Open Carry vs. Concealed?

[Braxton1]

So...is it just me or what?

Lately, I have been seeing a ton of folks walking around in public with either Outside-the-Waistband holsters or their gun just tucked in the waistband of their pants, fully-exposed to view. One guy in the Walmart even had a 33-round magazine hanging out of his Glock 19. (I actually had the opportunity to speak to him. I said, "If it's so dangerous to shop here that I need to be carrying THAT, I want to find another store!") Another guy had a Kydex chest rig on with a Beretta 92 in the convenience store that I visited yesterday in Jasper County.

I know lots of people have an issue with this style of carry because of the "public alarm" aspect, but my issue is this: Doesn't the public display of your firearm make you "Target #1" if someone is hell-bent on causing a problem? I would rather the perpetrator not know who the sheepdogs are until he is unpleasantly surprised (a la Elijah Dickens). I feel that concealed carry leaves me options during an emergency. I can gather my loved ones and make a move for the door OR I can engage if I have to. When I am designated as Target #1, my options become very limited.

Don't get me wrong. I am a big supporter of Constitutional Carry. This is not a gun rights issue for me. It's a TACTICS issue. In other words, it's not a "Can I do this?"; it's a "Should I do this?".

 

[Gixxer]

I recommend giving this a view. A very comprehensive argument for both or neither.

However, it should be noted that Massad himself carries concealed most of the time.....

 

[SemperFi]

My Seal buddy told me this awhile ago. If I can see your weapon then I consider you my number one threat.

 

[November Sierra]

If they're lawfully carrying, who cares? They aren't your family or friends. Let them be that unicorn

 

[TacticalTaco]

Open carry is only done for attention whoring

 

[GFB]

I open carry when I'm running a bush hog.

 

[Justin87]

I open carry when I'm running a bush hog.

I wouldn't consider that open carry. The cringe comes into play when you stick a Taurus Millennium into an Uncle Mike's nylon holster and head off to Walmart.

 

[GFB]

I wouldn't consider that open carry. The cringe comes into play when you stick a Taurus Millennium into an Uncle Mike's nylon holster and head of to Walmart.

Always concealed on the rare Walmart trip.

 

[Justin87]

Always concealed on the rare Walmart trip.

Ditto

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

If I were a mass-murderer planning a public mass shooting,
I would pick a location where guns were banned, preferably by law but maybe just by store policy.
So that would NOT be a Wal-Mart, because around here WalMarts have signs that say CONCEALED carry is welcome.

But, if I identified such a location and went in guns a-blazing, of course any ARMED person I saw would be my one and only target until they were dead, dead, dead. I'd chase them down to find them and kill them.
Yes, that might buy the other victims time to flee, hide, or fight back against me by flanking or ambush.
But I'm just saying, the OP's premise is true in my mind: KILLERS PREFER UNARMED VICTIMS and any armed person must be killed first, so then the plan to massacre the helpless can continue.