How To Overcome Open-Carry Anxiety

SouthernBoy · Sep 18, 2013

marshaul said:
Sorry, you're getting educated.

Ordinarily I'd share your stance (if not ejected, there's no issue), but Costco has such a long, well-established record of being anti-OC that I feel, at this point, you're knowingly supporting an anti-gun business, in direct contradiction of official open carrier policy.

Don't mind the education but this is one of which I am not aware;

"...in direct contradiction of official open carrier policy"

Is this written somewhere within this site's policies and procedures? As for Costco, unfortunately there is no similar store within a reasonable distance of my home. We do have a BJ's close by but they don't have everything that Costco has. And the closest Sam's Club is quite a ways away so that one's off the table. Which kinda leaves me with Costco. Bit of a quandary, ain't it?

samkent · Sep 18, 2013

marshaul said:
Logic?

Most of the police departments I know of use black. Any other color sticks out.

For someone who is just easing into OC I feel they need to blend in as mush as possible. They don't need to questioned two or three times their first day out. That might put them off from exercising their right to OC.

samkent · Sep 18, 2013

Really guy? Dress code for carrying a gun? Geez...It's a right, not a flippin' fashion show. Not everyone even owns a polo...Why not say be respectable and a good ambassador...How can you normalize something when people think you have to dress and look a certain way? There is nothing wrong with tee shirt, jeans and boots. Or snealers, or flip flops....Or whatever...I do agree though, if you act like a thug, you MAY be treated like a thug...Dress is a smallpart..

That's fine if you don't mind people calling the cops on you everytime you step out of your car.

Me I just want to have the feeling of another layer between some 20 year old ethnic person and myself.
I'm not looking to make a political statement.
In fact I put a lot of thought into where I will be going while getting dressed for the day. If it's a new place where I have never been before, I'll CC.

If you are comfortable with dressing down and unknowingly walking past a school while OC'ing, fine. But I have things to do, places to go and people to see. I don't need a well meaning officer grilling me for my name and intentions. Partially because I'm less likely to volunteer information as I get older and crankier.

Red Dawg · Sep 18, 2013

Not dressing down. Dressing regular. BEING NORMAL...Going about my business. Nothing special.

ron73440 · Sep 18, 2013

samkent said:
That's fine if you don't mind people calling the cops on you everytime you step out of your car.

Me I just want to have the feeling of another layer between some 20 year old ethnic person and myself.
I'm not looking to make a political statement.
In fact I put a lot of thought into where I will be going while getting dressed for the day. If it's a new place where I have never been before, I'll CC.

If you are comfortable with dressing down and unknowingly walking past a school while OC'ing, fine. But I have things to do, places to go and people to see. I don't need a well meaning officer grilling me for my name and intentions. Partially because I'm less likely to volunteer information as I get older and crankier.

I just do what I would be doing with or without my pistol and see no reason why the pistol should change my daily activites.

I always dress the same, beat up workboots, jeans, t-shirt, and ball cap.

Usually clean, but sometimes dirty and/or greasy from working on my truck or in the yard, still have never had an issue.

I used to be self conscious, but have gotten to the point where I really don't care, if the business doesn't like it they can ask me to leave, still hasn't happened.

marshaul · Sep 18, 2013

SouthernBoy said:
Don't mind the education but this is one of which I am not aware;

"...in direct contradiction of official open carrier policy"

Is this written somewhere within this site's policies and procedures?

Nope, just having a bit of fun.

As for Costco, unfortunately there is no similar store within a reasonable distance of my home. We do have a BJ's close by but they don't have everything that Costco has. And the closest Sam's Club is quite a ways away so that one's off the table. Which kinda leaves me with Costco. Bit of a quandary, ain't it?

BJs has some things that Costco doesn't.

Also, as it's been explained to me, a very small percentage of their customers actually buy enough to "save" equal to the value of their membership in a year.

