Open Carry your pistol - on the 4th of July - Exercise your Rights

I own a 22 long Sports King 6 inch rifled barrel pistol with 12 round mag and a Smith and Wesson snub nose 38 revolver. My best buddy is buying a 40 cal from Smith and Wesson.

We live in a condo complex and plan to BBQ all day, hang out and play games with our families.. just like any other July 4th. This year, will be different. This year we will proudly exercise our right to open carry.

Why openly carry our pistols? Because a right unexercised is a right lost.

What is Open Carry?

Open Carry is the right to carry your gun (pistol or even semi auto rifle) openly as if in a hip holster or back strap while you go about your daily life. Most states with Open Carry laws have some restrictions such as you cannot open carry within 1000 feet of a school or in a Government building or where it's posted as otherwise prohibited.

We have Open Carry because the US Constitution does not restrict the individual Citizen from the right to bear arms. Hence, it is left up to each state to decide if the want to allow Open Carry or not. Currently only about 8 states do not have Open Carry Laws so most of the country can Open Carry. In My state Louisiana, the State Constitution specifically says,

The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms is fundamental and shall not be infringed. Any restriction on this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

You can check the map here to see if your state allows Open Carry and what restrictions if any your state has.. en.wikipedia.org...

More info at www.opencarry.org...

Why Open Carry as opposed to Concealed Carry?

There are many reasons. for one, in my state the 22 Sports King doesn't even have to be registered because of it's low caliber. The state does not have to know I even own this gun. I can legally buy one with no paperwork or having to register or license the gun. If I went for a Concealed Carry License, I'd then have to register the gun for use with the Concealed Carry License. I do not want the Government to know I have this gun - why?

Not because I'm a criminal or plan to do anything illegal, but because if the government does get so corrupt that they try to force us to give up our guns, they won't know about this gun. I have the right to remain armed for my own protection - even from the crooked Cops or a tyrannical Government. In fact, this is the very reason the Second Amendment to the US Constitution was put into effect. We simply have the rights to bear arms for the express purpose of overthrowing the Government when it becomes corrupt.

Another reason is we want potential criminals to KNOW we are armed. We want them to see our guns at the ready and our strength in numbers willing to protect our families. We want them to think twice before they go and do something stupid that will get their heads blown off. The cops won't make it here in time and protecting your life is Not the cops job anyway - ( Just ask them) We want thugs to know this neighborhood is protected and is not an easy mark.

Am I worried about Cops?

No. Most cops do not even know about Open Carry, but when they find out, they let you go about your business as in this first video.

In this second video we see a cop that does know about Open carry laws and this is a good example of how he might treat you and also how you should handle the situation.

You Tube has many examples of this as well as some ignorant cops who seek to illegally detain a person for openly carrying a gun legally. This video is or may be wrong depending on the State. In my state the law specifically says the notices have to be publicly displayed - not on a pamphlet the Mall gives out. It must be a large enough sign when on entering the building that everyone can easily see.

You DO have the Right to refuse to give the cops Any info if you so choose to do so and you have the Right to simply walk away.

DO's and Dont's

Most states have some restrictions on Open Carry. You must keep the gun holstered ( unless your showing it to someone) and must not be " brandishing the weapon". You must not be using the weapon to create a disturbance. On the 4th of July it IS Illegal to shoot your gun off with the fireworks as this can lead to harming others. Don't Do it!

Will you join me in exercising your 2nd amendment rights to tell your neighborhood you are not an easy target??

Looks like you will be having a lot more fun than us...

Shame you don't have the guts to celebrate your countries independance without carrying a gun.

That's not independance and freedom, that's fear imo.

Leave the gun at home, be the kind of human this world needs, not the one the rest of us is trying to get away from. Please.

reply to post by nerbot

Take 2.

Statistics show a criminal is less likely to target you your family or home if you are armed. We live in a high crime area. We feel it is better to let the criminals know we are not an easy target. Wouldn't you want to let criminals know your family is protected? I hope you are never in a position where you have to use a gun to defend yourself but you refuse - you would likely be a victim.

I am not the kind of person who this world is trying to get away from. I am the kind of person that is willing to show local criminals my home and family are not easy targets. I am not a criminal/ I am on the Defense Against criminals.

I implore you to re-think your views. One day a gun might be all that stands between you and your whole family getting killed. I don't think your family would be too happy with you if you could prevent their murders but simply choose not to use the right tool to defend yourself. A baseball bat many times won't cut it. No one wants to take another life unless your a sick-o but at times you have to meet violent force with the proper amount of force to protect the ones you love.

You have the right to write love poems to your pistol and hold it intimately to your bosom as well.
Doesn't mean that it isn't weird.

Open carry on the fourth is a great idea.

We patriots who support the Bill of Rights and believe in the principle of freedom that
this country was founded upon should make the fourth "Open-Carry" day to show
our support for all the men and women who have died to protect us, and to keep us
safe.

I see this as being intentionally provocative.

Besides that, there's a number of other things we're entirely within our rights to practice that you probably aren't practicing that go against the conventional norm of acceptable public behavior.

