One Year of Open Carry...

[txinvestigator]

A right not exercised is a right lost.

The constitution does not address open or concealed carry. If I carry at all I am "exercising" my right. We have different opinions on OC vs CC. I won't OC. You leave me alone and I won't denigrate you for doing so...mkay?

 

[Wildcat Diva]

I've tried OC and CC. So has husband.

CC is fairly uncomfortable for both of us, and more often than not, it doesn't work out for me. I'm a lady, and honestly carrying doesn't always work with the clothes I wear. I don't want to wear tactical pants all the time, and I don't want to carry in my purse, but I will if I have to. It's often a choice of purse, or leave it in the truck, which isn't helpful.

Husband might not have the right holster for an inside the waistband, but he feels that with what he has got currently, that concealed carry is too uncomfortable. He prefers open carry outside the belt, says that is more comfortable overall on his body and as he is getting in and out of his truck. Sometimes when we go out on the weekends, we go to several different places and are getting in and out of the truck maybe five or six times. That is a lot of moving the firearm around if you take if off your body.

I'm less worried about having the fastest draw ever, and more concerned about having it on me when I need it. I am not a fast person. I don't think being the fastest is always gonna be the issue nor is having it hidden from other's eyes always gonna be the issue. I just need to have it close at hand if it's needed.

If it's not comfortable, then chances are I'm not going to carry it on my person. OC is the most comfortable way for me. If I want to semi-conceal I can add a jacket or a vest or a loose T shirt but honestly it's always damn hot here and I don't feel the need to do that.

 

[majormadmax]

There's a reason black jack dealers don't show their cards.
Same applies to carrying firearms. Don't tilt the odds against yourself.

Blackjack dealers regularly show their cards.

1st point...I've done this drill on the range with shot timers. I best the OC guy more often than not from a "hands up" position.

Once again, I am not talking someone being faster drawing from CC than someone else from OC, I am saying all things equal (i.e. with the same person), it is always quicker to draw from OC than CC.

2nd point...see casino reference above. I am not going to announce myself and give up any advantages I may have.

In such situations I prefer not to gamble, and as I've stated above, dealers always end up showing their hands.

3rd point...who are you demonstrating for? Is OC going to go away if nobody does it? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?

So what was the point of getting OC in the first place? Do we fight for freedom then not practice it?

It is important that gun owners demonstrate they can responsibly carry openly and that the rest of the public gets used to it. The fact that so few have over the past year makes me wonder why there was such an effort to get OC passed. We concealed carried because it was the only option we had, and now that we have this newfound liberty few are exercising it. I make an effort to OC so people realize the mere presence of a firearm doesn't equate to a threat. As stated, it is a proven deterrent that is probably equal to if not greater than the "element of surprise." Plus, if a bad guy sees you trying to draw that weapon from underneath your shirt or out of your pocket, you're likely to get shot as well. It gets even worse when you are seatbelted in a vehicle.

Seconds count (the same reason we carry our firearms with rounds chambered); and it can be as easily argued that the extra time it takes to draw a concealed weapon can be the difference between life and death!

 

[Hoji]

Know what the difference between OC people and CC people is?

CC people don't care if you OC.

I swear, some of the OC people are truly frothing at the mouth on the subject. Kind of like The flocks of some of the televangelists out there.

Like any particular flavor of Jesus, Buddha , Odin , or CJ , I don't care how you worship ( or carry). Please stop telling the rest of us who do not stand on street corners preaching end times( or hanging out at the capitol in a thong and ski mask while carrying openly) How to do either of the above.

And some of y'all are just as shrill as the Westboro Church lunatics.( and before the usual suspects get their diapers in a wad, I am not calling open carriers lunatics)

 

[Wildcat Diva]

I OCed, while traveling through Bay City; going through a busy convenience store making my way to the ladies room. The guys in there definately held the door for me and pointedly made room for me to pass. But they might have just been that gentlemanly if I wasn't OC, haha.

