Do you ever open carry?

[K.Mooneyham]

I open carry 98% of the time, I cover up only when necessary, the whole bad guy will shoot you first, take your gun... blah blah blah! Is just nonsense, your situational awareness should always be on high alert, I've had one occurance where somebody made me nervous enough to put my palm on the butt of the gun! Over all most people do not notice or they don't care! So as my friend Excaliber says CARRY ON!

Exactly! I don't OC because of how I normally dress, with untucked shirts (yeah, not the neatest appearance, but habits are hard to break), but I do carry OWB. However, I always ask those who say something like "open carrying will make you a target" to post even one good example of a news story for me about an open carrier who was shot FIRST, or who was specifically targeted, because of OCing. Most realize that the vast majority of the news media is NOT a friend to the armed citizen. I am sure they would just LOVE to put up a news story about a "gun toting extremist" being shot while OCing. Yet, I don't see ANY stories like that. If it were prevalent, someone should be able to find a few of those stories to back up their theories about OCing, but no one ever replies with any, no matter how many times I've asked. Even if they had provided one or two stories, though, that still would not be statistically significant.

[longtooth]

I open carry 98% of the time, I cover up only when necessary, the whole bad guy will shoot you first, take your gun... blah blah blah! Is just nonsense, your situational awareness should always be on high alert, I've had one occurance where somebody made me nervous enough to put my palm on the butt of the gun! Over all most people do not notice or they don't care! So as my friend Excaliber says CARRY ON!

Exactly! I don't OC because of how I normally dress, with untucked shirts (yeah, not the neatest appearance, but habits are hard to break), but I do carry OWB. However, I always ask those who say something like "open carrying will make you a target" to post even one good example of a news story for me about an open carrier who was shot FIRST, or who was specifically targeted, because of OCing. Most realize that the vast majority of the news media is NOT a friend to the armed citizen. I am sure they would just LOVE to put up a news story about a "gun toting extremist" being shot while OCing. Yet, I don't see ANY stories like that. If it were prevalent, someone should be able to find a few of those stories to back up their theories about OCing, but no one ever replies with any, no matter how many times I've asked. Even if they had provided one or two stories, though, that still would not be statistically significant.

Excellent response k.Mooneyham. I have never had anyone find one either. I am sure it may have happened once upon a time but noone has been able to show me one. I am a retired Instructer and just before OC passed, It was evident it was going to pass one of the reporters at Lufkin Daily interviewed me after he did Sherriff Sanchez. This is one of the mythical fears that was prevelent at the time. He ask me about it.
My response was: You sir have to be good at internet search. If you are not you cant do your job. I challenged him to find one. His response was and I do quote, "I tried. I couldn't find one." OC is a deterrent to everything except truely Dedicated Crime.

[DynamicDan]

I think it is perfectly fine as long as you are comfortable.

[packa45]

The only time I have ever open carried was when I was on duty as an Armed Security Officer. I’ve had my CHL/LTC for years. I’d rather not advertise the fact that I could be one of the most dangerous men in the room. I’ll play along and be the victim until you slip up...and that’s when Gina or Sally start yelling at you things that can’t be taken back.

[oljames3]

I carry openly as my default. The point is not that no one who carries openly has ever had their gun stolen but, rather, that it is very rare. A cursory search of "open carry gun stolen" returns several instances. It does happen, but if it were a real issue it would be much more widely reported.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/wi-ope ... -criminal/

http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2017/12/2 ... a-walmart/

https://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/d ... story.html

John Correia, of Active Self Protection, narrated a video of such a grab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQiLwA3zuU

I carry my S&W M&P M2.0 9mm 5inch openly in a Safariland 7TS ALS holster with Guard and QLS. Works for me. Your mileage will vary.

As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and with benefits matter most to us.

[K.Mooneyham]

I carry openly as my default. The point is not that no one who carries openly has ever had their gun stolen but, rather, that it is very rare. A cursory search of "open carry gun stolen" returns several instances. It does happen, but if it were a real issue it would be much more widely reported.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/wi-ope ... -criminal/

http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2017/12/2 ... a-walmart/

https://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/d ... story.html

John Correia, of Active Self Protection, narrated a video of such a grab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQiLwA3zuU

I carry my S&W M&P M2.0 9mm 5inch openly in a Safariland 7TS ALS holster with Guard and QLS. Works for me. Your mileage will vary.

As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and with benefits matter most to us.

The second link, the story of the guy in Oregon, I remember that one. And I also remember thinking that something was not right with the circumstances of that story. There are other versions of that story out there, and the incident was fishy, at best. In fact, the first three all seem to either be missing information, or have dubious circumstances. The video also seemed like a weird incident. Only the one in Newport News seems like the situation that most fear about open carry, that of being attacked from behind, pushed down and having your firearm taken. Of course, situational awareness must be a component of open carrying, but then again, we should all have good situational awareness, anyway.

[oljames3]

I carry openly as my default. The point is not that no one who carries openly has ever had their gun stolen but, rather, that it is very rare. A cursory search of "open carry gun stolen" returns several instances. It does happen, but if it were a real issue it would be much more widely reported.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/wi-ope ... -criminal/

http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2017/12/2 ... a-walmart/

https://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/d ... story.html

John Correia, of Active Self Protection, narrated a video of such a grab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQiLwA3zuU

I carry my S&W M&P M2.0 9mm 5inch openly in a Safariland 7TS ALS holster with Guard and QLS. Works for me. Your mileage will vary.

