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First week of Open Carry for me

Jason in WI

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Messages
542
Location
Under your bed
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Hi everybody. This might be pretty long since I sitting here bored and can't sleep. Since I see a lot of people coming out for the first time and posting about their first open carry experience I figured I'd follow suit with my first post here.

A little background, I stopped by here once every so often from cross posts on AR15.com. Every time I came here I was proud of what you guys were doing but truthfully like a lot of others I was waiting for concealed carry to come. I don't remember what post it was exactly but, I followed a post from Intercepter-Knight and I had a bit of free time and looked around here and then checked out Wisconsincarry.org. I pretty much made up my mind that I should try and help out instead of just waiting for concealed carry to "come". The more I researched the topic it seems most would be happy to just toss open carry under the bus to get concealed passed and that pretty much pissed me off even though I had no intention to open carry.

First thing I had to do was get a side arm. I'm not a big handgun guy and I didn't think you all would like me lugging along the AR to your meetings! Like I said I was waiting for concealed and was going to pick up the latest and greatest subcompact at that time. I researched a bit and decided I need to check out the XD or M&P line. After looking for something used for a couple weeks and coming up with nothing, I went to the fun show and A Springfield XDm-40 caught my eye and felt great. I wanted to shot one first but it felt so right I just ordered one with a stainless slide thinking it would wear better in the holster since I was buying it just to open carry. With side arm in hand I proceeded to order the serpa holster for that little bit of extra security.

Now I must mention I didn't just figure I'd get a gun a carry willy-nilly. I'm comfortable with most any firearm and just because I never owned a handgun definitely doesn't mean I can't use one, I just didn't feel the need to have one in my collection up to this point. I have made the psychological and emotional decision a long time ago to use lethal force to protect myself and my family. I pray (and I'm not even religious) I never have to use any firearm, bat, stick, and or nail-file in anger; but I will if I have to. If I ever have to pull my sidearm on someone it will be the one of the worst days of my life justified or not.

I then became a founding member of Wisconsincarry.org mainly do to their aggressive strategy up to this point. Filing the lawsuit and then opening up to membership was awesome. I hope to become an active member and help anyway I can in the future. I also signed up my girlfriend as a member and I will convert her to a founding member when she "gets" it. She agrees we have the right but, doesn't fully understand why we would want to carry and be subject to the attention and harassment.

As of last week 3/8/2010, I've been carrying my side arm everywhere I go. I admit I cheated and haven't went anywhere by myself but I usually never do.

I've open carried in Farm & Fleet in Oak Creek twice while armed. Once in Gander Mountain, I didn't want to because it seems to easy but, I needed a pistol case and Farm & Fleet was out. I carried into Menard's on 43rd. to pick up some plumbing stuff for my parents house. I kind of felt good about this one as I believe this is where the "Push" for the movement started. I also carry everyday at work! It's a bit of a pain since I work on cars and have to dis-arm a lot so I'm still testing that out. I will open carry at Pick and Save and Woodman's in Oak Creek when we need to go shopping as they are right down the block but so far my girlfriend has been stopping for the little stuff after work on her way home. Mostly I do a lot of my shopping in Farm & Fleet.

I didn't arm myself at Woodman's gas station because I thought that might freak out the attendant so I went holster only, maybe next time. I did go to the Ridge in New Berlin but I thought I seen a no firearm sign there so I left the sidearm at home and wore the holster. Turns out we stopped at that craft store next to Target, Farm & Fleet and Pick and Save. I feel more weird with just a holster then when I'm armed.

I still get that feeling what I'm doing is wrong but I'm sure that will go away. I think most people never notice, the few that have just glanced and kept going, well except one couple that went back and forth in front of the isle as I was reaching up comparing some bags of cat food.

No one told me to pass on the stainless slide! Man, I thought the holster would hide most of it; I was wrong. I think it's going to stand out like a sore thumb when its gets warmer out and I don't where a coat. It's also funny the way my girlfriend panics when she thinks my coat is concealing my sidearm. The best part so far was our first time at Farm & Fleet and I popped the trunk after telling her where the bail money is and I inserted a full Mag of hollow points, She said "Your going to load it?". That was the best, I told her Farm & Fleet has a lot of hammers already and I'd prefer to go "armed" when I'm going armed.
 

hardballer

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2009
Messages
925
Location
West Coast of Wisconsin
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Howdy, and welcome to you and your girlfriend. You're doin' just fine. Keep it up.

