Is Colion Noir right about open carry?

dhains1963 said:

I agree 100% with Colion. The only real advantage to open carry is a quicker draw time (especially in the winter with hoodies and coats on). You do loose the surprise element though with open carry.

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You loose the surprise element when you suddenly out of the blue start digging in your pants like they are on fire.

If it is winter and you have multiple layers on, your weapon goes in a pocket of the outermost layer, in a holster. If you aren't doing this, you aren't armed! Like most here, I open carry in the woods, BBQ's, places where like minded people gather. I occasionally would open carry at Walmart, before they asked people to stop. I worked in California in 2009, you couldn't conceal carry, but could open carry an unloaded gun with its ammunition also open carried. So the Californians staged "events" where bunches of people gathered and open carried rubbing it in peoples faces. The legislature made that illegal. Kind of like what happened to the big Red Wave that fizzled after Conservatives rubbed Roe vs Wade in everyone's face. Be tactical people, THINK, what are the consequences of my actions? Good luck!
gramps

I've concealed carry for more years than I like to count. Even when I lived in San Francisco, I usually had a firearm well hidden. For many years it was a .45 ACP 1911A1 by Ithaca stamped U.S. Property. I'm sorry I ever sold that gun.
Back in the early 1970s I was packing another 1911A1 that had some internal work done by the late great F. Bob Chow in San Francisco. It had all the necessary things done to make it a good combat pistol without all the visual frill so popular today. An S&W adjustable rear sight was inletted into the slide and that was about all you could see that said the gun had been worked on. I still have that one and a couple more he built for me after he retired. My main carry piece is a Colt Combat Commander in .45 ACP these days. It's almost strictly stock with the only improvement being a beavertail grip safety that I installed and the feed ramp and entrance to the barrel are highly polished. Trigger was just fine as is on the gun, probably just properly worn in as I bought the gun at a gun show I also carry an S&W .38 Spl M60 as a back up piece. I hope I never have to use either one but admit it's a mighty good feeling to know they're with me.
When I used to go out in the boonies, I usually open carried a .44 magnum of some sore. Might be an S&W 629 6" or one of my Ruger Blackhawks. I reserve the Redhawks to only the range. I find them too heavy for my taste in the field. I'm always saying the dang things need wheels. Fun to shoot though.
Paul B.

I have no desire to open carry here in my city even though I have been known to while out in my yard. On the other hand I might if I went 'back home' down to the rural community I grew up in. I do like not having to be extra vigilant to not give someone a peak at my pistol on my side. Another part of the equation than no one on these forums talks about is regardless of whether I personally am concealed carrying or open carrying I don't think I look like a threat to anyone... I feel like I look more like the guy who is going to stop and help you change a tire or pick up the groceries you spilt in the parking lot.

A lot depends on the area and type of people moving around.
If you're the ONLY person open carrying and a bad guy has evil in mind, then yes, it might be a bad idea.
If you're one of a significant group open carrying, then bad guys are likely going to look somewhere else.
I live in MO. It's a Constitutional carry state. Lots of folks open carry and I don't even bother looking for the 'sort of' concealed carriers anymore. Besides that, many of the local PD 'detectives' (plain clothes officers) look just like everyone else walking around. The chances of a bad guy making a ruckus and discovering that the guy in the checkout line behind him has a badge and .40 (or no badge and a .38) are significant.

Open vs Concealed is far more situationally and geographically dependent than most people want to talk about.
There are areas where open carry is socially acceptable and common. Other areas where open carry can get you targeted or at least garner unwanted attention. Politics aside, I want to be left alone, so in the mostly-blue region suburban setting I live, if I'm out, I'm carrying concealed. If / when I'm able to live in a more gun friendly region, maybe my carry changes.
As always context matters.

I agree... the main reason I don't is I want to be left alone and do not want or usually have the time to get into a discussion about guns from either side of the fence. I did actually open carry last week for a brief time... when I went 'down home'. This is a very rural community and a friend and I went to a local resteraunt and I got out and just did not feel like covering up... was the middle of the afternoon and there were about two people eating besides us ....

As I probably mentioned the powers that be here in the state of S.C. decided a year or so ago that if you have a concealed permit you can open carry... I won't do it here in the big city but do like that I don't have to be hyper vigilant about not showing....

blume357 said:

I agree... the main reason I don't is I want to be left alone and do not want or usually have the time to get into a discussion about guns from either side of the fence. I did actually open carry last week for a brief time... when I went 'down home'. This is a very rural community and a friend and I went to a local resteraunt and I got out and just did not feel like covering up... was the middle of the afternoon and there were about two people eating besides us ....

