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Open carry vs Concealed Carry

Should people Open Carry, Conceal Carry, or no carry

  • Total voters
    31
cpgrad08

cpgrad08

American
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Location
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I open carry in my state of Washington. I do have my CPL ( Concealed Pistol License) but I just to open carry 95% of the time. I view open carry as another layer of deterrent against criminals. At the very least they would think twice about attacking an openly armed person. I know this isn't perfect and won't stop all and it takes from the element of surprise if I CCW, but I believe at least for me the pros out way the cons.
 
cpgrad08 said:
I open carry in my state of Washington. I do have my CPL ( Concealed Pistol License) but I just to open carry 95% of the time. I view open carry as another layer of deterrent against criminals. At the very least they would think twice about attacking an openly armed person. I know this isn't perfect and won't stop all and it takes from the element of surprise if I CCW, but I believe at least for me the pros out way the cons.
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I'm pretty sure not even an idiot would attack someone who is openly carrying a weapon. Then again, I don't carry at all and no idiot has attacked me yet. I think the protection feeling of gun carrying is a bit overrated unless you live in a scummy city like the slums of Chicago or St. Louis
 
i dont carry a gun and I haven't been attacked in 22 years.

i prefer concealed carry, but if the people want open-carry, more power to them.
 
sawyerloggingon said:
Sometimes I go to town with a 357 strapped on my side just because it is my right to do so. Exercise your rights or lose them.
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I would do that just to live the fantasy of being a cowboy. I'd walk into a bar with boots, jeans, and flannel with a revolver even though I'm allergic to ALL forms of alcohol
 
sawyerloggingon said:
Sometimes I go to town with a 357 strapped on my side just because it is my right to do so. Exercise your rights or lose them.
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I've read some of your posts, I think you should exercise your right to speech a little less and your right to think critically a little more since its pretty clear you're at greater risk of losing that one.
 
I've said it before...

I have no problem with legal open carry. It isn't legal in my state, but if it was I'd probably stick with concealed for a variety of reasons.

Mainly tactical; I prefer not to tip my hand. I'd rather the BGs first clue I was armed came too late, as in "after I've already shot them."

As a side issue, socially, some people are made nervous by the open presence of a firearm. I don't really understand that myself, but I try to be courteous.
 
cpgrad08 said:
I open carry in my state of Washington. I do have my CPL ( Concealed Pistol License) but I just to open carry 95% of the time. I view open carry as another layer of deterrent against criminals. At the very least they would think twice about attacking an openly armed person. I know this isn't perfect and won't stop all and it takes from the element of surprise if I CCW, but I believe at least for me the pros out way the cons.
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This is more of a state and local issue for me since variations of 'gun culture' are often a regional thing. Where I'm from (Chicago), I prefer no carry. However, if other areas feel differently about it, then I think they should do whatever they want - I just have no intention of living anywhere with open carry or concealed carry. I grew up in a "gun free zone" with low crime and I liked it. I don't necessarily want "gun free" zones because I ultimately think that that's stupid, but I don't want to live in a place where guns are everywhere.
 
TheLastIndependent said:
I think the protection feeling of gun carrying is a bit overrated unless you live in a scummy city like the slums of Chicago or St. Louis
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There are plenty of places more scummy than St. Louis. Are crime rates just look so high because of the stupid way they measure the city with only about 2% of the metropolitan area.

Anyway, either concealed or open is fine by me.
 
I vote for Carrie Nation.
 
I believe in pro choice

carry it however you want. different situations means different carry options. different outfits too
 
Anagram said:
There are plenty of places more scummy than St. Louis. Are crime rates just look so high because of the stupid way they measure the city with only about 2% of the metropolitan area.

Anyway, either concealed or open is fine by me.
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It was just one of the first that entered my minds from a marathon of "Gangland" featuring mainly Chicago, LA, and St. Louis. I meant no harm
 
TheLastIndependent said:
It was just one of the first that entered my minds from a marathon of "Gangland" featuring mainly Chicago, LA, and St. Louis. I meant no harm
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I know. It just bothers me when people think it's such a dangerous place, when it really isn't.
 
You would be surprised at the response you get when you open carry. Mostly people give you wide berth and look at you like you must be some kind of nut. The funny thing is this is a legal right but it is so rarely exercised that it freaks alot of people out. It makes me wonder though if there has ever been a dark night style shooting by someone who was openly carrying a firearm. Somehow I doubt it.
 
TurtleDude said:
I believe in pro choice

carry it however you want. different situations means different carry options. different outfits too
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That's the way I do it. Generally I conceal carry, but at times I want people to know that I am not to be messed with. When my working career often took me into high crime areas, I carried a .44 magnum open. The idea was to move the drug dealers to the other end of the block from where I needed to work. I would explain that I would be there for less than an hour, and I was left alone. On the other hand, when I am in a restaurant, I have no desire to make other people uncomfortable, and carry a small revolver concealed.
 
