Originally Posted by nhughesmd
I received an e-mail last night from Lawofficer.com, which is an online police magazine. The subject was open carry. I will publish all the info pertaining to civilian open carry.
"Carry On
Paul Laska
2009 Apr 10
You are tooling down Main Street and see the...gentleman...pumping gas into his chopped Harley at the Stop and Rob. Wearing a full beard and hair down to his shoulders, Dirty denim jeans, square-toe boots, a denim vest with some design across the back, and a holstered Glock 21 on his right hip. As you pull in and approach him, he nonchalantly continues to pump gas. As he finishes and puts the nozzle away, you tell him to keep his hands out, and that you are going to remove his pistol. He complies, even as a back-up arrives. Politely, he provides his identification, registration, and insurance card. As you prepare to hook him up, he looks at you, and says "I am allowed to carry openly. It's the law." Nonetheless, you hook him up and deliver him to lockup. A month later you are notified by the prosecutor that they have dropped all charges because his attorney pointed out eloquently that your state, to your and his bewilderment, permits open carry of firearms. Oh, and Billy the Biker will see you in federal court for his civil rights violation.
"No way," you say? In 44 states, open carry is permitted routinely to one extent or another. Some states are familiar names—Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, states with deep roots in the cowboy or outdoors industries, where folks often need to carry as part of their work. Others are less expected, such as Virginia, where the wording was recently realized to be still present, even after their upgrades in their concealed carry law. Indeed, the map of open carry states is surprising, when one realizes that pistol permit bearers in such states as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey may carry openly, and that even California law permits open carry in rural areas.
So what does this mean to the officer on the street? First, remain aware of your state's laws. They change, or have nuances that are not always well known. Try to avoid being entangled in a legal dispute over what your state permits; it keeps your batting average up, helps you avoid civil court, and increases your prestige among your populace. Probably the best source of current information on open carry status in all fifty states is the web site Opencarry.org. This site maintains information on specifics of carry in each state, permitting one to be aware of all aspects for the state....(QUOTE SHORTENED)
I thought it was well stated.
nhughesmd
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April 4th, 2009
Re: 2009 MPOETC Mandatory In-Service Training
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