Its A Brave New World

Wasn't sure where to post this. This looks like an OK spot. I'm totally knew to carrying open or concealed. Right noe I'm more comfortable with carrying concealed. Feel like there's a spot light on me when I carry open. Trying to open carry more but have been told that I touch it a lot. I think that's an OCD thing. wish me luck as I continue to experiment with open carry.

Welcome to OCDO!! Stick around and you will learn a lot. This post probably should have went in the Virginia forum. Here is the link to that forum. http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?130-Virginia You should check out the thread titled Open Carry in NOVA. A lot of us post the places we have OCed and the experiences that we have had. Virginia is a great state to open carry in.

Check out the Virginia Citizens Defense League. It is a great group dedicated to gun rights in VA. If you go on their website you can sign up for the VA-ALERT (on the right side of the page) which is a free email system that will keep you informed about everything going on in the state. The website is www.vcdl.org

Last but not least, open carry can be a little nerve-racking at first. Sometimes it helps to OC with a person who has done it for awhile. If you would like to meet up just send me a PM and I'd be happy to open carry with you for a bit and go over the laws and such.

thebigsd said:

Welcome to OCDO!! Stick around and you will learn a lot. This post probably should have went in the Virginia forum. Here is the link to that forum. http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?130-Virginia You should check out the thread titled Open Carry in NOVA. A lot of us post the places we have OCed and the experiences that we have had. Virginia is a great state to open carry in.

Check out the Virginia Citizens Defense League. It is a great group dedicated to gun rights in VA. If you go on their website you can sign up for the VA-ALERT (on the right side of the page) which is a free email system that will keep you informed about everything going on in the state. The website is www.vcdl.org

Last but not least, open carry can be a little nerve-racking at first. Sometimes it helps to OC with a person who has done it for awhile. If you would like to meet up just send me a PM and I'd be happy to open carry with you for a bit and go over the laws and such.

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Hey, Steeler-Gal! Like I told you today, you will find yourself quite welcomed and at home here on OCDO.

Now I just have to get her to some OC dinners and outings.

Another Welcome Aboard!

I'm still very self conscious abuot it too. Takes some getting used to, but it's getting that I miss it when it isn't there.

Riana said:

Hey, Steeler-Gal! Like I told you today, you will find yourself quite welcomed and at home here on OCDO.

Now I just have to get her to some OC dinners and outings.

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Hey Riana, why not start setting up another local luncheon for whatever day you and our new member have available. I'm up for one so I'll be happy to help with it. How about a relatively central location such as Centreville or perhaps someplace in Kamp Washington (Fairfax)? I'm game and open to whatever you have in mind.

Riana said:

Hey, Steeler-Gal! Like I told you today, you will find yourself quite welcomed and at home here on OCDO.

Now I just have to get her to some OC dinners and outings.

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Thanks! I'm certain I'll get used to it the more I do it.
Just let me know when the OCDO lunches/dinners are and I'll see if I can squeeze them into my calendar. :lol:

Hej Steeler-Gal.

I first OC'd over 40 years ago, and have OC'd (mostly) and CC'd (winter) since. This is what I have found:

#1: First thing to having a comfortable OC is a first class level II or Level III retention holster. With good retention you do not have to worry about someone else removing your carry, or having it fall out..etc. This leads to peace of mind.

#2: The fastest way to get someone to notice your carry is to fidget with it. You should never touch it except with your elbow. With a good retention holster there is no need to be a nervous Nelly. OC is a perfectly legal thing to do, no different than wearing a hat, or boots instead of shoes. Be comfortable in the knowledge you are taking responsibility for your own safety.

Last night I took my wife out to eat at a very OC friendly restaurant. No one even noticed until we were outside having and after dinner smoke with the head waitress, then she asked if I was carrying and what I had with me this time. Black CZ82, in a black leather holster, with black pants and a black leather jacket...you could see it if you looked for it and knew it was (or should I say, was expected to be) there. Any casual glance would never notice.

