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Why do CC people feel compelled to "show" their weapons?

MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
I was in wally world yesterday, returning an incomplete item. At checkout there was an elderly gentleman and his wife just ahead of me. He saw my 1911 and commented on calibre. Now here is what I consider the creepy part. He bends down and pulls up his pant leg to show a revolver in an ankle holster. It took him a bit to get down there and move the cloth and I commented on his "quick draw". Another story.

Now this is not the first time a CC person has felt he had to whisper to me that he was armed and then proceed to "display" his firearm. SVG and I set up an OC tent at this years Oyster Run. We must have had fifty sixty people do the same thing, over and over. "I'm concealing, See?" would be the accompanying line. "Not anymore!" was our reply.

I think they are all closet Open Carriers that really want to hang it out there, but are, for some reason, afraid to indulge in the Freedom. Proving that they are armed is the creepy part. I need help in understanding this compulsion they have.

How often, if ever, does this happen to you?
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I have had it happen one time too many, and few times they felt it necessary to remove the gun from the holster. Good way to get shot, most of the time I can read a persons intent. But an itchy off duty LEO might not be so forgiving, or even a on duty that witnesses the exposure of a concealed firearm to another.

Not sure why this is not being covered in CC classes. Well assuming it is not being taught since CCers are doing it.
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Not once...knock on wood...I've been informed, but not shown.

OC is not for everyone. It is my unsubstantiated opinion that most CCers are leery of being accosted by Bernard "Barney" P. Milton Oliver Fife due simply to their very visible gat.
 

decklin

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
758
Location
Pacific, WA
Yep. Every single time I've been approached by another carrier they have always shown me what they're carrying. Like its a secret decoder ring or something.
Most of them I knew they were carrying because they suck at concealing. You've all seen it.
It makes it funny/frustrating because these are the same guys that bash OC on other forums. For one of the least tolerant sites take a look at NWFA.org
 

utbagpiper

Banned
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
4,061
Location
Utah
Yep. Every single time I've been approached by another carrier they have always shown me what they're carrying.

Or put another way, ever carrier you've IDd as carrying, has shown you.

I wonder how many never approached you, and how many you didn't ID as carrying.
 

F350

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
941
Location
The High Plains of Wyoming
Wife and I (at her "request") were at an Arts & Craft show. I was OCing as usual and as I walked by a booth where an extremely well endowed young lady was modeling the light weight tie dyed dresses she made she said "I usually conceal carry, but this dress doesn't conceal much" as she twirled to show how the dress flowed. I had to admit, that dress sure didn't conceal much :lol::monkey
 

utbagpiper

Banned
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
4,061
Location
Utah
I was about to say I've never had someone expose a firearm to me in the manner and context of this thread. And I think that is true.

But on reflection, once at a gun show very shortly after Utah adopted shall issue permits, as I was looking over some firearms, a nice little old lady--who didn't actually have blue hair but certainly could have--looked at the same set of guns and declared his disdain for all of them. I asked her what she preferred, and she opened her purse to show me her Glock. When I remember the incident, I can't help but think about the look on the criminal's face who mistakenly thinks that little old lady was an easy victim. I hope she never needed her gun. I recognize now the personal benefits of OC to such a person. But I also choose to remember that she was doing way more than most to protect herself.

And since I can't much control the actions of others, I find discussions about suppositions about their motives and even peaceful (if misguided) conduct to be rather fruitless and uninteresting.

More productive and intriguing, I think, might be a discussion of what is the proper response should someone expose their previously CC'd firearm to an OCer.

Do we merely want to react with disdain or contempt? Or is there a way to react that might promote OC? That is the purpose of this site after all, to promote the social and legal acceptance of carrying firearms generally and the open carry of firearms specifically.

How do we view CCers compared to how we view non-carriers who approach us about our guns?

Do we view CCers as 90% allies at least until some evidence to the contrary is available regarding any individual CCer? Or do some of us treat CCers as enemies or traitors?

Put another way, are we less open to conversations about how someone carries than we would be to what they like to carry?

Charles
 
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MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
...... Like its a secret decoder ring or something...........
Now that is funny, yet true.

More productive and intriguing, I think, might be a discussion of what is the proper response should someone expose their previously CC'd firearm to an OCer.

Do we merely want to react with disdain or contempt? Or is there a way to react that might promote OC? s

My reply to many of them is "You are carrying anyway, why not just hang it out in the open and be done with it?" What are the rest of you doing?
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
I was in wally world yesterday, returning an incomplete item. At checkout there was an elderly gentleman and his wife just ahead of me. He saw my 1911 and commented on calibre. Now here is what I consider the creepy part. He bends down and pulls up his pant leg to show a revolver in an ankle holster. It took him a bit to get down there and move the cloth and I commented on his "quick draw". Another story.

