AZ: Open Carry at Harbor Freight

Gun Watch ^ | 23 August, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

The pistol range at the Ranch needed some trimming, so I stopped at Harbor Freight to pick up some inexpensive tools.  That is a bow saw on the counter.  The couple behind me were gracious and volunteered to take my picture.

Hispanic? Black? Caucasian? Mixed?  I could not tell, but they were the type of people that a civilization needs to thrive.  I thought they might be immigrants, but their English was perfect and colloquial.  Yuma is a pretty cosmopolitan place.  They were polite, helpful, and friendly.

Courtni, the clerk at the counter, was also helpful and friendly.  She was enthusiastic about having her picture taken for Gun Watch.  She was saving up for her Arizona Concealed Carry permit.

I said a permit was not needed to carry concealed in Arizona.  She said that she knew that, but all her friends were gun owners and shooters, and she thought the permit was worth it. 

You can see that the pistol range at the Ranch needs trimming.  The target is at 50 yards on the 65 yard range.   The mesquite on the left is watered to provide some afternoon shade.  The creosote bushes on the right have received above average rain in this El Nino year.  The camera angle makes the ground look sloped, but it is flat with a couple of berms.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

[marktwain]

Open carry is well accepted around Yuma, Arizona. We had to fight to keep it so, back in the 90's.

[Tupelo]

Well, I have to admit, I visit Harbor Freight about once a week, usually on my way home from shooting with friends at the public range in Casa Grande. Which by the way is very nice with covered stands, maintained by the city and the shooters with no range masters, self policing and there is no charge.
Anyway when in harbor Freight and virtually every store in this area, I am either open or concealed carry. Depending on whether my shirt slides up or not. No one here seems to really give a crap, it is just a way of life.

[Big Red Badger]

Save me a spot,

[Tupelo]

Thursday mornings around 7:30, first stand south of the LEO range. See ya there.

[AZ_Rat]

"...virtually every store in this area, I am either open or concealed carry. Depending on whether my shirt slides up or not. No one here seems to really give a crap, it is just a way of life."

Yup, that's just how AZ is. I see and practice open carry frequently. It doesn't really stand out here.

It's just part of our culture. I suppose that's surprising to some.

[JimRed]

No one here seems to really give a crap, it is just a way of life.

But...but...but...what about the wild west shootouts every time somebody gets to the parking place you were after first, or bumps into you in a crowd, or has an offensive bumper sticker? < /lib lies >

[Tupelo]

You are thinking of Phoenix and/or Tucson. They are no longer really Arizona. They have been Californicated and are now kinda Califizona.