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Article by self defense expert: Open Carry Opens Opportunity for Problems

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
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35,317
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Valhalla
"I surrender":lol:

I remember seeing a poster in Vancouver Wa. at a gun shop back in the early 90's with this same message. It had a group of French soldiers from WWII with their hands above their heads holding onto rifles as they were surrendering to the Germans. The poster was a fake advertisement for used military french rifles that said, "Once dropped, never fired". Very funny!
Indeed - one's intent, be it tongue-in-cheek or a serious attack, should effect how it is perceived by responsible parties.

All of that said, it doesn't hurt to have both kid gloves and a hammer in your kit bag :lol:
 

SFCRetired

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Oct 29, 2008
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Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Every single time that I hear someone described as a "self-defense expert", "firearms expert", or just about any other sort of expert, I am reminded of what a First Sergeant told me many years ago:

An "ex" is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure. So, an expert is a has-been drip under pressure!
 

omahaoutdoors

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Aug 20, 2014
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Rosenberg TX
He makes some valid points. For example, you SHOULD train in retention techniques. You should always be training in general (of course, you should never have a required level of training to carry). For concealed carry, my general rule of thumb is that if you can't defend yourself without a weapon, you should probably reconsider carrying a weapon. With that said, open carry is a bit different, as the sight of the gun alone is often deterrent enough to help you avoid danger. No one in their right mind is going to engage in a conflict with you up close if they can see you carrying (the key being "in their right mind"). Overall though, I agree with the general consensus that this guy is a tool. If you live in an open carry state, feel free to do it.
 

HPmatt

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Aug 18, 2013
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Dallas
How have yall lived that long w bullseyes on you for so long???[emoji457]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

utbagpiper

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Jul 5, 2006
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Utah
I'm 67, my wife is 76, and you would disarm us. Welcome to da' list.

+1

The great advantage of firearms is that they require relatively little training, strength, mobility, or speed compared to all other alternatives for self defense including swords, knives, blunt weapons, or bare hand techniques. The other great advantage is their ability to project force at a distance; one can maintain some distance and still engage a threat.

Police officers, security guards, etc have a need to have non-lethal techniques available to take suspects into custody, de-escalate situations that they cannot retreat from and still do their job, and so on. But as a private citizen, I'm not interested in apprehending anyone, I get to avoid or retreat from potentially confrontational situations, I have no need to project authority. I don't even need to maintain any false sense of "honor". I just need to be able to keep someone from killing or maiming me so I can go home in one piece today. Which isn't to say that alternate methods of self-defense are not perfectly good ideas. Just that they are not and must not be prerequisites to carrying a gun for self defense.

Charles
 

color of law

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Oct 7, 2007
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5,936
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Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
+1

The great advantage of firearms is that they require relatively little training, strength, mobility, or speed compared to all other alternatives for self defense including swords, knives, blunt weapons, or bare hand techniques. The other great advantage is their ability to project force at a distance; one can maintain some distance and still engage a threat.

Police officers, security guards, etc have a need to have non-lethal techniques available to take suspects into custody, de-escalate situations that they cannot retreat from and still do their job, and so on. But as a private citizen, I'm not interested in apprehending anyone, I get to avoid or retreat from potentially confrontational situations, I have no need to project authority. I don't even need to maintain any false sense of "honor". I just need to be able to keep someone from killing or maiming me so I can go home in one piece today. Which isn't to say that alternate methods of self-defense are not perfectly good ideas. Just that they are not and must not be prerequisites to carrying a gun for self defense.

Charles
The citizen is not required to wear a utility belt full of bells and whistles that could be employed for self defence.
 

utbagpiper

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The citizen is not required to wear a utility belt full of bells and whistles that could be employed for self defence.

True that. And even cops don't wear them off duty.

In addition, private citizens don't often have 2 dozen trained and heavily armed co-workers who can be relied upon to provide timely backup should it be needed.

Very different roles. I'm not keeping the peace, not investigating crimes, not apprehending suspects, not enforcing any laws. I'm just looking to go home in one piece.

Charles
 

Ghost1958

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Nov 5, 2015
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Kentucky
He makes some valid points. For example, you SHOULD train in retention techniques. You should always be training in general (of course, you should never have a required level of training to carry). For concealed carry, my general rule of thumb is that if you can't defend yourself without a weapon, you should probably reconsider carrying a weapon. With that said, open carry is a bit different, as the sight of the gun alone is often deterrent enough to help you avoid danger. No one in their right mind is going to engage in a conflict with you up close if they can see you carrying (the key being "in their right mind"). Overall though, I agree with the general consensus that this guy is a tool. If you live in an open carry state, feel free to do it.

Well using your tule of thumb, never conceal carry a gun my friend.

Fact is you likely come in arms reach of a min of two folks you would have no chance of defending yourself against unarmed every other day or so.
If they told you up front they were going to mop the floor with you.

Might should rethink that rule of thumb there to better fit reality.
 
Last edited:

MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
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Jan 10, 2011
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3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
1. .......... if you can't defend yourself without a weapon, you should probably reconsider carrying a weapon.
2. No one in their right mind is going to engage in a conflict with you up close if they can see you carrying (the key being "in their right mind").
3. Overall though, I agree with the general consensus that this guy is a tool. If you live in an open carry state, feel free to do it.

1. I carry a weapon BECAUSE I cannot defend myself.

2. This has happened to me on several occasions. They just do not see the weapon.

3. Yeppers, he is that. I live in Washington State, an OC State, and I do the deed daily.
 

MKEgal

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Jan 8, 2010
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in front of my computer, WI
utbagpiper said:
In addition, private citizens don't often have 2 dozen trained and heavily armed co-workers
who can be relied upon to provide timely backup should it be needed.
True dat.
Even working for an FFL, I think there are only 4, maybe 5, of us in the building who are armed, and even then it's not all the time.
Of course, that's half the people who are usually there...

.
omahaoutdoors said:
No one in their right mind is going to engage in a conflict with you up close if they can see you carrying.
Which goes to show yet again that anti-gunners are not in their right minds, because they _do_ "engage in conflict" with OCers.
Some of them get right in your face, try to provoke an attack, which is really pretty dumb. (But it does show that they're not
really afraid you're going to do something to them.)
 
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