# Do you participate in Open Carry Marches/Picnics/Events



## SuperDave419

These things seem to be picking up a lot of steam lately in a few states. I've seen a lot of advertisements lately for Ohio Open Carry Walks. Basically a group of guys, strap on guns, and walk around campuses, towns, and whatever else they can legally get away with.

Seems like trolling to me, but to each their own I guess.

Do other states have similar programs/events. Full disclosure I am doing a research paper on the topic as this group is stated to have an event at my campus next month and was wondering if its a localized phenomenon or a country wide one. No names of people who post will be shared or published.

Thanks for your time.


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## Cait43

There have been rallies, get togethers, marches, etc., in various states from time to time........

Remember Google is your friend......


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## win231

SuperDave419 said:


> These things seem to be picking up a lot of steam lately in a few states. I've seen a lot of advertisements lately for Ohio Open Carry Walks. Basically a group of guys, strap on guns, and walk around campuses, towns, and whatever else they can legally get away with.
> 
> Seems like trolling to me, but to each their own I guess.
> 
> Do other states have similar programs/events. Full disclosure I am doing a research paper on the topic as this group is stated to have an event at my campus next month and was wondering if its a localized phenomenon or a country wide one. No names of people who post will be shared or published.
> 
> Thanks for your time.


You got it right. It's trolling for attention - for those who crave it. Nothing says "Look at me" like a gun in places where people aren't accustomed to seeing guns on non LEO's. And they're hurting gun rights for the rest of us in the process of satisfying their need for attention & passive aggressiveness.


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## ybnorml

Never interested me to join in on these type rallies.....
Too many under educated people 'strutting their stuff'...


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## BackyardCowboy

Some, I would say, are doing it as a show of support. Others are wearing their male anatomy on the outside. (Warning: objects on the outside are larger than those on the inside in most cases)


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## Donn

ybnorml said:


> Never interested me to join in on these type rallies.....
> Too many under educated people 'strutting their stuff'...


Me neither. 1) There are enough cameras tracking my movements in public as it is. Don't need to be filmed with that lot. And, 2) This one usually elicits a nasty response. I've never encountered an OC type that didn't have an attitude.


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## desertman

SuperDave419 said:


> These things seem to be picking up a lot of steam lately in a few states. I've seen a lot of advertisements lately for Ohio Open Carry Walks. Basically a group of guys, strap on guns, and walk around campuses, towns, and whatever else they can legally get away with.
> 
> Seems like trolling to me, but to each their own I guess.
> 
> Do other states have similar programs/events. Full disclosure I am doing a research paper on the topic as this group is stated to have an event at my campus next month and was wondering if its a localized phenomenon or a country wide one. No names of people who post will be shared or published.
> 
> Thanks for your time.


In Arizona open carry has always been legal and the only legal way to carry. I don't think that there will be too many rallies if any. When concealed carry was allowed you don't see too many people carrying openly anymore. When they do no one seems to care or get bent out of shape over it. There is no justification of doing it for the soul purpose of drawing attention to themselves or to intimidate others. The only time I do it is out in the desert. However there are times when you have to make a pit stop and it's comforting to know that you can't get arrested for having a visible sidearm.


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## muckaleewarrior

Heck no! But I do it by default when I go to an area Walmart sometimes.


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## pic

Depending on the environment you are in , open carry is fine. Hunting, walking your property or farmland, living in a small town where everyone knows your name. Or living in the desert (man)


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## desertman

pic said:


> Depending on the environment you are in , open carry is fine. Hunting, walking your property or farmland, living in a small town where everyone knows your name. *Or living in the desert* (man)


I'll go along with that!


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## BackyardCowboy

Donn said:


> Me neither. 1) There are enough cameras tracking my movements in public as it is. Don't need to be filmed with that lot. And, 2) This one usually elicits a nasty response. I've never encountered an OC type that didn't have an attitude.


And once people (including LEO's) see you with a gun on your hip, they'll assume you're always armed. (and that you keep guns in your home, so it might be a good place to break into while you're away)


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## dereckbc

I do not support Open Carry, It makes you a target. You would be the first one shot. Hunting is a different story, and where I live you can open carry. Open carry is fine for Law Enforcement, but foolish for John Public IMO.


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## DirtyDog

I see a big difference between those who open carry and go about their day, and those who open carry 3 handguns, a tactical shotgun and an AR while being confrontational.
One of them is an idiot, and doing a big disservice to gun owners.


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## Donn

DirtyDog said:


> those who open carry 3 handguns, a tactical shotgun and an AR while being confrontational.