I carry a stainless steel 1911 in a belt slide holster that shows most of the sidearm. I carry condition one. Round chambered, full mag, cocked and locked. I really have no concern as to whether it is seen or not.

There are plenty of get-togethers planned for the coming year so you should have ample opportunity to socialize with like minded individuals. I can tell you that is a revitalizing experience.

It gets easier as you go.

Carry on.

Hardballer
 

davegran

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Cassville Area -Twelve Miles From Anything, Wiscon
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Jason in WI wrote:
....
No one told me to pass on the stainless slide! Man, I thought the holster would hide most of it; I was wrong. I think it's going to stand out like a sore thumb when its gets warmer out and I don't where a coat. It's also funny the way my girlfriend panics when she thinks my coat is concealing my sidearm.....
Hi Jason; welcome to the forum and to OC. As you've probably seen from reading the posts, we pride ourselves in educating the public, ourselves, and LE if need be on OC, plus we try to watch each other's backs.

So with that in mind, I just wanted to point out that most of us are pretty particular about making sure our holstered sidearm is not ever covered by our clothing in any way. Some of us even use tactical thigh holsters for that reason, but many of us just tuck the coat inside either the gun butt, or our pants if there's room.

As you might imagine, a MWAG ("Man With A Gun") call will be handled quite differently if the caller
says, "He's hiding it under his jacket."

Dave
 

Spartacus

Banned
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
1,185
Location
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
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Welcome Jason. I would recommend that you join one of the meet-ups we have from time to time, either locally with your home boy OCers or statewide.

If you can afford it, please join Wisconsin Carry, Inc. who are doing yeoman's service for our cause.
 

logan

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
433
Location
Greeley, CO
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Welcome Jason, and congrats on the first week of OCing. Sounds like you got the hang of it already.


Spartacus wrote:
If you can afford it, please join Wisconsin Carry, Inc. who are doing yeoman's service for our cause.
He already is.

I then became a founding member of Wisconsincarry.org mainly do to their aggressive strategy up to this point. Filing the lawsuit and then opening up to membership was awesome. I hope to become an active member and help anyway I can in the future. I also signed up my girlfriend as a member and I will convert her to a founding member when she "gets" it. She agrees we have the right but, doesn't fully understand why we would want to carry and be subject to the attention and harassment.
 

Wisconsin Carry Inc. - Chairman

Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
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Jason,

Great write up, thank-you for taking the time to post it. (and for joining WCI)

I think many of us can relate to the progression of your thought process. A few years ago, many of us (not all, I do not speak for everyone) just wanted CC.

For me personally, the big awakening that I had with Open-Carry was the realization that SOOO many human rights in this country have been pushed aside bit by bit over the years. I truly believe that our founding fathers intended that we would enjoy MUCH more freedom than we do today and that with MORE freedom we would have a more prosperous, more cohesive, more respectful, and safer country. We would all be better off. Open-carry in Wisconsin is one of those rights we still have! One of such a very few. No government permission slip, no fee, no tax required.

When I came to know the concept of Open-Carry better, its as if I found this buried treasure of a genuine "right" that hadn't yet been taken away and transformed into a privilege over years of do-gooder symbolism-over-substance legislation that never solved a problem but placed tons of encumbrances on the law-abiding with no effect on the criminal element.

I began to explore all the benefits of exercising this right that we have. As the Open-carry.org tagline says "a right not exercised is a right lost". I agree with that. Our countries history demonstrates that is true. For me personally open-carry is a matter of principle and a toe-hold against the onslaught of socialism and nanny-government as well as practicality of self-protection.

Speaking as the chairman of WCI, conceal carry is something we still MUST have in Wisconsin. Its a practical matter. In the winter its hard to always OC. I read a quote from a guy in Alabama (iirc) the other day who said the same thing about open-carry which they couldn't do in his state. He said "in the summer when you don't have a jacket on, its very hard to conceal carry".

To even those here in Wisconsin who just advocate for Conceal carry and still think OC is 'stupid'. I TRULY believe that once we get conceal carry, they will realize in the summer that they don't want to leave their 'self-defense tool' at home just because they are wearing shorts and a t-shirt that doesn't afford them the ability to conceal. I believe those who would sacrifice open-carry for conceal carry will realize that (when we get CC in WI in the future) when they go into a warm store and take their jacket off to throw it in their shopping cart, they CAN'T be comfortable to do that when they have a gun in their coat. The safest place for you gun is ALWAYS under your personal physical control.