The Owner of this restaurant and most of her staff all carry. It is a resort way back in the mountains and you never know what you will encounter up there. For some reason, they have never had a problem...

hermannr said:

#2: The fastest way to get someone to notice your carry is to fidget with it. You should never touch it except with your elbow. With a good retention holster there is no need to be a nervous Nelly. OC is a perfectly legal thing to do, no different than wearing a hat, or boots instead of shoes. Be comfortable in the knowledge you are taking responsibility for your own safety.

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Thanks! I really do think it s more of an OCD thing. I have some OCD quirks that's I do. I do it with my phone too. It sits on the opposite hip and I touch and check for it all day. "is it there? Good." (few min later) "is it there? Good." I do it all day long and I've bee carry my phone there for years.

I'll just have to consciously resist checking and touch it. I'm certain it'll get easier to resist the more I do it.

Steeler-gal said:

Thanks! I really do think it s more of an OCD thing. I have some OCD quirks that's I do. I do it with my phone too. It sits on the opposite hip and I touch and check for it all day. "is it there? Good." (few min later) "is it there? Good." I do it all day long and I've bee carry my phone there for years.

I'll just have to consciously resist checking and touch it. I'm certain it'll get easier to resist the more I do it.

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Just make it a habit to check with your elbow. And welcome!

tombrewster421 said:

Just make it a habit to check with your elbow. And welcome!

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That's a good idea.

Hi SteelerGal, welcome to the forum!

I can't OC because I live in Oklahoma, but we are working on it very hard

Anyway, I do CC and I was like you the first couple of months ... constantly checking/adjusting it and wouldn't even carry Condition 1 ... then had an incident and everything changed ... after that, I wasn't worried about if it was there because I got up and put it on every morning, and I carried Condition 1. You will settle down after carrying for a while, and like Tom said, check with your elbow so no one mistakes what you are doing

I have not been OCing in the states for long either (Just turned 21 this month) but, a simple way to check is like others have said, just bump your elbow against it, or the side of your arm.
welcome to the board.

Welcome, Steeler-Gal!

I'm a relatively newbie to this site too; not open carrying yet, but do conceal carry everywhere I legally can.

I will follow, with great interest, the open carry experiences you choose to share with us here on the forum.

Hummmm..

MilProGuy said:

Welcome, Steeler-Gal!

I'm a relatively newbie to this site too; not open carrying yet, but do conceal carry everywhere I legally can.

I will follow, with great interest, the open carry experiences you choose to share with us here on the forum.

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Why do you Not Open Carry YET?

1245A Defender said:

Why do you Not Open Carry YET?

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I am going to guess it's because it takes a bit to make that jump from always concealing to mostly openly carrying. I know it did for me when I entered this arena. I was trying to figure out what I thought would be the best way to make the jump and found that for me, it was when going to a gas station and my local grocery store. Then over the following month or two, I began to branch out more as I felt more comfortable and realized that it was not garnishing the reactions I had expected.

So for some folks, it does take a little time to enter the fray. The OC lunch and dinner get togethers are a great way to break the ice and both share and hear what other like-minded people have to offer. It can take a little time.

1245A Defender said:

Why do you Not Open Carry YET?

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There's a few basic reasons. First, it is because I'm a relatively new gun owner and until recently didn't even own a holster so open carrying wasn't an option. I'm just not used to it and it doesn't quite feel natural yet. Another reason is that a lot of my pants and clothes do not lend themselves to OCing. Many of my pants have elastic wastebands. If I hung a paddle holster (which I don't yet own) off the hip I'm certain it'll flop around and possibly cause my pants to slide down. I have a hard enough time making sure my iPhone isn't dragging my pants down. :lol:

Steeler-gal said:

There's a few basic reasons. First, it is because I'm a relatively new gun owner and until recently didn't even own a holster so open carrying wasn't an option. I'm just not used to it and it doesn't quite feel natural yet. Another reason is that a lot of my pants and clothes do not lend themselves to OCing. Many of my pants have elastic wastebands. If I hung a paddle holster (which I don't yet own) off the hip I'm certain it'll flop around and possibly cause my pants to slide down. I have a hard enough time making sure my iPhone isn't dragging my pants down. :lol:

