Open Carry vs. Concealed?

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

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. ..... Doesn't the public display of your firearm make you "Target #1" if someone is hell-bent on causing a problem? .

But, if the would-be killer sees you BEFORE he pulls out his gun and reveals himself to be a wanna-be mass shooter, THEN MAYBE your being armed will make him change his plans for THAT DAY, and delay his murder spree until the next day. Or the next hour, after he's sure you've left the scene. Or maybe the killer will just go down the road a few miles to some other crowded public gathering to pull off his glorious bloodbath, unopposed.

 

[JekyllTidesFisher3181]

But, if the would-be killer sees you BEFORE he pulls out his gun and reveals himself to be a wanna-be mass shooter, THEN MAYBE your being armed will make him change his plans for THAT DAY, and delay his murder spree until the next day. Or the next hour, after he's sure you've left the scene. Or maybe the killer will just go down the road a few miles to some other crowded public gathering to pull off his glorious bloodbath, unopposed

Then you have to deal with all the Karens complaining to management that there is a murderer in the women's hygiene department. Cops come and you have to defend your right for open carry AND explain what you were doing in the women's hygiene department smelling all the feminine itch creams. A total waste of time...

...It's just easier to keep it concealed.

 

[The Southern Gentlemen]

I do both typically to **** with the fudds cause it’s fun

 

[splingbobble]

I don’t like the sloppy look of an untucked shirt, and I don’t like open carrying my firearm. So I use a IWB tuckable holster, which causes its own set of issues entirely. While I feel that open carry definitely allows for a faster response, I just don’t think it’s worth the attention it draws. Everyone’s eyes are on the guy with the gun. Both good and bad. IMHO

 

[Ken Ford]

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

What if you see several?

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

What if you see several?

How often do you see several?
It's usually one turd in the entire punch bowl.

Open carry is goofy as hell. Might have been necessary in the 1800's but not today.

Gotta be the grey man, unassuming, catch em off guard.

 

[yardboss1]

I pocket carry a Kahr PM9 in a pocket holster. It is the only thing in the pocket. I never practice my sudden Quick Draw McCraw technique and work on TACTICS like you real operators do.

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

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?".

Yes, you're exposed weapon makes you the first target. Always.

Unless, as Ken Ford asked, what if there are many?

The only time their are usually many is if it's law enforcement or military. You don't see a group of open carry individuals because we don't live in a bygone era of the wild West.

 

[medium187mph]

Love seeing the big bore wheel guns when I’m out and about… and when my brother in law called me to talk about a guy with a Draco on a sling while casually shopping at Walmart the other night…

 

[medium187mph]

Concealed is the tactical advantage but some don’t have any firearm/training/common sense wisdom these days