Open carry-are you uncomfortable with this?

[Deleted]

My state allows open carry.  I don't often see it, but it's becoming increasingly common.  One day we went to lunch at our favorite Japanese restaurant and a gentlemen had a shoulder-slung rifle and bandoleer.  Tonight we decided to check out the neighborhood's newest pizza restaurant and there was a man and woman with heavy caliber automatics on their hips. Going out for dinner, especially pizza is a really big deal for us and it was totally ruined.  

I'm intensely uncomfortable in these situations.  I even avoid a lot of restaurants frequented by law enforcement because I just don't like being around weapons.  But I can't afford to walk away from food I've paid for.  I'm beginning to think that we just can't go out to eat anymore and that makes me very sad.  

How do you feel about heavily armed fellow diners?  

[hoops902]

I can see why it would make you uncomfortable from an emotional perspective...I can't say I mind it much though. Open carry an automatic weapon, or conceal carry a pistol...I don't personally view my risk of being shot any more/less by either of these individuals. I'm assuming those who are open-carrying need a permit like you need for concealed carry...I'd rather have people who needed permits and registration than people hiding a pistol somewhere on them. To me, it seems more awkward situation (which maybe is a good synonym for uncomfortable), but I certainly wouldn't be uncomfortable/awkward enough to have it ruin my time.

I find it awkward/uncomfortable in the same way as if a guy was walking around in a shirt that said "I have a small penis"...it's weird, I wouldn't choose it, but it doesn't ruin my time.

[Tennesseer]

I personnaly don't see the point of bringing firearms into businesses or strolling down the street letting everyone know you have a firearm by your side or slung over your shoulder.

I don't get it.  But then that is me.

[NastyWoman]

 And that is not made better by just having finished readind the thread about the paranoid coworker. I can just see some idiot seing a gun, pulling his in "self-defense" and starting the next shootout at the OK corral.

Good guy with a gun and all that sh*t...

[MJ2.0]

If anything, seeing a civilian walking around with a gun would make me feel scared - not safe.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Carrying a rifle into a restaurant or fast food place is just showing off. To me a sign of an insecure person trying to make a point in the wrong place. People like that scare me. 

[Deleted]

I expect that no one was walking around with an automatic on their hip or otherwise.  Owning an automatic weapon is nearly impossible for most civilians.  The person may have had a semi-automatic pistol on their hip.  That simply means that one trigger pull equals one shot fired.  To fire the next shot you pull the trigger again.  No different than a revolver. 

The so-called assault rifles available to the public - also are semi-automatic and operate the same way.  Many people use these rifles - you will seem them called modern sporting rifles - in shooting competitions like three gun competitions where the shooters use a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun in succession on various targets at various distances.  Military grade rifles on the other hand are capable of automatic firing - pull the trigger and multiple bullits may be fired.  Most commonly used large game rifles like those used for deer hunting have significantly more power than the scary black guns. 

The requirements to carry a weapon vary from state to state but many require various hours of training to receive the license and most pursue significantly more training if they are interested in carrying a weapon.  Statistics so far show that you have far more to fear from the criminal on the street than you do with gun owners that have obtained a license to carry.  A few states have what is commonly called constitutional carry - no license required and takes the 2nd Amendment to what some gun owners believe is the true spirit of the amendment.  No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment.  Criminals, on the other hand, don't care about the law and most definitely won't want to talk about the weapon they have hidden or pointed at you in a robbery.

[billisonboard]

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

... No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment. ...

They are just doing what too many people do showing off their First Amendment Free Speech right i.e. saying pointless shit. They carry because their big bad ass selves can and no one can stop them. And if someone tries, they will use government courts to keep their rights.

[OldCoyote]

Apr 7, 2018 20:29:23 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

Carrying a rifle into a restaurant or fast food place is just showing off. To me a sign of an insecure person trying to make a point in the wrong place. People like that scare me. 

