Open carry and shooting oneself in the foot

[SteyrAUG]

OC-ing a pistol is a lot different than grocery shopping with body armor (or just chest rig) and a slung rifle.

We would have to be very much "game on" for me to open carry a rifle and grocery shopping wouldn't be my highest priority. I can remember as a kid when one of the sandwich shops had a courtesy rack for cased rifles when hunters took a break for lunch. But that was back when people were mostly normal about firearms and how to have firearms in public.

[ST911]

I didn't even open carry a pistol in the last half dozen classes I took.

[lowprone]

Lotsa people open carry in South Dakota, ain't no thang !

[diving dave]

When I was a LEO in CA we had a bunch of open carry dudes meet at a local starbucks... Nice guys, and as usual the flood of 911 calls always came streaming in. Local media did a story on them. Anyways, a month or so later, one guy was leaving and going to his car. Gets attacked by a parolee from behind. Was knocked out and his gun taken. It was later recovered, and the crook admitted he saw the news story and figured that was the easiest way to het his hands on a gun. The only time I open carry is when I'm teaching a class or hiking in the mountains.

[Circle_10]

I open carry on my own property, on relative's property or if I'm out screwing around in the sticks or rural back roads somewhere. Also at the range, obviously.
The only time I open carry in public is if I am stopping to put gas in my Jeep and didn't bother to throw on an overshirt.

That being said, I'm not a "deep cover" CC'er. I usually just carry OWB with a button-down shirt over it (or if it's too hot, I pocket carry a J-Frame). If I routinely spent more time in crowded places where I might be more apt to jostle into people I might rethink my strategy though.

[Renegade]

OC to me is like you are popping in to get something on the way hunting or some such.

But going out to "prove a point" is turbo lame

/thread

[Gunnar da Wolf]

Somewhere on the Internet this week I read an opinion that the guys OCing a long gun in public are the same mentality as the guys wearing assless chaps in a gay pride parade. “I have a RIGHT to do it even if it hurts my cause because I WANT ATTENTION!!!”

I honestly can’t disagree with that opinion...

[SteyrAUG]

Somewhere on the Internet this week I read an opinion that the guys OCing a long gun in public are the same mentality as the guys wearing assless chaps in a gay pride parade. “I have a RIGHT to do it even if it hurts my cause because I WANT ATTENTION!!!”

I honestly can’t disagree with that opinion...

It really depends why you are OC'ing a long rifle. I can't think of one that requires me to go into a shopping mall, grocery store or things like that. But in rural areas it's no different than when people did it all the time during the frontier days.

Also the assless chaps is a tired metaphor, mostly because gay rights are inviolate now despite the assless chaps. One could say the assless chaps so conditioned the public into full acceptance that the "gay rights" crowd got everything they wanted.

[jsbhike]

Somewhere on the Internet this week I read an opinion that the guys OCing a long gun in public are the same mentality as the guys wearing assless chaps in a gay pride parade. “I have a RIGHT to do it even if it hurts my cause because I WANT ATTENTION!!!”

I honestly can’t disagree with that opinion...

Comparing assless chaps gay men and closeted gun owners, which group has been more successful in getting what they claim to want?

[LoboTBL]

This is a point I've made to people who ask my opinion on OC many times. OC requires a high degree of situational awareness at all times. Not everyone who can legally OC is prepared for or capable of being in that 'switched on' condition at all times. I've seen people OC while walking across a p-lot and texting on their phone and I'm like, at least cover it with that XXL t-shirt you're wearing you idiot.

On another note... Aren't all chaps assless?