I am all for the 2nd but dont like concealed carry, and this is why...

originally posted by: AlexJowls

originally posted by: chefc14
hunted with my 12 year old and she carried her own rifle. It was amazing.

It truly must have been. What an achievement of human initiative.

I also heard they're colonising Mars, too... or some such. But, that's just some boring back page news.

I see what you did there. What I meant was to see my girl, always seeing her as the baby, learning to walk, being potty trained, growing into a young woman, that I can trust with my life, gets straight A's in school, plays in the marching band, hunts, processes, and cooks a deer, out shoots me at the rifle range, speaks two languages and has plans to travel the world, it is amazing.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: Punisher75

I'm late to the game on responding to this, but it's not about me being honest, but it certainly does have something to do with other people knowing I have a weapon, as I don't think people have a right or need to know that information. It's odd that you pretend like carrying concealed implies that I have something to hide--I don't. Carrying concealed is a privilege for which I paid for and train on a relatively regular basis.

There are a lot of reasons why carrying concealed is a better decision than open carry, but I'm sure that in the 4 or more pages that are on this thread already, that has been discussed and pointed out at great length.

And to be honest, gaining your trust by way of how I carry my EDC weapon isn't really the first consideration that runs through my mind when I put it on my belt. I don't care who trusts me...it's who I trust that matters.

I at not point in this thread, nor do I believe, that I have any right whatsoever as to what you carry on your person.

I am not pretending that choosing to cancel carry implies you have something to hide.

I reject you notion that concealed carry is a privilege that you paid for, because I view it as a right, that you have as a free citizen of the United States.

At no point have I ever stated I care wither or not you are concerned with me trusting you or not. Lets not be vain huh?

ALL that I have stated is that it is my preference, that people open carried.
Not for reasons of rights, not for reasons of trust by the gun owner to the non gun owner, but rather as an attempt to get people to see that they can in fact live and coexist along side firearms without any need to be in constant fear for their life.
That they will then be able to see that their life is in more danger of being ended by the flu than it is by way of Gun Violence.
Why?
So they will back off of this whole, we need to ban this or that firearm.

originally posted by: Punisher75
I at not point in this thread, nor do I believe, that I have any right whatsoever as to what you carry on your person.

Huh? I never said that you do have a right to what I carry on my person...I don't even know what you mean by this.

I am not pretending that choosing to cancel carry implies you have something to hide.

Well, in your OP, you said that when you see that bulge from a concealed weapon, it makes you think that person has something to hide, so...

Oh yeah, and the comment about how you think open carry is "more honest."

I reject you notion that concealed carry is a privilege that you paid for, because I view it as a right, that you have as a free citizen of the United States.

I would agree with you, if reality didn't dictate otherwise in my state. In theory, though, I should be able to carry how I want to without asking the state for permission and then giving them money, so we'll agree in that regard.

At no point have I ever stated I care wither or not you are concerned with me trusting you or not. Lets not be vain huh?

Well, you made an issue about concealed carry making you feel like people had something to hide, so I just wanted to affirm that people who choose to carry don't care what other people think concerning the way that they do it. It's not about vanity--I was making a point that your feelings about concealed carry and why people do it (or, in your case, choose not to) is not a reflection of how other people feel.

ALL that I have stated is that it is my preference, that people open carried.
Not for reasons of rights, not for reasons of trust by the gun owner to the non gun owner, but rather as an attempt to get people to see that they can in fact live and coexist along side firearms without any need to be in constant fear for their life.
That they will then be able to see that their life is in more danger of being ended by the flu than it is by way of Gun Violence.
Why?
So they will back off of this whole, we need to ban this or that firearm.

I can agree with this--open carry will help remove the stigma associated with people who carry guns, as society learns that nearly all people with a gun on their hip will not harm anyone. But re-reading your OP, it verifies that what you just claimed is not what you wrote at all--you may have implied it, but it's not what your OP says.

But, regardless, we're on the same side of the battle, here, so no reason to argue and nitpick.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Huh? I never said that you do have a right to what I carry on my person...I don't even know what you mean by this.

I never made that claim, I am assuring you of what my intentions thoughts are not so that there can be a honest discussion about any disagreement with my views.

Well, in your OP, you said that when you see that bulge from a concealed weapon, it makes you think that person has something to hide, so... Oh yeah, and the comment about how you think open carry is "more honest."

It does make me more likely to think that person is trying to hide something, and they are in a sense... its the firearm.
I don't think this is pretending at all.
I admit I cannot discern why they are hiding the firearm, in effect what I mean is I cannot apply any motive in anything other than a subjective way, but I cannot ignore that they are concealing it.

Maybe they are not hiding it, maybe it just gets in the way of normal body movement. But in today's fear state it looks alot like hiding. Which is part of the fuel for the anti-gun lobbyist.

