Question for those who regulary open carry

[soberbyker]

Originally Posted by Gary in Pennsylvania

Agreed.

Additionally....it depends on you and how you PRESENT yourself.

Our communities love to stereotype each other enough as it is.......and then add a GUN into the picture???


Take for instance - Our very own Soberbyker is one of the absolute kindest people you'll ever meet.....But, IIRC, he doesn't OC cuz of the wrongful perception society has of "Biker" type people. Sober has plenty of ink done and he's got the 'biker' look......and unfortunately, our society would guarantee that Mr. Sober gets plenty of unnecessary attention and questions. That's a shame.


Orrrrrrrr......what if you look all "Thugged Out"? You could be the president of your local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter.....but if you have the Gangsta look - you'll get unwanted attention.


Here in NEPA - I'd bet a Hispanic dressed in anything other than a tie or a polo shirt would get looked at sideways.


It is what it is.


I've worn high & tight haircuts since I was about 10yrs. Most folk just assume I'm LEO or something.

You are how you’re perceived. Be conscious of that.

Originally Posted by BerksCountyDave

hmmm interesting. I'm covered in tattoos, wear black, and ride a motorcycle. I'm not hassled when I OC . . .

Originally Posted by BerksCountyDave

That's a good point Gary. I'm an hour outside of Philly and 10 minutes outside of Reading, so we have a good mix. Although, I'm white so I'm not sure that factors in so much.

Has Sober ever OCed? Or has he assumed he'll get hassled? Not arguing, just asking!

It's true I don't OC, part of the equation is where you are, I live in the town next to west Philly, Upper Darby, whose police chief is Chitwood a very anti-gun LEO. So I live in a very anti part of the state.

The next part is my look, a heavy (fat) heavily tattood person. I get followed in stores by security all the time. It's a fact of life I deal with, I know what prejudice is like.

Until recently I was a patched member of a motorcycle club (I retired) the local police know my face. The company you keep can bring unwanted attention as well. (even though we are a clean & sober club we still wore colors and attended many other color wearing type functions)

I don't OC because of these reasons as well as I don't want the possible hassle. I've never tried OC to find out if I would be hassled, BCD, but I don't want to find out the hard way that I was correct either.

So to the OP, OC has been done throughout the state, most of the time without trouble, but you do need to consider these things if you want to OC yourself.

Will the way I look/dress bring unwanted attention?

Is where I live anti-gun?

Do I have the time and means to fight being wrongly arrested?

Am I willing to have all sorts of people question me or offer their opinion and will I be polite in my response?

Those are the first questions you should ask yourself. If you're OK with them the next thing to consider how aware are you of your surroundings at all times, situational awareness is what it's called. Carrying a gun is not something to take lightly, nor is it something to do because it's the current craze. You really need to keep sharp at all times when carrying a gun, especially when you OC.

So, will you get hassled? maybe not, maybe never, but the possibility does exist, are you willing to accept that?

Good luck and enjoy your time in Pa.

Bill

.

[fingers80002]

Originally Posted by soberbyker

It's true I don't OC, part of the equation is where you are, I live in the town next to west Philly, Upper Darby, whose police chief is Chitwood a very anti-gun LEO. So I live in a very anti part of the state.

The next part is my look, a heavy (fat) heavily tattood person. I get followed in stores by security all the time. It's a fact of life I deal with, I know what prejudice is like.

Until recently I was a patched member of a motorcycle club (I retired) the local police know my face. The company you keep can bring unwanted attention as well. (even though we are a clean & sober club we still wore colors and attended many other color wearing type functions)

I don't OC because of these reasons as well as I don't want the possible hassle. I've never tried OC to find out if I would be hassled, BCD, but I don't want to find out the hard way that I was correct either.

So to the OP, OC has been done throughout the state, most of the time without trouble, but you do need to consider these things if you want to OC yourself.

Will the way I look/dress bring unwanted attention?

Is where I live anti-gun?

Do I have the time and means to fight being wrongly arrested?

Am I willing to have all sorts of people question me or offer their opinion and will I be polite in my response?

Those are the first questions you should ask yourself. If you're OK with them the next thing to consider how aware are you of your surroundings at all times, situational awareness is what it's called. Carrying a gun is not something to take lightly, nor is it something to do because it's the current craze. You really need to keep sharp at all times when carrying a gun, especially when you OC.

So, will you get hassled? maybe not, maybe never, but the possibility does exist, are you willing to accept that?