Between BJs (I make infrequent runs using my family's membership) and Amazon Prime (much better investment than a Costco membership), I'm GTG.

But, yes, I can see how there might be just that one thing...

marshaul · Sep 18, 2013

samkent said:
Most of the police departments I know of use black. Any other color sticks out.

For someone who is just easing into OC I feel they need to blend in as mush as possible. They don't need to questioned two or three times their first day out. That might put them off from exercising their right to OC.

Different mindsets, I guess. :lol:

I can't imagine how trying to look more like a cop would ease my anxiety. :uhoh:

Maybe it's simply because I'm so obviously not a cop (long hair + beard) – in any event, I get questioned extremely infrequently. I can only assume that folks, having concluded that I can't be a cop, conclude that OC must be legal (if they weren't already aware), at which point they've answered all their own questions without requiring my input.

So, clearly we should try to avoid looking like cops as much as possible.

marshaul · Sep 18, 2013

ron73440 said:
I just do what I would be doing with or without my pistol and see no reason why the pistol should change my daily activites.

I always dress the same, beat up workboots, jeans, t-shirt, and ball cap.

Usually clean, but sometimes dirty and/or greasy from working on my truck or in the yard, still have never had an issue.

I used to be self conscious, but have gotten to the point where I really don't care, if the business doesn't like it they can ask me to leave, still hasn't happened.

+1

At first, I wouldn't wear T-shirts when I started OCing. But, that meant I couldn't wear all my awesome t-shirts anymore!

Now, I don't care. If I'm looking "scruffy" today and I need to go out, well, the pistol's still coming with me.

sudden valley gunner · Sep 18, 2013

samkent said:
That's fine if you don't mind people calling the cops on you everytime you step out of your car.

Me I just want to have the feeling of another layer between some 20 year old ethnic person and myself.
I'm not looking to make a political statement.
In fact I put a lot of thought into where I will be going while getting dressed for the day. If it's a new place where I have never been before, I'll CC.

If you are comfortable with dressing down and unknowingly walking past a school while OC'ing, fine. But I have things to do, places to go and people to see. I don't need a well meaning officer grilling me for my name and intentions. Partially because I'm less likely to volunteer information as I get older and crankier.

I would never want to give even the slightest impression I was an any way connected to unconstitutional proactive law enforcement agencies.

golddigger14s · Sep 18, 2013

OC shouldn't be about fashion, but my normal dress is a polo shirt and slacks. To me "dressing up" is carrying a 1911 with laser engraved US Army grips. My "outdoor" gun is an OD green Taurus 24/7. I don't try to impersonate a cop, but I think I'm a little "nicer" than usual. I was at a Micky D's one time, and despite that it wasn't busy they still screwed up our order royally. If I wasn't carrying at the time, I think I would have lost it even more than I did.

My daughter likes when I carry, because she has noticed the difference in my demeanor. I'm really laid back normally, but when I carry I get nicer so that I don't give any of the anti's a reason to hate us. The other day a lady tapped me on the shoulder to thank me for carrying. I think attitude, and actions are more important than dress.

ATM · Sep 18, 2013

golddigger14s said:
...I think attitude, and actions are more important than dress.

Agreed.

If you have a sure sense that you should be carrying, others will likely pick up on that vibe (if they even notice that you're carrying.)

If somewhere deep down inside, carrying still feels somewhat naughty, others will pick up on that subtle vibe and give more scrutiny to what you're doing and the fact that you're carrying.

Simply confidence is also easily distinguished from arrogance if anyone is worried about projecting the wrong clues to the uninformed.

carolina guy · Sep 18, 2013

eye95 said:
Correct me if I am wrong (I am pretty damned sure I am not), but haven't numerous posts of confirmations about Costco's anti-carry stance been posted here on OCDO? I have been left with the absolute, unequivocal impression that Costco is absolutely, unequivocally anti-carry. Again, correct me if I am wrong.

