Originally Posted by
Ironman8
Personally, I think going overt will depend on alot of things, but honestly may bring more problems than solutions. IMO, overt would fit well where you are part of a neighborhood watch where the members all get jocked up for patrol and everyone in the community knows you're the good guy. Or, you have a situation where you need to go outside of "friendly lines" and things are bad enough that you (with 3+ more squared away dudes - preferably) will be rolling through with a purpose and prepared to dish out the pain at the slightest hint of a threat.
The reason I think it would bring more problems than anything is due to pre-emptive action and/or target of opportunity. For example, trying to walk around in an unsecured neighborhood with your PC and rifle slung may draw some pre-emptive fire from Bubba sitting on a rooftop with his 30-06. Or, if there's still some semblance of law and order, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a First Responder's pre-emptive action (LEO, Natl. Guard, ect.) that thinks he's doing the right thing neutralizing what looks like a threat. As far as target of opporunity, I can see where you would present a hard enough target that criminals may move along...but a smart criminal will attack you from behind if you present a target that he knows he can't defeat head on. Body armor, weapons, ammo, and gear is a pretty good score for a criminal who is operating with just a handgun who happens to get the drop on you.
Ultimately, IMO, going overt outside of your secured AO would need to be done in a group where 360* coverage can be attained and/or when things have gone so sideways that everybody is openly displaying arms (the new norm) and a threat of a gunfight is expected.