I think we need to keep in mind that "most" in the context such as the thread title, may be inaccurate. Bear with me for a minute here ... There are obviously several millions of people who own firearms. Gallup's recent polling compared to the national demographics indicates that there are at least 77.5 million adult US gun owners. Back in 2005, Gallup found that 11% of adults carry a gun for self-defense (the questions are not provided and I'm guessing that "carry" is broader than CC/OC on or about their person but I'm just speculating there as the number seems high especially for 7 years ago before the more recent surges in this arena). Their numbers would indicate that roughly 30% of US adult gun owners carry a gun in some way for self-defense or in excess of 22 million US citizens. *obviously being Gallup these are self-reported figures and generally are considered to be, if anything, low when they come to gun ownership/carry based on the assumption that many people are reluctant to self-report such ownership/usage*
So, we mostly come into contact with fellow CC/OC people at gun shows, meet-n-greets, internet forums, etc. But really, what percentage of that some 22 million people do we really interact with? I know more than a few dozen people who carry or are soon to be carrying who never visit firearm forums, never go to gun shows, and some have barely even fired a gun. Most of them I know because being an outspoken 2A supporter they have contacted me in some way for 2A or firearm information. Several shocked me with the information that they do or intend to carry. My guess is that these people are the majority of people who carry, not us.
Honestly, I doubt that OC is even on the radar for most of these people unless confronted with the issue in some manner through conversation, seeing someone OC, seeing a news story, etc. I'll bet that for most of them when they first hear about it they picture themselves - a 30-something mom with 2 kids who carries an LCP she fired at the CC class and that's about it whose interest in firearms mostly begins and ends at "don't rape me" - walking around like an Old-West gunfighter, knowing that they spend most of their life not really paying much attention to anything besides Dancing With the Stars and their idea of situational awareness is making sure they lock their car before walking into the mall, looking around the parking lot walking to their car after dark and remembering what their mothers told them about looking in the back seat before getting into the car (not picking on women as I know as many men who are similar, but rather kinda thinking of a composite of a few women I know as I think my point is more obvious) and concluding in the moment, "I don't want that around my kids!" And going from there. Men will have a differently verbalized conclusion, but really, it isn't much different in practice.
I'm just saying that to say "most" in these forums without the context of "most of the CCers I meet at guns shows" or "most of the CCers I interact with on such and such CC forum" is probably pretty inaccurate. I don't think we interact with most CCers on any matter firearm related. I think the average CCer doesn't think anything about OC until presented with it and then their first reactions are knee-jerk, emotional reactions based on themselves, imagining themselves or people like themselves OC. And I don't think that most CCers would be comfortable carrying OC for many reasons, one of the primary being the stress of maintaining the level of situational awareness to feel comfortable. They don't want to OC because they don't want the hassles of it. They don't want to hassle with cops. They don't want to argue about guns with their fellow PTA members. They don't want to discuss it with their hairdresser, their minister, their kids teacher, their kids baseball coach or anyone else. They don't want to worry that everyone knows they have a gun when they have to leave it in the car to go inside and pick up their kid at school, or to suspect that they maybe didn't leave it in the car but still have it in their purse or under their suit coat. They don't want most people to know they carry. They just don't want to deal with the gun more than absolutely necessary to have the feeling of security in knowing that in a worst case scenario they can pull out that carry gun they have been dragging around for years and maybe, only maybe, practicing with every year or two, and scare the BG enough that he goes away or absolute worst case that they are close enough that they just can't miss.
And on top of ALL that, I know several people who carry in their briefcase in the car and at work which is legal in MO and have the sidearm available at home, but don't have a CCW, don't want a CCW but still call themselves CCers because they do sort of carry a gun and they certainly don't OC.
I'm not saying that these people are unsafe or that they are stupid, lazy or bad. We argue that firearms are just a tool. I think that most CCers agree with that at least in concept and they don't give a whole lot more thought to their sidearm than they do to any other tool in their basement toolbox beyond safe handling/storing considerations and some of that may be suspect. People here are either activists, or firearm hobbiest, or in some other way "involved" in 2A or firearms. We read, study, think about these issues. Ask us, "OC or CC" and we have an answer. It may be able to start as a a few words, but really, we could all write pages about our preference or lack thereof or spend hours talking about it. And we do. We forget that most people just aren't that invested in the topic nor invested in the same ways we are.
Yeah, they think that OC might make people uncomfortable. Yeah, many of them are probably projecting their own discomfort. Yeah, they might carry themselves and be a hypocrite, but they don't see it that way. Remember, they don't want to talk about the gun. They don't want to think about needing to use it anymore than they want to think about using their fire extinguisher in the kitchen, using the second floor escape ladder to save their children when their house is burning down around them and their pet is trapped downstairs howling as it burns to death or cashing in their spouse's life insurance policy after their spouse dies after a long bout of cancer so they have the money to finish raising their children as a widow(er). See, those things suck. Those things are not just inconvenient possible realities, but their are very, very scary and make people very uncomfortable. They have the fire extinguisher, the ladder and the life insurance because they are not stupid about the risks of life, but they don't want to think about the scenarios in which they will really be used. They have a gun for the same reason and they also don't want people shoving the reality of that possible need in their faces either. You don't have to do anything to make them feel like you are shoving it in their face, you just have to be there, to have it, to be OC. It brings reality to close. It brings their innate fears to the surface. Better to just hide it and pretend that we don't need to carry a deadly weapon to protect ourselves, to feel safe. Better not to think about your wife who won't carry getting raped in your own home because you and your CC pistol worked a few hours late. Better not to think about the bloody mess spread across your upholstery if you do come home in time to stop the rapist.
Yeah, I talk to CCers about this too, but the psychologist in me (my first career path) pushes me to ask non-policy related questions about their opinion. I just talked to a long-time customer about OC the other day. Avid hunter, owns lots of guns of all types, CCer but mainly in his truck and briefcase ... He said OC might make people uncomfortable. But he isn't uncomfortable with guns. He has seen me OC in my office and has even asked me to unholster/unload so he could more closely examine one of my carry sidearms. He OCs when he hunts. Yeah, but it makes people uncomfortable. What about it makes people uncomfortable? It, it, it just does. People don't want to think about carrying a gun when their trying to eat dinner. What is the carry/dinner connection. People don't want to think about why someone has to carry a gun when they are trying to have a nice dinner.... Nevermind .. have to go meet someone ... That isn't a reaction to OC as a political matter, but emotional and not even about the gun per se.
I could be all wet on this. And none of this has anything to do necessarily with the LEO CC-only types who are all about tactical advantage stuff. Although, I do think that the vast majority of non-LEO who spout this got it from some LEO CC instructor or buddy. Not disparaging. Just stating what I usually find at the root when I pull that particular weed. Regardless (and this went on way longer than I ever intended) I think we need to be more mindful of who we are really talking about and what is really shaping their perspective.
When we are as passionate as we tend to be on OC/2A, when we talk to people less involved we can sometimes be like the parent whose kid comes home and asks "Mom/Dad, where did I come from" and then after spending 3 hours explaining human reproduction have the kid say, "I still don't get it. Suzy says she's from Cleveland."
*and apologies in advance for the numerous pronoun/verb/tense inconsistencies ... too tired to go back and bother fixing it*