And many usually weigh over 300 pounds. If the S ever really did HTF, these guys couldn't run across the street without passing out.


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## SouthernBoy

Boy, there's a lot of old wive's tales and misinformation going on in this thread. And some of you must have meant some people, the likes of which I have not seen when OC'ing. Either that or it's just that I live in a state where open carry is no big deal.

Open carry IS the normal mode of carrying a sidearm in Virginia and I did this for 7 1/2 years nearly every time I left my home. Never, never had a negative encounter with an LEO while OC'ing... in fact, quite the opposite. And only once had a negative encounter with a civilian... and he was not native to my state.

I no longer OC, except in certain situations, and I do have my reasons for concealing my sidearm almost all the time now. But I fully and completely support both modes of carry as I would consider it arrogant, bigoted, and just plain ignorant of me not to do this.


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## CW

Indeed OC can change from municipality to municipality within a state. 
In PA it is unwise to OC unless engaged in hunting AND with proper permit and licensing.

Even if legal, getting law enforcement into an excited state can be like swatting at bees. You may not like the response.

That said, I have found most gun owners want to stay off the radar. 
They do not want to be a target of investigations - (or retaliatory liberal politics),
nor do they want to lose the advantage of surprise should a would-be robber decide to pounce.

Kinda like poker, don't reveal your hand during the play and, don't count your money in the open.

Yet, I suppose if the rally were big enough, structured enough, .... and Important Enough, armed citizens would pour out of the woodwork.


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## DirtyDog

CW said:


> nor do they want to lose the advantage of surprise should a would-be robber decide to pounce.


Well, there are at least two sides to this...

1 - Being openly armed may make you the first target.
or
2 - Being openly armed may serve as a deterrent.

There's not actually any real science to support either as being more likely to be correct, so neither argument really carries much weight.

But I absolutely agree it's not generally a good idea to intentional give a cop a reason to be jittery. Or, for that matter, to intentionally antagonize random people walking down the street. Far too many of the oft-posted confrontations between OC supporters and the police involve a fair bit of douchebaggery on the part of the OC supporter.


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## desertman

SouthernBoy said:


> Boy, there's a lot of old wive's tales and misinformation going on in this thread. And some of you must have meant some people, the likes of which I have not seen when OC'ing. *Either that or it's just that I live in a state where open carry is no big deal.*
> 
> Open carry IS the normal mode of carrying a sidearm in Virginia and I did this for 7 1/2 years nearly every time I left my home. Never, never had a negative encounter with an LEO while OC'ing... in fact, quite the opposite. And only once had a negative encounter with a civilian... and he was not native to my state.
> 
> I no longer OC, except in certain situations, and I do have my reasons for concealing my sidearm almost all the time now. But I fully and completely support both modes of carry as I would consider it arrogant, bigoted, and just plain ignorant of me not to do this.


Exactly! So do I. It's probably more of an issue in state's that have recently allowed open carry where people just aren't used to seeing civilians with a sidearm on their hip.


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## SouthernBoy

desertman said:


> Exactly! So do I. It's probably more of an issue in state's that have recently allowed open carry where people just aren't used to seeing civilians with a sidearm on their hip.


And states that have a relatively high population of people who are either not completely comfortable with firearms in their mist or are outright opposed to civilians carrying them.


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## SouthernBoy

DirtyDog said:


> Well, there are at least two sides to this...
> 
> 1 - Being openly armed may make you the first target.
> or
> 2 - Being openly armed may serve as a deterrent.
> 
> There's not actually any real science to support either as being more likely to be correct, so neither argument really carries much weight.
> 
> But I absolutely agree it's not generally a good idea to intentional give a cop a reason to be jittery. Or, for that matter, to intentionally antagonize random people walking down the street. Far too many of the oft-posted confrontations between OC supporters and the police involve a fair bit of douchebaggery on the part of the OC supporter.


The issue (myth?) about making yourself a target and being the first one shot in a robbery or similar illegal incident in public has come up most every time this topic is broached. But think about this. If this were the case, if OC'ers were actually targeted by perps when they are noticed, wouldn't this make it into the news? Wouldn't we start see a lot of this because it would be fodder for the anti's? Wouldn't we, in the firearms community, hear about it a lot?

The fact that such incidents have not made it into the news or into our world, with a couple of exceptions, would seem to indicate that this idea really is pretty much of a myth. The one exception to this would be an active shooter of the terrorist variety. Then I would bet an OC'er would be taken out quickly if noticed and if possible. Our home grown local perps are most likely going to find some other place to do their work, but a terrorist is only bent on one thing... killing as many people as possible. That may very well be the only exception.


