"Open carry", much todo about nothing?

I've seen pictures on Facebook where the guys has five or six guns on their right hip. An occasional multi-AR picture, here and there as well.

Yet, living in Washington State which has open carry without permit, I have seen in total 3 people taking advantage of that liberty. I don't live a cloistered life as a trucker and travel hither and yon throughout the state,

The first is one of my dispatchers. He's a old fart and weapons are part of his DNA. The second was a motor-cycle type, complete with all the tats and regalia. The piece likely color coordinated with the tats. The third was a street type with all the expanded ear-lopes and their uniform of the day. Probably no more that carrying was 'cool'.

Three! That's it. From Blaine to Vancouver, Spokane and the Tri-cities. Pretty much everything in between.....three...

Now I can't speak on Texas or other states, so I'm curious to what degree open carry has changed anything elsewhere in the country....if at all.

Much todo about nothing? Seems that way to me....

a reply to: nwtrucker

Up here in Maine, open carry is perfectly legal- and as of last year even concealed carry requires no permit.

Step outside with a firarm on your belt in a city, though, and you can expect to get harassed all day long... assuming you manage to stay out of the back seat of a squad car.

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

www.copblock.org...


I wouldn't risk it- and it makes me so sad to not exercise my rights for fear of my own government coming down on me.

a reply to: nwtrucker

If your quoting Shakespeare it is " Much Ado About Nothing "

Free lesson of the day now over.

I've seen a lot of open carry in Eastern Washington State.

Concealed carry seems to have the big changes as of late:

Beginning July 1, Idaho residents age 21 or older will be allowed to carry a concealed firearm without a permit inside city limits.

Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has signed Senate Bill 1389 into law. It will relax the state's gun policy and remove permitting requirements for concealed carry. Prior to SB 1389, residents age 18 or older could carry concealed firearms without a permit outside of city limits. Open carry is already legal within city limits.

Other states that already allow concealed carrying of guns without a permit include Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Vermont, Wyoming and West Virginia.

Source

originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: nwtrucker

If your quoting Shakespeare it is " Much Ado About Nothing "

Free lesson of the day now over.

That's, I'm getting old...

a reply to: nwtrucker

I open carry ever since it went in to law in Texas, nobody even looks at me, nobody notices or cares.

a reply to: lordcomac

Open carry lets anybody with ill intent know who to shoot first.

Whether it's a right or not, I've yet to understand why anybody does it.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: lordcomac

Open carry lets anybody with ill intent know who to shoot first.

Whether it's a right or not, I've yet to understand why anybody does it.

Interesting take. On the other hand, if there's a whole bunch of open carry going on, it's a pretty good deterrent..

I'd imagine open carry has a sort of 50/50 slipping the decision as if you're going to turn up and rob the place etc then you see every patron have a gun on their hip then you decide that a 30-1 gun fight might not be the best idea and thus drive to somewhere else.

You can never measure the effect of prevention in such circumstances and there lies the problem.

a reply to: nwtrucker

Perhaps, but really, how often do you see "a whole bunch" of open carry going on?

I've only see it at rallies or events and ranges. Can't say I've ever walked into a gas station and seen a bunch of random dudes open carrying.

a reply to: Shamrock6

At lunch today I saw at least 6 or 7 patrons with a weapon open carried. (not counting myself)

In Nevada there are lots of people who open carry.

No one cares. No one pays any mind to it. It really isn't a big deal.

a reply to: sycomix

Okay. At lunch today I saw zero aside from myself.

What's your point? Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal evidence.

a reply to: Shamrock6

I once saw a squirrel open carrying.

I'm guessing it's a common practice in the squirrel community.

Side anecdote: they seem to like CZ firearms.

a reply to: projectvxn

You don't even know man. We have a whole task force dedicated to them. They roll deep, and nobody is allowed to go into a wooded area alone.

in texas if you have a license to carry, you can open or concealed carry. few open carry. very few.

but there are a lot of guns hidden away in just about every crowd.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan


That's more along what I thought. Need a CPL for loaded in car or concealed to it's a pain in the ass going from no permit required open carry to the car, at least in Washington St.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
I've seen pictures on Facebook where the guys has five or six guns on their right hip. An occasional multi-AR picture, here and there as well.

Yet, living in Washington State which has open carry without permit, I have seen in total 3 people taking advantage of that liberty. I don't live a cloistered life as a trucker and travel hither and yon throughout the state,

The first is one of my dispatchers. He's a old fart and weapons are part of his DNA. The second was a motor-cycle type, complete with all the tats and regalia. The piece likely color coordinated with the tats. The third was a street type with all the expanded ear-lopes and their uniform of the day. Probably no more that carrying was 'cool'.

Three! That's it. From Blaine to Vancouver, Spokane and the Tri-cities. Pretty much everything in between.....three...

Now I can't speak on Texas or other states, so I'm curious to what degree open carry has changed anything elsewhere in the country....if at all.

Much todo about nothing? Seems that way to me....

many major cities in open carry states have statutes making it illegal to open carry within city limits...

most of the time in an open carry state you are only really allowed to carry it open if in rural bum# nowhere where no one will witness it.