I am willing to go so far as to say they are not hiding the firearm anymore than I am hiding my car registration in my glove box. However people are not currently viewing a firearm in the same way as their cars registration papers.


I agree we are defiantly on the same side.
There is little that bothers me more than the attacks on the 2nd.
If you were confused on my meaning and my larger point I am sorry I was not clear enough, hopefully this will clear things up.

a reply to: Rocker2013

My wife and I both have CHLs here in Texas, and generally carry every day. I think if you were serious about the psychological aspect about it you should delve into the difference between "hero complex", "paranoia" vs. "preparedness" and "self value". You seem to be projecting common stereotypes of gun culture based on a lack of knowledge.

My wife and I (and all the CHL holders I know) hope to all that is holy that we never have to use our firearms in a real self defense situation. It seems to me that your opinion comes from a place of ignorance (not an insult) but you don't live around firearms / haven't grown up around them, etc.

Also - we prefer to carry concealed, and with my Sig P320 you would never know I was carrying, even in a tshirt and shorts. Either way, nice to hear your opinion, but glad it doesn't affect my rights here in Texas.

Surprisingly, I trust concealed carry people more. Generally, they're more knowledgeable about their weapon and have to get some kind of certification/training with it.

It's the random cowboy-wannabe, looking "tough" with a revolver on his hip that worries me more.

I don't know of many Holsters that are not strapped and locked onto a person, wither that be on a shoulder or on the hip.

And they are designed so the firearm is easily removed. If someone takes a holstered weapon from someone it is general removing the firearm, not the whole holster and belt/rigging.

originally posted by: roadgravel

I don't know of many Holsters that are not strapped and locked onto a person, wither that be on a shoulder or on the hip.

And they are designed so the firearm is easily removed. If someone takes a holstered weapon from someone it is general removing the firearm, not the whole holster and belt/rigging.

Yep anything can happen.
However according to the article I posted earlier in the thread, open carry does in fact seem to lower crime rates, acting as a deterrent, because they know you are armed, and they know if they mess it up, they will now have to deal with an armed person they just tried to rob.

So while I will admit that open carry might slightly increase your odds of someone trying to snatch your firearm from your holster, (because they are more likely to know its there) the odds of anyone trying to do ANYTHING at all, is significantly lower.

I have not yet seen anyone dispute this with any counter data, nor have I been able to locate any.
Perhaps you know of a source of data that indicated an opposing view point?

originally posted by: chefc14
hunts

Killing an animal with a mechanical firearm is not 'hunting'. Ask Ricky Gervais.

a reply to: Punisher75

Nah, we're good, man...something was just lost in translation.

But I'll be honest with ya, one of the main reasons I carry concealed is that I have an 11-year-old with Aspergers who has a few moments here and there of impulsive, uncontrolled movements (and I don't want one of those to be at my openly carried firearm by intention or accident), and I have a 19-month-old who I don't need reaching for the fun-looking thing on the side of daddy's hip.

I could personally care less if I'm making someone feel uncomfortable when exercising my 2nd-amendment rights, but I carry concealed because of my two children, plus a few other reasons that make perfectly good sense.

Keep on punishing...

originally posted by: SonOfThor
My wife and I (and all the CHL holders I know) hope to all that is holy that we never have to use our firearms in a real self defense situation.

I have mentioned this all-too-true point to many people on firearm debates on ATS, and it seems as though most of them just disregard the comment--I can feel them rolling their eyes and disregarding it even before they're done reading it.

Too many people hold ignorant, ideological views concerning guns and gun owners/carriers. It's sad and, quite honestly, disappointing.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

I agree with you Slap, kind of crazy how on a forum where we are supposed to deny ignorance people have been making asinine assumptions about whole groups of people, because we value our rights.

All the guys and gals I shoot IDPA with and who carry take their own resources to train as well as get educated on self defense laws. We appreciate and understand the responsibility and accountability we would face in a life-altering scenario where God forbid we'd have to use our firearms in self defense. Even if a shoot is justified it would change your life forever and we understand that.

Now, in January once open carry of handguns is allowed (long guns are already legal to open carry), I can see a few situations where that would be a good idea, but it will be up to the individual how they carry. (i.e. if I'm camping / hiking in mountain lion country or rattle snake country I might open carry accordingly).

I'll end my thoughts in slight frustration that there is an increasing amount of ignorance and mudslinging in forums other than the political mudslinging forum, and I think people need to re-evaluate their positions so as not to blatantly pronounce their ignorance on subjects they have no experience with. I'm all for debate, but just because folks have an opinion on firearms doesn't mean they get a free pass to label us firearm owners with a generic stereotype and call it fact.

originally posted by: AlexJowls

originally posted by: chefc14
hunts

Killing an animal with a mechanical firearm is not 'hunting'. Ask Ricky Gervais.

