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What does "Open Carry" really mean?

ChanFu

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Is it an affirmation of our Second Amendment rights?

Or something more interesting? Since I'm the newbie here, I challenge you old timers to validate doing it. Not the RIGHT to do it, but just doing it. Are we simply expressing and validating the RIGHT or are we being totally offensive, scary idjit, frightening little kids in harmless places like public restaurants? Seriously! Are we simply encouraging challenges? It's for damn sure we're not "protecting" ourselves. I've never read about anyone being mugged while eating a chicken sandwich or trying on a pair of jeans in JC Penneys. Am I missing something, or is this public display of cold steel penises just another ruse?

Sure, we CAN strap on our Iron Dildos, but do we need to do that just to prove we CAN? I have a CCP and can carry open (I live in Va.) , but hell - I hardly EVER do it. There's just no need unless I'm venturing into unknown territory and there's damn little of that around these parts. So what is it? I support open carry and CC, but what am I supposed to do to demonstrate that? Pack double 1911's open on my belt, double CZ2075's under my belt and double NA .380's on my ankles? If I fell into a mud puddle with alll that iron, I'd frikkin' drown!

I walked into a 7-11 the other day with my Taurus 1911 holstered after a trip to the range. The poor Indian lady who was tending the counter noticed it and almost fainted. People are scared of people. And people are scared of guns. But people are more scared of people with guns. So don't be scary. Carry concealed and just forget you're doing it - don't scare people and don't focus on your xxxxxx gun. Let it be something like a swiss army knife that's there when you need it, not something that you think about all the time.

I'm trying to figure this place out, so forgive me if I've over-reacted.

--edited for language--
 

Hawkflyer

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Prince William County, Virginia, USA
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ChanFu wrote:
Is it an affirmation of our Second Amendment rights?

Or something more interesting? Since I'm the newbie here, I challenge you old timers to validate doing it. Not the RIGHT to do it, but just doing it. Are we simply expressing and validating the RIGHT or are we being totally offensive, scary idjit, frightening little kids in harmless places like public restaurants? Seriously! Are we simply encouraging challenges? It's for damn sure we're not "protecting" ourselves. I've never read about anyone being mugged while eating a chicken sandwich or trying on a pair of jeans in JC Penneys. Am I missing something, or is this public display of cold steel penises just another ruse?

Sure, we CAN strap on our Iron Dildos, but do we need to do that just to prove we CAN? I have a CCP and can carry open (I live in Va.) , but hell - I hardly EVER do it. There's just no need unless I'm venturing into unknown territory and there's damn little of that around these parts. So what is it? I support open carry and CC, but what am I supposed to do to demonstrate that? Pack double 1911's open on my belt, double CZ2075's under my belt and double NA .380's on my ankles? If I fell into a mud puddle with alll that iron, I'd frikkin' drown!

I walked into a 7-11 the other day with my Taurus 1911 holstered after a trip to the range. The poor Indian lady who was tending the counter noticed it and almost fainted. People are scared of people. And people are scared of guns. But people are more scared of people with guns. So don't be scary. Carry concealed and just forget you're doing it - don't scare people and don't focus on your xxxxx gun. Let it be something like a swiss army knife that's there when you need it, not something that you think about all the time.

I'm trying to figure this place out, so forgive me if I've over-reacted.

I will start by welcoming you to the form.

I will quickly point out that you are very wrong. People have in fact been shot "while eating a chicken sandwich" Ever hear of the Lubys restaurant in Texas? That is just a single example.

This sort of thing can happen at any time in any place. I for one am armed at all times so that I can defend myself and others. That includes your so called frightened citizen's. In the Lbbys incident there were people who had to sit by and watch as there family was gunned down knowing full well that they could do nothing because Texas law forced them to leave their weapon in the car. I personally believe that OC can deter crime and there should be more of it. If is frightens people then they need to be educated to the truth and thelaw.

Regards
 

Flintlock

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Alaska, USA
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ChanFu wrote:
Is it an affirmation of our Second Amendment rights?

