Concealed Carry is Reprogramming Society.
The reasons Open Carry should be practiced by EVERY gun owner.
I’m going to introduce this topic with a personal story of mine which occurred quite recently in a nowhere-ville town known as Pratt, Kansas(I think it’s technically a city, but its really small). Kansas is one of the freest states in many regards, and allows the unlicensed open-carry of firearms by anyone over 18 who isn’t a convicted criminal. Oh, sorry to all who feel traumatized by the information that people can still have rights, how insensitive of me… Anyways, to the story.
I was staying in Pratt for a time with my father, to get away from things while studying Real Estate online(a career path I came to decide wasn’t for me, but I digress.) Being raised in South Carolina, I’d never had the opportunity to carry in any capacity(I’m 20, so underage for a CCW, and SC has no Open Carry). Obviously as a staunch supporter of the 2nd amendment, my first action when I arrived in Kansas was to strap on my Taurus Tracker 627 Revolver, chambered in 357 Mag, pictured below.
I carried this, in the same holster you see above, quite openly for a time without incident. There was however an air of hostility, distrust, and even anger that I saw in the locals merely because I was armed. I made a conscious effort to abide by every restriction, including those asked of me by businesses, for example Walmart asks that you not openly carry within their stores. I disagree with the policy, but would leave the revolver in the glove compartment whenever I shopped there. I mention this because merely the sight of my empty holster stirred similar distrust and disapproval. I clearly recall standing in an isle, looking for a specific item, and an older man(maybe 60's?) looked at me and just shook his head slowly, as if I had completely lost my mind.
I should also mention, not once did I see anyone else openly carrying, in the rather significant time I spent in Kansas, including visits to Wichita. With the continued experience of being viewed as a dangerous outsider, I fully expected to be harassed at some point by law enforcement, which in time came true. I like to take long walks, which back in SC could be done on back-roads in the shade of the forest, but there in Pratt the only safe option was within the town itself. On one of these walks my presence frightened a middle-aged couple, who scurried away as mice from a cat. Mere minutes later, a city cop pulled up behind me and signaled I should stop.
Without any warning or permission, he reached for my revolver and took it from my holster while saying something like “I’m just gonna take this off you for now.” That in itself is clearly a violation of my rights, since I had done nothing to provoke any actions other than questioning. It is also idiotic to reach for someone’s weapon without consent or warning, and in some situations could be misinterpreted as aggression. Caring more about staying out of trouble than maintaining control of the situation, I froze, and let him. He questioned me on various aspects of my personal information, and the legality of my firearm. While this was happening, two more cops showed up and they were now standing on 3 sides of me, which made me quite uncomfortable.
After several questions, my age registered in his brain, and he said “Wait, you’re 20! You aren’t legal to carry that until 21!” This was obviously false, and completely ridiculous that a cop wouldn’t know the law in his own state. Then I was much more nervous, now having to convince officers of the law that I wasn’t committing a gun crime. I gently argued the point, until one of the other 2 officers agreed with me. The first then proceeded to take out his phone and Google the gun laws. *facepalm*… After which he conceded I was legal. Even then, I had to remain until they got information from running my ID back from dispatch. During that remaining time, one of the officers actually tried to convince me it would be better for me to concealed carry(illegal, as I mentioned earlier, not being 21), than to legally open carry!
After being let to go my way again, I walked home, rattled, and puzzling over how they could be so incredibly inane and uneducated. I didn’t stop Open Carrying, as I figured I’d be left alone at that point. Presumably the whole department would now be aware of me, but I felt very uncomfortable walking through public places while armed after that. How could it be that one of the freest places in the U.S. was still so fearful and hostile to a well-dressed, well-mannered, young fellow just for carrying a weapon? It is a result of being conditioned to think weapons are only carried by criminals, and to believe they aren’t all around us, simply because they are hidden.
The concealed carry of firearms is a wonderful right, but frequently precludes the right to carry openly, as virtually everyone did not so long ago. Those places that it is legal, as you see will still bring issues to those who practice Open Carry. I’m sure a great many people had firearms in Kansas, but “out of sight, out of mind”, they weren’t there in the minds of the citizens. Living so long in a society that hides their weapons or doesn’t use them at all causes people to distrust those who do use them, and don’t hide them.
If we the people desire to keep our 2nd amendment rights, we must make them commonplace again. USE your rights, don’t just have them. The more weapons are worn openly in public, the easier it will be for people to rationalize that they can and are used for positive purposes. The more anti-gun folks meet someone wearing a gun, the more they will be forced to wake to the reality that gun owners are perfectly sane beings, who just have a strong need to be free, safe, and protect their loved ones. If only for these reasons, you should open carry instead of concealed, but read on for more practical reasons.
Lets face it, concealed carry is annoying, often impractical, and highly limiting in what you can carry and where you put it. You like firepower? You want your targets to stop breathing on the first shot? You need a bigger gun, and the bigger a gun is, the harder it becomes to conceal. I LOVE 357 Magnum. It has a very high probability of being fatal with a single, well placed shot. Mine is a 7 shot, which is a thick, heavy handgun, with a fairly long barrel. you cannot practically conceal one on your body, unless wearing a winter coat. Forget a T-shirt and shorts, it would stand out like a sore Democrat. That leaves Open Carry for anyone wanting similarly powerful weapons to carry daily.
Speed. Seriously, although massively over-hyped by classical western films, there is a reason revolvers were worn in a simple leather holster, and frequently extended to a degree down the leg, putting it closer to the hand. Fast draw is a real thing, and is largely ignored, being replaced by “tacticool” things like a super compact semi auto with 20 rounds of weak ammo. Yes, you can hide it anywhere on your body and shoot a lot of times, but can you bring it to bear fast enough to save your life? Assuming you do, will it kill when you pull the trigger? It may well not. I’m quite comfortable with fewer shots that I know for a fact will kill effectively, and the ability to draw and fire rapidly, with no clothing in the way, or iffy systems like shoulder holsters, which you can’t even wear in most clothing.
Nuclear Deterrent. Yes, the element of surprise is missing with open carry. This is far outweighed by the likelihood that a would-be attacker will see the error of his ways when he sees a powerful handgun on your hip. Open carry does not preclude the possibility of being attacked, but will undoubtedly reduce the chances of such an event by a staggering percentage. Teddy Roosevelt said “speak softly and carry a big stick”, and I agree. Keeping a calm, rational manner about you, while making it obvious you are prepared to take action is an excellent policy to prevent pointless bloodshed.
I’m in no way saying you shouldn’t carry concealed, and of course in many places it is your only legal option(although more must be done to change that). I am however recommending it strongly for those who can, and have nothing stopping them. If you’re happy with your firearm, whatever the size, and feel confident of the outcome of any unexpected conflict, keep doing what you’re doing. Concealed carry will always have practical applications for many people. For the rest of you 2nd amendment supporting, gun toting, ornery country folks, strap yer a big Ole’ shootin’ iron on yer hip, and walk round like yer serious bout it!