Leave it in the car in plain sight so it can be stolen.

How many people died in that restaurant, cause some one had a gun.

I will point out one of the most disturbing dinner that I ever had, was at a pizza restaurant that had eight Narcotic officers eating there or sitting around.

The entire time we waited for and ate our order, they sat there staring at my wife and my self, I was beyond uncomfortable.

That was the last time we ate there.

[TheHaitian]

I work in VA and have encountered this a few times. Agree with hoops, weird to me but would not ruin my time.

Like you my wife is extremely uncomfortable in those situations and would have opted to leave the establishment and go wait for me in the car.

At work though (grocery store) it did create an awkward situation when the guy with a very visible gun on his hips walked up to the service to request a Money order. The whole front end froze and all eyes (employees and customers) were on him.

Why would you want that much attention on you? Who knows ...

[Apple]

Open carry is legal in Oregon, but I have yet to run into anyone bringing a large weapon into an eating establishment.  And, in our area, anytime you walk into a store, etc, you can be pretty sure there are many concealed weapons all around you.  In fact, one store almost went out of business after they posted a "no weapons" sign on the door.  They later changed it to "concealed carry allowed only by those with proper permits", but they've permanently lost a lot of business because of the first one.

Full-auto is also legal in Oregon (it has to be purchased through a Class 3 dealer, and has to be registered).  So, you may see them on a firing range, hear them on the backroads, etc, and just figure someone is out having a good day burning through some ammo.

Mostly, I'd think the person carrying the large weapon, while completely within their rights, is acting like an idiot.  But I think a lot of people who try to show off, in one way or another, are idiots.

[CCL]

I'd be wondering if they actually had a permit. How would you know? As far as police, I feel more comfortable when they are around.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 7, 2018 23:09:38 GMT -5 CCL said:

I'd be wondering if they actually had a permit. How would you know? As far as police, I feel more comfortable when they are around.

Not all states require a permit for open carry.  WA does not.  

[tallguy]

Apr 7, 2018 23:09:38 GMT -5 CCL said:

I'd be wondering if they actually had a permit. How would you know? As far as police, I feel more comfortable when they are around.

Police should automatically treat anyone openly carrying in a city as a threat.  Take them in and detain them for a few hours while all of their registrations and permits are checked.  Few times going through that should cure those gun nuts of their need to be an ass in public.

Or just shoot 'em first and save the time and trouble.  
 

[msventoux]

It doesn’t particularly bother me. But I grew up around guns, and the culture here is very outdoorsy and pro-gun. State laws also allow for open carry or concealed carry without a permit. I’m sure there’s a very large percentage of people carrying concealed, and more with guns in their vehicles.

My dining experience is ruined most often by the presence of some other patron that is being a jerk. That’s more disruptive than a gun quietly minding its own business.

[MJ2.0]

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

I expect that no one was walking around with an automatic on their hip or otherwise.  Owning an automatic weapon is nearly impossible for most civilians.  The person may have had a semi-automatic pistol on their hip.  That simply means that one trigger pull equals one shot fired.  To fire the next shot you pull the trigger again.  No different than a revolver. 

The so-called assault rifles available to the public - also are semi-automatic and operate the same way.  Many people use these rifles - you will seem them called modern sporting rifles - in shooting competitions like three gun competitions where the shooters use a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun in succession on various targets at various distances.  Military grade rifles on the other hand are capable of automatic firing - pull the trigger and multiple bullits may be fired.  Most commonly used large game rifles like those used for deer hunting have significantly more power than the scary black guns. 

The requirements to carry a weapon vary from state to state but many require various hours of training to receive the license and most pursue significantly more training if they are interested in carrying a weapon.  Statistics so far show that you have far more to fear from the criminal on the street than you do with gun owners that have obtained a license to carry.  A few states have what is commonly called constitutional carry - no license required and takes the 2nd Amendment to what some gun owners believe is the true spirit of the amendment.  No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment.  Criminals, on the other hand, don't care about the law and most definitely won't want to talk about the weapon they have hidden or pointed at you in a robbery.