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## Wyoming_1977

Personally, I've felt that if I was ever in a situation where I felt the need to carry a weapon in the open, then I made a bad decision about my situation.

I might open carry when out in the bush or on the ranch, but not in town. I don't even carry concealed, but if I were to carry, I'd prefer to do it concealed the overwhelming majority of the time.


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## DirtyDog

SouthernBoy said:


> The issue (myth?) about making yourself a target and being the first one shot in a robbery or similar illegal incident in public has come up most every time this topic is broached. But think about this. If this were the case, if OC'ers were actually targeted by perps when they are noticed, wouldn't this make it into the news? Wouldn't we start see a lot of this because it would be fodder for the anti's? Wouldn't we, in the firearms community, hear about it a lot?
> 
> The fact that such incidents have not made it into the news or into our world, with a couple of exceptions, would seem to indicate that this idea really is pretty much of a myth. The one exception to this would be an active shooter of the terrorist variety. Then I would bet an OC'er would be taken out quickly if noticed and if possible. Our home grown local perps are most likely going to find some other place to do their work, but a terrorist is only bent on one thing... killing as many people as possible. That may very well be the only exception.


As I said, there's no real evidence for EITHER position. Plenty of anecdotes and opinions, but that's not science.


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## dereckbc

SouthernBoy said:


> Open carry IS the normal mode of carrying a sidearm in Virginia and I did this for 7 1/2 years nearly every time I left my home. I no longer OC,


Took you a long time to wise up.


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## SouthernBoy

dereckbc said:


> Took you a long time to wise up.


Your comment almost doesn't deserve a polite response, but I'll do my best to accommodate it. I have legally carried a firearm for 47 years. The first 16 of those years was all open carry when hunting, which really doesn't count in the defensive carry bucket. At any rate, since 1995, I have had a CHP (Concealed Handgun Permit) and during most of that time, I have carried concealed. However in 2007, I decided to start carrying openly since where I live, that is a complete no brainer and causes no one any heartache or trouble. I did this for 7 1/2 years until the beginning of last year when I went back to mostly concealed. I still carry openly in my car and truck for easy and quick access to my sidearm and in a few places of my choosing.

As far as wising up that took place when I grew up, and that too was a long time ago. You don't know me so you have no cause or reason to make any such comments.

As for open carry, as I wrote I fully and completely support both modes of carry. If someone chooses to OC, good for them. If their preference is to CC, that is also good. I have no problems with either mode and any just pleased that they carry.


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## otisroy

I might say strapping on your favorite sidearm or slinging your rifle over your shoulder and marching around with other like minded individuals is akin to a "pride parade"; they both tend to make people a little uncomfortable.

While I agree that folks should be able to arm themselves as they see fit, I'd rather they went about it without a bunch of fuss.


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## ybnorml

While Maine had been an 'open carry state' for many years, I never did see anyone openly carrying.
You needed a permit to cc....
Now a permit is no longer required to cc, and I still haven't seen anyone openly carrying.

Depending on how structured the rally was, would determine my participation in the event.
I'm not into "the most / biggest baddest guns in the neighborhood"....which I'm sure some of the participants would be.
I like to stay under the radar and unnoticed, blending in with the environment so to say.


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## RobertS

I think it's attention whoring, so no.


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## Bisley

I have never and likely will never participate in any sort of political activism. I'm not saying that there is no place for it, but political activism, by its very nature, attracts the more radical personalities. Sometimes, that may be justified, and sometimes a leader comes along that manages it well. But more often than not, it spins off into something that reasonable people shy away from, because radicals tend to believe that the end justifies the means, in every case. When a group accepts that premise, the cause is corrupted, because reason has left the room and been replaced by fanaticism. The last thing you should want to do is scare the hell out of the reasonable people who make up the majority of undecided voters, and that happens way too often with open carry demonstrations.


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## pic

dereckbc said:


> Took you a long time to wise up.


open carry is probably the most comfortable , safest and quickest accessible way to carry a firearm.

if your venturing into unknown territory, then conceal carry, what's the problem? Fuhgettaboutit.


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## insman1132

I keep everything I do about carrying strictly confidential and do not do anything that might, however remotely, compromise my secrecy in carrying. So no, I do not participate in any type of gun rally.


