# OC for intimidation?



## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Does anyone OC for the purpose of avoiding trouble based on someone knowing that you're armed? Intimidation was the wrong word, but I can't think of anything better. I'm not asking if it's right or wrong; I'm simply asking if anyone chooses OC over CC so others will know you're armed. Generally speaking, when someone knows you're carrying a gun, their behavior toward you changes.

For example, the other night my g/f came over, and as she was crossing the parking lot, there were some guys on the 3rd floor balcony making some menacing and suggestive passes at her. Odds are they were drunk and just felt like being a-holes, but you never know what someone might do when they see a girl walking by herself. She had left some stuff in her car that we needed for dinner and did not want to put up with them again. I grabbed my .45, holstered it in the OWB, and walked her out to her car. As soon as the guys saw her they started yelling, but I heard one of them say, "Oh sh*t dude, shut up. That guy's got a gun." We grabbed the stuff out of her car and headed back. I shot them a mean look as we got near the sidewalk, and we went in. The next night she came over and the same guys were on their balcony. Not a word as she crossed the parking lot by herself.

Sure, she could've yelled back, or I could've gone outside and yelled back, but that would get us nowhere except in a worse situation that might've turned dangerous. All it took was knowing the girl's b/f had a gun, and the problem was over for good.

For this reason, I open carry a lot more than I concealed carry. If I go out to eat or to a movie, or in a crowded area like the mall where the sight of a gun could cause some serious unrest (especially around children), I cover it up. But I find OCing eliminates the 19 out of 20 people who will back off when a gun is drawn from concealment, assuming they're not on the complete opposite side and can't see it. Plus it demands a bit more courtesy and respect. I don't OC to be like Dirty Harry or look like a bad*ss, but to eliminate potential problems before they begin. Plus it's a lot more comfortable, lol.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Well....Being Ky's open carry laws I have done it for years. I like carrying with an IWB but have several holsters that are OC holsters and one has to admit they can be really comfortable. I guess it will depend on what I'm doing and where I'm going that decides how or what will be carried. When I'm going to be home all day I don't bother trying to hide it. Going food shopping? I'll hide it a little more...Just don't want a bunch of stretch pant wearing coupon ninjas getting spooked:smt082 They can get dangerous.:axe: heh


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

No, I don't carry a pistol to frighten or intimidate people. I don't carry a pistol to make anyone say, "Oh shit, that dude has a GUN!" I don't carry a pistol so I can "demand respect." I don't shoot people "mean looks" when I'm carrying a pistol, so they know what a tough guy I am because I had $500 to buy a gun.

My gun is concealed all the time. It's there to potentially protect my life and those of my family members - not to transform me into a bully.

Sigh. Just another thing to make us all look like a bunch of unstable goons.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> Generally speaking, when someone knows you're carrying a gun, their behavior toward you changes.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> I grabbed my .45, holstered it in the OWB, and walked her out to her car. As soon as the guys saw her they started yelling, but I heard one of them say, "Oh sh*t dude, shut up. That guy's got a gun." We grabbed the stuff out of her car and headed back. I shot them a mean look as we got near the sidewalk, and we went in. The next night she came over and the same guys were on their balcony. Not a word as she crossed the parking lot by herself.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> All it took was knowing the girl's b/f had a gun, and the problem was over for good.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> I find OCing eliminates the 19 out of 20 people who will back off when a gun is drawn from concealment, assuming they're not on the complete opposite side and can't see it.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> Plus it demands a bit more courtesy and respect.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> Plus, whenever I'm out and about at night, I almost always run into a few drunk idiots looking to cause trouble, and the sight of a gun keeps them walking on past with nothing more than a glance.





fivehourfrenzy said:


> I've been asked a lot, and usually it's out of curiosity, but sometimes people do it to be an arse and say I'm stupid and a pansy for carrying a gun. I just smile and say something like, "Well then I guess I'm a stupid pansy who's armed with a _deadly weapon_."





fivehourfrenzy said:


> It doesn't make sense...I'd never walk up to someone with a gun and talk smack. You never know what they'll do about it. But you just gotta let it go knowing that if anyone attempts to turn you into a statistic, you can blow them away.