And how do you know which is which? Do the criminals wear a shirt that says "Criminal" on it? Or are we just going to assume that registered gun owners would never be capable of criminal activity? Do what you want, but the only person I'll walk up and talk to that's openly carrying a gun is a police officer.

[Opti]

Apr 8, 2018 5:48:19 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

I expect that no one was walking around with an automatic on their hip or otherwise.  Owning an automatic weapon is nearly impossible for most civilians.  The person may have had a semi-automatic pistol on their hip.  That simply means that one trigger pull equals one shot fired.  To fire the next shot you pull the trigger again.  No different than a revolver. 

The so-called assault rifles available to the public - also are semi-automatic and operate the same way.  Many people use these rifles - you will seem them called modern sporting rifles - in shooting competitions like three gun competitions where the shooters use a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun in succession on various targets at various distances.  Military grade rifles on the other hand are capable of automatic firing - pull the trigger and multiple bullits may be fired.  Most commonly used large game rifles like those used for deer hunting have significantly more power than the scary black guns. 

The requirements to carry a weapon vary from state to state but many require various hours of training to receive the license and most pursue significantly more training if they are interested in carrying a weapon.  Statistics so far show that you have far more to fear from the criminal on the street than you do with gun owners that have obtained a license to carry.  A few states have what is commonly called constitutional carry - no license required and takes the 2nd Amendment to what some gun owners believe is the true spirit of the amendment.  No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment.  Criminals, on the other hand, don't care about the law and most definitely won't want to talk about the weapon they have hidden or pointed at you in a robbery.

And how do you know which is which? Do the criminals wear a shirt that says "Criminal" on it? Or are we just going to assume that registered gun owners would never be capable of criminal activity? Do what you want, but the only person I'll walk up and talk to that's openly carrying a gun is a police officer.

I've never lived in a pro gun culture state. People that had guns used them to shoot deer. They didn't carry them around in the off season.

Criminals are people who commit crimes. Just because someone hasn't committed a crime yet doesn't mean they won't. I remember the guy who shot the fellow theatre patron to death because he was using his cell phone in an obnoxious manner. And the instances of angry customers shooting their waitress. Someone who open carries IMO is more likely to do something assinine like that versus the concealed carry person. They are showing off and want to prove something. I wouldn't want to eat near them either.

Perhaps I have watched too much TV, but don't some criminals open carry for the intimidation factor?

[Virgil Showlion]

Apr 7, 2018 21:43:43 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

... No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment. ...

They are just doing what too many people do showing off their First Amendment Free Speech right i.e. saying pointless shit. They carry because their big bad ass selves can and no one can stop them. And if someone tries, they will use government courts to keep their rights.

So... the American right's version of a pride parade. Makes sense, I guess.

[Lizard Queen]

There are a lot of idiots in this country. There are also a lot of guns. I worry when I'm nearby when those 2 things combine.

[billisonboard]

Apr 8, 2018 8:01:42 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

There are a lot of idiots in this country. There are also a lot of guns. I worry when I'm nearby when those 2 things combine.

Lots of ammo and alcohol as well.

[Opti]

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

I expect that no one was walking around with an automatic on their hip or otherwise.  Owning an automatic weapon is nearly impossible for most civilians.  The person may have had a semi-automatic pistol on their hip.  That simply means that one trigger pull equals one shot fired.  To fire the next shot you pull the trigger again.  No different than a revolver. 

The so-called assault rifles available to the public - also are semi-automatic and operate the same way.  Many people use these rifles - you will seem them called modern sporting rifles - in shooting competitions like three gun competitions where the shooters use a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun in succession on various targets at various distances.  Military grade rifles on the other hand are capable of automatic firing - pull the trigger and multiple bullits may be fired.  Most commonly used large game rifles like those used for deer hunting have significantly more power than the scary black guns. 

