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First OC Experience, and a question.

Paragon

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So I decided to try it out for the first time this afternoon. I went to a gas station, Starbucks, Walmart (for a very short period, I just needed to grab one thing), and McDonalds. Overall, a great experience. I got a few looks in starbucks, and one in walmart, but other than that, no one seemed to really care.

For those of you who are in the same situation as me, I.E. open carrying and not having a CCW permit, what do you do when you get back in your car? I had no idea, so I played it safe and unloaded it, leaving the slide to the rear on the passenger seat. What do you guys recommend? I'm right handed, so in the event I got pulled over, I doubt a cop would see it at 3:00. The last thing I want is to get my weapon confiscated and get charged with illegally concealing a weapon.
 

dubccat51

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You did perfect except you don't have to unload the pistol while it is sitting in your passenger seat. If you would have left it holstered an officer could have said it was concealed from his view. You do have to put it on the passenger seat or on the dash if you do not have a permit but North Carolina Law does not distinguish between a loaded or unloaded firearm so it can be loaded. Great Job!!!
 

Mike

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dubccat51 wrote:
You did perfect except you don't have to unload the pistol while it is sitting in your passenger seat. If you would have left it holstered an officer could have said it was concealed from his view. You do have to put it on the passenger seat or on the dash if you do not have a permit but North Carolina Law does not distinguish between a loaded or unloaded firearm so it can be loaded. Great Job!!!
I think an openly carried loaded gun in a hip holster would fine too in NC - just make sure the seat belt does not hide the gun :cool:
 

Paragon

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My worry with leaving it on my hip is that if I were to be pulled over, it would be in between myself and my center console, and pretty well obstructed from view. I'm going to look into a solution to keep it on the dash (don't want it sliding around, and don't feel like asking my wife to hold it when we go around). Thanks guys!
 

jeepinbanditrider

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Paragon wrote:
My worry with leaving it on my hip is that if I were to be pulled over, it would be in between myself and my center console, and pretty well obstructed from view. I'm going to look into a solution to keep it on the dash (don't want it sliding around, and don't feel like asking my wife to hold it when we go around). Thanks guys!
Take your XDGEAR holster and velcro or permanatly attach it in someway to the dash. Easy access, it's plainly visible, AND it won't slide all over the place.
 

Paragon

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I was thinking about doing just that with the XD gear holster, now that I got a decent one (picked up a galco yesterday). I've been open carrying for a few days now though, without any incident.
 

Paragon

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I've got the same one you do (not sure of your color, mine's black). You're right though, they are great guns.
 

dubccat51

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Paragon wrote:
I've got the same one you do (not sure of your color, mine's black). You're right though, they are great guns.
Mine is black as well. I originally wanted to get a SA Champion Model 1911 but being in college the XD is just as good and maybe better of a self-defense firearm for half the price. I think whendeer gunseason comes in this year, if a deer comes inside 25 yards, I'm gonna try it out on something other than paper.
 

dubccat51

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[align=left]Straight from the NC Hunting/Fishing Regulations Digest:[/align]
[align=left]Deer, bear and wild boar may be taken with a handgun during the established gun hunting season provided that the handgun is not less than .24-caliber.Muzzleloading pistols are not legal for hunting.[/align]
 

vmathis12019

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.24 Cal??? Here in Bama it's .40, and you can't have more than 10 rounds in the gun. I think the fine is the same as if you don't have a plug in the magazine tube of your shotgun while bird hunting... but I'm not sure

Anyway, I have the XD .45 compact. More concealable, and pretty affordable. Only a few mods done to it and it's a great combat handgun.
 

DreQo

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Welcome to the world of open carry! As far as your question, they already answered it for ya. Just place it on the seat or on the dash, and the holster idea is a good one. Out of curiosity, are you planning to get your CCW permit?
 

Paragon

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If I wasn't going to be moving out of NC in a few months, I would definitly get my CCW permit. However, I'm moving to Maryland in the beginning of Jan. and I don't see much point to applying for one now. I'll probably apply for a FL non-resident once I get to MD, for when I leave the state.
 

Paragon

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I can have a gun, no problem, but I can't get a CCW permit unless I have multipule recent death threats documented by police, or I own a business. In the case of the business, I could only carry if I was at work or moving cash. So, I won't be seeing a CCW permit there until some policies get changed.
 

DreQo

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Paragon wrote:
I can have a gun, no problem, but I can't get a CCW permit unless I have multipule recent death threats documented by police, or I own a business. In the case of the business, I could only carry if I was at work or moving cash. So, I won't be seeing a CCW permit there until some policies get changed.
Maybe we can help you out and throw some random threats your direction!! :D
 

sccrref

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Paragon wrote:
My worry with leaving it on my hip is that if I were to be pulled over, it would be in between myself and my center console, and pretty well obstructed from view. I'm going to look into a solution to keep it on the dash (don't want it sliding around, and don't feel like asking my wife to hold it when we go around). Thanks guys!
Someone on another thread suggested getting an in pocket type holder and attatching it to the shoulder strap of the seatbelt. This would work for a med size gun but not sure how it would do for a larger frame model.
 

DreQo

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sccrref wrote:
Paragon wrote:
My worry with leaving it on my hip is that if I were to be pulled over, it would be in between myself and my center console, and pretty well obstructed from view. I'm going to look into a solution to keep it on the dash (don't want it sliding around, and don't feel like asking my wife to hold it when we go around). Thanks guys!
Someone on another thread suggested getting an in pocket type holder and attatching it to the shoulder strap of the seatbelt. This would work for a med size gun but not sure how it would do for a larger frame model.

Depending on where on the seatbelt you put that, it could cause some issues in the case of a car accident (especially if you have airbags).

Another thing to keep in mind is that the weapon only needs to be visible when someone approaches your vehicle. Now this is not in the law, but logically no one is going to have to see in your car while you're driving down the road. It has been suggested to me BY A LEO that you simply leave it in your holster unless you get pulled over. If you do happened to get pulled over, move the weapon into the passenger seat BEFORE THE LEO EXITS THEIR VEHICLE. You don't want to have the gun in your hand while the LEO can see you...bad ju-ju.

This isn't the perfect answer, but it IS an option for ya. It's what I ended up doing until I got my CCW permit, and guess what? I never got pulled over :).
 
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