Open Carry

[beaverdigger]

Legislation is now in the process in the state Senate and House, and looks to pass, on open carry of firearms. No restrictions as long as you are a citizen in good standing. The whole deal is modeled after Arizonia law and seems to have no big issues or problems. As of now, 2/15/09, the bill has many supporters and sponsers.
How do you think this may affect you and metal detecting ? Will you carry while detecting, will you feel safer, what problems if any do you foresee?

 

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[kenley]

I am not much in favor of "open Carry" I guess ..out in the countryside would be O.K. But around people it seems like your asking for some smart alec to say or so somethng.
I have CCW (OK) and always carry a .380 in the warm seasons and a .45 in the colder ones. I don't want the bad guy to know that I am carrying.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Legislation is now in the process in the state Senate and House, and looks to pass, on open carry of firearms. No restrictions as long as you are a citizen in good standing. The whole deal is modeled after Arizonia law and seems to have no big issues or problems. As of now, 2/15/09, the bill has many supporters and sponsers.
How do you think this may affect you and metal detecting ? Will you carry while detecting, will you feel safer, what problems if any do you foresee?

yeah not much effect on me as I am usually always armed

not sure if I would carry in open if allowed but might consider it as it would be quicker to discharge if needed like that.

 

[RGINN]

I 'open carried' for about 25 years. I know I needed it, but many times it was a hindrance or just got in the way. If you get into a scuffle, there's always a gun involved, yours. Of course if you need a gun, pretty much nothing else will do. I would really like to see some sort of education or training involved in the process. And we might get lucky and all the bad guys will start open carrying and wipe each other out. As far as metal detecting, I never really saw the need for one, unless I got bored and wanted to target practice.

 

[beaverdigger]

The bill failed for now as it did not ,for some reason, get out of committee along with a couple of other good bills.

 

[Yellowhouse]

CCW and Kel-Tec .380 . More concerned about some of the roving bulldgogs and rottweilers around here.

 

[Monty]

I don't think open carry is necessary and could be a problem for shopping, banking, picking up school kids, etc. You'd always be continually putting it on and taking it off and leaving it in the car where it could get stolen. Concealed, only you and the Good Lord knows and much less hassle. Also, I know some very nice , honest folks who for some reason just look like criminals even though they are not. I'm sure everyone knows the type. I'd have to sit with my back to the wall and worry about "Preacher Joe", who looks like a hitman, going nuts and shooting up the place. What I don't know won't hurt me as long as they don't know either! Just my observations. Monty

 

[BoggyBottomJay]

Open carry gives to many wanna be bad ass punks a reason to think they are that much tougher. CCW is much better cause most dont wanna pay the money to carry or dont wanna do the class or simply know they cant get a ccw because of their criminal records.

 

[Raccoon]

Apparently, Sue Tibbs, despite being a Republican, killed the bill in committee. Some friends of mine are pretty unhappy about this, so they plan to campaign against her reelection with signs that say, "This is the Second Amendment according to Sue Tibbs" and open carry bananas in holsters.

There is now another bill. This one allows open carry only if you have a CC license.

-Rock

 

[Monty]

Sorry, I am a lifetime NRA member and a shooter and a collector but I see no reason for open carry. You can already carry open if you are legitimately hunting or on private property. It seems to me that open carry would only "scare" some people who are not accustomed to firearms, and it would be much easier for some nut case to grab your weapon. For instance you are in a cafeteria line and both hands are occupied with a tray, your firearm would be very easy to take. I completely believe in the right to bear arms but my only concern is the safety issue. I wouldn't carry in the open even if it was a law. Just my opinion so take it for what it's worth. Monty

 

[mts]

Here in Ohio we supposedly allow open carry. But you never see anyone actually doing it. So I tend to believe that like all gun laws people are making a bigger deal out of it than they should. We passed closed carry a few years back and everyone was worried that the state would end up being like the wild, wild west. But it hasn't happened. If anything, you read more cases about grandmas offing some punk who breaks into her home. When that happens, the opponents and proponents both cheer.