Depending on your state, you may very well have the right to get an abortion, but, most people don't just go out, and get pregnant on purpose just to exercise their right to go get an abortion.

If you are a man, it's entirely within your right to wear a dress or evening gown, with makeup, and everything else to the nines. This is true for any gender.
Are you going to exercise this right?
Most men do not.

It's entirely within your right to get tattoos all over your face and body.

It's entirely within your right to practice any religion, including Islam, Voodoo, or anything else so long as the exercise of the belief system does not impinge upon the rights of others.

Are you doing these other things?
What's the point in being publicly provocative, especially at a family event, especially around children?

What's to say this kind of provocation doesn't meet with an officer of the law that might just be fresh back from overseas duty with a case of PTSD that's slipped through the cracks?
People could get hurt.

If you want to be provocative with firearms, please, go do it somewhere you're not putting children literally in the line of fire.

reply to post by Druscilla


I just hope none of them drink and carry at the same time.
In fact is there a side law saying you can't drink while carrying? I don't know honest question.

What is with morons wanting to open carry? It is these morons that make it hard on gun owners who are not nut bags going around waving guns around declaring themselves patriots. Where does this desire come from? Even in the wild west it was common to not allow weapons to be carried in town. I still think and IQ test should be given before you but a gun. Then maybe all these idiots would stop shooting themelves or friends and family on accident. I am tired of nut jobs and idiots making the rest of look bad.

Originally posted by boymonkey74

In fact is there a side law saying you can't drink while carrying? I don't know honest question.

Varies by state. Some states made it a crime to simply be in an establishment that serves alcohol while you are carrying.

Others say there is no crime until you reach the point of intoxication while carrying.

Others have no specific alcohol/carry laws at all and fall back on reckless endangerment laws should the need arise.

Why wait for the 4th of July? Open carry season is 24/7/365. Exercise your God given rights.

reply to post by MrSpad


If you can you should. Otherwise everyone forgets you ever could. Then, one day, you can't.

reply to post by Druscilla

But all of those things pale in comparison to Defending your Family. It's not just about exercising a right for exercising a rights sake. It's about exercising a right that allows you to protect yourself and your loved ones. That's why this is so important.

Provocation? If seeing my gun provokes a criminal to commit a crime that's his own choice and if he breaks the law he has to answer for that crime. As a citizen who's right and job it is to protect myself and my family ( That's YOUR personal responsibility - it's not the Cops job as many mistakenly think) if that person who saw my gun thinks he's going to test me and break into my home, then he will have to deal with my swift justice before he hurts my family. I become Judge, jury and executioner and I have the legal right to dispense justice. I'm not provoking anyone - they need to take responsibility for their own actions.

reply to post by MrSpad


Open carrying is not waving your gun around. NOBODY in this thread promoting open carrying has said anything about waving a gun around. Nobody except you.

Originally posted by groingrinder
Why wait for the 4th of July? Open carry season is 24/7/365. Exercise your God given rights.

We actually do on occasion like when we are walking my friends dog late at night or when my wife walks home from work late at night. The reason we are doing it together on the 4th is because lots of people will be in and around the complex that day. We want our neighbors to know who we are and what we stand for as well as alerting the criminals to our willingness to protect ourselves. We are hoping to get more people in the community involved to make this complex a much safer place.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


With all due respect, there's such a thing as "Asking for it" regardless of how anyone wants to rationalize it.

You could also build a moat around your home with defensive layers of punji stick filled trenches and barbed wire too. That might actually be a more effective defense of your family that walking around with a firearm because it's always there, and requires no one to operate it for any effectiveness.

BBQ, Beer, kids, and open carry guns during a party environment on the fourth of July.

What could possibly go wrong?

Originally posted by Druscilla

You could also build a moat around your home with defensive layers of punji stick filled trenches and barbed wire too. That might actually be a more effective defense of your family that walking around with a firearm because it's always there, and requires no one to operate it for any effectiveness.

Very illegal and in a litigious society you'd be opening yourself up to crazy lawsuits.

Just leaving a rake out where some trespasser could step on it could cost you everything you've ever had and everything you ever will have.

Of all the gun alternatives that get thrown around like booby-traps and rubber bullets the vast majority are illegal.

I once lived in a state where mace and less-than-lethal ammunition were outlawed but I could walk around with handguns and keep an AR by the door without issue.

Laws would be hysterical in their absurdity if they werent so dangerous to break.

I wanted to do tire spikes at the end of my driveway and according to my lawyer all the signage and warnings in the world wouldnt have protected me from a lawsuit should somebody run over them.

Originally posted by babybunnies
BBQ, Beer, kids, and open carry guns during a party environment on the fourth of July.

What could possibly go wrong?

Sorry! There will be NO alcohol here. Or kids. Just us adults enjoying a sober and safe holiday with our guns. Anti gunners sure seem to like the alcohol!

Is this an attempt to over shadow the "Restore the Fourth" rallies or part of them because you will have two very diverse groups of people protesting about very different things.

I fear one will divert attention from the other but perhaps that's the whole aim of the game.