The requirements to carry a weapon vary from state to state but many require various hours of training to receive the license and most pursue significantly more training if they are interested in carrying a weapon.  Statistics so far show that you have far more to fear from the criminal on the street than you do with gun owners that have obtained a license to carry.  A few states have what is commonly called constitutional carry - no license required and takes the 2nd Amendment to what some gun owners believe is the true spirit of the amendment.  No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment.  Criminals, on the other hand, don't care about the law and most definitely won't want to talk about the weapon they have hidden or pointed at you in a robbery.

I disagree. Do you think most open carry folks are polite and friendly to people who disagree with them on their interpretation of the second amendment? Its like me exhorting folks who believe marriage is only between a man and a woman to go chat up people in a Gay Pride parade because they'll be happy to talk about their sexuality and beliefs on marriage.

30% of the people own all the guns in America. Some may want guns but can't afford them and many of the remaining probably don't want guns. They may have no interest in finding out about guns much like the marriage is one woman and one man probably have no interest in finding out about various genders and other sexual expressions.

Finally, your post reminds of the false belief that all criminals are habitual recurring ones and that there aren't cross overs from the previous law abiding side to committed a crime every day. It happens. Do you think all those domestic violence deaths and assaults only happen with those who already committed crimes? That workplace shootings only are committed by people with a previous criminal history? I think its important to remember no one is born a criminal. So every criminal in the US was once a law abiding citizen ... until they chose not to be.

[Bluerobin]

I have always felt open carry is idiotic.  It only makes you the first target should someone try to rob a place. 

[ken a.k.a OMK]

 He proved a point alright. He's a nut with a gun.

Washington (CNN)Republican Rep. Ralph Norman pulled out his loaded, personal .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun Friday and laid it on the table at a diner where he was meeting with his constituents in Rock Hill, South Carolina.



Norman told CNN he wanted to make a point in the debate over gun violence.

"I merely proved a point that guns themselves are not the issue," he said.

[Gardening Grandma]

On a recent road trip I found myself in a laundrymat in Arizona. The guy next to me loading the washing machine was wearing a pistol.  I felt threatened because I had no way to know if/whether he was mentally unstable.  
Who the hell is so nutty they need to wear a weapon in a laundrymat?  Expecting a dispute about a dryer?

[OldCoyote]

Apr 8, 2018 8:05:21 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Apr 8, 2018 8:01:42 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

There are a lot of idiots in this country. There are also a lot of guns. I worry when I'm nearby when those 2 things combine.

Lots of ammo and alcohol as well.

Way back when the CCW was started in AZ, My neighbor was absolutely sure that there were going to be gun fights on every street corner,
and every alteration was going to be settled with a gun fight! 

Didn't happen, not even close.

When AZ allowed guns in bars, Same thing, there were going to be thousands of bar gun fights,

Disn't happen not even close!

What makes you think that people were not carrying gun concealed before those law?

[OldCoyote]

Apr 8, 2018 9:02:54 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

 He proved a point alright. He's a nut with a gun.

Washington (CNN)Republican Rep. Ralph Norman pulled out his loaded, personal .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun Friday and laid it on the table at a diner where he was meeting with his constituents in Rock Hill, South Carolina.



Norman told CNN he wanted to make a point in the debate over gun violence.

"I merely proved a point that guns themselves are not the issue," he said.

How many people did that gun shoot at that dinner?

If the gun didn't shoot anyone what bad about it?

[OldCoyote]

Apr 8, 2018 10:10:59 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

On a recent road trip I found myself in a laundrymat in Arizona. The guy next to me loading the washing machine was wearing a pistol.  I felt threatened because I had no way to know if/whether he was mentally unstable.  
Who the hell is so nutty they need to wear a weapon in a laundrymat?  Expecting a dispute about a dryer?

