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Why do You Open Carry?

gutshot II

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
782
Location
Central Ky.
Me, well, it's all about the element of surprise. About it. One other thing, I gotta have an exposed hammer. Just a quirk. Firestar .45 I always say: Better to end up in court, than to end up in the morgue.

I have no desire to "surprise" a person in a gun fight. I want to avoid all gun fights. Most criminals, like all predetors prefer to prey on the weak and helpless. Seeing an openly carried firearm will often cause them to move on to a weaker target. OC is a deterent to crime. It is quite possible that there will be no gunfight if the criminal knows you are armed and sees your weapon before hand.
 

Firearms Iinstuctor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3,428
Location
northern wis
Convenience.

It is a lot easier and nicer not having to worry about hiding my firearm.

Now it is all about weather and what I am wearing. Open carrying is coming to the end for this year as the temps dip into the 20's and not long it well be below zero.

When in AZ for the winter OC 98 percent of the time I wear a suit to church.

Most people let alone criminals do not notice a open carried firearm.

The more one OC's the easier it becomes.
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Convenience.

It is a lot easier and nicer not having to worry about hiding my firearm.

Now it is all about weather and what I am wearing. Open carrying is coming to the end for this year as the temps dip into the 20's and not long it well be below zero.

When in AZ for the winter OC 98 percent of the time I wear a suit to church.

Most people let alone criminals do not notice a open carried firearm.

The more one OC's the easier it becomes.
+1
 

ADulay

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
512
Location
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
Convenience.

It is a lot easier and nicer not having to worry about hiding my firearm.

Now it is all about weather and what I am wearing. Open carrying is coming to the end for this year as the temps dip into the 20's and not long it well be below zero.

When in AZ for the winter OC 98 percent of the time I wear a suit to church.

Most people let alone criminals do not notice a open carried firearm.

The more one OC's the easier it becomes.

Couldn't have stated it better.

It does take a little bit of time to get used to daily open carry but once you're comfortable with it, you'll wonder why you waited so long to do it.

AD
 

Jimsouth

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
84
Location
Pa
I have no desire to "surprise" a person in a gun fight. I want to avoid all gun fights. Most criminals, like all predetors prefer to prey on the weak and helpless. Seeing an openly carried firearm will often cause them to move on to a weaker target. OC is a deterent to crime. It is quite possible that there will be no gunfight if the criminal knows you are armed and sees your weapon before hand.

Doesn't have to be a gunfight; just some kookaboo trying to rob you at an ATM. My opinion of open carry. Some screwball sees your weapon, and simply walks up behind you with a feckin piece of pipe; cold cocks you and takes your weapon. It has happened.
 
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Jimsouth

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
84
Location
Pa
If you need to use your handgun defensively, you've already been surprised.



I'm not sure how that matters. Plenty of people OC 1911s and other designs with exposed hammers.

Believe me, it's a bigger surprise to the clown who thinks your unarmed & ends up looking down the pipe.
 

solus

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
9,315
Location
here nc
Doesn't have to be a gunfight; just some kookaboo trying to rob you at an ATM. My opinion of open carry. Some screwball sees your weapon, and simply walks up behind you with a feckin piece of pipe; cold cocks you and takes your weapon. It has happened.

Uh, er, well jim, if concealed what pray tell precludes the same scenario from occurring?
 

solus

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
9,315
Location
here nc
Doesn't have to be a gunfight; just some kookaboo trying to rob you at an ATM. My opinion of open carry. Some screwball sees your weapon, and simply walks up behind you with a feckin piece of pipe; cold cocks you and takes your weapon. It has happened.

Believe me, it's a bigger surprise to the clown who thinks your unarmed & ends up looking down the pipe.

jim, find it interesting you seem/are trivializing the players in your deadly force scenario(s) ~WHY?

Further you just might brush up on firearm terms here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_firearms_terms and while not definitely all encompassing by any means, but should assist!
 
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since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I have no desire to "surprise" a person in a gun fight. I want to avoid all gun fights. Most criminals, like all predetors prefer to prey on the weak and helpless. Seeing an openly carried firearm will often cause them to move on to a weaker target. OC is a deterent to crime. It is quite possible that there will be no gunfight if the criminal knows you are armed and sees your weapon before hand.

Well said, gutshot II.

Many have responded here and elsewhere that a criminal is likely to attack the OC, the same way they attack cops. Actually, criminals almost never initiate contact with cops. They avoid them like the plague. Usually, the only criminals who attack cops are being tracked down, contacted, questioned, detained, or arrested by the cops. The exceptionally few that do initiate violent contact with cops usually have a "suicide by cop" mentality. To date, that hasn't happened with OC that I've ever read, for one reason: They don't know the OC from Adam.

Criminals know cops. They also know off-duty cops almost never OC. None of the many people who asked if I was a cop was a criminal or the criminal type. In fact, nearly all were neophytes when it comes to guns.

When a criminal sees a person OC, particularly if they observe the individual is maintaining an easy but alert awareness of his surroundings, they don't WHAT or WHO they're dealing with. Could be some Joe Wannabee. Could be a former Special Forces operative who's a nice person but well-prepared. Could be some lady who spends weekends at the range practicing with and learning from the best of the best of the best and absolutely will mow down any attacker with swift surgical precision.

Criminals don't like unknown situations any more than anyone else.

Case in point, a couple of criminals and their entourage of friends who crash my apartment complex pool back in 2009. Short story, they tried walking off with my sunglasses and towels. I stopped them. The big, 300-lb badass tried pushing me around and wound up flying ten feel to land harmlessly in the pool, but he got the message: It doesn't matter how big or strong you are, you're not going to win. He exited the pool, leaving the sunglasses and towels where he dropped them.