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I am new as well. And I didn't even get to choose my weapons - they were donated to me. Grandma gave me her S&W Model 41, (she is still alive) and Dad gave me a Makarov, a Walther P-1, and an Autauga MkII. Throw in my left handedness, and yes, holsters are a prob. Have had the S&W for 12 yrs, but the others are less than a year. Add that my employer doesn't allow weapons onsite. I don't get to OC very often. When $$ permits, I will be getting a 1911A1, as that is what I was trained on, and know well. Holsters - even left handed now! - are plentyful.

1245A Defender said:

Why do you Not Open Carry YET?

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I certainly would open carry if I knew it was legal in Mississippi to do so.

I read of others who open carry getting hassled by the police, handcuffed, arrested, etc., and I'm not willing to go down that road since I can legally conceal carry without any fear of reprisals by uninformed law enforcement officers, agencies, or municipalities.

After all, the reason I carry is for self defense; and the only difference between me an one who open carries is that my shirt tail is on the outside of my pants.

Should the day ever come in my neck of the woods when Mississippi citizens can openly carry a handgun without being persecuted or harrassed by the law enforcement community, I'll be jumping on the proverbial "band wagon".

Being a member of this forum is like a "college education" for me, as I learn something new everyday about open carry and the strides that are being made throughout the country.

tombrewster421 said:

Just make it a habit to check with your elbow. And welcome!

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"Steeler-Gal",

When I first started OCing, this is what I did. Just sort of close your "strong-side" arm against your waist, and the inside of your elbow will touch the grip. It reassures you that everything is in it's place without being obvious or appearing like you are "reaching for it"...

Remember, Virginia has a "brandishing" law, and putting your hand on your pistol--even if you don't actually draw or even grasp the grip CAN be considered "brandishing" if the wrong person sees you do it, or some paranoid anti-gun person sees you.

I live in Columbia MD now, and not being able to carry at all (OC or CC) is killing me, after living in NC for 4 years. If you put together a lunch-time "OC Meetup" on the weekend, I'd GLADLY drive down for it. Weekdays would have to be dinner-time meetups for me to be able to attend though.

I was the president of the East Carolina University "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus", and have been VERY active in NC, VA, and MD gun rights for several years. I LOVE to talk with new folks, and I really enjoy hanging out with the great OC people in VA. You've got a GREAT group of folks in NoVa for support and education, and setting up an OC lunch or dinner would be a fantastic way for you to plug into the local OC/CC community. If you need any help setting something like this up,feel free to PM me, and I can give you some pointers on choosing a location in NoVa. (I lived in NoVa for 10+ years, and know the "gun friendly" places pretty well).

Also, I grew up in the Northern Panhandle of WV, and am also a Steelers fan! We need to stick together out here in the land of the Ravens and Redskins... :banana:

Good luck, and welcome to OCDO. We especially welcome female OCers, and strongly encourage more women to carry--OC or CC. It is a powerful statement for women in particular an for OC in general when women OC in public.

Welcome, and Carry On!

Well,,,

1245A Defender said:

Why do you Not Open Carry YET?

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MilProGuy said:

I certainly would open carry if I knew it was legal in Mississippi to do so.

I read of others who open carry getting hassled by the police, handcuffed, arrested, etc., and I'm not willing to go down that road since I can legally conceal carry without any fear of reprisals by uninformed law enforcement officers, agencies, or municipalities.

After all, the reason I carry is for self defense; and the only difference between me an one who open carries is that my shirt tail is on the outside of my pants.

Should the day ever come in my neck of the woods when Mississippi citizens can openly carry a handgun without being persecuted or harrassed by the law enforcement community, I'll be jumping on the proverbial "band wagon".

Being a member of this forum is like a "college education" for me, as I learn something new everyday about open carry and the strides that are being made throughout the country.

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MilProGuy

Regular Member Join DateJul 2011LocationMississippiPosts526