TheDon
New member
I was wondering if it is legal to open carry in a vertical shoulder holster. I all I have found is about carrying on the hip. Local PD was of no help.
I was wondering if it is legal to open carry in a vertical shoulder holster. I all I have found is about carrying on the hip. Local PD was of no help.
This is NOT quite true, at least in Louisiana. As long as it is recognized as a holster, take a military flap holster, then that counts as openly carried as it is evident that that is a gun holster. I would not recommend that you use that type of holster as it could easily lend to confusion on the interpretation of the law as having at least some of the gun visible is advisable, and in most places, required.The only exception is if the holster covers the butt of your firearm.
Yeah, you can OC with a shoulder holster, though I suggest you tighten the straps up proper, unlike this loose fitting stuff in this pic. ( I have no idea why he let it so loose at this dinner- maybe the EBR's from the range trip prior were to blame LOL)
Open carry, regardless of the state, does not restrict one to having to carry on the hip. It simply means carrying in plain sight. Couple of points:
- Carry in a holster is NOT concealed. If anyone tries to convince you of that, whether they're law enforcement or not, they're out to lunch.
- Whether hip, shoulder, backside, or belly, if it's holstered, it's considered proper OPEN carry. The only exception is if the holster covers the butt of your firearm. I owned a belly bag in the 90's, as a lot of folks went around with them, carrying wallets and what not. But that was not open carry. That was concealed. When they fell out of favor, I had to find a better way to conceal.
If it's out of a holster and in your hand, it's brandishing, and that's illegal, unless you're under immediate threat and have drawn your firearm to counter that immediate threat. If you ever find yourself in a firefight, keep it drawn only so long as you absolutely need it. Otherwise, keep it holstered. You never know when law enforcement will arrive, and if you're brandishing, they WILL consider you a threat. If you're carrying holstered, they will only "probably" consider you a threat until they clear you, if they clear you.