Or something more interesting? Since I'm the newbie here, I challenge you old timers to validate doing it. Not the RIGHT to do it, but just doing it. Are we simply expressing and validating the RIGHT or are we being totally offensive, scary idjit, frightening little kids in harmless places like public restaurants? Seriously! Are we simply encouraging challenges? It's for damn sure we're not "protecting" ourselves. I've never read about anyone being mugged while eating a chicken sandwich or trying on a pair of jeans in JC Penneys. Am I missing something, or is this public display of cold steel penises just another ruse?

Sure, we CAN strap on our Iron Dildos, but do we need to do that just to prove we CAN? I have a CCP and can carry open (I live in Va.) , but hell - I hardly EVER do it. There's just no need unless I'm venturing into unknown territory and there's damn little of that around these parts. So what is it? I support open carry and CC, but what am I supposed to do to demonstrate that? Pack double 1911's open on my belt, double CZ2075's under my belt and double NA .380's on my ankles? If I fell into a mud puddle with alll that iron, I'd frikkin' drown!

I walked into a 7-11 the other day with my Taurus 1911 holstered after a trip to the range. The poor Indian lady who was tending the counter noticed it and almost fainted. People are scared of people. And people are scared of guns. But people are more scared of people with guns. So don't be scary. Carry concealed and just forget you're doing it - don't scare people and don't focus on your xxxxx gun. Let it be something like a swiss army knife that's there when you need it, not something that you think about all the time.

I'm trying to figure this place out, so forgive me if I've over-reacted.

Well, it appears you are putting a lot of stock into what others feel or think about your actions and for someone who claims to support the practice, I have a hard time seeing that in your post. Sometimes, you simply cannot do anything about how others are going to feel about things that you do. Sometimes, people have scary haircuts and weardisturbing clothing in public, but does that stop them even though it may bother me?

You live in Virginia where the only way to carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol is to carry in theopen, so I don't see how you even really have a choice if you are one to carry for the purposes of self-preservation. It is common in your state, or at least as common a practice as there is in the country. Police are used to it, businesses are used to it, and frankly, most citizens are used to it. I know, I lived there for 11 years.

As a supporter of carry in any form, I will say that the main reasons I carry openly is for ease of draw, comfort, desensitization of society to the excercising of a constitutionally protected right, political purposes, and yes, as you said,simply because I can. I excercise this right the same as I would to vote or write letters to my legislators.

Quite simply, what you are implying is that there is actually something wrong with the practice and that it must be justified. I reject that notion entirely. And to go further than that, I would suggest that those that wish to be frightened over the sight of a firearmare either completely ignorant of their own right to do so, completely ufamiliar with firearms in general, or are simply against the right that exists and wish for it to be restricted.

Lastly, I have never had a :what:in any way, shape, or form while carrying openly. If I did, it may be a great opportunity to inform others of the practice as opposed to carrying concealed, therefore never gainingthat chance. If you are afraid to excercise your rights, then why are they worth defending?

By the way, things do happen at fast food places and JC Penny's.

http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_11088356

http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_11088356
 

XD40coyote

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What about women open carrying? Steel penises? LOL

And I LOL'd at the part about dual 1911's, 2 cz's, and the .380's on the ankles, but you left out the right and left shoulder holsters, the 2 thigh rigs, the shoe gun, the single shot pen gun,and the headband holster.
 

protector84

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Oct 6, 2007
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Arizona, U.S.
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I find it strange that a simple practice of carryinga weapon has to be so critiqued, questioned, and analyzed. Call it selfish but I don't really care what strangers think of me. I only care up to the point where it will cause me difficulty. That is why I don't OC in places where I know it will cause a disturbance which is not the case in most places. If you live your life to suit other people then you are not free. I comb my hair a certain way, wear certain clothes, and carry weapons a certain way because that is what I feel comfortable with not to please others who I don't even know.

Instead of people wondering why armed citizens OC, the real question should be why armed citizens CC. A gun is simply a tool and not too many years ago, nobody really made huge deals out of guns. Schools used to even teach about guns and gun safety. Seeing a gun on someone's hip would not cause anyone to bat an eye. Unfortunately now people are so conditioned about guns, they glamorize guns in violent movies and TV shows, schools and workplaces are afraid that the mere mention of the word gun means someone is planning on bringing mayhem, and no longer do people kill with guns but somehow the gun now magically makes people go out and kill.

