Collection of documented instances where OC deters crime

[rensdd]

The problem is not knowing you deterred a crime just by being there, (the robber sees that I,m carrying and walks away because they don't want that kind of trouble).
I open carry during the summer, I have no idea if I deterred a crime by just being in an establishment.
Having said that how would you compile a list?
I'm not trying to start an argument, just asking.

[Parrisk]

my guess if a thug sees OC and decides to leave.. how would anyone else know that crime had just been deterred?

[American1776]

There are two cases, from my own life, that I can confidently say that my Open carried pistol deterred a crime, or violence upon me and my family.

1) In Hampton VA while on a family vacation to Colonial Williamsburg. Stopped at a gas station for gas with family in the car. We were obviously out of state visitors. Open carrying an HK P7. Three thugs (typical gangbanger look, dreds, chains,) come walking from the road in a direct line to me and my family. At about 20 yards, I turn so my right side is exposed to them. They change direction, and decide to go into the store of the gas station. Had I not been OCing, the thugs would have kept approaching, and then I'd have to decide whether to actually draw from concealment, thus escalating the situation above from what my OCed pistol was able to keep.

2) Walking around my own neighborhood, Christmas day several years ago. My wife, infant daughter, and dad and dog were walking on a sidewalk. Suddenly a 100 lbs. Rottweiler, known to be dangerous (the owner was a genuine karate jock douche bag from NY), appears off leash 15 yards in front of us. I was in front, and my hand went to the handle of my Open carried Ruger Super Blackhawk loaded with 44 magnum hollowpoints. The owner appeared in the driveway and called the dog back, while looking at me with my hand still clamped on my 44 magnum. We crossed the street, my hand still on the gun. The guy divorced his wife and left the neighborhood with the dog a year later. Had I been CC-ing, I would have had to draw the pistol from concealment, thus making matters more elevated than the Open carried gun allowed.

Those are just two cases where I am aware that my OCed gun prevented violence. Who knows how many cases there have been that I will never know of, because the offenders saw my gun and left, without me knowing.

[KCJones]

There are two cases, from my own life, that I can confidently say that my Open carried pistol deterred a crime, or violence upon me and my family.

1) In Hampton VA while on a family vacation to Colonial Williamsburg. Stopped at a gas station for gas with family in the car. We were obviously out of state visitors. Open carrying an HK P7. Three thugs (typical gangbanger look, dreds, chains,) come walking from the road in a direct line to me and my family. At about 20 yards, I turn so my right side is exposed to them. They change direction, and decide to go into the store of the gas station. Had I not been OCing, the thugs would have kept approaching, and then I'd have to decide whether to actually draw from concealment, thus escalating the situation above from what my OCed pistol was able to keep.

2) Walking around my own neighborhood, Christmas day several years ago. My wife, infant daughter, and dad and dog were walking on a sidewalk. Suddenly a 100 lbs. Rottweiler, known to be dangerous (the owner was a genuine karate jock douche bag from NY), appears off leash 15 yards in front of us. I was in front, and my hand went to the handle of my Open carried Ruger Super Blackhawk loaded with 44 magnum hollowpoints. The owner appeared in the driveway and called the dog back, while looking at me with my hand still clamped on my 44 magnum. We crossed the street, my hand still on the gun. The guy divorced his wife and left the neighborhood with the dog a year later. Had I been CC-ing, I would have had to draw the pistol from concealment, thus making matters more elevated than the Open carried gun allowed.

Those are just two cases where I am aware that my OCed gun prevented violence. Who knows how many cases there have been that I will never know of, because the offenders saw my gun and left, without me knowing.

With all due respect, those are both anecdotal and that's the exact problem. You're convinced that your OC prevented a problem, but reading them I'm not. E.g. the owner of the dog appeared -because- you put your hand on your gun? He'd have otherwise let the dog attack you while laughing from his porch (mind you, he by definition had to see/be aware of the situation for you carrying to matter...). Or just he heard/saw something and was coming to get his dog under control anyway?

Okay, sure: as the person there, I trust your belief is real and -probably- accurate. But it's not a clear 'example' of OC deterring.

I fully believe OC -DOES- deter crime, probably many, many times per day. I'm not disputing that.

But in terms of the OP question?

It boils down to what's been said quite a lot here: the nature of 'deterrence' is that you usually won't even know and almost certainly have no 'proof'... You'd have to have a really, really, really unusual situation to 'prove' it. Like some guy comes into a convenience store with a gun and yells 'this is a robbery'... then sees someone OC and says 'oh crap a gun!' and leaves... AND it's all on video.

What you could maybe find (I did a quick youtube search and didn't, but that was ~1 minute) is criminals/ex-criminals saying things like "Yeah, if I saw some dude with a gun on his hip, we'd move on and not mess with that place." Or even something like "We never tried to rob wal-mart, you see folks in there with guns all the time..." I've seen plenty of 'interviews' and such with (usually reformed/older/I was stupid when I was young) criminals talking about how it worked. Don't recall specifically hearing the OC thing, though.