I thought you were never going to go to AZ.

Did he shoot anyone?

Wonder how many men there hand a pocket knife?

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Does gun safety teach you to take a loaded gun out and put it on a diner table with people around to show it off? He was a jerk. Doesn't say much for any NRA training he got.

[hoops902]

Apr 8, 2018 5:48:19 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Apr 7, 2018 20:36:56 GMT -5 @marinauser said:

I expect that no one was walking around with an automatic on their hip or otherwise.  Owning an automatic weapon is nearly impossible for most civilians.  The person may have had a semi-automatic pistol on their hip.  That simply means that one trigger pull equals one shot fired.  To fire the next shot you pull the trigger again.  No different than a revolver. 

The so-called assault rifles available to the public - also are semi-automatic and operate the same way.  Many people use these rifles - you will seem them called modern sporting rifles - in shooting competitions like three gun competitions where the shooters use a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun in succession on various targets at various distances.  Military grade rifles on the other hand are capable of automatic firing - pull the trigger and multiple bullits may be fired.  Most commonly used large game rifles like those used for deer hunting have significantly more power than the scary black guns. 

The requirements to carry a weapon vary from state to state but many require various hours of training to receive the license and most pursue significantly more training if they are interested in carrying a weapon.  Statistics so far show that you have far more to fear from the criminal on the street than you do with gun owners that have obtained a license to carry.  A few states have what is commonly called constitutional carry - no license required and takes the 2nd Amendment to what some gun owners believe is the true spirit of the amendment.  No need to be afraid of the person open carrying - strike up a conversation and engage them and most are happy to talk about their guns and their opinions on the 2nd Amendment.  Criminals, on the other hand, don't care about the law and most definitely won't want to talk about the weapon they have hidden or pointed at you in a robbery.

And how do you know which is which? Do the criminals wear a shirt that says "Criminal" on it? Or are we just going to assume that registered gun owners would never be capable of criminal activity? Do what you want, but the only person I'll walk up and talk to that's openly carrying a gun is a police officer.

How do you know anyone you randomly see on the street is a criminal or not?  Most criminals...while not necessarily smart...are typically not interested in walking around and showing the public the weapons they use to commit their crimes.  There is a difference between "capable of criminal activity" and "actively seeking to engage in criminal activity".  Everyone is capable of criminal activity.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Yes, in a non-gun setting, open carry makes me at minimum anxious.


For context, I spent the first half of my childhood living near military bases and going shopping with my mother at the commissary. I have no issue with our US military setting and the weapons it employs. I spent the latter half of childhood and since in rural PNW which has hunting and firearms at its cultural forefront. When I was in high school, students would have hunting rifles at school so they could go hunting after school and not have to go home. (Obviously, the laws have changed regarding that situation.) I grew up in a house that had many, many guns. Unless my father was cleaning them, they were locked up. My sisters and I spent many days at the gun range learning how to load and discharge different type of firearms. 

As an educator in my fifteenth year in the public school setting, the present day threat of those with mental illness who have access to firearms is what makes me nervous. I emphasize this with my students when we go through ALICE training. It's not their family's hunting guns and personal pistols that we're on alert for; it's the necessity of keeping those firearms locked up and being aware of "people at school who don't look quite right" or sounds that "don't sound normal".  

Knowing what I've learned through being a public school educator--which includes frustration at the lack of mental health services and annoyance at the suggestion we create schools to function in a military state--is what makes me nervous about open carry. Yes, I understand the juxtaposition of people carrying concealed weapons and it not making me nervous. If I lived or was visiting  a situation in which I felt I needed a concealed weapon in my purse, I would do that. 

Do I force myself to trust a person who chooses to open carry? Yes, I don't have any other choice. Am I still anxious about it in the example of a restaurant or something similar? Yes. 


This concept of open weapons is not an easy one to digest. Those who think it's simple are not considering the entire picture.