If people choose to have warped views on firearms then that is their business just as it is my business to carry how I see fit. If someone is "on the fence" about gun ownership I am always happy to educate them to the best of my abilities. However, I am not a psychologist so I am not able to give other people a reality check. If some old lady bursts in to tears or some man starts shivering and stammering becausethey happen to see a man with a holstered pistol then as far as I'm concerned these people are mental cases. I am not the one who is screwed up if I am lawfully, peaceably, and responsibly going about my business with a legally carried firearm. Someone who is terrified of an inanimate object needs to get help. My solution to someone who is afraid of someone else with a gun is to buy and carry their own gun and not to ask the other person to hide theirs or disarm. What our society needs to bring back is personal responsibility and dump this touchy-feely crap we have been indoctrinated with.
 

texanego

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i'm way too trusting of other people, and i have the opposite impression. violence occurs frequently enough, everywhere, to justify a 2-5 pound weight on your hip. it's been that way since before humans existed. i think you should justify NOT being armed more than the other way around.
 

Orygunner

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Jun 5, 2008
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Springfield, Oregon, USA
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Hi ChanFu, I also welcome you to the OCDO Forums!

First, I certainly hope this isn't a "drive by" as we call it, where you post your opinion and never post again. There's far too much of that around here, and it's frustrating for someone to pose questions and comments such as yours and we feel like our responses are only being read by the choir. Please, stick around and discuss!

First and foremost, I now carry a gun to protect myself and my family. I hadthought about it from time to time over the last 10 years, and earlier this year, I finally decided I'd have my head stuck in the sand long enough and it was time to start carrying a firearm for protection. So, my reason, and I believe the reason of almost everyone that carries a gun is primarily for self-defense.

Once I decided to carry a firearm, my first thought was to carry it concealed. Why call attention to myself or cause problems? Then I found OCDO, started reading, and came to some realizations:

The decision to carry concealed or open is a personal choice. I've seen both sides of the "Tactical Advantage/Disadvantage" argument, and each has it's good and bad points. For my situation I don't feel I need to take the tactical perspective into consideration.

The second main aspect to concealed carry is the SOCIAL advantage/disadvantage. If you carry concealed, you're just the same as everyone else. Not standing out in the crowd, nobody around you knows you're carrying, and you're not drawing any extra attention to yourself. Open carry does create a social disadvantage in many respects and makes some gun carriers uncomfortable. I know it did me at first!There's a chance some people may overreact or freak out. You may be confronted by store owners or managers and asked to leave or cover your sidearm. Others may be interested and strike up conversation about guns, or (most commonly) ask if you're a Cop. There's even a small chance of anegativeencounterwith Law Enforcement Officers who aren't familiar with the law and overstep their bounds (and step on your rights).

The most common reason I have seen that others such as yourself don't approve of Open Carry is "it scares people." If carrying a gun openly DIDN'T scare people, then what opposition could you have against it?

THAT is why I open carry sometimes. I want to help change public perception about firearms owners to show that good, average, law-abiding citizens DO carry firearms and take responsibility for our own protection. This is NEVER going to happen if we continue to only carry concealed!

All we've done by concealing our firearms for the past several decades is take them out of the public eye so that the average person doesn't think about them anymore. We now have generations of sheeple that think calling 911 is their best form of self defense and that have never seen anyone but the police carrying guns openly. Where do they get their perception of guns? Movies. TV News. Newspapers. Anti-Gun politicians. And we know what kind of negative spin THOSE sources put on firearms They've been successful in changing public opinion against firearms. We have to start changing it back or our rights will continue to suffer.

Open carry is the ONLY WAY I believe we are going to reverse this negative social stigma about firearms.And I think it's working.

I carry concealed all the time (except at work, damn company policy) because I usually prefer the social advantages, especially around my wife & in-laws. Whenever I'm not around them, I carry openly when I leave the house to do errands or go shopping. I've had ZERO negative experiences, about 6 people have asked me if I'm a cop, 4 have started conversations about guns (asking what I'm carrying, etc.), and only one issue in Joe's Sporting Goods, where I was asked to remove the magazine (that was kind of strange, that's a thread on that in the Oregon forum).

If you or anyone else has a better idea to favorably change public perception about guns besides hiding "in the closet" with our firearms, I'd love to hear it.

...And why the fixation on male genitalia? Didn't Freud say "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."?...
...Orygunner...
 