Open-Carry and conceal-carry compliment each other in order that people have the practical ability to exercise their human-right to self-defense wherever they choose to go however they choose to dress.

Again, welcome aboard!

Carry on!
 

GLOCK21GB

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Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
4,347
Location
Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
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Wisconsin Carry, Inc. - Chairman wrote:
Jason,

Great write up, thank-you for taking the time to post it. (and for joining WCI)

I think many of us can relate to the progression of your thought process. A few years ago, many of us (not all, I do not speak for everyone) just wanted CC.

For me personally, the big awakening that I had with Open-Carry was the realization that SOOO many human rights in this country have been pushed aside bit by bit over the years. I truly believe that our founding fathers intended that we would enjoy MUCH more freedom than we do today and that with MORE freedom we would have a more prosperous, more cohesive, more respectful, and safer country. We would all be better off. Open-carry in Wisconsin is one of those rights we still have! One of such a very few. No government permission slip, no fee, no tax required.

When I came to know the concept of Open-Carry better, its as if I found this buried treasure of a genuine "right" that hadn't yet been taken away and transformed into a privilege over years of do-gooder symbolism-over-substance legislation that never solved a problem but placed tons of encumbrances on the law-abiding with no effect on the criminal element.

I began to explore all the benefits of exercising this right that we have. As the Open-carry.org tagline says "a right not exercised is a right lost". I agree with that. Our countries history demonstrates that is true. For me personally open-carry is a matter of principle and a toe-hold against the onslaught of socialism and nanny-government as well as practicality of self-protection.

Speaking as the chairman of WCI, conceal carry is something we still MUST have in Wisconsin. Its a practical matter. In the winter its hard to always OC. I read a quote from a guy in Alabama (iirc) the other day who said the same thing about open-carry which they couldn't do in his state. He said "in the summer when you don't have a jacket on, its very hard to conceal carry".

To even those here in Wisconsin who just advocate for Conceal carry and still think OC is 'stupid'. I TRULY believe that once we get conceal carry, they will realize in the summer that they don't want to leave their 'self-defense tool' at home just because they are wearing shorts and a t-shirt that doesn't afford them the ability to conceal. I believe those who would sacrifice open-carry for conceal carry will realize that (when we get CC in WI in the future) when they go into a warm store and take their jacket off to throw it in their shopping cart, they CAN'T be comfortable to do that when they have a gun in their coat. The safest place for you gun is ALWAYS under your personal physical control.

Open-Carry and conceal-carry compliment each other in order that people have the practical ability to exercise their human-right to self-defense wherever they choose to go however they choose to dress.

Again, welcome aboard!

Carry on!
nicely stated.:)
 

Mugenlude

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
367
Location
Racine, WI
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Welcome to the forum Jason!

It's good to see more and more educated new people out there open carrying.

I think most of us can relate the "wrong" feeling you are having at this point, it's because that is the way our brains have been programmed over the years here in WI, don't worry though, soon you won't even notice that you are carrying and you aren't going to feel like anything is wrong.

I OC in Oak Creek from time-to-time, maybe I'll see you out and about. I'm still looking forward to the day when I see something else open carrying while I'm out and about (excluding meets obviously).

Carry on!
 

Packer fan

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Nov 19, 2009
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399
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Mountain Home, Arkansas, United States
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Although I'm not in Wi I still would like to say welcome.

I understand about your girlfriend. My wife was the same way but the more you OC the more she will become accustom to it and once she gets the idea that she is prey to a sex offender or any other person/persons that would do her harm she will come around.

Although my wife was not comfortable about OC she did so in Wi because that is the only way she could carry. She never leaves home without her firearm. She even has her gun at home and we don't live in a high crime rate area.

To her, what is more important the looks and stairs of scarred people or the looks and stairs of a predator? If she has a weapon they may just leave her alone.
 

