Perception...

Hi Team...

There is a thread on the Holster And Accessories Forum titled "Shoulder Holsters". In that thread there were several points made, but one laid out a question that as I thought it over, I had to twist it up a bit and came up with an important question...

We all understand that alot of anti-gun sentiment is about perception.

I am a dyed-in-wool 1911 .45acp aficionado. Ihave been since the first day I went into the military in 1980. I have defended myself and country with it, used it for target practice, competition, and I carry a full size 5" 1911 .45 every single day. I have mostly (98% of the time) carried concealed. Personal preference, no biggie. because of this site I have slowly begun OC more and more however find I try to be very respectful of others around me. Because I wear a suit, or at the very least dress pants, dress shirt and tie, I believe they tend to think i am a LEO. I dont protry myself that way so it must be my manner of dress and my manner of carrying myself.

Okay...so I when I do OC, I carry it cocked and locked in a open top holster. Usually it is a Black CQCSerpa, but sometimes a nice leather open top holster.

My question is this...

do you feel there may be a public perception of uneasiness seeing a cocked and locked weapon rather than just an ambiguous looking weapon? In other words, would a cocked pistol in an open top holster be more intimidating as opposed to a Glock (with no visible hammer) in the same holster?

Would a holster with a retention strap which fits between the hammer and firing pic be viewed differently?

When people see a Glock do they just say, "that guy has a gun"....do people who see a cocked and locked pistol think, "that guy has a LOADED gun and it's cocked!"

no, I dont ever plan on carrying something else (unless there was nothing else available), and no I do not plan on changing holsters. I prefer open tops.

These questions jsut came from some thoughts as I read through several posts.

Thoughts, opinions, suggestions....?

GONZO!!!

While still new to OC and guns in general I would say it shouldent matter. A MWAG call is a MWAG call. If they dont understand why you carry they sure as hell wont understand that you have a 1911 which if chambered should be cocked. They will have no idea about what the grip safety is yada yada. But like I said im still new so I could be missing something.

Different people will react in different way. Carry in the manner and condition that is safe and comfortable for you.

Roll model and role model

GONZO!!! said:

Hi Team...


My question is this...

do you feel there may be a public perception of uneasiness seeing a cocked and locked weapon rather than just an ambiguous looking weapon? In other words, would a cocked pistol in an open top holster be more intimidating as opposed to a Glock (with no visible hammer) in the same holster?

Would a holster with a retention strap which fits between the hammer and firing pic be viewed differently?

Thoughts, opinions, suggestions....?

GONZO!!!

Click to expand...

Short answer to the questions: Yes

Suggestion: Use retention strap holsters, primarily for ones own peace of mind; the public's peace of mind is a fringe benefit.

Agreed, a retention type holster is a good idea whenever OCing, for your own safety, if for no other reason. Too easy for someone to walk up behind and pull your gun without some type of retention device. I added a simple hammer thong to my Avenger style holster for that reason. Also, I would think that having some type of retention strap can have a psychological effect for some people and make them feel more at ease.

Don't need to tell you that the best way to carry a 1911 is cocked and locked. For people that don't know about guns, it wouldn't make any difference. I'm sure any LEO would understand the reasoning behind a cocked and locked 1911.

I would say that the average citizen who has little to no knowledge of guns would not be able to tell you the difference between two handguns much less whether one was cocked and locked. My advice, carry as you wish and stop caring what other's perceptions are. I have found that most people I have encountered are neutral or positive about OC. I have been open carrying every day for five years and I have never had a negative encounter with anyone.

thebigsd said:

I would say that the average citizen who has little to no knowledge of guns would not be able to tell you the difference between two handguns much less whether one was cocked and locked. My advice, carry as you wish and stop caring what other's perceptions are. I have found that most people I have encountered are neutral or positive about OC. I have been open carrying every day for five years and I have never had a negative encounter with anyone.

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^ exactly. Unless they are a fellow gun-fighter themselves, and carry as well, few-if any will even know the difference.
To those common folk who are inclined to fear a gun, to begin with, they're all the same thing. If they see it they will fear it-not much u can do about it, one way or the other. So no sense, really, concerning yourself about them.
Heck my own wife, who see's me carry all day, every day, is still less than comfy around them, in general. Even though she knows Im safe with mine, and can handle and shoot it well.

Chris 45LC said:

I'm sure any LEO would understand the reasoning behind a cocked and locked 1911.

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Don't be too sure about this. Many don't know how to even clear anything except the sidearm they are issued, and even that can be a stretch given the number of LEO AD/ND reports.

ldsgeek said:

Don't be too sure about this. Many don't know how to even clear anything except the sidearm they are issued, and even that can be a stretch given the number of LEO AD/ND reports.

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That's true. They should know but that's not always the case.

Chris 45LC said:

...I'm sure any LEO would understand the reasoning behind a cocked and locked 1911.

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I had one who was responding to a BS call about gunfire in my area try to use my condition 1 carry as RAS for "checking" my firearm.

Him: I see that your pistol has its hammer back, and that leads me to believe that it was recently fired.
Me: This is an M1911A1, and you carry it in condition 1 so the hammer isn't resting on the firing pin.
Him: Well...I don't know that...
Me: ....

FlyBoy276 said:

I had one who was responding to a BS call about gunfire in my area try to use my condition 1 carry as RAS for "checking" my firearm.

Him: I see that your pistol has its hammer back, and that leads me to believe that it was recently fired.
Me: This is an M1911A1, and you carry it in condition 1 so the hammer isn't resting on the firing pin.
Him: Well...I don't know that...
Me: ....

Click to expand...

In a way, that's understandable. Lots of us like 1911's ,but folks, and especially most LEO's of this age-are'nt famil with, experienced with the 1911, or single-actions, in general. Once upon a time, of course, it was THE dominant semi-auto, and common-knowledge.
But, in this age of "safe-action" and DAO semi's, Glocks etc. that cops are taught and qualified on..may not be many that are gun-saavy enough to know the things most of us take for granted.