a serious problem for me. I don't have to throw rocks at a hornet's nest to know it probably won't end well. I don't have to walk down the middle of a busy freeway to know it's going to ruin my day.

Personal experience is a great teacher, but it's not the only way we learn and form opinions.

People have sense. People have the ability to see what has already happened to others and make a decision/judgement, based on real facts, that it's not right for them. We can review historical data and draw a conclusion for ourselves. So, if someone decides it's something they won't do or don't agree with, based on their knowledge about what's happened to others, why is that not a legitimate way to arrive at their decision/opinion? We all make decisions based not on things we've done personally, but have witnessed or heard about or read about, and it's perfectly reasonable to arrive at an opinion in that fashion.

So yes, my mind is made up on the subject, even though I've not open carried in a public place, and I feel perfectly comfortable with that position, just as I'm comfortable not jumping on a motorcycle and riding down the road without a helmet or throwing that rock at the hornet's nest.

 

[Koda]

Yeah, open carry activists didnt help their cause in California.

 

[Mainsail]

Didnt a guy get robbed of his open carry just a few years ago right here in Portland?

So because someone was robbed of their open carry sidearm, you think open carry is a bad idea?

Then all I have to do is show you a few articles where someone carrying concealed was robbed of their concealed carry sidearm and you'll swear off concealed carry?

Hypocrisy much?

 

[Koda]

So because someone was robbed of their open carry sidearm, you think open carry is a bad idea?

Then all I have to do is show you a few articles where someone carrying concealed was robbed of their concealed carry sidearm and you'll swear off concealed carry?

Hypocrisy much?

Ive never said OC is a bad idea.

 

[jrd541280]

Good debate. Conversation I prefer to call it. All here of strong opinions and still civil. I'm wondering if demographics come into play here? Haven't heard a lot of it other than pdx.
If I'm from an area, state, county etc. that OC is considered the norm and want to visit say seattle, pdx, tacoma etc. for a vacation, road trip etc. aka, honey just got paid vacation, lets go see the big city, do due law checking (can't spell dilegence tonight), should I change my norm to visit the big city? Drop a grand or two for the misses and I to buy new edc's and holsters and clothes to conceal them? You can make up your vice versa.
I go both ways, and to this day thank the founding fathers for giving me that choice.