Personal OC photos on social media sites

Has anyone here placed photos of themselves open carrying in normal daily life on a social media site? If so, how did it go? Did people freak out?

I haven't done it that often but have had varying results. Everything from virtual high fives to indifference to foaming at the mouth CC only-ers to lost friends. Tell me about your experiences.

One thing I love about it is the ability to essentially open carry in states where it would otherwise be illegal. In other words, someone in CA, TX or NY sees the OC pic and starts to become desensitized to it. This would have otherwise been something they would have never seen.

What are your thoughts?

EDIT: Please also read post #12 for clarification.






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independence said:

Has anyone here placed photos of themselves open carrying in normal daily life on a social media site? If so, how did it go? Did people freak out?

I haven't done it that often but have had varying results. Everything from virtual high fives to indifference to foaming at the mouth CC only-ers to lost friends. Tell me about your experiences.

One thing I love about it is the ability to essentially open carry in states where it would otherwise be illegal. In other words, someone in CA, TX or NY sees the OC pic and starts to become desensitized to it. This would have otherwise been something they would have never seen.

What are your thoughts?

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Personally dislike/abhor social media sites. Too difficult to control and maintain security of personal information. At one time I was on Facebook, account was hacked, Facebook did nothing to help and had to jump through hoops to get off and have account deleted.

While others love it, I'm not going there again.

I might have MAYBE one photo with me open carrying that I personally put on my Facebook, and I don't really make a point or promise to do such. It's my family that takes most of the photos of me. Just from this Christmas I think I have at least 3 photos which my G19 is completely visible, and some in the background. I really don't mind it, and I've never really gotten anything negative from any picture posted, all positive if any. Desensitization is key, especially when it comes to family.

EDIT: Rethinking about it, I have some videos of me and friends going shooting, and I'm open carrying in those. Again, all positive comments. Decent amount of likes.

...who will soon be looking for more complex financial products, such as loans...

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A loan is a complex financial product? Who knew.

Loans have been around for a fair number of years, thousands if i am not mistaken. They have not changed to any significant degree. The process to get a loan is the complex part.

- Dude, loan me ten bucks, I'll get it back to ya later.
- OK.

Not very complex to me.

I carry because its a right and for protection as well. When I first started to carry, it was easy for me... Being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, conducting house searches and raids people look ay you, you know the feeling of everyone starring? Yup you do... It was easy for me, I was used to it.... So far there OS only one place I don't carry and that's Fort Benning. This Mil won't let us carry, if they did I would.

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I don't go onto social media sites and I am not an attention *****. My sidearm is not for show, it is not flashy or in your face (think thigh holster) and I don't care to have it the center of attention. It is there for my use should ever the time comes when I have to call upon it.

I'm going to take a different spin on this thread. I still use FB regularly, though I don't post pictures or whatnot nearly as often as I used to. Since I have a lot of friends in other parts of the country and it is difficult to regularly stay in contact, FB is an easy and convenient way to communicate what I've been up to.

And since I recently helped put on a shooting event and we took lots of pictures, yeah - I have a few OC shots. There are also pictures of my many hiking trips and since I usually OC when in the outdoors, there are pictures of that too. But I am not flashy or in your face about it. I am just being my normal charming self doing what I love to do with my free time.

I closed down my first FB account because I was bothered by people I didn't know commenting on events in my family ("friends" of my family members).

I opened another FB account for the sole purpose of accessing a friend's FB open carry group. I choose friends there specifically for their pro-2A attitudes.

Even though they are pro-2A, I have defriended my brother AND my best friend because of their "friends" bugging me. They want to contact me, phone and email still work, thank you.


I don't have pictures of me OC'ing in daily life because I don't have a cameraman to follow me around. I'm sure I am on numerous security videos from the stores and other places I visit.

I don't OC to attract attention. I OC because I'm too fat to draw from concealment quickly.

As to posting things online, I have a whole separate website for that: http://davenoice.weebly.com/

There are a couple of responses in this thread that seem to be suggesting that am seeking to get attention for myself by open carrying, especially if posting on social media. Let me explain myself better.

I open carry for various tactical and personal reasons, one of which being the opportunity educate and desensitize the public. Am I an activist? Not really. Maybe sorta. Am I trying to get attention for myself? I dunno. Never thought about it. I guess not. I mean, that's not my goal, at least. Ultimately, if people are desensitized, they will not think I am anything special at all - and that is the goal.

