Quote:
Originally Posted by Jared McLaughlin
People have different opinions on the subject of open carry. I started because it was annoying trying to conceal a full size pistol in the summer months, and didn't seem to be worth the effort if open carry was legal anyway.
The general affect in the past six months or so has been extremely minimal. Occasionally people glance, nobody ever questions. One time a guy rounded up his kids and ran out of the gas station. One time someone at the range told me it wasn't legal.
Tonight was the most interesting to me, from a percieved hassle perspective. I have a pretty set routine that I don't vary from much, which doesn't include very crowded places. Tonight I went to the mall to do some shopping. For those of you in the area, I was at Century III. I'm not even sure anyone noticed at all. I've walked by LEO's a few times, and they didn't even seem to notice. I wonder if they just knew the law and weren't concerned.
Basically, I'm starting to feel as if all these concerns about open carry are exagerated. I definitely think it's worthwhile just for the comfort factor. I don't think I'd like to live anywhere it's not legal, really. There's something that's a bit nice about what I do every day, as naturally as carrying a wallet, not being something I feel concerned about people noticing.
I've rambled on because I'm tired. To the point, I really thought a mall, with it's security people, might ask me to leave. Now I'm tempted to treat the mall to my money just a little more often.
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Sounds good and you live in an "enlightened" area. Lawful guns, good. Unlawful guns, bad. When all the sheeple get that straight, they will be much happier. If someone is OC a pistol in a holster at the mall, I will bet a thousand $ to all takers that it's a legal gun.
My opinion at this point (still sort of trying to figure out OC and how to get the sheeple not to panic at the mere sight of a holstered gun) is use a professional looking holster (I always have leather with a thumb break), make sure you are reasonably well dressed, hair cut, shaved within the past couple of days, clean, etc., and people will not view you so much as a danger with a gun. Maybe they think (or want to believe in their own little frightened minds) you are a security guard somewhere or somesuch -- as long as they don't view you as a danger with a gun, you are OK.
The foregoing is all theoretical as I live in philly. Try to OC there and away you go for disorderly. To be fair, the sheeple in philly are so panicey that you could seriously start a stampede by OC in some places. As a realist, I don't see that ever changing. I try to always follow the above though so when (not if) I print or the shirt hikes up enough for people to see the but of the gun, they think "geek with giant pager" or whatever rationalizations work in their little minds to keep from freaking out.