Ever been pistol whipped with anti-OC talk?

[shefearsnothing]

Sure as hell feels like I just got about 45 minutes of it. My husband is very VERY against it. He keeps telling me the first person he'd take out is the person open carrying. I am starting to wonder if he's given this some serious thought....

[larrymeyer]

Sure as hell feels like I just got about 45 minutes of it. My husband is very VERY against it. He keeps telling me the first person he'd take out is the person open carrying. I am starting to wonder if he's given this some serious thought....

Tell him most BG Don't look for the person OC their scared and just want the money and to get the hell out of Dodge

[Statkowski]

I guess I shouldn't have gone to the First Commonwealth Bank, Nick's Tobacco Shop and Giant Eagle Supermarket today. I was openly carrying my Hi-Point 9mm on my hip. Never heard word one from anybody.

Any idea why this foaming at the mouth over Open Carry? How, or why, does he feel threatend by it?

I know it's not for everyone, but does he have any other preferences that he feels everyone must comply with in order to satisfy him?

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I do like asking questions.

[ungawa]

Depending on your husband's intent, he would probably rather wait until an OC person left the area than complicate his plans by trying to attack an armed person. I think in most circumstances it serves as a deterent. There are differing opinions on the subject for sure.

Sometimes people die in car crashes because they are wearing a seatbelt.

[jahwarrior72]

my g/f is anti-OC.....in fact, she's just anti. she respects my habits, tho, and supports my decision to OC. what she doesn't like is the negative attention we get when we get it. we get enough attention from the public because of our oldest daughter's autism, and she figures that's more than enough. the OC buffet thing was kind of the last straw for her; she is VERY upset at the police for violating our rights, and what she feels is discrimination, but she also is irritated that OCing caused it in the first place. her anti-attitudes have caused problems in the past, but we manage to get past them.

[knight0334]

I've been open carrying for half my life - no one has taken my out yet. lol

Theres all sorts of tactical scenarios - but no one comes up with enough credit incidences of it happening to justify the worry. I say, show me the proof that I shouldn't carry openly. ...and I'll still open carry instead of being a coward.

[lildobe]

Sure as hell feels like I just got about 45 minutes of it. My husband is very VERY against it. He keeps telling me the first person he'd take out is the person open carrying. I am starting to wonder if he's given this some serious thought....

Show him this I've ended up posting this over and over again - but it's still relevant!

I take it you've never taken a criminal psychology class, or ever committed a crime.

When someone who is going to rob a store goes in, they experience an effect called "tunnel vision." Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision. This can be caused by any number of physiological conditions, but in this case is more due to the psychological stresses that the person is under.

When the robber enters the store, they will quickly glance around for police, and seeing none, will focus directly on the target of their attack. You, standing benignly in line, or down an isle looking at potato chips will not be assessed as a threat, and in the split second that the robber has to assess your potential threat to him, it is unlikely that the object on your hip will register as a firearm. This is known as Gestalt effect - the visual recognition of figures and whole forms as opposed to the individual details.

I've had to deal with this effect in crime victims when attempting to wrangle a description of their assailant out of them. Usually directly after a trauma, the best description I can get (without any specific questions which I am trained to ask to draw out the details form the person's memory) is "It was a man" or "he had a gun" - in the moment of stress and for a while afterwards, the mind perceives only what if feels is most necessary.

So the idea that a criminal who busts into a store/mall/wherever with the intent to harm people is going to see your gun - a very small detail, taking up between 9% and 18% of your total body surface area - and target you first is not based in any fact NOR is it based in any understanding of how the human brain works.

That isn't to say that a Sniper might not take you out first, as they are usually a lot more calm and methodical about their work, however if you are not in his sites when he starts shooting, his tunnel vision will give you an advantage in getting yourself into a strategic position to eliminate him as a threat.

Also, in a slower robbery scenario, with someone casing for a few minutes before walking up to the register and robbing a store - if they see your gun, they are going to get the hell out of there FAST and find an easier target. Hell, I've watched gang bangers who were in a store just to buy soda turn and walk out without their drinks when they saw me carrying.

So, can we please put the whole "OC'ing makes you a target" myth to rest now?

[shefearsnothing]

lildobe, thanks for the reply. He has taken a psych class and criminal justice classes etc but it still addresses his concern and I will pass it along to him as I feel it's entirely relevant.

knight, he says there are stats. about LEOs who have had their own firearms taken from them and used against them and they have been trained in weapons retention so it's insane to think that a mere average citizen would be equipped against a crimminal. This is him saying it to me; not in response to your post. You referre to their not being enough cases etc and I'm saying he claims stats...I told him I was not interested in the stats. I know another kind of stat I could be....

ungawa,

Sometimes people die in car crashes because they are wearing a seatbelt.

excellent point. He was telling me how people rob armored truck drivers. He said they know they're armed so they just walk up and shoot them in the back of the head and never give them a chance. I guess telling me someone would do that to me in a parking lot or whatever.

Statkowski, did you miss the part where I mentioned that he's in LE for his employment? Has been FOREVER. He likes people to ALWAYS do it HIS way. He thinks it is a valid point to mention to me "well even IIIIII would not OC". I told him "that is your right". but you know, I am just a mere woman...what do I know?

[4XLT]

well as far as the argument about police having their weapons taken and used against them, yes a small percentage of police have that happen but your not a cop !

you are not going after someone and forcing them to do something they don't want to do ( like police do) , i will agree that if your going to OC you should take every imaginable course for practical defense and retention.

PM TonyF he is an excellent instructor from what i have seen and someone that wont BS you ..

[mjfletcher]

Sure as hell feels like I just got about 45 minutes of it. My husband is very VERY against it. He keeps telling me the first person he'd take out is the person open carrying. I am starting to wonder if he's given this some serious thought....

Take a moment and think like a criminal. You're gonna rob the store/bank/whatever. You're concerned about the possibility of getting caught. You're hoping they have enough cash to make it worth your time. When you walk in you're going to...

Look for uniforms/badges.
Walk up to cashier/teller
Grab cash
Run

The place could be hosting an OC dinner and odds are you won't even notice until you hear someone ask "just how stupid are you?" and turn to see 2 dozen guns pointed at you.