 

[Wildcat Diva]

Know what the difference between OC people and CC people is?

CC people don't care if you OC.

I swear, some of the OC people are truly frothing at the mouth on the subject. Kind of like The flocks of some of the televangelists out there.

Like any particular flavor of Jesus, Buddha , Odin , or CJ , I don't care how you worship ( or carry). Please stop telling the rest of us who do not stand on street corners preaching end times( or hanging out at the capitol in a thong and ski mask while carrying openly) How to do either of the above.

And some of y'all are just as shrill as the Westboro Church lunatics.( and before the usual suspects get their diapers in a wad, I am not calling open carriers lunatics)

I have met plenty of people who CC and are pretty vocal about how dumb they think someone is for OC.

 

[scap99]

Blackjack dealers regularly show their cards.



Once again, I am not talking someone being faster drawing from CC than someone else from OC, I am saying all things equal (i.e. with the same person), it is always quicker to draw from OC than CC.



In such situations I prefer not to gamble, and as I've stated above, dealers always end up showing their hands.



So what was the point of getting OC in the first place? Do we fight for freedom then not practice it?

It is important that gun owners demonstrate they can responsibly carry openly and that the rest of the public gets used to it. The fact that so few have over the past year makes me wonder why there was such an effort to get OC passed. We concealed carried because it was the only option we had, and now that we have this newfound liberty few are exercising it. I make an effort to OC so people realize the mere presence of a firearm doesn't equate to a threat. As stated, it is a proven deterrent that is probably equal to if not greater than the "element of surprise." Plus, if a bad guy sees you trying to draw that weapon from underneath your shirt or out of your pocket, you're likely to get shot as well. It gets even worse when you are seatbelted in a vehicle.

Seconds count (the same reason we carry our firearms with rounds chambered); and it can be as easily argued that the extra time it takes to draw a concealed weapon can be the difference between life and death!

- Maybe Blackjack was a bad analogy. Maybe I should have said a sniper might as well wear a strobe light and an orange jumpsuit...
- Careful with "ALWAYS" remember that rule from the True or False test? If "always" or "never" are used it is false....
- I see no tactical advantage to OC. Sounds like quite a few others don't either.
- I didn't fight for OC.
- Why do I have to demonstrate to anyone that I can responsibly open carry? I don't care what John Q Public thinks about me or my firearms.
- I'm pretty sure I can draw while seatbelted in a vehicle just as good as anyone else. Further to that, I could do it much more discretely than someone carrying anywhere between 3 and 9 o'clock.
- Seconds count. Who has more time? The OC who got spotted a mile away or the CC that blends in to the crowd?
- It can easily be argued that draw time is a draw between the two carry methods.


Obviously, you're passionate about OC. Keep doing what you're doing, then. But don't be like the guy that just quit smoking and make it a personal crusade to get everyone to quit.

As has been stated above. The 2A doesn't say how, what, when, where, or why. It just tells the gov't we get to bear them, and they can't mess with them. We've got bigger fish to fry than infighting about OC vs CC when it comes to the 2A and its erosion by "common sense" gun control progressives.

 

[scap99]

I have met plenty of people who CC and are pretty vocal about how dumb they think someone is for OC.

Plenty of poo getting thrown both directions, that's for sure.

 

[Wildcat Diva]

I don't want to tell anyone what to do either.

But some people paint OC carriers as freakish, and that's not helpful to those of us who don't wear an outfit consisting of a ski mask and thong when we OC.

I probably will go my whole life without having to draw my gun. I seriously doubt I am losing out by giving up any "tactical advantage" by OC. Mostly, people don't notice. Most people's "situational awareness" seems pretty shitty. If someone is dumb enough to need to rob somewhere to get by, chances are they are not sharp enough to have that great of snap for situational awareness either to notice if I happen to be "semi-OC" (maybe I have a vest on that partially obscures the firearm, or a black shirt so it blends in.)

