Open carry "worked" well.

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I was carrying openly while out picking up posters from our garage sale. I parked on the corner of Lowery and Penn Aves N and got out with my 5 year old daughter. Approaching us on Lowery were 2, well, uh, potentially not well-intentioned individuals. They slowed down as they got to my car and kind of "hung out" for a moment, without letting their eyes leave us. I had them in view the entire time, while carrying on a pleasant conversation with my daughter. I am left handed, hence, my carry gun, the remarkably outstanding, accurate, and did I mention, large, P7, was not immediately visible to them. We were about 45 feet from them as we reached the corner. While my daughter grabbed the signs, I casually turned about 115 degrees. I paused, making sure they saw my gun, silhouetted nicely against a white shirt, and rested my hand, innocently enough, on the pistol as I continued to make small talk with my daughter.

Their demeanor changed dramatically and an animated conversation took place between them. One said, in not-quite-a-whisper-end-of-exchange-way, "Damn, that is a big gun, Nxxxxr! I'm out." As I led my daughter around a large column on the sidewalk to keep the distance manageable if things got hinky, they were on the move in their original direction. As they passed, we were now on the street side of my car, one remarked, "Evenin' officer" with eyes straight ahead. The other guy had his head bowed.

Now, I am not the brightest bulb in the drawer, but I have a small suspicion that my openly carried firearm may have refocused these particular gentlemen’s intentions. Thoughts?

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Sounds like there's no doubt about it. Good situational awareness mobyclarke.

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Sounds like another of the open carry prevents crime that never happens according to Dianne Sawyer!

Be careful with resting your hand on the sidearm tho, it could be construed as brandishing by the wrong person.

Great SA! Good job!

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Putting a hand on it, even if you don't draw may be construed as brandishing, I occasionally rest my elbow/forearm on the top of my 45 which I think would bring a BG's eyes to it but with the hand not touching it would be hard to claim as brandishing.

Legalities aside I think you may well be right, you could have been a potential stickup target, they may have thought "this guy won't cause us any hassle with his kid there, he'll just give up the wallet and cell and we be gone" The difference in this scenario versus the other was they saw the pistol and put 2 and 2 together (and got 5) that you were a cop and thought best to pick on someone else.

As others have said good SA, there's no substitute for keeping your eyes and ears open (and as us pilots say) keeping your head on a swivel.

hope the garage sale was profitable too by the way.

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Thankfully, in MN, we do not have a brandishing law. Further, I was just resting my hand on the handle of the gun, not actually gripping it. I don't believe these two would have called the police regardless.

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we really have no brandishing laws in MN? about 15-17 clicks south south west of you