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## pic

SuperDave419 said:


> These things seem to be picking up a lot of steam lately in a few states. I've seen a lot of advertisements lately for Ohio Open Carry Walks. Basically a group of guys, strap on guns, and walk around campuses, towns, and whatever else they can legally get away with.
> 
> Seems like trolling to me, but to each their own I guess.
> 
> Do other states have similar programs/events. Full disclosure I am doing a research paper on the topic as this group is stated to have an event at my campus next month and was wondering if its a localized phenomenon or a country wide one. No names of people who post will be shared or published.
> 
> Thanks for your time.


Staying to the question, I would support properly organized marches. Done properly, it shows solidarity.

Marches of other past/present beliefs are/were very affective. (Women's rights, civil rights, gay rights ,etc)

Politicians count the votes, the March in my opinion has to be large enough to create political support. Otherwise , why are you marching if not to gain political support.
:smt1099


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## Philco

Living in rural Kentucky, I've been able to carry openly my entire adult life. So has everyone else here who isn't a convicted felon. Consequently it's not a big deal to see someone out and about with a pistol on their hip. I was in Walmart recently and encountered two individuals who were both carrying side arms openly, and they did not appear to be together. I've seen guys in numerous places out in the public carrying and thus far, I've never seen anyone make a fuss about it. With that as background, I don't think an open carry rally would get a lot of traction here. The local culture is already quite tolerant of those who opt to carry. I guess that would leave the rally participants without much to gain. I prefer to carry concealed just because I have no desire to draw attention to the fact I am armed. That way no one is uncomfortable with the situation, no one feels threatened by my presence. I see that as a win/win.


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## Blackhawkman

Never will. wannabe cowboys and showoffs!


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## specgrade

Nevermind...


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## RK3369

SouthernBoy said:


> And states that have a relatively high population of people who are either not completely comfortable with firearms in their mist or are outright opposed to civilians carrying them.


In theory, I fully support OC. In practice, this is why I CC and don't think that OC is a viable alternative in this day and age. Too many people around who don't know the first thing about guns, have been brainwashed to believe that guns are evil, and are just plain afraid of anyone they might see with a gun, because they have been taught to believe that a gun carrier is a bad person, unless they are a LEO. Not worth the pushback. For me, CC works the best in all situations. My biggest problem is with those who want to tell the rest of us that we just can not carry period, CC or OC.


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## Uncle_Louie

In Connecticut we are allowed to open carry in public, never did it and don't care to, just looking for trouble. Stick to CC.


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## insman1132

No I don't. While I would like to see Open Carry approved here in FL, it was when I was back in MI, my feeling is that I would not open carry. I really don't want the bad guys knowing I have a gun!? Guess who they take out first?? Why advertise??


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## aarondhgraham

When Oklahoma passed open carry I tried it a few times,,,
I always thought I had a "Steal My Gun" sign hanging around my neck.

Open carry isn't for me,,,
I'm a discrete carry kind of person.

Aarond

.


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## SouthernBoy

My feelings about OC'ing have not changed since this thread was started. I still fully support both modes of carry and deem it to be the preference of the individual as to how they wish to go about armed. As I mentioned, I always open carry when in a vehicle since I want the easiest and quickest access to my sidearm during those times and concealing it on my person does not make for quick and easy access. I direct my shoulder harness belt between my sidearm's grip and my body, thereby making it much simpler to get to my gun should I have to do this.

When out and about, I conceal and I have my reasons for doing this. But under certain conditions, I would most definitely revert to open carry when out.


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## Tangof

Open carry when hiking or on my own land. Never when I'll be in a public place. Why in the would would I want anyone to know I'm carrying a gun?


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## Longhorn1986

I generally only open carry going to and from the range. It is more comfortable, but I don't like broadcasting that I am armed. I'm 6'6" and 290# . I drawn enough attention just walking into a room, especially if I'm wearing my hat & boots. The gun would be a bit much. LOL!


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## OuttaPhilly

Open carry, in my opinion, is a bad idea, unless you are highly trained in situational awareness. I am 55 years old, in reasonably good shape, and still don't want to be wrestling on the ground with some young animal that made a grab for my gun. Also, why bother with these trolling exercises? Kavanaugh is getting confirmed. RGB will retire when she gets tired of writing the dissenting opinion, and with a 7-2 majority on the SCOTUS, we could elect Warren/Harris, and they couldn't do jack shit about my 2nd Amendment rights. Even the 9th Circuit is starting to get the idea. The right to bear arms shall not be infringed.

I try to convince my friends and family that the shooting community isn't a bunch of cowboys, all looking for a confrontation. Open carry events do no good for the cause at best, and create bad publicity at worst.


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