Why I Open Carry...

[oldfb]

Ahh, but if they saw a few people carrying every day...

1. They would get tired of dialing
2. The police would tell them to stop it
3. They would get used to it

+1 and gonna rep.
Here in lake and porter county I have yet to see open carry. I was told when I first was issued my permit by Hobart that it was concealed. Highland as well told me concealed. I will be making some calls to make sure there are no local laws that contradict open carry and will become an oc convert thanks to this board. I was always afraid of a brandish charge if some one were to spot it. since coming here I feel less worried. I still don't want to have the screamers dialing 911 but at least now I know what is what and what my rights are. Maybe later I will post the ruckus I caused at the casino boats asking for a weapons locker back in 99. Gary pd was not happy with me or the security guard. lol

 

[ElkhartGunner]

I OC 50% of the time and CC 50% of the time. In the winters, I CC 99% of the time as I dont want snow and rain on my gun. Now that summer weather is coming around, I will begin to OC 99% of the time. Elkhart county has been pretty accepting of my OCing and have never been confronted.

 

[tv1217]

+1 and gonna rep.
Here in lake and porter county... I was always afraid of a brandish charge if some one were to spot it...I still don't want to have the screamers dialing 911 but at least now I know what is what and what my rights are.

*waits for you to get yelled at for daring to suggest Lake county is full of wussies*

 

[GhostofWinter]

Maybe later I will post the ruckus I caused at the casino boats asking for a weapons locker back in 99. Gary pd was not happy with me or the security guard. lol

I wanna hear this story. Sounds like a GOOD one! LOL

Greg

 

[greyhound47]

While the law may ALLOW open carry, I think it is a BAD idea.

#1 Your best defense is SUPRISE. Why would you mark yourself as armed?

#2 At least where I live, the only people have seen open carry are certified douchebags widely recognized to be an embarrassment by their fellow permit holders.

#3 Why show off your gun? What are really trying to prove?

We all profess to want to excercise our God given right to be able to protect ourselves and our home. How does open carry help that? All you do is isolate us and make us into a threat to non-carry people.

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and conceal your gun.

 

[ATM]

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and conceal your gun.

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and read some of the OC vs CC debates on this board before you jump in over your head.

 

[chasekerion4]

While the law may ALLOW open carry, I think it is a BAD idea.

#1 Your best defense is SUPRISE. Why would you mark yourself as armed?

#2 At least where I live, the only people have seen open carry are certified douchebags widely recognized to be an embarrassment by their fellow permit holders.

#3 Why show off your gun? What are really trying to prove?

We all profess to want to excercise our God given right to be able to protect ourselves and our home. How does open carry help that? All you do is isolate us and make us into a threat to non-carry people.

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and conceal your gun.

I'm pretty new here, and don't mean to ruffle feathers, but to tell someone how to carry THEIR weapon is idiotic. If the law tells us it's okay; it's okay and it's not for you to judge or call OC'ers douchebags.

Apples and Oranges here my friend.

I open carry one and conceal one. I FIRMLY believe in open carry as for the most part, crooks are cowards. Cowards are generally looking for easy marks, and since there are 12 gas stations every 500 feet, maybe he'll see me in there with my gun and rob the one across the street, which means I won't have to USE it and go through the red tape of dealing with LEO's, civil suits, conscience of taking someone's life, etc.

It is my belief that crooks aren't walking in to a place to rob it, scanning the store looking for guns on hips. They might scan to see how many people are in the building or whatever, but probably not looking for YOUR Sig. And even if they are, there's only a 50% chance they'll see it, unless you're twirling around in circles like a Price is Right model.

1. Your best DEFENSE is to not even pull the gun unless you need it. This opens up an argument of what do you do if your in line at the bank and the guy in front of you robs the clerk? Sure, you can shoot him in the back of the head, but why would you? He's in front of you, his back facing you, talking to someone else. Whipping out your gun might just make you the REAL target, especially if you get a nice big ol' FTF.

2. We don't all live where you live and I, at least, am NOT a douchebag

3. I'm trying to prove that I am armed. DFWM. What are you trying to prove by driving a BMW? Buying a $500,000 house?

 

[greyhound47]

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and read some of the OC vs CC debates on this board before you jump in over your head.

I have read the debates. My points still stand. THis is not the wild west. You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.

 

[dburkhead]

While the law may ALLOW open carry, I think it is a BAD idea.

#1 Your best defense is SUPRISE. Why would you mark yourself as armed?

Your best defense is deterrence. Why encourage criminals to pick that place and time to commit a crime when you might encourage them to go elsewhere instead?

#2 At least where I live, the only people have seen open carry are certified douchebags widely recognized to be an embarrassment by their fellow permit holders.

And by not open carrying you contribute to that. If the only people others see carrying are "certified douchebags" then what conclusion are are they going to reach about people who carry?

#3 Why show off your gun? What are really trying to prove?

What am I trying to prove? "Prove" is perhaps too strong a word. What I want, however, is for more people to see others actually carrying firearms and not causing trouble.

We all profess to want to excercise our God given right to be able to protect ourselves and our home. How does open carry help that? All you do is isolate us and make us into a threat to non-carry people.

Actually, what "makes us into a threat" is people's only exposure to armed citizens being the criminals and dirtbags. It links into people's minds that guns=crime and makes the Media stories along that line seem more plausible.

Only by countering the image of "see gun = threat" can that attitude be changed.

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and conceal your gun.

Do you know the origin of requiring licenses for concealed carry? It was believe that an honest man wore his weapons openly, and that someone who was concealing it was likely "up to something." Thus, only if one had a good enough reason to convince the powers that be could one obtain approval (as in with a permit) to carry weapons concealed.