Orygunner

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protector84 wrote:
I find it strange that a simple practice of carryinga weapon has to be so critiqued, questioned, and analyzed. Call it selfish but I don't really care what strangers think of me. I only care up to the point where it will cause me difficulty. That is why I don't OC in places where I know it will cause a disturbance which is not the case in most places. If you live your life to suit other people then you are not free. I comb my hair a certain way, wear certain clothes, and carry weapons a certain way because that is what I feel comfortable with not to please others who I don't even know.

Instead of people wondering why armed citizens OC, the real question should be why armed citizens CC. A gun is simply a tool and not too many years ago, nobody really made huge deals out of guns. Schools used to even teach about guns and gun safety. Seeing a gun on someone's hip would not cause anyone to bat an eye. Unfortunately now people are so conditioned about guns, they glamorize guns in violent movies and TV shows, schools and workplaces are afraid that the mere mention of the word gun means someone is planning on bringing mayhem, and no longer do people kill with guns but somehow the gun now magically makes people go out and kill.

If people choose to have warped views on firearms then that is their business just as it is my business to carry how I see fit. If someone is "on the fence" about gun ownership I am always happy to educate them to the best of my abilities. However, I am not a psychologist so I am not able to give other people a reality check. If some old lady bursts in to tears or some man starts shivering and stammering becausethey happen to see a man with a holstered pistol then as far as I'm concerned these people are mental cases. I am not the one who is screwed up if I am lawfully, peaceably, and responsibly going about my business with a legally carried firearm. Someone who is terrified of an inanimate object needs to get help. My solution to someone who is afraid of someone else with a gun is to buy and carry their own gun and not to ask the other person to hide theirs or disarm. What our society needs to bring back is personal responsibility and dump this touchy-feely crap we have been indoctrinated with.

I can't +1 this enough.

...Orygunner...
 

Grapeshot

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I have little patience for new posters that jump in with insults and challenges. Reasonable questions and an interest in understanding is one thing; out right rudeness is another.

Appreciate that some of you want to give benefit of the doubt to such and I won't criticize you for that. I offer welcomes and encouragement whenever the opportunity arises except when an attack is levied straight to the heart of the matter. I encourage that type of poster to whither and blow away.

Troll, driveby, rabid anti or just smart a55 - I have no sympathy for them. Others earn their bones and gain credibility through their postings - that I respect.

I try to never be personally insulting and expect/demand the same from others. Jus' saying.

Yata hey
 

VAopencarry

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I open carry everyday and do not scare anybody. The penis thing , now that's original. You support open carry? HA with 'friends' like you we do not need enemy's. Like most anti OC'ers and anti gun people. You make many, many erroneous assumptions. Why do you have to 'strap on' so many guns to support open carry? Why do women OC, they want to be men with peni?

People open carry for a variety of reasons. I OC because I do not like screwing around with an IWB holster or figuring out how to 'dress' around my firearm. If it gets concealed due to how I am dressed, fine. If it isn't concealed, that's fine too.

You are not trying to figure out anything, as evidenced by your OC pontification. May the fleas of 1,000 camels infest your armpits.
 

Walleye

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Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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Wait, I must be doing something wrong.

I though "open carry" referred to letting my gonads hang out as desired, no matter what anyone else thought.




Uh-oh. :what:
 

modificationvt

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Burlington, ,
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a right unexercised is a right lost. The only reason there is the threat that some one might freak out when they see someone open carrying is because the only exposure to guns they have is the news when a gun is used illegally. If you only ever see Cops and bad guys with guns you start to think that only cops and bad guys own guns. by seeing good people (non LEO) with guns you can start to teach people that good people have guns too. this helps everyone in the gun comunity...if people only assume that BG and cops have guns and you have an accident while CC (shirt gets caught on something) or your gun prints you can expect cops to show up. If people know that its legal to carry a gun, there is less of a chance of that happening. (and dont tell me your are 100% concealed 100% of the time.) unless your CC piece is a NAA revolver you will have a slip up at some point (you just might not know it)
 

SouthernBoy

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protector84 wrote:
I find it strange that a simple practice of carryinga weapon has to be so critiqued, questioned, and analyzed. Call it selfish but I don't really care what strangers think of me. I only care up to the point where it will cause me difficulty. That is why I don't OC in places where I know it will cause a disturbance which is not the case in most places. If you live your life to suit other people then you are not free. I comb my hair a certain way, wear certain clothes, and carry weapons a certain way because that is what I feel comfortable with not to please others who I don't even know.