Un-f*#king believable! :smt092:smt092


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Guy's like this worry me. :smt119


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Avoidance, see the issues before you get to them, don't go places where you know there's trouble.

Even mentioning that you "are armed with a deadly weapon" could be thought of as a threat in and of itself, I'd stray away from that.

Anytime someone demands courtesy or respect, they deserve neither, those are things that are earned over time.

As to weather or not peoples behavior changes when they know you have a gun, that could go the complete opposite way you want it to, because if you truely are in an area where this much stuff happens, they probably don't give a crap, because they've probably actually pulled their gun on people, whereas you probably haven't.

Last time I checked, "menacing and suggestive passes" really don't fall under any sort of need for escallating the situation to where a gun might be needed, no matter how many 'tuff guys' said it does on the internet.

I've been carrying for 15 years or so, and in that whole time, I've had two incidents, IN 15 YEARS! Luckily, I've never had to fire. It sounds like you should either move away from where you live or just keep ninja-ing up to keep the neighborhood safe. Either way, sorry but, what you're talking about is just dangerous.

Zhur


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> there were some guys on the 3rd floor balcony making some menacing and suggestive passes at her.


So you had to arm yourself to protect your girlfriend from cat-calls.



> Plus it demands a bit more courtesy and respect.


And you "need" a firearm showing for people to respect you.

You, sir, are the Brady campaign's wet dream. Thanks for making all of us look crazy.

I recommend you sell your guns and put the money toward therapy. You've got some issues you need to work out before you get either yourself or someone else hurt.

By the way, weren't you the guy who a while back made a big pronouncement that you were going to take your ball and go home because you weren't getting any respect? Maybe nobody could see that you were packing???


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

zhurdan said:


> I've said it before, I'll say it again. Avoidance, see the issues before you get to them, don't go places where you know there's trouble.
> 
> Even mentioning that you "are armed with a deadly weapon" could be thought of as a threat in and of itself, I'd stray away from that.
> 
> ...


+1 on this, especially on escalating a situation. :smt023


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Kentucky has open carry laws and a lot of people around here where I live will exercise their right to carry open. To do so to intimidate someone though I fear will get you in a world of crap being they might be a bad person carrying hidden and might want to mess with you anyway. 

The situation stated by the starter of this thread could have been hurt bad being these "cat callers" were on a balcony and if they had the means might have wanted to escalate the situation and went inside to get their own gun. I have seen people get pretty weird about a dirty look. 

I guess I'm saying be careful when and how you carry open if you choose to do so. One has to remember that they know what you have..your cards are on the table...everyone else has not. I don't think for someone talking bad to my wife I would take it well and I might even want to let them know it bothered me by saying "Hey - That's my wife you shouldn't talk to her that way" To raise the stakes by brandishing a pistol (And that is exactly what was done in this situation) was the right thing to do. I'm not saying don't get mad..I'm just saying don't raise the stakes by bringing a gun into it. Stat like that are the ones that people use to take away the rights so many have fought and died to give us.:smt1099


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

DevilsJohnson said:


> To raise the stakes by brandishing a pistol (And that is exactly what was done in this situation) was the *right* thing to do. I'm not saying don't get mad..I'm just saying don't raise the stakes by bringing a gun into it. Stat like that are the ones that people use to take away the rights so many have fought and died to give us.:smt1099


Do you mean "wrong" thing to do? By the tone of your thread, I'm thinking you did.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

You're right..Sorry..I've not been getting much sleep and I think I'm starting to get a little weird..heh

I by no means meant it was a good thing to raise the stakes.:smt021


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

Its a fact of life that if you date any woman who is reasonably attractive, she will be the target of unwanted attention where ever she goes. I blame the crappy parenting in this country that creates assholes without a sense of responsibility or respect for women, property and self. You can't be around 7x24 to "protect" her, you just have to suck it up and deal with it.

If you live somewhere where your neighbors make your woman feel unsafe, perhaps you need to relocate to a more respectable neighborhood.

Then again, your need for .45 cal confidence might indicate deeper issues at play.


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## js (Jun 29, 2006)

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