As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and with benefits matter most to us.

The second link, the story of the guy in Oregon, I remember that one. And I also remember thinking that something was not right with the circumstances of that story. There are other versions of that story out there, and the incident was fishy, at best. In fact, the first three all seem to either be missing information, or have dubious circumstances. The video also seemed like a weird incident. Only the one in Newport News seems like the situation that most fear about open carry, that of being attacked from behind, pushed down and having your firearm taken. Of course, situational awareness must be a component of open carrying, but then again, we should all have good situational awareness, anyway.

We live in a dangerous, violent world. As LTC (Ret) Dave Grossman says, the best way to stop a violent attack is with superior violence. Most of the folks here have chosen to carry a firearm as a tool for self defense. No matter how you carry a firearm, you must contend with risk. Determining the level of risk and how best to mitigate that risk is a very personal decision. I search daily for reports concerning "open carry" in Texas. I constantly review my decisions on what and how to carry and adjust as I gain new insight. I prefer to base my self defense decisions on facts rather than unsubstantiated opinion, feelings, or fears.

The Oregon incident was the first of it's kind that I had seen. It happened in October, 2014. I read at least 4 different reports at the time. All indicated that the victim broke at least three, if not all, of Farnham's rules of stupid: never (1) go to Stupid places, (2) with Stupid people, (3) at Stupid times, and (4) do Stupid things.
http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html

I have seen many more reports of concealed carriers having their gun stolen. Search "gun stolen in walmart restroom" and you will see several reports of the same incident.

December, 2018, in Dallas, a woman died after trying to steal a gun from an unlocked car. https://texas.concealedcarry.com/2018/1 ... tolen-gun/

Last July, Portland, OR, a concealed carrier was shot as he tried to retrieve the pistol that had fallen out of his holster. https://www.military.com/daily-news/201 ... ermit.html

Last November, a security guard was killed by police in Chicago. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/p ... icago.html

These last two incidents involved persons holding a gun. I have not found any reports of open carriers being "shot first". Of course, this is purely anecdotal and unscientific.

A quick look at vehicle injury and death in Texas, using data on the DPS site, seems to indicate that I am much more likely to be injured or killed in my car than in a gun fight. I will not stop driving my car. I will drive defensively and wear my seatbelt to mitigate the risk of injury or death. For me, I am willing to manage the risks involved in driving and I find the benefits of driving important to me.

Same thing with carrying openly. For me, I am willing to manage the risks and the benefits matter more than the complications.

[EpicMale]

I have open carried rifles and shotguns since I was 10 years old (1950s). I've never had a problem doing so. Heck, when I was a kid I took a rifle to school for Show & Tell. There wasn't a problem. I was just asked to keep it unloaded. I've open carried a handgun on our farm/ranch long before the LTC.

I open carry a Colt 1911A1 XSE (trigger job and Series 70 safety). I carry a Ruger LCPII as a concealed backup. I've teased those that get all snowflakey about open carry and told them the 1911 is just the unloaded bait gun. Sometimes I carry a Ruger LC9 (disabled magazine disconnect) as a backup. I have extended magazines for all my carry pistols.

I might mention that I noticed an effect the exact opposite of what I experienced decades ago when carrying rifles and shotguns on motorcycles. Riders will understand when I point out that some idiots in cages seem to enjoy trying to scare motorcyclists by tailgating or cutting you off. However, when I was still in high school, I noticed that when I was headed out to hunt or target shoot, those uncomfortable moments were far fewer. I realized that the sight of the potential for instant retribution modified or eliminated those dangerous impulses by people in cars and trucks. I watched cars approach from the rear suddenly have the front end dip as they let off the accelerator sharply or actually hit their brakes at the time that they could clearly see that I was armed. When cars passed, they avoided cutting in as close as possible to my front fender. They did so at much greater distances. Of course, this is a sad commentary upon our culture, but at the same time, it reinforces the old adage of "an armed society is a polite society".

When our LTC came about, and I was open carrying a handgun in public places, I had a number of people make positive statements about it. One telling remark came from a middle-aged man who said, "I wish I had the nerve to open carry". So I guess some people shouldn't open carry if they are fearful of it. Just this week I had the first negative experience, which was more amusing than negative.

In a grocery store, a young man loading up products in the meat/cheese refrigerated display shelves complimented me on the Colt, then told me that some 'old guy' (I'm definitely in that category) asked him if they allowed guns in the store. The young man informed the guy that this was Texas and he should get used to seeing legal open carry. I got a pretty clear description of the guy, and I remembered him (situational awareness). Soon enough, following my wife around with the shopping cart, I spotted him. I took great pleasure in greeting him and asking "How are y'all doing today?!". He looked like someone was forcing him to eat a toad when he replied, "Fine". Of course I made no mention of the young man.

I enjoy open carry. Once, when I walked up upon a thug beating a woman, and I responded with a command tone demand of "STOP!" He charged at me. I turned so he could see the 1911 and it was as if he hit a brick wall. He exited the area at a fast pace.