Originally Posted by
contender1
As we all see here,, there are differing opinions about open or concealed carry.
I live in NC,, and it's been an open carry state for decades. Long before CCW was allowed.
For about 35-40 years,, I've open carried a lot. Especially when I wasn't allowed concealed carry. And,, so do some of the people I associate with.
Only once,, (before CCW,) did anybody call the cops about us. A buddy had his on,,, and the store owner saw it & asked him if he was a cop. When he replied to the negative,, the store owner calls the cops. (He hadn't seen my gun yet.) We kept shopping calmly & did NOT engage in any type of confrontation.
ONE cop arrived,, and entered,, was pointed to us,, and he casually came over. A short and very polite conversation occurred, and the cop then went to the store owner,,, and proceeded to FIRMLY explain that HE was in the wrong, and that HE was wasting precious LEO resources on this type of call. He told the store owner in no uncertain terms that it was not only legal,, but he PREFERRED to see people carrying a gun.
Now,, since CCW has passed,, and more people can legally carry a firearm concealed,, many choose to do so and that's great. But if a person chooses to carry openly,, try & remember a few points.
(1) That person is also a gun owner,, and a supporter of our rights. Should we as gun owners discourage them or smile knowing there's another person who's honest?
(2) While some may think a open gun makes that person a target for a thug,, that's a possibility. BUT,, it's also known that in general, an open carried gun is often brought into use much quicker than from CCW.
(3) By open carrying,, it can often allow others to engage into polite conversation with other gun owners. I was once in a Lowe's and had my 1911 on me, openly. An elder lady politely asked me; "Is that a 1911?" to which I replied; "Yes!" Then SHE started a conversation on how much SHE enjoyed HER 1911 & wanted to know what mine was.Many people all around us were a little surprised.
(4) By having a gun openly carried,, it can also act as a deterrent to a thug who may be thinking about doing wrong while you are around. Seeing that,, the thug may say to himself; "I try & use my knife to rob this place,, that guy might shoot me."
(5) Back to the thugs who may target a person open carrying. Most thugs are not the deranged types who go into a place with the agenda of shooting up everything. Most are not going to start shooting at an armed person if robbery is their intent.
(6) A person's job may require a lot of interaction with people in public. And if you have to do work, a gun in a CCW holster may be hard to keep on you while you work. (Think of a carpenter here.) As a carpenter,, you may have a method of open carry,, such as just tucking the handgun in your belt as you travel about, but when you get to a customers house,, you need to remove it. And when you leave,, you want to continue to carry. Hard to keep putting on & taking off a holster for CCW & do your job.
And since the wally world comment was made,, I'll relate an experience I had in one.
A few years ago,, shortly after a shooting in a wally world that made national news, I was in one,, and had my 1911 tucked into my belt, just near my right hip pocket. I saw a young gentleman enter with a Glock in a completely open holster etc. I just noticed it, & kept on moving. Shortly after,, an elderly lady stopped me, and said; "I don't know if you'd be a person to talk to,, but that man over there has a gun on." I politely stopped, and started a conversation with this nice lady, about how NC is an open carry state, and the many good reasons a person might carry. And about how,, if you see that,, you know that person is an honest person, and was also willing to be one who might save lives if something bad were to start happening. I was wearing my work shirt,, which has my company logo on it,, where I deal in nuisance wildlife. She commented on that & we were also discussing some of that,,, to which I explained how a game warden had gotten me into the business. Just a few moments after I'd said that,, that very same game warden, (now retired,) walked up. I chuckled & commented on how he was the warden. We spoke for a few moments,, and he then asked; "What are you carrying today?" I replied and the lady suddenly proclaimed; "Oh my gosh,, I didn't even know you had a gun on!" To which,, we also continued our polite conversation about open or concealed carry.
That lady thanked me profusely for the education AND how nice & polite I had been.
Often,, by open carrying,, you can do more good than you know.
Do I always open carry?
No.
Do I always CCW?
No.
But do I respect the fact that others have their opinions & choices?
Yes.
And lastly,, I'm extremely GLAD we do have more rights & choices than we used to have! I'll not discourage anybody from exercising their FREEDOM!
We gun owners need to stick together,, & NOT divide ourselves. Or,, we'll all lose.