You Are A Target

[22Luke36]

They say that open carry makes you a target, we laugh, and attempt to correct them, but it just hit me. We aren't looking at this from the right angle.

You're a target already. Open, concealed, unarmed, it doesn't matter it isn't about you, it's about the bad guy. He went out with a pistol in his pocket to do someone harm. Be it to rob, kill, steal, rape, whatever, he's out there. You are the target, therefore, are you ready to deal with him when you meet?

Openly carried handguns are simply the best deterrent and the best defense for most of these situations.

 

[Grapeshot]

Hard target or soft target - we make choices.

OC advertises one's willingness to defend - extremely strong deterrent.

 

[autosurgeon]

Yup we are all targets each and every day. We only get to choose what type of target we are. The op has a very good observation!

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[Michigander]

No matter the mode of carry, if any, 90% of a well rounded strategy for staying safe is situational awareness, and an in depth knowledge of conflict psychology. I would suggest caution about using the deterrence argument with someone who isn't an expert, because a very inept OCer in a bad circumstance could very well be more likely to be attacked than a very skilled CCer in a bad circumstance. It's all relative to what you know, what you've practiced, and how you look and carry yourself.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to be said for the deterrence factor, and it is a great reason to OC. But I still suggest not over emphasizing it, because most people who would be the most receptive to that argument are not going to really understand how and why violence happens, and the best ways to avoid it, rather than engage in it.

 

[Citizen]

They say that open carry makes you a target, we laugh, and attempt to correct them, but it just hit me. We aren't looking at this from the right angle.

You're a target already. Open, concealed, unarmed, it doesn't matter it isn't about you, it's about the bad guy. He went out with a pistol in his pocket to do someone harm. Be it to rob, kill, steal, rape, whatever, he's out there. You are the target, therefore, are you ready to deal with him when you meet?

Openly carried handguns are simply the best deterrent and the best defense for most of these situations.

Good point.

 

[Shadow Bear]

It's not revolutionary, it's evolutionary:

Consider some of the brightest colored animals- poison arrow frogs, monarch butterflies and the like. Predators recognize their bright colors, and realize that they are dangerous to attack.

I see OC in much the same light; be too dangerous to attack.