And Ricky's opinion matters to me, why?
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, never would. I'm a live and let live kind of guy. However I'm not going to stop doing anything I enjoy to appease anyone else. As long as I'm legal anyone who disagrees will just have to live with it or move on.

a reply to: Punisher75

Do you tape your wallet to your chest with cash showing? Don't use dumb analogies please.

If a gunman wanted to do damage, and everyone was open carry, he would know who he needed to shoot first...

originally posted by: Mugly
open carry is legal here but you never see people doing it.
carrying open is a sure way to freak people out and have the cops on your ass with the quickness.

legal does not mean the boys are not gonna roll up on you to see what is what.

just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

if a cop knows for a fact you have a glock on your hip, theyre gonna be twitchy from the start.

my opinion but again, you never see people carrying in the open even though its legal

My son open carries quite often, in my state, if he is approached by an officer, he keep his hands visible, cooperates, and hands them what they ask for. I am pro second amendment, but we have to keep guns out of the hands of the crazies, irresonsibles, and the criminals, how do we do that?

originally posted by: BubbaJoe

originally posted by: Mugly
open carry is legal here but you never see people doing it.
carrying open is a sure way to freak people out and have the cops on your ass with the quickness.

legal does not mean the boys are not gonna roll up on you to see what is what.

just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

if a cop knows for a fact you have a glock on your hip, theyre gonna be twitchy from the start.

my opinion but again, you never see people carrying in the open even though its legal

My son open carries quite often, in my state, if he is approached by an officer, he keep his hands visible, cooperates, and hands them what they ask for. I am pro second amendment, but we have to keep guns out of the hands of the crazies, irresonsibles, and the criminals, how do we do that?

And there lies the problem. Even the people that we are supposed to trust to decide are irresponsible, criminals and crazies. I always say that I agree there are people that should not have guns but who gets to decide that? I think the laws that are already there cover that. Violent people, criminal history, mental issues, they are already not able to LEGALLY buy firearms.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
Surprisingly, I trust concealed carry people more. Generally, they're more knowledgeable about their weapon and have to get some kind of certification/training with it.

It's the random cowboy-wannabe, looking "tough" with a revolver on his hip that worries me more.

Get out of my head.

a reply to: Punisher75

I don't know of many Holsters that are not strapped and locked onto a person, wither that be on a shoulder or on the hip.

It doesn't really matter. If it's within a person's sight, AND if you're overly paranoid like I am (many people carrying guns have a twinge of paranoia, but not in a bad way, just as a means of preparation for the worst), you'll be anticipating someone coming after that firearm. That's the last thing you want.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I see your point, but concealed carriers seem, generally, as someone else stated, to know what they're doing a bit better than the rednecks who revel in open carrying and flaunting their shyz. Here in east Tennessee, I see them a lot. Concealed carriers don't want that attention. They only carry in case of emergencies and they don't want anyone looking at them twice. They're responsible and tactful on a whole, and I think all gun carriers should act that way, open carry or not.

And aside from all that - if you're worried about someone hiding something or someone misusing their firearm, then don't worry so much about people who have permits, open carry or concealed carry. Worry about the people who didn't bother getting any kind of permit. The people who don't give a good God damn about the law, the ones who would be harboring ill intent.

And that, I'm afraid, is something no laws can ever fix.

That's why concealed carry is your friend

originally posted by: Punisher75
First off I am all for the people right to keep and bare arms, but am totally against most forms of concealed carry.
Why you ask?
Because I am more in favor of Open Carry instead.
When I go into a store it would bother me to see that "bulge" of someones hidden firearm under their shirt.
Why?
Cause it seem like they are hiding something, like they don't want people to know that they have a gun.

Open Carry is much more honest to me it says, "Hey I am just a guy standing here with my gun, I am not hiding anything and I am not up anything shady, I just happen to have my firearm with me."

Maybe its just because I grew up in a town with like 300 total people in it and folks would walk down the street with their rifle and even go into the local country store with their gun to buy ammo, a coke and candy bar, before going out hunting or shooting.

Is it just me?
Maybe I don't trust people enough who don't want me to know they are armed.

Update November 3, 2021

The Supreme Court is leaning towards expanding "concealed carry" of firearms in the United States.

Source: www.staradvertiser.com...

If you are allowed to conceal-carry a gun, would you avail yourself of that newly granted right?

-cwm

a reply to: carewemust

Absolutely.

I already carry, at the very least, a knife concealed on my person. Nice little, very sharp, 3" folder. I'd probably begin to carry my Walther, if this were to happen.