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Originally Posted by StealthBeast
I can't even begin to find a clear answer to this: Out of curiosity, if one were to carry this on them, clipped in their shirt pocket or belt in plain view, would it be considered open-carry?
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This is an interesting question that would be an interesting court case.
There is no PA definition for what constitutes 'open' carry or 'concealed' but, as has been discussed in other threads, a definition can be argued that a gun is concealed when it presence is not readily discernable to a reasonably observant person. We can also look to other states who have defined the term - for example North Dakota:
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62.1-04-01. Definition of concealed. A firearm or dangerous weapon is concealed if it is carried in such a manner as to not be discernible by the ordinary observation of a passerby. There is no requirement that there be absolute invisibility of the firearm or dangerous weapon, merely that it not be ordinarily discernible
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Using that definition I would then have to ask myself whether the physical form of the gun was so far out of norm that it would be unidentifiable as a gun to the average person.
In this case I would suspect that even those who consider themselves gun enthusiasts, much less Joe/Jane Doe, would have trouble recognizing it as a gun from a cursory look.
No statute or case law backs up my opinion, but I would hazard that a DA would have a good chance arguing that this is 'concealed carry' even while in plain view.