Open Carry: A time and place

As the great Sun Tzu once said, "All warfare is based on deception." So why are so many people obsessed with open carry as opposed to concealed? Recently it has seemed to be more of a political statement than anything else. We have to look no further than the recent open letter put out by Starbucks®

Once this letter hit the media it set off a firestorm in the 2A community. People were saying that Starbucks® was anti-gun, and no longer a supporter of the second amendment. Both of these statements could not be further from the truth. Starbucks® was merely tired of being in the middle of a political pissing match between the liberal left opposing the open carry allowed in their stores, and the AR15 toting, $2 bill spending patrons that were there to prove a point.

Another issue that open carry often creates is confusion in the law enforcement world. While in many states, including my own it is legal to open carry firearms without a permit. Here in Pennsylvania, that includes long guns. While this is perfectly legal I will not be walking down the street anytime soon with my AR15 or shotgun waiting for someone to call 911 so I can argue with the responding officer about the legality of the situation.

This has become a popular trend on YouTube® recently and is disappointing. While the subjects may not be breaking any laws the fact is that they are creating unwanted attention and tying up valuable police resources in some towns that may only have a few officers on call at a given time. Great you just proved to the YouTube® community that you are within your rights, and tied up 20 minutes of the police officers time for nothing.

Most members of law enforcement that I personally know are pro-gun; however are also pro-paycheck. Meaning they are not going to bust down your door at 3am for your 30 round magazines if you live in Maryland, but will respond to a man with a gun call and do their job.

Besides for states that laws make CCW impossible but OC is legal for those under 21 (Louisiana, Pennsylvania, etc.), I can’t find any other reasonable explanation to open carry a firearm in public. We have all seen that guy in public, open carrying just because he can. 

After moving from the anti-gun state of Maryland to Pennsylvania, I remember the first one I saw. He was probably 19-20 with a Kel-Tec in a nylon holster on his hip. Clearly this young man was open carrying to make a point as he hardly noticed me walking up behind him in the automotive aisle at Wal-Mart.

Now say I was someone set on robbing the place, and we were in a convenience store. I walk in notice this guy open carrying with no situational awareness at all. Who do you think is the first one on my list to go?  Just like I learned going through my firefighter/EMT courses, first thing you do is make sure the scene is safe. This goes for bad guys as well; nobody likes a dangerous work environment.

As I stated earlier, I do believe that open carry has its place. for instance whenever I am hiking along the Appalachian Trail I will open carry my Glock 19 as it is much easier and more comfortable in combination with a backpack, as opposed to in an IWB holster or storing my firearm inside of my backpack.

The reason that I carry on the AT is not to ward off hippies or backpackers, but honestly for four legged threats. My AT trips generally last a day so the area I travel I don’t see many two legged predators. The detention center that I work at fulltime is less than two miles from the AT and I have seen many smaller bear as well as had a co-worker hit one on her way home from work. Will my G19 stop a bear with Honady Critical Duty? Probably not, does it make me feel better? Absolutely it does.

In the end I feel like everything else that Open Carry has a time and place. That time and place is just not for political statements, or YouTube® videos. Be smart however you decide to carry, and if open carry is your only option, than do so. I’d rather open carry than not carry. 

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