I am willing to wager that my way of carrying doesn't do any harm to me, that it is an advantage as opposed to not carrying at all. That is a benefitnI reap from the law changing last year to allow OC.

But I don't want to say anyone should do something they don't wanna do.

One point of this thread is that more people seeing OC will make the public more desensitized to people carrying for self defense, and realize that this is not to threaten them. That's a good thing. I'll just keep OC and I'll keep my thong covered up and my ski mask off. What the public thinks DOES matter because they influence votes on future gun laws. There are die hard libs, but there are ALSO in the middle folks that can be swayed.

 

[satx78247]

Wildcat Diva,

ImVho (as a now-retired LE supervisor, who supervised numerous female agents over the years), you have made a tactical & possibly FATAL error if you "purse-carry".
(IF a purse gets "snatched", at least TWO bad things have happened: You have lost your handgun & have ARMED a criminal against you.)

Imo, the BEST options for "feminine protection" for most women are:
1. Under-bra holsters,
2. Thigh holsters,
(My daughter wears a lot of "tea length" skirts & tall boots at work at DPS & routinely carries her "little 9x18mm friend" in thigh holsters, that are custom- made by a lady in Austin, who outfits female federal agents with holsters that are made of lingerie material. - She also has 3-4 "under blouse" holsters & a shoulder rig for days when she isn't wearing a skirt.)
OR
3. WELL-DESIGNED & QUALITY shoulder holsters if you wear a lot of blazers/jackets.

Otoh, my late housemate (who was routinely known to family/friends as "The Tomboy in Chief") had an "athlete's figure" (read: muscular & rather "straight up & down") & found that an OTB holster by DeSantis worked well for her to carry a "compact 9mm" pistol, under her usual garb of jeans/boots/blouse with vest or jacket.

I wish that there was a simple, "fits everyone" solution but I fear that it's more than a bit more complicated than "one size fits all" & may require a considerable amount of experimentation to find the BEST solution for you..
BEST WISHES on your search.

yours, satx

 

[Wildcat Diva]

Thank you. I know purse carry is really bad. I don't have a lot of time to research and lay out different options for my clothing which is always different. I also think that changing up the way I carry everyday is bad too because you never get used to it.

Purse carry is bad, but when I am needing to be quick out the door it's what I do sometimes. It's an error that I may have to risk making due to convenience. I think it is marginally better than just leaving my gun at home.

But I hear you. I know it's bad. I make lots of mistakes every day and hopefully they won't kill me. (I'm not being sarcastic).

I do have some options that I have tried... I will keep working on it

 

[satx78247]

Wildcat Diva,

"Digging around" in a purse for your handgun when you desperately NEED it in hand is a BAD PLAN, imVho.

Nonetheless UNDERSTOOD & BEST WISHES on your search for YOUR best options for CC.

yours, satx

 

[Big Dipper]

Can you document any cases of this happening? Otherwise it is just more of the same old blood in the streets nonsense.

http://abc7.com/news/guard-shot-in-face-during-san-bernardino-marijuana-clinic-robbery/1400184/

http://abc13.com/news/armored-truck-guard-shot-in-apparent-robbery/1568258/

http://m.wbtv.com/wbtv/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:Ibe45Z3S

I'm guessing they got "hit" because of their uniforms, not because of the OC. ;-)

 

[Hoji]

I'm guessing they got "hit" because of their uniforms, not because of the OC. ;-)

I am guessing that it was the gun. Unarmed guards do not shoot back.

 

[Mikewood]

Purse carry is not a tactical or fatal error. It's an option. Often it's a good option. Purse carry lets you do three important things. First it lets you attain a strong firing grip while maintaining concealment. Secondly it lets you fire from concealment. Third it lets you carry a much larger gun than you normally could on your body. That's an incredible advantage in a deadly force encounter.

