Concealed or open?
I am not sure there needs to be a divide between the two positions.
According to Michigan Law (as I understand it), it is legal to "open carry" in almost all public venues and if you have the permission of the property owner it is legal on private property as well.
"Open" means that some portion of the firearm is visible. While one could argue that it could be one-square-millimeter viewed from one very specific direction, from a practical standpoint it will be much easier for your lawyer to argue your case if the entire grip or half of the slide is visible. Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered.
If you are open-carrying, then you might be doing it because you can pull your handgun out of its holster and bring it to bear more quickly than concealed-carry, be it to shoot a squirrel, grizzly bear or a crack-head. Consequently, the entire grip of your handgun is likely be exposed.
No point rubbing their noses in it
If you open carry, there is no profit in rubbing people's noses in it.
Kydex holsters are relatively cheap. How hard is it to cut some denim from an old pair of jeans and to use spray adhesive to glue it to the visible portions of the holster?
If you sometimes wear black-jeans, then how hard is it to spray-paint the holster with matte, dark-slate gray paint and simply have it become invisible? No shine. No contrast.
In a similar way, the grips on firearms can be changed. Wearing a denim shirt? You can buy blue-gray Micarta grips for your 1911. You don't HAVE to leave the BBQ-gun grips on your 1873 Colt Single-Action or 1911 when you are toting it around in the pucker-brush or swinging through the farm-supply store on your way home.
Open v. Concealed.
ReplyDeleteI would/will/do only carry open if/when I am on private property and/or hanging out with only like minded people .....
Otherwise, it's hidden and nobody knows about it.
One of the greater disservices hard core open carry folks have done to themselves is in fact rub it in where it was not called for. One does not win another side over by making them feel uncomfortable and defensive.
ReplyDelete"open carry" is a useful resource to have, should some ninny get the vapors because one's (grip)(barrel)(holster) became visible, as the wind blew/one retrieved his wallet/other.
ReplyDelete'... if you have the permission ...'
ReplyDeleteWill not pass constitutional muster. You have de facto permission. Hence the reasons for signage prohibiting trespassing, or guns not allowed on premises.
If such signage not present, or as some argue 'not observed', then one's presence is allowed, legally defensible.
To clarify, everything is allowed. A thing only becomes disallowed by specific regulation.
DeleteRegulation could be by law or statuate, or by right of private owner.
I believe there has been 2 different years during Mardi gras parades in Mobile that an open carry firearm has been taken. I don't do either, open carry or go to Mardi gras.
ReplyDeleteOpen carry is an expression of freedom and should never be illegal. And in rural outdoor venues it's possibly not a bad idea. Most of the time however it's not a recommended course of action as it gives notice to bad people who may be an adversary and it also makes it possible for bad actors to surprise and disarm you. It HAS happened. The majority of the time concealed is by far the better choice as the element of surprise outweighs the minimal extra effort to acquire a grip and present the weapon.
ReplyDeleteI carry only on private property so most of my holsters are open carry and easy to mount - dismount vehicles, as well as access them while seated. Most concealment holsters I am aware of are horrible to access seated inside a vehicle (i.e. carjacking attempt).
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Dan above in that carrying in public does give a thief an opportunity if the holster design is behind the carrier. An extra secure holster in that situation would be a good idea I think.
I'm mostly doing casual carry. The revolver is AIWB (Appendix inside the waistband).
ReplyDeleteI upgrade to a glock .40 outside the waistband strong side for trips to urban locales.
I rock a 1911 at 4:00 for barbecue wear.
In all instances, I don't care who sees it.
Forgot to add that open carry interactions "normalize" and instruct the general public that it's legal and good.
DeleteIf you open carry, I'd suggest you carry one concealed as well, just in case one of the instances Dan notes occurs.
ReplyDelete