As I probably mentioned the powers that be here in the state of S.C. decided a year or so ago that if you have a concealed permit you can open carry... I won't do it here in the big city but do like that I don't have to be hyper vigilant about not showing....

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I almost spit out my coffee. "Big City" What something less than 80 thousand? Big city here is almost 4 million.

I finally watched the video. My points are Colion Noir is right about lumping open carry into his listed groups. BUT, I can use the same list for some doing CCW. There are responsible CCW, dumb ass CCW and maybe some posturing in their own minds.
The guy makes some good points and where legal it's up to the individual to do so responsibility. I won't and I have stated why in other posts.
I did not like how he glossed over 2 points he was making. 1 He said something like most people don't notice an open carry person. I find that hard to believe. How did he measure that? I would like to hear his study or data.
2 Cops get disarmed, many more have an attempt to be disarmed. Work in the field and you would know. It does not happen all the time but YES it does happen. Why, desperate people do desperate things that a common person might not believe could or would happen unless they experienced it.
Remember my statement in training 40 years ago. The trainer teaching cops how to disarm attackers and how to fight and survive someone attempting to take your sidearm. "Every situation you go into, a crook will have a gun available it's on your gun belt."
The problem with finding the data of how many cops were disarmed or attempted to be disarmed is hard to find because it's listed under assaults on police. You might be able to get A departments stats by going through the training division. But nation wide he is right there are no stats to look up.

I met an NYPD officer who was going on medical retirement because a homeless guy reached for his gun and broke the cops thumb.

Must be nice, I did not get that option when I broke mine. .... or when I had the big one a massive heart attack or even when I fell off a roof and broke two vertebrae........


Putting aside my actual city of Greenville... here is a graft of what has happened Ito the population of my county over the last 50 years... I moved here in 1980.

Open carry isn't something I'd ever do. I don't see the point in advertising that you're packing a gun, but I've had people one other forums almost want to fight over the subject. After all, we're all tactical experts on the internet!

I guess my takeaway is that if you're 'allowed' to legally carry concealed, the allowance to open carry is implicitly included in that, but not vice versa. A bit like if your driver's license has an endorsement for 18 wheelers, your ability to drive a car is implicit.
What might be sensible practice is something else entirely.

Of all the tools in my self-defense armory, surprise is very close to the top of the list. I will not give up that tool for something that, for most people who do it, is mostly a dubiously-effective political statement rather than an actual tool.

I feel like I'm pretty well known in my 'little town' and have owned and operated a business here for the last 40 years and so for good or bad I'd rather not call attention to myself as a gun carrier.... even though my close friends know I do.

And if anyone happened to look at the back of my work vehicle or even my private car they could probably figure it out.

Not living in a community where the people address each other as uncle daddy or auntie mommy, I've been challenged while open carrying, even when working for a very short time as uniformed security. So I'll maintain the element surprise, & avoid the endless anti gun nut, pro criminal stupidity & carry concealed.

I personally never carry open in public places. I see to many doing that and it doesn't help our cause. I heard conversations between patrons showing fear/shock at open carry. To many snowflakes and others that get offended and make a public spectacle or post on that evil social media.
I'd prefer those that intend to do evil not know I'm armed.
On my land or the place I work it's always open carry.
Personally, I actually feel safer when I see open carry. It's a deterrent for the ugly at least.

I really don't care. Jesus Christ could say what to do , in a forum setting, and people will do what they want to do. Whether it's consealed carry, or transgender rights, all you need is one person to validate your point of view.

I resemble that remark!

the irony is I probably need to look at the original Colion link and see what his opinion was... I usually agree with him and he is very well spoken.
I did disagree with him about the guy "just looking over the home under construction" and even posted on his YouTube page such. .... but that was a different debate...

Seen it again yesterday. Guy comes into the store open carrying in a cheap nylon holster, probably an Uncle Mikes or such. Thin little strap holing it in. Don't know what pistol, might have been a SIG from the looks of the butt. The guy was oblivious to everything. I could have easily snatched the pistol from him.
I can't understand why people will pay good money for a handgun and carry them in a piece of crap holster.