Good luck and enjoy your time in Pa.

Bill

.

Excellent points, Soberbyker.
One thing I would add, RETENTION HOLSTER!!!!!!
And learn how to use it.

[mjf]

Most malls have policies against firearms, so your chances of being confronted increase while visiting one, especially if there's a sign posted--but that should be a no-brainer.

[edstephan]

Originally Posted by pacmanfan1977

Hey all-
I'm new to this forum, and to OC'ing. I have gone out several time OC'ing in local establishments, and much to my surprise I have not got hassled, or asked to leave. I'm curious how many of you OC, and how many times have you been hassled/ questioned.

The reason I ask, is that I am just starting to open carry, and I have a concern about being hassled when I do. For example- Last night I took my fiancee out out to dinner for her birthday. I did not open carry because I did not want to risk getting our dinner ruined by someone who did not approve of OC'ing. I choose to CC, because I did not want to risk someone ruining her special dinner because of me OC'ing. So how many of you OC, regulary and how often do you get approached in regards to it?
-Mark

I have OC'ed for many years and only had a few small issues. Main thing is know the laws inside out and backwards. If you know the laws the impact will be minimized if you do get hassled and keep a back pocket full of fliers. And above all retention and situational awareness, get trained and practice. Get a good holster and learn to use it correctly. OC carries a lot of additional responsibilities for you. Mentally prepare yourself for and incident to happen because the more prepared you are the better off you will be.
What was the hardest for me was temper. Onice I learned to control my temper and stay calm under pressure the better off you will be.
You’ll find out the more you open carry, people will be more polite to you and common courtesy will become second nature.

Welcome to the forum and carry on.
Just my 2¢
Ed

[338winmag]

i oc all the time vary rarely do i cc.iv had several run-ins with people who don't like it.but its the way i choose to do things and thats that.

[truecrimson]

I OC most of the time (80%-95%). I was OCing 99% of the time but then I had a week or two where I was stressed, tired, and not in the mood to talk to strangers so I CCed a lot then. Now I'm back to mostly OC. I live in Allentown, work in Lebanon, and make frequent trips to Philly.

Negative encounters: I've had 1 instance of being hassled by a non LEO in Philly, 1 argument with a LEO in a police district HQ in Philly (through the service window, I was not being detained and had freely and intentionally walked in), 1 phone argument with a district captain in Philly.

Nuetral encounters: While doing laundry one night a guy in the laundry room asked me if I was a constable or deputy. When I said no, just a regular citizen he asked "So what's with the gun?" I responded it's legal, I'm just excercising my rights. He didn't say anything else, and I wasn't in a good mood that night so neither did I.

Positive/Curious Encounters: Dozens. Maybe hundreds. I give out a lot of flyers, and talk to a lot of people about OC and CC. I've had phone calls and e mails from Bethlehem PD stating they are aware of the law, and a letter from the Alleghenny Sheriff saying they are aware of the law. Both of those were in response to the training memos.

Here is a google map of places people have OCed, started by LPRCFrank:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.173378&z=13

This is where I post places I've OCed, but it gets repetitive:
http://www.pafoa.org/forum/concealed...c-journal.html

And this is the thread about the run in with the impersonator:
http://www.pafoa.org/forum/concealed...encounter.html

[HiredGoon]

Hey, great! 2 pages or so and no OC vs. CC arguments, name-calling, fighting, etc. Great work guys...just sharing info the OP asked about Keep it up!

[jahwarrior72]

i had one encounter today, with a rite aid pharmacist. she asked what i did for a living that i carried a gun around. i responded "my line of work doesn't require i carry a gun." she laughed and asked why i carried it then. "self defense," i said. she said that was a good enough answer.

most of my encounters go this way. someone is curious, asks me about it, then goes on their way. it rarely goes past that. when it does, it's almost never positive. it's either some guy in a parking lot yelling at me and being an all around loony, some mall nazi demanding i produce my papers, an uninformed LEO telling me it's illegal, or an obese and fashion challenged bank manager telling me it's illegal.

[jahwarrior72]

Originally Posted by HiredGoon

Hey, great! 2 pages or so and no OC vs. CC arguments, name-calling, fighting, etc. Great work guys...just sharing info the OP asked about Keep it up!

OC WILL GET YOU SHOT!!!!



sorry, couldn't resist.

[HiredGoon]

Originally Posted by jahwarrior72

OC WILL GET YOU SHOT!!!!



sorry, couldn't resist.

LOL!