Eventually, through various means, carrying weapons openly fell by the wayside and eventually in many places the law codified that change in habit. That, IMO, was a bad mistake. We conceal things we are ashamed of. Having to hide the weapon carries with it an implicit message (whether it means that to you or not) that guns are shameful.

"If a man fails to enforce his rights, he should not be surprised if sooner or later the law follows his example." Oliver Wendall Holmes.

 

[jeremy]

First I carry because it is the right thing to do.
Second I OC most of the time. It is just so much more comfortable.

 

[dburkhead]

I have read the debates. My points still stand. THis is not the wild west. You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.

You might want to spend some time looking into what the "wild west" was really like rather than what the Media claims it was, but that's really beside the point.

What I'd really like to know is how ensuring that the only exposure that the vast majority of people (at least in the cities) have to guns is either police or criminals. So what do people see? The only non LEO cases they see of people with guns is when they're in the hands of a criminal.

How, exactly, does that help our case?

 

[redneckmedic]

The vehicle is not, that I have ever heard, "an extension of one's home" in Indiana. To carry, even in your own car, you must have a LTCH. B

A Castle Doctrine (also known as a Castle Law or a Defense of Habitation Law) is an American legal concept arising from English Common Law[1] that designates one's place of residence (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as one's car or place of work) as a place in which one enjoys protection from illegal trespassing and violent attack. It then goes on to give a person the legal right to use deadly force to defend that place (his/her "castle"), and/or any other innocent persons legally inside it, from violent attack or an intrusion which may lead to violent attack. In a legal context, therefore, use of deadly force which actually results in death may be defended as justifiable homicide under the Castle Doctrine.
Castle Doctrines are legislated by state, and not all states in the US have a Castle Doctrine. The term "Make My Day Law" comes from the landmark 1985 Colorado statute that protects people from any criminal charge or civil suit if they use force – including deadly force – against an invader of the home.[2] The law's nickname is a reference to the famous line uttered by Clint Eastwood's character Harry Callahan in the 1983 film Sudden Impact, "Go ahead, make my day."
This legal doctrine is often linked to the rights of homeowners to bear arms, as defined in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller.

With that quoted, BOR is correct, in order to carry a loaded handgun in your vehical in Indiana you must have you CCL, unless you are in direct travel btwn location and home associated with said handgun....(paraquote)...I think.

FINE PRINT
I am not responsible for the information being entirly correct in about statement, it is only an interpretation from my understanding of the law, with that said the lawyers and other mall ninjas will still have a hayday with my above said as gospel and not just a quick reference to help a brother shooter out. -Medic

 

[ML ll THUMBHOLE]

Ahh, but if they saw a few people carrying every day...

1. They would get tired of dialing
2. The police would tell them to stop it
3. They would get used to it

I think it's time to start a trend.

 

[redneckmedic]

While the law may ALLOW open carry, I think it is a BAD idea.

#1 Your best defense is SUPRISE. Why would you mark yourself as armed?

#2 At least where I live, the only people have seen open carry are certified douchebags widely recognized to be an embarrassment by their fellow permit holders.

#3 Why show off your gun? What are really trying to prove?

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and conceal your gun.

+1 good point #1 ...however...

Hate to be a prick about it but GROW UP and read some of the OC vs CC debates on this board before you jump in over your head.

+1K to ATM

I rarely OC, I just like CC better, don't damn the other.

 

[ATM]

I have read the debates.
Really? You need to read them again because you brought up old points that have already been countered several times. For the millionth time, the element of surprise benefits the attacker. Criminals admit that they are deterred by armed citizens. Read again and please bring new material to the discussion.

My points still stand.
No they don't. These are your opinions which don't stand up to basic scrutiny. You may have an emotional attachment to them (many do) but that does not make them strong points.

THis is not the wild west.
As dburkhead pointed out... if it were, your points would be even less valid. Good guys carried openly.

You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.
You do damage to our cause by calling names and trying to shame others into hiding it. Once it's shameful and hidden, forbidding them will seem to be a very natural next step.

Consider these things. Make your choices. Don't bring division to OUR right to bear arms. I support your choice even when it's not mine.

 

[mikea46996]

I have read the debates. My points still stand. THis is not the wild west. You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.

 

[greyhound47]

Soooooooo, just because I do not agree with you, I MUST be a troll? Nice.

 

[jeremy]

No, because you bring argument and not discussion. That makes you a troll.

 

[citizenvain]

I have read the debates. My points still stand. THis is not the wild west. You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.

I think you make some good points, so I won't call you a "troll" like others. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I could see how OC threatens many and could hurt the cause.

However, while I haven't decided which route I am gonig to go once I start carrying, but I would argue that open carrying would help the cause in that while it may be "scary" for many at first, in time they may eventually find if more acceptable and learn to tolerate it more.

Its just like anything else. If gays would have stayed in the closet in stead of coming out in the open, where would their movement be? There would be none. Though this may be a stretch to compare the two movements, I think you get my point. We shouldn't have to hide in the closet (CC) though that is our right and choice, and if once we are ready to come out of the closet (OC) that should be ok too.

 

[HICKMAN]

I have read the debates. My points still stand. THis is not the wild west. You do damage to our cause by showing your weapon.

I'll disagree with you.

I've had a least 3 people inquire who didn't even know they were allowed to get a license to carry in Indiana. I'm hoping somewhere there are a few more people carrying than were before they ran in to me.

Sometimes I OC as a deterent, kind of like when they park a police car outside of a bank, other times I will CC (at events, little league, etc.) to be more discrete.

There is no wrong time to have a gun.

I'm neither a cowboy or a hero, but I am a gun owning, law abiding, patriot from the State of Indiana.