COSTCO Open Carry

[Sa45auto]

imported post

BMXpapa wrote:

...if you expect people to understand or respect your opinions, then show the same. I respect everyones opinion here, regardless of whether or not I agree....

I agree with what you said above and we should respect your opinion.



There was a time in the not to distant past, that I felt just as you do. I had my permit and I carried concealed.

I visited this board and others and I heard about terms like "printing" and so forth and I was almost paranoid about never letting my handgun be seen by another person.

After I had carried for a number of years and I became more informed I came to realize that we as a group have an opportunity to educate those with whom we live.

I live in a state where I am allowed to chose whether I open carry or carry concealed. I didn't know that when I first got my permit and so I always carried concealed. When I learned that I had a choice I started to gradually carry openly, from time to time, in situations where it seemed appropriate to me. This progressed until to me it is now a matter of comfort and convenience.

In the last three years that I have been carrying openly I have been approached on 4 occasions about the weapon that I was carrying.

In each instance it has been it was a good outcome. On two occasions I had the opportunity to educate, and on the other 2 occasions I was congratulated on my choice to carry and told that it made those individuals feel safer to know that I was prepared.

I have received my share of looks and even stares, but truly most people don't seem to even notice.

It is true with many things in this life, that just because we can do them it doesn't mean that we should, but it is also true, that because we do things, it helps to free others to be able to do those things also.

My wife, not long ago told me as we were sitting in a restaurant, that she was glad that I no longer worried about keeping my gun hidden as she felt safer when I wore it openly.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you stick around and learn as I am doing.

 

[Sa45auto]

imported post

BMXpapa wrote:

Can I ask a dumb question......

The only dumb questions is the un-asked question.





BMXpapa wrote:

.....who here is comfortable with:

1. The Los Angeles, South SLC, West Valley etc, type of gang banger having his "GAT" strapped to his person in open. Whether he be Black, Hispanic, South Pacific, White Supremist, Asian (Chinese, Vienamese, etc)

2. Persons of Middle Eastern decent....

ETC ETC ETC. As long as they haven't been convicted of a felony,,,

Because lets face it,,,,we all carry our weapons for protection and the possibility of threat. And human nature being what it is....And Current world events...

Who out there feels that that Brutha standing on the corner at nite should be carrying his piece...

Who out there feels that that wetback walking downredwood in taylorsville should be carrying his gun out in the open....

Who out there feels that the towel head should have a gun at all....

Should that cracker with the swastika tatooed on his chest have a 45 on his hip....

And How comfortable are people shopping in Trolley Square when they see someone carrying a gun....Specially the relatives if victims, if they ever step foot in there again....

I ask these things, because being someone of ethnic background, I have subjected to these same questions,,,by Cops, by everyday people.

So I am curious, if the right to OC applies equally...

Because as I have said before,,,perception is reality for a lot of people...

Ok .....I think everyone has the right to self protection.

As for all of the examples you give I say this. I am far less worried about the guns I see than the ones I don't see.



Not long ago the FBI did a study of violent felons that had attacked the police. They questioned them about how they got their guns, how they carried their guns and on and on.

From this study it was found, among other things, that bad guys don't use holsters and don't open carry.

http://www.forcesciencenews.com/home/detail.html?serial=62

Again I am far less worried about the guns I see than the ones I don't see. I hope you can be too.

 

[MontanaCZ]

imported post

This certainly has been an interesting thread.

I personally, do not judge a person by how they look, or dress (although I may think that some dress may be in bad taste). I have been harrassed for how I look, and dress, and tatoo's and such (does your son have anything cool??). I have seen the reactions to my son and his mohawk, mostly in certain towns. People have opinions, good and bad, and some are certainly more vocal than others. Such is life. As I tell people, you don't have the right to NOT be offended. If you don't like how I look, look somewhere else. I do understand, on some level, what your son is experiencing, but I certainly do not condone it.

-MontanaCZ

 

[xmirage2kx]

imported post

BMXpapa:

You sure bring up a lot of "cases" about people OC-ing guns. I would love to see some case files about any of these. I have a fair knowledge of gun cases here in Utah, and do not recall these. There are potential problems with any gun laws (for or against) and we could argue until we are blue in the face (or in this case our fingers are raw).

We live in a society where NOTHING is absolute. If I said: "All humans breathe air" I am sure you could argue this point. "well dead ones don't", "So and so needs pure O2, not just air", ETC, ETC, ETC. That does NOT mean that my message is anything but perfectly clear, but it does show peoples complete lack of common sense.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:

Until I get arrested, charged, and convicted, appeal, and have my appeal overturnedsolely because I choose to OC Then I will continue to Know that if it is not illegal then it IS LEGAL.



So can you find a definition of concealed carry? If my holster covers part of the gun is this concealed? What about IWB with just the handle sticking out? Or my shirt is over the entire gun but the bottom 1/16 of an inch? What about 3 inches? If my gun is sitting on a table and I walk between you and it is it now concealed?

 

[JTknives]

imported post

i feal safer when i OC. im also more awear of my suroundings. as stated by others, Thugs dont want you to know thay have a gun intell thay threten you. i also beleve that if you look at the past shootings or stick ups it becomes crystal clear. bad people pray on unarmed people. most of the time thay dont want to die there just trying to take advantage of helples people. and the ones that dont care about dieing could be stoped much sooner. OC shows that im not helples and i beleve detures thugs. OC for LIFE