Posted on 03/09/2010 3:42:08 AM PST by marktwain
If you don't conceal your weapon, you give up the element of surprise in the event you are attacked and need to defend yourself. However, by carrying your firearm openly, you may deter a crime from happening in the first place, which would then lead to a better outcome. It is difficult to determine exactly how many crimes are deterred each year by those who carry openly due to the obvious fact that in such circumstances the crimes don't even take place. We do however have at least one documented example in Kennesaw GA where a crew of armed thugs decided NOT to commit armed robbery in a waffle house because the thug who went in to scout the place before the crime saw Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell openly carrying their firearms. You can listen to Mark Walters of USCCA's Armed American Radio interview Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell for more details on the event. Over the years I have also heard multiple first hand accounts of possible criminals who seemed determined to commit a crime as they approached their potential victims, but suddenly turned away when they noticed a holstered firearm.
If you think about it from the point of view of the thugs it makes sense. Why would they want to attack a group of people where they know at least one person is armed for self defense when they can easily find another group of potential victims where all are likely unarmed? Why would they want to significantly increase the odds of being shot by one of their intended victims? Before you say it, yes, there are situations where a crazy person determined to attack a particular location would attack irregardless, shooting at the known armed people first, but that situation is rare relative to the typical crimes committed by criminals who are simply looking for an easy target.
If you do choose to Open Carry, I recommend that you utilize and train with a retention holster. I like the Blackhawk SERPA holsters as they hold your weapon securely, yet allow you to remove your weapon quickly & easily with a little practice. What is your favorite retention holster? Let me know in the comment section.
Learn more about Open Carry at OpenCarry.org.
An armed society is a polite society.
Some coffee houses and restaurants serve police free or dicount coffee and/or donuts or rolls for this very reason.
What retard is going to attempt to rob a place with two or three squad cars sitting outside. Even the dullest bulb in the lIQ department sees that problem.
Open carry in public, populated areas is counterproductive.
As a CCW license owner, the first rule of security is “keep ‘em guessing”.
When a threat knows your defense, he can defeat it.
Quit the show-off stuff and quit giving the anti-gun crowd more fodder.
I just love happy endings.
Thank you for making my point for me.
Would you have be less secure carrying concealed?
Sorry this does not make your point. Education is ALWAYS better than hysteria.
I would like a little pin to wear that says:
“One of us might be armed!”
Or something like that! Just enough to make the other guy aware that I just might be carrying a weapon.
Or maybe:
“I know for a fact at least one of us is armed.”
Or:
“You know, I just might be armed. Or then again, maybe I’m not.”
My state is not an open carry state, but does have some of the best CCW laws around. Except for a list as long as your arm where you CAN’T carry. What a farce. Most of those places are the very place I would want the security of a weapon!
2. Education of legal arms use and possession. The “Kalifornia” types and all other anti or non-2A(liberty) types will always rant and rave (they are sheep, remember) about the fear they have of toothed sheepdogs, keep you “mouth” closed until your teeth are needed (sheep are scared of all visible “teeth”, and cannot logically discriminate between sheepdogs and wolves). Rather, to edumacate the sheep (which ain't usually very profitable as sheep are rather dumb and opinionated)-recall that they need a Shepherd and sheepdogs to prevent them from falling off a cliff,etc); talk quietly and soothingly to ease their silly mindedness; but do not expect them to figure out the sheepdog, maybe not even the wolves....
Best,
I’d be interested in knowing if there are any groups in Texas backing open carry. I think it’s past time to remove the relic of the civil war that deprives us of our rights.
Well, I guess you are still missing the point....
What kind of education did the cali couple get? They now like you and agree with you/2A or do they think the place you live is dangerous and backwards? How do you think they’ll vote if they live in your town?
Educated-yes, the “gulag” way.
Carry openly all you wish, I avoid everyone I see with guns swinging on the the hip, I don’t like being a “self-propelled pop-up target” anymore; cops, perps, freaky types all want to “touch”.
Best;
And the education you alude to, is where?
When someone comes up to me and asks about open carry I always take the time to explain the statues and the positives and the negatives. In the crazy woman story the article in the paper - as I said - was very positive and informative.
Additionally we have had several major burglaries (homes cleaned out) in this area. There are several women who are alone all day with small children close to my street. They are more than happy to have me and the other guys who openly carry watch over their kids during the day. I often make it a point to meet the school bus and talk with the kids. There are several houses where I can get a cookie anytime I want and two of those are also ex-Kalifornians who realized that protecting their kids is more important than their fear of guns. My neighbor up hill has put together a class for when the weather breaks to train all of them - for free - in gun safety and handling.
Bottom line more good has come out of my open carry than bad.
Glad to hear it.
Best;
G Larry,
When I was visiting Phoenix, Arizona, I was at a little motel and wanted to go out and find some Cheetos and a soda or some such, so I was walking across the broad motel parking lot at around 10:00pm, towards the street, intending to walk down the block a bit.
Little did I know that the motel was in a kind of run-down part of the area when I booked it. I fully realized the implications of this fact when a young fellow was making a beeline towards me diagonally across the empty street. I was carrying openly, since I didn’t have an applicable concealed carry license being a resident of California at the time.
I turned my body a bit so that the sickly orange glow of the street light caught my right hip, and it was as if the fellow hit an invisible brick wall in the middle of the street. He immediately turned away and hurried off down the street.
If I had been carrying concealed, he would have been up in my face asking me for the time or a dollar or some typical mugger bull____, and he would have been “kept guessing” right up until I pulled my firearm and shot him.
And that would have been much more of a hassle for me than an invisible brick wall in the middle of the street created by the sight of my openly holstered firearm.
He knew my defense, and he knew he wasn’t willing to even try to defeat it.
Don’t you know that Cheetos are an unhealthy bed time snack?
The Orange food group forms the base of the food pyramid, but should be consumed before dinner.
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