One of the long standing debates among many gun owners is the open carry versus concealed carry debate. This debate may be second only to the “What caliber is the best?” and the “You should only carry a Glock versus being open to other brands” debates
And this debate, like those other two, can get pretty heated.
Now, before we get into the details about what I’m going to talk about today, I fully acknowledge that there are reasons that someone may want to open carry a firearm.
Some people open carry for ease of access to their weapon. Others open carry as a warning to any would-be criminals that someone on the premises is armed. Still others open carry from a sheepdog mindset meaning that they want the attention of a criminal to come to them instead of the criminal focusing on some other innocent person in the area.
And those can all be valid reasons to open carry.
Personally, though, I prefer concealed carry. One reason is that I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I want to be the grey man, if you will, who has the element of surprise if, God forbid, I ever have to draw and fire on someone to save the life of the innocent.
Another reason that I advocate for concealed carry, though, is illustrated by a recent incident out of Las Vegas (hat tip to here for the lead). Luke McCoy writes,
A man who was openly carrying a firearm was fatally shot with his own weapon after an erratic individual attempted to disarm him during a violent encounter at an AutoZone on East Charleston Boulevard.
McCoy continues:
According to police, the victim was standing in line to pay for items while openly carrying a firearm when 36-year-old Kyle Capucci entered the store behaving erratically. After a brief interaction with an employee, Capucci lunged for the victim’s firearm. A physical struggle followed, during which Capucci managed to gain control of the weapon and fatally shoot the victim. He fled the scene, leaving the firearm behind.
Now, would the victim have been killed if he hadn’t been open carrying?
Maybe. We don’t have a way to know for sure about that.
What is clear, though, is that open carrying made him a target of someone who, if not having evil intent when walking into the store, at least was a danger to both himself and others.
And if the viictim hadn’t been open carrying a firearm, Capuccci almost certainly wouldn’t have known that the gun was there for him to grab, and there’s a good chance that this death wouldn’t have happened.
Now, someone will almost certainly say to this, “That’s just an argument for gun control! You’re just saying that if the guns aren’t there, people wouldn’t have died!”
To which I reply, “No, that is absolutely not what I’m saying. I’m saying have your gun with you all of the time. Just don’t make it easy for bad guys to know that you’re the one who can stop them.”
There is a world of difference between being unarmed and vulnerable and being armed and perceived as not being a threat. The first puts you in danger. The second gives you an edge if you ever have to draw your weapon to save a life.
And I’m always looking for an edge when it can save a life.
Open carry is an invitation for bad actors to disarm you and use your firearm against you and innocent people in the vicinity.Do people do this because they want recognition as a guardian or to satisfy an ego,I have been legally carried for fifty three years concealed and have always thought Open Carry to be an bad idea.God bless you if you must open carry.
I open and conceal carry, however I open carry with a level 3 holster, carry how you’re comfortable just be smart about it, Blessings.
I live in Florida. I hope open carry is not passed. I’ve been carrying for 21 years concealed. Once in a while I’ve printed while in Walmart, one time the police were called, by an idiot I presume. Three officers showed up and confronted me, 2 were trainees and the 3rd was an arrogant Sgt who was the only officer I hated in the entire force. I just happened to wearing a Polo shirt from the LEO Academy which I graduated from. The Sgt gave me a rash of shit about accidently printing reaching up high and wearing a shirt that I earned as one of the top students. Once I told him that we need to go see the Chief, he shut up. The Chief and I were friends and mutual Martial Artists. His future conduct got him fired. Good riddance. Trainees didn’t make it either.
You are bound to find guys arguing and with open carry there is a human tendency to emphasize a point of view by placing a hand on the weapon, escalating to deadly force. The example that Caleb gave was a blatant mistake of carrying a weapon without a retention system. Accidents are bound to happen and weapons falling from non-retention holsters, besides being pulled so easily by the bad guy.
I think open carry is rude and aggressive. What are you trying to prove?
Like a dog’s teeth, concealed is friendly, bared is threatening. When you show a gun, the game changes. When it’s concealed, everyone acts normally; not so with open carry. And as mentioned in the article, when you open carry, not only are you setting yourself up for a confrontation, but are more likely to have your gun taken from you by a bad actor.
This is only common sence , If in this situation a non – lethal person could , in that instance turn crazed and turn lethal because they see a means of obtaining a gun , on the spot . This is like looking in a car and seeing the keys to change thier mind and make it easy , to all of a sudden , steal the car . I would not carry open for that reason alone , I would leave that to a uniformed police officer.