If they don't bother posting, why is it my responsibility to research and TRY to find information that they MIGHT use against me in my state or retail district, that may or may not be inline with national corporate?

That said, I have never shopped at Costco...we use the local BJ's for warehouse shopping.

carolina guy · Sep 18, 2013

marshaul said:
Logic?

Look more police officer and less deputy?

WalkingWolf · Sep 18, 2013

marshaul said:
+1

At first, I wouldn't wear T-shirts when I started OCing. But, that meant I couldn't wear all my awesome t-shirts anymore!

Now, I don't care. If I'm looking "scruffy" today and I need to go out, well, the pistol's still coming with me.

I am somewhat of a redneck geek, I wear white t-shirts. But usually I wear a long sleeved button up shirt depending on the weather, plus I always wear suspenders. Since my surgery I have been walking each day on the highway. Button up long sleeved in the morning, white T in the afternoon. We don't see LE very often but last week a trooper drove towards me and did not even bother to slow down to look. I have long hair, middle of the back, but they made me shave for surgery. Hopefully it gets back to chest length in a year. Dress for OC~~Bwhahahahahaha!

Sooo sorry, no self respecting redneck wears polo shirts, they should be outlawed in NC.

ATM · Sep 18, 2013

I so rarely play polo, it just doesn't make sense for me to own very many of those shirts. :lol:

eye95 · Sep 18, 2013

Red Dawg said:
Really guy? Dress code for carrying a gun? Geez...It's a right, not a flippin' fashion show. Not everyone even owns a polo...Why not say be respectable and a good ambassador...How can you normalize something when people think you have to dress and look a certain way? There is nothing wrong with tee shirt, jeans and boots. Or snealers, or flip flops....Or whatever...I do agree though, if you act like a thug, you MAY be treated like a thug...Dress is a smallpart..

He gave tips, not rules. Most of the tips are good. I disagree with trying to make folks think you are an off-duty cop. I WANT folks to know that I am an ordinary citizen carrying. I want to normalize unlicensed carry.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>

samkent · Sep 19, 2013

I guess the way I put it makes it sound like I feel you should look like a cop.
That was not my direct intention.
Maybe I should have just said don't look like an outlaw.

If you are nervous about OC, I assumed you don't want ANY confrontation.
If you are dressed like a crime looking for a place you are asking for a confrontation.

marshaul · Sep 19, 2013

Is there an "outlaw" dress code? How do outlaws dress?

For that matter, how do in-laws dress?

tattedupboy · Sep 19, 2013

Gun Daddy PV said:
View attachment 10808 View attachment 10809And if you are going to just say "grow some balls", that's not helpful.

I just made a new leather avenger-style holster and would like to show it off. I also understand that if every person carrying a gun carried openly, then public perception (especially after seeing nobody getting shot and nobody threatening anyone) would change for the better.

Here's what's holding me back:

1. I have to carry pepper-spray when open-carrying so I can escalate force of necessary - at least that's how I feel.

2. I don't like intimidating people unnecessarily.

3. I don't like the YouTube videos where people bait cops just to make the video interesting. AZ is a Constitutional Carry state, but I like our cops.

4. I have been fired for having a gun in my vehicle. I tried to sue, but my attorney was less than enthusiastic.

5. I don't want to have to disarm and be defenseless just to go into Costco. (If they don't know, they don't say anything.) Ya - Costco forbids weapons, even though they don't have it posted.

So - take those apart and convince me why open-carrying when I can would be helpful, good, right, etc.

That's a nice-looking holster, but I'm wondering if it has any kind of active retention mechanism. If not, then you shouldn't be carrying openly with it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

dmatting · Sep 19, 2013

marshaul said:
Is there an "outlaw" dress code? How do outlaws dress?

For that matter, how do in-laws dress?

Oh noes! I have a black cowboy hat I wear quite a bit when I'm out and about. Should I have gotten the white one?

How To Overcome Open-Carry Anxiety

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