Lets talk about snatching your gun. Who cares. If a crook wants a gun they buy them on the black market for pennies on the dollar. If they find yours they sell it or use it and ditch it. Either way it's gone. It's ridiculous to think a purse snatcher will use the gun on you. Ever see someone snatch a purse? They run past someone. Grab for it and never break stride. A block away they rifle thru the purse, grab the wallet and ditch the purse. What they don't do it stand still and dig thru the purse in front of you where you can beat the crap out of them with any handy object.

Bra holsters work well for ladies with C-D cups or padding to make them look balanced. Thigh holsters work if your thighs don't touch. Both require you to partially disrobe while in a fight. At what point do you reach up your skirt or down your blouse to grab your pistol? When you don't feel safe? When you give verbal warning? After the first blow has been struck? With a purse you can get a strong firing grip as soon as that yellow situation starts to turn orange.

Just get a good purse holster that's made to carry a gun.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Wildcat Diva]

Wildcat Diva,

"Digging around" in a purse for your handgun when you desperately NEED it in hand is a BAD PLAN, imVho.

Nonetheless UNDERSTOOD & BEST WISHES on your search for YOUR best options for CC.

yours, satx

thank you, and it's true. Most of the time though, I'm less worried about being fast on the draw. I think more about a situation where I was having time to draw my firearm, and I am just glad it's there. I'm not in many situations where me getting mugged is likely.

Worst thing is leaving work at a secluded location at night. Not allowed to carry at my work so not much I can do about that though.

Usually when I am out and about I am with the hubs and he has got first dibs on any problems. I'll just hang back in the background and take care of any clean up needed.

But I do try to use options when I have it on my body, but it's a constant struggle to make carrying work. I don't want to wear only clothes I can conceal in. I don't want my life to be that restricted so I play the odds that the way I play it, probability says I won't lose. Hopefully my number doesn't come up.

 

[Big Dipper]

I am guessing that it was the gun. Unarmed guards do not shoot back.

So, unarmed guards just get robbed? Hmmmm.

 

[Wildcat Diva]

I am guessing that it was the gun. Unarmed guards do not shoot back.

Why would someone not assume that a guard might be CC?

I totally would.

 

[Hoji]

Why would someone not assume that a guard might be CC?

I totally would.

Against the law in most states. And there are two groups of people that know the law better than most people, criminals and lawyers.

 

[Wildcat Diva]

Purse carry is not a tactical or fatal error. It's an option. Often it's a good option. Purse carry lets you do three important things. First it lets you attain a strong firing grip while maintaining concealment. Secondly it lets you fire from concealment. Third it lets you carry a much larger gun than you normally could on your body. That's an incredible advantage in a deadly force encounter.

Lets talk about snatching your gun. Who cares. If a crook wants a gun they buy them on the black market for pennies on the dollar. If they find yours they sell it or use it and ditch it. Either way it's gone. It's ridiculous to think a purse snatcher will use the gun on you. Ever see someone snatch a purse? They run past someone. Grab for it and never break stride. A block away they rifle thru the purse, grab the wallet and ditch the purse. What they don't do it stand still and dig thru the purse in front of you where you can beat the crap out of them with any handy object.

Bra holsters work well for ladies with C-D cups or padding to make them look balanced. Thigh holsters work if your thighs don't touch. Both require you to partially disrobe while in a fight. At what point do you reach up your skirt or down your blouse to grab your pistol? When you don't feel safe? When you give verbal warning? After the first blow has been struck? With a purse you can get a strong firing grip as soon as that yellow situation starts to turn orange.

Just get a good purse holster that's made to carry a gun.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

These are good points. My thighs DO touch lol. Often I do a belly band type scenario that works well sometimes. My boobs are not huge enough to conceal the weapon with it under there though. And my Glock 26 has my preferred 17 round mag. It's humongous. I guess I could do something different but I haven't wanted to yet.

OC is with a retention holster is really a good option at times. Purse carry sucks as an option (although I do use that option) if you are like me a leave your purse behind sometimes on purpose or accident. I'm not good at being a chick I guess. Fail. Often I don't want to carry it (the purse) and abandon it to just take my wallet in a pocket. Sigh.