Jason in WI

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Mar 5, 2010
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Under your bed
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Thanks for the welcome guys.
I prefer to carry fairly cautiously. As in fully exposed but not blatant if you know what I mean. I'll let you guys be the face of open carry, I'm just not that pretty! Don't get me wrong I'll be more then happy to answer someones question and point them here if they see me carrying. I'd rather someone have to take a second look and figure out if its a phone or something. This won't happen when I'm not wearing a coat as there is no mistaking it then. I talked to a salesman for fifteen minutes today and he never noticed. I had coffee and morning gossip with a guy three times in a row last week before he noticed! It might not be the best way to educate the public but I'm hoping the people who see might want to go online and see if it was in fact legal for to me be carrying. Maybe tell their friends, hay I seen this ordinary guy with a gun shopping for toilet paper the other night and everybody lived! Although I'm not much of a conversationalist I will make a point of having anybody who sees me and wants to join in open carrying to make sure they come here and read up on all the laws and stuff. One of my fears is someone seeing one of us carrying and figuring its a swell idea to start without researching it and giving us all a bad name.
 
M

McX

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say, with all the new guys, and the weather starting to clear, we gonna have some oc cookouts this summer? or something for me to live for? anyone got any ideas, or plans?
 

akito

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Nice to have some others OC in farm and fleet , I am there often ( you might see me around) 90% of the time I OC . Must be you guys snakeing up all the 9mm ammo huh hahaha .... any who welcome jason and carry on.
 

Jason in WI

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akito wrote:
Nice to have some others OC in farm and fleet , I am there often ( you might see me around) 90% of the time I OC . Must be you guys snakeing up all the 9mm ammo huh hahaha .... any who welcome jason and carry on.
I was just there today (open carrying of course) and noticed they had a bunch of 9mm on the shelf, Walmart too. I did however clean them out of Winchester 40s&w 180gr that was on sale. I went there looking for the cheaper blazer. I also grabbed a box of 38spl blazer as that was all they had even though I was looking for good defense ammo. I hope we continue to have no problem at Farm&Fleet because I do most of my shopping there. Hope to see you around!
 

akito

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yeah same here , guess I'll be heading there after work twm since they finally got the ammo in ...
 

GlockMeisterG21

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Dec 17, 2008
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Hey Jason, FYI the slide on XD/XDm is not actually stainless steel it's just finished to look like it. It will rust if you don't take care of it so I thought I'd give you a heads up. It is a really neat finish and I'm looking forward to checking out the XDm .45s when they come out.

Btw, the Ridge theater (or any Marcus theater) will boot you if they see your gun. I know from personal experience.

Welcome to the forum, it's always nice to see a new face!
 

Landose_theghost

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Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
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GlockMeisterG21 wrote:
Btw, the Ridge theater (or any Marcus theater) will boot you if they see your gun. I know from personal experience.
Negative, A few weeks ago me and the wife along with her cousin went to go see The Wolfman @ a The Marcus on the East side of GB, No problems to report. Other than the fact that TheWolfman is a very large peice of crap that is :lol:. Altho I did notice that Johnny Law was on Babysitting duty when we left the theatre.
 

Jason in WI

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GlockMeisterG21 wrote:
Hey Jason, FYI the slide on XD/XDm is not actually stainless steel it's just finished to look like it. It will rust if you don't take care of it so I thought I'd give you a heads up. It is a really neat finish and I'm looking forward to checking out the XDm .45s when they come out.

Btw, the Ridge theater (or any Marcus theater) will boot you if they see your gun. I know from personal experience.

Welcome to the forum, it's always nice to see a new face!
Hi GlockMeisterG21 thanks for the welcome,

I'm certain the slide is stainless but the not all stainless is created equal. Some guys buy a cheap stainless barbecue grill and wonder why it rusted all to crap, hence the name stain-LESS. I'm not sure what grade they chose or what properties they needed but, I have heard of the rusting problem and treat my XD to a nice oily rubdown every so often. Seems to only happen in the serrations from what I have seen on the internet. Makes me wonder if its the grade choice or it needs more passivation . I do appreciate the warning though, thanks for looking out. I'm also interested in the XDm .45, hopefully they will also make compact versions of the XDm's soon.

Yea I think I was mistaken about the no firearm sign, and there was none posted at the theater. I did do a search here and found there official policy is no firearms so I'm glad I just had a holster on. I don't intend to carry in places that I know have firm policy's against it. I don't want them to put up signs and wreck it for CCW when we get it. I think it sucks, some crazy is gonna figure out that movie theaters = lots of (unarmed) people in a confined space with little means of egress..... oh well
 
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