But I agree with Monty that open carry in general seems more dangerous or risky. I'd personnally never do it. And maybe that's why most folks here don't do it even though they probably could. You'd have to be ever mindful of it to make sure someone doesn't grab it. You are also drawing a lot of unwanted attention to yourself. Guns are valuable and people like to steal them. Walking around with a $600 revolver on your belt is like walking around with 6 - $100 bills taped to your shirt. People are going to notice. And the wrong people may attempt something. Finally, cops know that when you're in a scuffle you have to protect your gun so that it isn't used against you. It's even gotten to the point where cops carrying a taser have to be extremely careful as well. That's just too much to worry about for the sake of open carry. Especially when you can just close carry instead and achieve the same results with much less risk.

 

[OklaBuck]

I guess some of you think that the people of Oklahoma are much more violent than the people in Arizona.....Arizona is trying to get Consealed carry. And the folks out there who dont like guns are useing some of the same excuses that some of you are here. The things that you are afraid of arent happening out there. and the same arguments were made here about consealed carry,, but none of it happened. I guess there is always some excuse to keep americans from there rights....Buck

 

[BLACKFOOT]

Arizona Governor Just signed a bill allowing the people to carry concealed without a permit goes into effect in 90 days

 

[Monty]

Arizona is a state that has unique circumstances as does New Mexico, Texas and California. Illegal alians and drug lords on the southern borders. If I owned land on the Mexico border, i wouuld carry the biggest gun I could handle all the time. I'd have a sidearm and probably a "hillbilly" carried shotgun or rifle in my truck. Every state that has passed a right to carry law has had its horde of detractors claiming shoot outs and murders would escallate by the thousands. Contrarily, those type of thing have shrunk. In fact in all but a very few instances the total crime rates have fallen. I just want to repeat I am not anti-gun, but I don't support open carry by everyone. I could live with it but prefer not to. Monty

 

[OklaBuck]

Monty...you gave a few good reasons to open carry then say ya dont like it. seems to me your one confused person. But if thats your opinion, so be it thats your right as an American. Thomas Jefferson said...No more in this nation will a free man be deprived of his rights to keep and bare arms....(((Americans who arent Locked up should be able to own an carry fire arms...My opinion..Be well...Buck

 

[mts]

Monty...you gave a few good reasons to open carry then say ya dont like it. seems to me your one confused person. But if thats your opinion, so be it thats your right as an American. Thomas Jefferson said...No more in this nation will a free man be deprived of his rights to keep and bare arms....(((Americans who arent Locked up should be able to own an carry fire arms...My opinion..Be well...Buck

Monty didn't say that he was against being able to own and carry firearms. Quite the contrary. He simply said that he preferred concealed carry over open carry. I have to agree with him. For most people, as long as they can do concealed carry then there is usually no reason for someone to want to open carry. It just attracts the wrong kind of attention in my opinion.

Keep in mind that my opinion is for hand guns in a city setting. Carrying a rifle out on a farm is a completely different situation.

 

[Monty]

What mts said! Monty

 

[Libralabsoldier]

I have 14 years of US Army under my belt, and on the rare occasions I carry (I have a BIG Smith and Wesson Model 10-6 .38SPL) it tends to get in the way. When I lived here in Apache the first time, I surprised some meth cookers. They cleared out in a hurry. In Dallas, I had a skeevy looking guy asking how much my MD was worth, etc. I showed him my digger. He moved along.

I have nothing against concealed carry. As far as open carry goes, I have seen a lot of guys doing it who are "all hat and no cattle". In otherwords, folks carrying openly for no reason other than it makes them feel tougher. I do not need a metal penis extender.

 

[Monty]

Open carry in a rural setting or in your personal vehicle or private property is fine. But it is the Urban setting I don't ike to see open carry. It's too easy for some yokel to disarm you and then you are helpless. I don't mean overpower you, but I think that I can disarm just about anyone if I come up behind them unexpectedly and I am not a tough guy by any means. Monty

 

[fistfulladirt]

I agree with Monty. No need in urban areas except for protection from dogs. Still, shoot a dog, go to jail. At least you didn't get a dog bite.