So why post on social media then? I do not post pics on social media that have the sole purpose of exhibiting open carry. The few pics that do have on social media that show me open carrying are me in daily life doing normal or fun things that people do. And I just happen to have a sidearm on me. And that's what OCDO is all about. Open carrying in daily life.

Am I glad that there is a side benefit of desensitizing friends to OC through electronic means? Yes. Does that mean I am some sort of rabid troublemaker who is trying to get attention on social media? Well, maybe some of my more extreme liberal friends would see OC in daily life that way, but it's not the goal. And they would think the same thing if they saw me OCing in person anyway. So the electronic interaction ultimately is an extension of real world interaction.

And what of the value of desensitizing those in states where OC is illegal? Just think of the benefits there. People in prohibited states would perhaps never see open carry otherwise. The only time they are going to see it is on the news being demonized. Now they have a friend who they see OCing and may start to view things differently.

Just sayin'...






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I don't do facebook, or twitter. So no photos of open carrying. I have seen members post pictures of themselves on this site though. I have not as yet.

If I were to post a pic of myself on here I would most likely break the Internet.

b0neZ said:

If I were to post a pic of myself on here I would most likely break the Internet.

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My picture can be found in the dictionary for the word "ugly".

WalkingWolf said:

My picture can be found in the dictionary for the word "ugly".

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Only because they flipped a coin.

It may be that, if one were to look carefully at my profile photo on a certain social media site, one might observe a holstered 1911.

If this were the case, it would also be the case that it's not ostentatious, and that nobody has "freaked out".

My FB account is choked down to only friends and family (14 people) I have NO pictures on it and no personal information. I use it mostly to stay in touch with the few people I care about.

SouthernBoy said:

.......My sidearm is not for show, it is not flashy or in your face (think thigh holster) and I don't care to have it the center of attention. It is there for my use should ever the time comes when I have to call upon it.

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This is Truth! We advocate the normalization of the Openly Carried Firearm. On occasion someone will take my picture and post/print it somewhere. I am very seldom even seen without a weapon so most of those pics will show me wearing a pistol. That is the point, I am wearing it, just like a belt or a hat or shoes. It has a different purpose, but is a part of my attire like the rest.

MSG Laigaie said:

This is Truth! We advocate the normalization of the Openly Carried Firearm. On occasion someone will take my picture and post/print it somewhere. I am very seldom even seen without a weapon so most of those pics will show me wearing a pistol. That is the point, I am wearing it, just like a belt or a hat or shoes. It has a different purpose, but is a part of my attire like the rest.

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I have seen pictures of people with their guns, I don't consider it for show. IMO it is part of the normal attire, just like a pair of pants. People should not have to take off their gun for photos.

It is nearly impossible to not have your mug show up on the Interwebz these days. Mine has showed up on other folks' Interwebz Facebook pages. Fortunately all of those instances do not get tagged cuz I don't do Facebook, so no tagging of photos and nobody has manually entered my name.....yet.

Currently, and to the best of my knowledge, I am a 'X' down in a Southern state some place when I Google myself.....me likey this very much. I am forced by my Dear Wife to remove my tinfoil hat when out and about.....in public.

I frequent Facebook and have plenty of photos of me open carrying uploaded onto that site. I have not had someone comment on a photograph that included a gun unless it was the only thing in the photograph. I don't make a big show out of open carrying in my photos. I just want to be seen as anyone else - with a firearm. That's important. Open carry's deterrent factor doesn't work if the criminal was unaware of the pistol.

OC for ME said:

It is nearly impossible to not have your mug show up on the Interwebz these days. Mine has showed up on other folks' Interwebz Facebook pages. Fortunately all of those instances do not get tagged cuz I don't do Facebook, so no tagging of photos and nobody has manually entered my name.....yet.

Currently, and to the best of my knowledge, I am a 'X' down in a Southern state some place when I Google myself.....me likey this very much. I am forced by my Dear Wife to remove my tinfoil hat when out and about.....in public.

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Google will alert you every time your name shows up new on a web page. There is a famous author and an international affairs expert who share my name. Google keeps me up to date on them, but has not alerted me to someone putting my name on a web page in a while.

Oh, and bunches of folks with my name have died. Should I be worried?