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jimbo said:
That's the way I do it. Generally I conceal carry, but at times I want people to know that I am not to be messed with. When my working career often took me into high crime areas, I carried a .44 magnum open. The idea was to move the drug dealers to the other end of the block from where I needed to work. I would explain that I would be there for less than an hour, and I was left along. On the other hand, when I am in a restaurant, I have no desire to make other people uncomfortable, and carry a small revolver concealed.
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Hey if you are a single lady or one whose husband or sons are no where around and you are out repairing the wire on the ranch, having a hogleg on the side of your jeans is probably the best option On the other hand if that same lady is going to the opera in a fashionable short little black dress, the best option is a air weight revolver in the clutch or a small auto in a thigh holster. besides most dresses don't have belt loops to accommodate a low ride fast draw holster and its so hard to find a galco that matches a lady's shoes or hose
 
ThePlayDrive said:
This is more of a state and local issue for me since variations of 'gun culture' are often a regional thing. Where I'm from (Chicago), I prefer no carry. However, if other areas feel differently about it, then I think they should do whatever they want - I just have no intention of living anywhere with open carry or concealed carry. I grew up in a "gun free zone" with low crime and I liked it. I don't necessarily want "gun free" zones because I ultimately think that that's stupid, but I don't want to live in a place where guns are everywhere.
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If you live in Chicago.... well, if you live in certain parts of the city and you're careful where you go, I suppose... but you HAVE noticed that Chicago has a murder rate around 3x higher than the national average, right?

The top 20 large cities by murder rate are.... N'OrleansLA, St LouisMO, BaltimoreMD, DetroitMI, NewarkNJ, OaklandCA, WashingtonDC, Kansas CityMO, BuffaloNY, CincinnatiOH, PhillyPA, ClevelandOH, PittsburgPA, AtlantaGA, StocktonCA, MilwaukeeWI, MiamiFL, and ChicagoIL.

Atlanta and Miami are the only ones on that list with particularly easygoing gun laws.


Large cities with lower homicide rates include SanAntonio, Corpus Cristi, Austin, Arlington, Fort Worth, Houston, Plano, and El Paso, all in Texas.... Memphis Tennessee; Charlotte NC; Tucson Arizona; Mobile Alabama; Jacksonville FL; Nashville TN; Greensboro NC; Las Vegas Nevada; Anchorage Alaska; Lincoln Nebraska.... nearly all of which have less restrictive gun laws than Chicago, and "shall issue" carry permits.


United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Depending on exacty how you define it, 38 to 41 state have "shall issue" concealed carry permits.... so you're limited to 9 or so states where you'll live I guess. Most of them have fairly bad crime rates.
 
I think open carry is a good compromise between safety and personal gun rights, so long as there's a provision for allowing concealment at one's home (though I'm sure that's already in there). If I see someone with a gun, then I'd give them a wider berth if I were up to no good, but so long as I'm not doing anything bad, my chances of that gun causing a problem remain low. Keep in mind that the 2nd Amendment gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms, but not necessarily to hide them. After all, when minutemen had to grab their guns, they didn't reach for handguns.

That being said, I'm open to reasoning why we need the right of concealed carry as well.
 
cpgrad08 said:
I open carry in my state of Washington. I do have my CPL ( Concealed Pistol License) but I just to open carry 95% of the time. I view open carry as another layer of deterrent against criminals. At the very least they would think twice about attacking an openly armed person. I know this isn't perfect and won't stop all and it takes from the element of surprise if I CCW, but I believe at least for me the pros out way the cons.
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I believe that people should be allowed to carry concealed or open with a license/permit..
 
jamesrage said:
I believe that people should be allowed to carry concealed or open with a license/permit..
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I prefer Arizona style of law were no permit is required. In Washington you need a permit to CCW but no permit to OCW.
 
I would think many people who see someone who open carries assume that person is a cop. If I were in the city I would likely conceal. I don’t want to draw undue attention and you might actually draw the attention of someone who wants to steal the gun.

In a more rural environment I might open carry, particularly if it is a gun friendly area.
 
cpgrad08 said:
I open carry in my state of Washington. I do have my CPL ( Concealed Pistol License) but I just to open carry 95% of the time. I view open carry as another layer of deterrent against criminals. At the very least they would think twice about attacking an openly armed person. I know this isn't perfect and won't stop all and it takes from the element of surprise if I CCW, but I believe at least for me the pros out way the cons.
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Concealed carry.

When I worked as a courier I would always be armed with a concealed firearm.

I think that if I went to make a big money drop with a hand cannon strapped on my hip that would simply make potential robbers wonder why I was packing heat and what's in the bag. That would instantly blow my cover and make me a target.
 
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Being a barbarian, I am not all that into the courtesy thing when it comes to my firearms. If people get nervous around my firearm, then good they should be. Normally I carry concealed as I live in California, and its the prefered way I carry. I prefer the tactical advantage. However when I am in my intimidating mood, I will open carry my twin 50 cal cap and ball revolvers. Funny as hell the reactions I get. There is downside though, law enforcement doesnt like it when I wear them though. Theres a loophole in the law for cap and ball weapons (consided antiques) as I can carry fully loaded openly, were if I had cartridge I'd have to carry unloaded. Cap and ball black powder will do just as much damage as smokeless.:devil:
 
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