He didn't know me from Adam, but because I was not armed, he sized me up and figured I was a pushover because he outweighed me by 70 lbs and was a good three inches taller.

Had he encountered me in a different situation where I was OC, he'd likely have thought, "No way" and moved on, a likelihood supported by crime statistics.
 

gutshot II

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
782
Location
Central Ky.
Doesn't have to be a gunfight; just some kookaboo trying to rob you at an ATM. My opinion of open carry. Some screwball sees your weapon, and simply walks up behind you with a feckin piece of pipe; cold cocks you and takes your weapon. It has happened.

Oh, Wow!! That's something that never, ever occurred to me. I do have a few questions:

1. Why would an OC'ed firearm hold more attraction for a kookaboo that your wallet? I am not all that familiar with the doings of kookaboo. Is this anything like raccoons liking shiney things?

2. What kind of idiot would allow some "screwball" to "simply walk up behind you" with a feckin or other type of pipe?

3. Please supply cite as to "it happens", especially the "feckin" part, I am also interested in the kookaboo part.
 
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since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Yes, you take the prize all right.

The "kookaboo" prize.

I did some research. A very small amount of research. It lead me to this:

Kookaboo: A small, young, or otherwise innocent seeming individual who has suffered a severe mental break.

Cop 1: what’s the situation?

Cop 2: we got a kookaboo who’s locked himself inside. He’s afraid to come outside but he’s armed.

I'm thinking the likelihood of encountering an actual criminal (3 in 100) is far higher than encountering a kookaboo (1 in 10,000).
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Doesn't have to be a gunfight; just some kookaboo trying to rob you at an ATM. My opinion of open carry. Some screwball sees your weapon, and simply walks up behind you with a feckin piece of pipe; cold cocks you and takes your weapon. It has happened.
Well...here ya go, a minion of the CC Industrial Complex.
 

Jimsouth

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
84
Location
Pa
I see tangents & even a little pissin contest concerning my replies. I have carried a concealed weapon for over 40 years; and only had to draw it twice; and that was unnerving. You must consider being able to weigh a situation very very quickly; especially when your flooded with adrenaline. An entirely different scenario compared to posting on a forum. I choose to carry my weapon concealed. I am comfortable doing so. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting your gun taken away is always possible! Most people who carry guns tell me “I never let a criminal get within 10 feet of me. I’m constantly aware of my surroundings.” It’s ********. They are deluding themselves. It’s physically impossible for one human to simultaneously scan 360 degrees at the same time. You always have to turn your back to something! Especially in a crowded public area, you simply can’t process all of the information fast enough to decide who is a threat and who isn’t.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've been in my local Walmart & have seen characters with a feckin Super Blackhawk hanging on their hip. Like the Old West. Making some sort of statement? I don't know.
 

Jimsouth

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
84
Location
Pa
Oh, Wow!! That's something that never, ever occurred to me. I do have a few questions:

1. Why would an OC'ed firearm hold more attraction for a kookaboo that your wallet? I am not all that familiar with the doings of kookaboo. Is this anything like raccoons liking shiney things?

2. What kind of idiot would allow some "screwball" to "simply walk up behind you" with a feckin or other type of pipe?

3. Please supply cite as to "it happens", especially the "feckin" part, I am also interested in the kookaboo part.

What kind of idiot would allow some "screwball" to "simply walk up behind you" with a feckin or other type of pipe? Maybe someone who does not have eyes in the back of their head??? It’s physically impossible for one human to simultaneously scan 360 degrees at the same time. Oh, for the record, kookaboo is simply a figure of speech.
 
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B

Bikenut

Guest
Perhaps now would be a good time to repeat post #151 which is just a few posts back in this same discussion:

Well... perhaps the following will help explain about open carry....

About that "element of surprise" thing..........

CC and OC have the very same "element of surprise" because the "element of surprise" is really nothing more than the bad guy being "surprised" to discover his intended victim ..... has a gun.

With CC the bad guy is "surprised" to see his intended victim has a gun to defend himself with after the bad guy has already chosen his victim and the attack is already in progress and at that point seeing the gun can make the bad guy decide to stop the attack.

With OC the bad guy is "surprised" to see his intended victim has a gun to defend himself with during the bad guy's choosing a victim process and at that point seeing the gun can make the bad guy decide not to attack at all.

But either way... it was the bad guy being "surprised" to see a gun that was the actual "element of surprise".

Quite frankly... I'd prefer the bad guy be "surprised" to see my openly carried gun and decide not to attack me so I can go home and watch the 6 o'clock news coverage .... from the comfort of my easy chair..... about the CC'er who had to pull his gun and "surprise" the bad guy who attacked him.

Does OC's "element of surprise" really work? Well.... there have been thousands of folks open carrying in many States (Like Arizona) for decades! and yet accounts of folks OC'ing being attacked are rare. And you know with the anti gun media any incident involving an open carrier being attacked would be covered over and over and over yet such has not been the case in the past nor is it now.

And, in my not so humble opinion, because CC's use of the "element of surprise" is only effective after the attack has begun but OC's use of the "element of surprise" can prevent an attack from happening............. OC's use of the "element of surprise" is far superior to CC's because....

I'd much rather watch the 6 o'clock news than to BE the news.



Now... about an OC'er being "targeted" or "shot first" by the bad guys...

OC has been practiced for DECADES in Arizona (just one State out of all the States where open carry is/has been done)... yet the incidents where an OC'er was "targeted" or "shot first" are so rare it is difficult to find any reputable incidents that can be backed up with cites and/or links to put any validity to those claims. If there were any truth to those claims shouldn't it be easy to find actual incidents especially considering there are DECADES!! of open carry to choose from?
Bold added by me for emphasis...
 
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