Now this is not the first time a CC person has felt he had to whisper to me that he was armed and then proceed to "display" his firearm. SVG and I set up an OC tent at this years Oyster Run. We must have had fifty sixty people do the same thing, over and over. "I'm concealing, See?" would be the accompanying line. "Not anymore!" was our reply.

I think they are all closet Open Carriers that really want to hang it out there, but are, for some reason, afraid to indulge in the Freedom. Proving that they are armed is the creepy part. I need help in understanding this compulsion they have.

How often, if ever, does this happen to you?

My money says that, as carriers, they feel a certain comradeship when they see your gun. Sort of a "Hey! There's another gun guy."

My guess is that most of them are just trying to be friendly by showing something they hold in common with you.

I would take it as an unintentional compliment that a CCer showed me his hardware and wanted to demonstrate common ground.
 

hjon71

New member
Joined
Mar 14, 2015
Messages
16
Location
US
It happened to me once. He's an old friend, so I gave a quick look around while saying "Geez man put that thing away. Are you trying to scare everybody?"
We both laughed and got some strange looks
:-\

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk
 
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Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
Yep. Every single time I've been approached by another carrier they have always shown me what they're carrying. Like its a secret decoder ring or something.
Most of them I knew they were carrying because they suck at concealing. You've all seen it.
It makes it funny/frustrating because these are the same guys that bash OC on other forums. For one of the least tolerant sites take a look at NWFA.org

That website appears to be the National Wood Flooring Association? :confused:

Lol at the decoder ring comment. I agree about the CCers. Some just mention that they normally carry (if they're working at the moment) while others mention that they own one (and leave it at home:().
Only had one CCer pull out his Ruger LCP to show myself and a friend who had just finished up at a MAD mommies counterprotest in Tucson. The muzzle never swept us, but I got a little nervous with the guy handling a loaded sidearm (he said it was loaded. No holster of any sort was visible, but at least his pocket was empty of all things except his sidearm.

My money says that, as carriers, they feel a certain comradeship when they see your gun. Sort of a "Hey! There's another gun guy."

My guess is that most of them are just trying to be friendly by showing something they hold in common with you.

I would take it as an unintentional compliment that a CCer showed me his hardware and wanted to demonstrate common ground.

I thought this as well. Kind of like the "secret decoder ring" comment made by decklin. Just a thought: Perhaps the comment is more true than it seems at first glance?

Let's think of it this way: anyone can SAY they support the 2A/carry, but only a "true" supporter* carries a sidearm, right?:lol: So they tell you they support the 2A, then they show you the equivalent of a secret handshake or, well, decoder ring.:p



*Not trying to disparage anyone, just using the analogy of a "true" member of a super-secret club being privy to the "secret decoder ring" of the club. :p
 

mnrobitaille

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
374
Location
Kahlotus, WA
I do a combination of OC/CC, it just depends on where all I plan on going. The majority of the time when OCing I'm doing so via an IWB holster, as the OWB holster I have is a big, bulky & cumbersome at times (really sticks out).

Thankfully as of yet I have not had a person comment along the lines of:
You've shown me yours, now how about I show you mine!

When CCing, I know the idea for carrying that way is to not draw attention to myself.
 

Firearms Iinstuctor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3,428
Location
northern wis
Here in the northland a jacket or heavy coat is common and needed most of the year.

During the cooler months most of them by the way, CC is just a matter of the weather.

I have had a couple people approach me and have them say they carry concealed. I never had one take their firearm out but they patted their concealing garment.

I chat with them and hand them a business card.

If some one wanted to take their firearm out I would so whoa this is not the place.

I think it is more I am one you things then anything else,
 

utbagpiper

Banned
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
4,061
Location
Utah
My money says that, as carriers, they feel a certain comradeship when they see your gun.
...
I would take it as an unintentional compliment that a CCer showed me his hardware and wanted to demonstrate common ground.

Let's think of it this way: anyone can SAY they support the 2A/carry, but only a "true" supporter* carries a sidearm, right?:lol: So they tell you they support the 2A, then they show you the equivalent of a secret handshake or, well, decoder ring.

I think it is more I am one you things then anything else,


+1

I really like these insights. I like seeing so many who assume some good in a fellow carrier rather than being too quick to condemn or to look for reason to condemn.

A person who CCs is not our opponent (in most cases). Rather, he is likely to be a 90% ally; maybe even a 100% ally even if he doesn't choose to OC himself.
 

fire suppressor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
870
Location
Kitsap County
I've been open carrying for 8 years and I have never had that happen. It's easy to laugh or talk down to theses people but our open carry confidence is obviously higher than theirs. It can be difficult to start with open carry, maybe theses interactions will help give theses people the confidence to make the transition
 
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