Instead of people wondering why armed citizens OC, the real question should be why armed citizens CC. A gun is simply a tool and not too many years ago, nobody really made huge deals out of guns. Schools used to even teach about guns and gun safety. Seeing a gun on someone's hip would not cause anyone to bat an eye. Unfortunately now people are so conditioned about guns, they glamorize guns in violent movies and TV shows, schools and workplaces are afraid that the mere mention of the word gun means someone is planning on bringing mayhem, and no longer do people kill with guns but somehow the gun now magically makes people go out and kill.

If people choose to have warped views on firearms then that is their business just as it is my business to carry how I see fit. If someone is "on the fence" about gun ownership I am always happy to educate them to the best of my abilities. However, I am not a psychologist so I am not able to give other people a reality check. If some old lady bursts in to tears or some man starts shivering and stammering becausethey happen to see a man with a holstered pistol then as far as I'm concerned these people are mental cases. I am not the one who is screwed up if I am lawfully, peaceably, and responsibly going about my business with a legally carried firearm. Someone who is terrified of an inanimate object needs to get help. My solution to someone who is afraid of someone else with a gun is to buy and carry their own gun and not to ask the other person to hide theirs or disarm. What our society needs to bring back is personal responsibility and dump this touchy-feely crap we have been indoctrinated with.
My friend, you are pretty much dead on with this post. I could pick out a number of points you have made which bear special note. But I must say, it is your final sentence that carries the day.
 

compmanio365

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Troll. Check out the 7 posts he has in his profile and tell me you don't think the same. He has one purpose here, to cause trouble, so lets all just ignore him, shall we? Seems the antis are getting bold with their new messiah getting into office soon.
 

SouthernBoy

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I would normally welcome new members on board and wish them success in finding this site informative and helpful to their questions and needs.

But in the case of our new OP, I find it hard to imagine why he, or anyone, would join a site with a specific trust/direction/agenda and then take a somewhat opposite position to the fundamental reasons for the site's existence. One might equate this to someone who joins a car enthusiast site, then chastises members for owning and driving high performance machinery. Can we spell "oxymoron" here?

One does not ingratiate one's self with others by starting right off rubbing them the wrong way. Dialogue is great. Opinions can be most interesting. But the other tends to leave a rough taste in the mouth. People gravitate to those of the same likes and interests.. it's simple human nature and it's a good thing. Consequently, there is a natural defensive reaction to those who are viewed as outsiders who are not of a mind to fit in and become as one with the other members. Once again.. human nature.

I would suggest the OP's interests may be better served by joining a CC site where there he might find people who think and believe as he does. I do both, though I OC more than I CC for reasons already well stated by others here. And interestingly, it has been my experience that CC'ers tend to be somewhat bigotted in their treatment of OC'ers and OC'ing. Funny.. we don't do that here. We all support both methods of carry.

I wish the OP well and hope that if he choses to stay a while, that he will peruse a number of the forum topical threads to learn what he have here.
 

DopaVash

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Nobody who supports Gun rights refers to firearms a Iron Dildos. Funny that this person is so insecure about his manhood that he has to compare them as such. Troll, do not feed.
 

SouthernBoy

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Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
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DopaVash wrote:
Nobody who supports Gun rights refers to firearms a Iron Dildos. Funny that this person is so insecure about his manhood that he has to compare them as such. Troll, do not feed.
The comparison between small penises and the loving of and carrying firearms is nothing new. In more contemporary times, there was a letter in the '60's in Playboy magazine about this very issue and comparison that caused quite a reaction in subsequent issue's letter columns.

Fact is, to make such a comparison is about as valid as claiming a large mixing bowl relates to a vagina fixation. Gotta wonder about sexual comparisons to such things.
 

Kevin Jensen

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Feb 23, 2007
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Santaquin, Utah, USA
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...and all this time I thought my love for firearms and my small penis was just a coincidence.

Now I realize I need a bigger gun, and more of them. Did he say I need to carry six of them???

Better be safe and carry eight... :banghead:
 
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