protector84
Regular Member
imported post
I decided to go ahead and take the CCW class because there are situations where I do prefer concealed carry. I prefer open carry when anonymous in public placesbut when I'm around people I know not all of whom are that comfortable with firearms, I prefer to just keep the gun itself hidden. The class did seem to be beneficial as it covered quite a few relevant topics related to defensive shooting and firearms laws. However, the instructor was not very OC-friendly. I am wondering if others here who have taken these classes have run into the same thing. I don't think the instructor liked me in his class as much as the others because I did bring up to several of the other students on breaks that I regularly OC and it caused people to ask about it in class who were previously in the dark about it. The instructor basically kept saying that it is legal but the general public could consider it "brandishing" and cause an unwanted police encounter. I have OCed hundreds if not thousands of times by now and only had one actual police encounter related specifically to the fact that I was carrying. The reason was that I was carrying where guns were prohibited by the establishment yet since no sign was present or too small to see, they could only ask me to leave and return without the weapon. The police politely scolded the management for not having posted signs and wasting their time.
Back to the point, I certainly see a benefit to CC when you want to remain anonymous as a gun owner in certain social circles or certain public places and perhaps where you reside. I have always felt that OC is more practical and would actually like to also OC the pepperspray I currently CC and need a holster for that. I have personally been tested on the benefits of OC in real-life situations because when I needed to pull out the pepperspray, it took substantially longer than it should have because it was CC in my pocket. Basically, the CC curriculum seems to imply to the students that they need a permit to carry a gun which is not true. Pretty much everyone in the class was new to handguns and had never carried before in public outside of hunting grounds. Basically, everyone is there because they would like to start carrying yet few if any were previously aware that they already could carry but just not concealed. People broke for lunch and most went to a fast food place. I brought a lunch so I didn't go with the class but I should have gone and carried openly just to see what the reactions would be. The students would have been positive but I already knew the instructor had an attitude when I told him I carry openly.
So what is the deal here? Why is there so much of an attitude against OCers by CCers? I have noticed that when I run into anti-OC attitudes in public places it is usually not by anti-gunners but by GUN OWNERS who CC. At a restaurant, one even had the nerve to come up to me and show me his CCW permit as if he had some kind of authority due to his permit. I have two theores on this and I'm hoping others can chime in here. One theory is the revenue system. If the general public knows they can carry openly without a permit, they will likely start carrying a gun when they need to and then later get the CCW permit at their convenience like I have done. This of course will cause less of a demand for students in the class which means less money. Don't get me wrong as I think it is a good class but I believe that consumers need to be educated about all of the options they have available including open carry without taking the class. There are probably a lot of women out there who are being stalked and run to a gun shop to get a gun but end up waiting weeks before they carry it due to scheduling the class and waiting for the CCW permit to arrive when they could start carrying their gun openly the same day they buy it. The second theory is a superiority complex. Those who have the permit and CC feel special and entitled because they have invested time and money and been proven "worthy" by the authorities. So when a non-permit holder walks by them carrying a huge revolver with a super long barrel, it hurts their ego complex.
I think all of us have noticed how people are always asking "Do you have a permit?" for our guns and even I thought originally that you had to have a permit to carry weapons. Unlike most of the public, I did my homework and found out that OC is legal and started OCing a large knife before I became a gun owner. Enough said. Any thoughts on this?
I decided to go ahead and take the CCW class because there are situations where I do prefer concealed carry. I prefer open carry when anonymous in public placesbut when I'm around people I know not all of whom are that comfortable with firearms, I prefer to just keep the gun itself hidden. The class did seem to be beneficial as it covered quite a few relevant topics related to defensive shooting and firearms laws. However, the instructor was not very OC-friendly. I am wondering if others here who have taken these classes have run into the same thing. I don't think the instructor liked me in his class as much as the others because I did bring up to several of the other students on breaks that I regularly OC and it caused people to ask about it in class who were previously in the dark about it. The instructor basically kept saying that it is legal but the general public could consider it "brandishing" and cause an unwanted police encounter. I have OCed hundreds if not thousands of times by now and only had one actual police encounter related specifically to the fact that I was carrying. The reason was that I was carrying where guns were prohibited by the establishment yet since no sign was present or too small to see, they could only ask me to leave and return without the weapon. The police politely scolded the management for not having posted signs and wasting their time.
Back to the point, I certainly see a benefit to CC when you want to remain anonymous as a gun owner in certain social circles or certain public places and perhaps where you reside. I have always felt that OC is more practical and would actually like to also OC the pepperspray I currently CC and need a holster for that. I have personally been tested on the benefits of OC in real-life situations because when I needed to pull out the pepperspray, it took substantially longer than it should have because it was CC in my pocket. Basically, the CC curriculum seems to imply to the students that they need a permit to carry a gun which is not true. Pretty much everyone in the class was new to handguns and had never carried before in public outside of hunting grounds. Basically, everyone is there because they would like to start carrying yet few if any were previously aware that they already could carry but just not concealed. People broke for lunch and most went to a fast food place. I brought a lunch so I didn't go with the class but I should have gone and carried openly just to see what the reactions would be. The students would have been positive but I already knew the instructor had an attitude when I told him I carry openly.
So what is the deal here? Why is there so much of an attitude against OCers by CCers? I have noticed that when I run into anti-OC attitudes in public places it is usually not by anti-gunners but by GUN OWNERS who CC. At a restaurant, one even had the nerve to come up to me and show me his CCW permit as if he had some kind of authority due to his permit. I have two theores on this and I'm hoping others can chime in here. One theory is the revenue system. If the general public knows they can carry openly without a permit, they will likely start carrying a gun when they need to and then later get the CCW permit at their convenience like I have done. This of course will cause less of a demand for students in the class which means less money. Don't get me wrong as I think it is a good class but I believe that consumers need to be educated about all of the options they have available including open carry without taking the class. There are probably a lot of women out there who are being stalked and run to a gun shop to get a gun but end up waiting weeks before they carry it due to scheduling the class and waiting for the CCW permit to arrive when they could start carrying their gun openly the same day they buy it. The second theory is a superiority complex. Those who have the permit and CC feel special and entitled because they have invested time and money and been proven "worthy" by the authorities. So when a non-permit holder walks by them carrying a huge revolver with a super long barrel, it hurts their ego complex.
I think all of us have noticed how people are always asking "Do you have a permit?" for our guns and even I thought originally that you had to have a permit to carry weapons. Unlike most of the public, I did my homework and found out that OC is legal and started OCing a large knife before I became a gun owner. Enough said. Any thoughts on this?