Why You Should Almost Always Conceal Carry?
So, your state just passed “Constitutional Carry” or you just got your “firearm license” and are ready to start carrying in public. Should you carry concealed or open? Let's look at the pros and cons to each.
First off, you need to know the laws in your state and what you can legally do in public. Some states require a license or permit while others require not permit at all.
What is concealed carry? Concealed Carry is when an individual carries a firearm that is not clearly visible to the public.
What is Open Carry? Open Carry is when a firearm is carried clearly in view of the public.
While these definitions seem to be clear, there is some grey area. Such as, what if the holster is seen but the gun is not seen. Or what if only part of the gun is visible like the muzzle sticking out under your shirt. There is no clear unified definition on how much must be concealed, if I were to carry in a strictly concealed carry state I would make sure the whole gun is concealed and no one could easily identify that I was carrying a gun.
What is “Printing” in regards to carrying a gun? Printing is when a gun is concealed but the outline of the gun is visible to the public. Some of your larger guns will produce large prints while smaller guns may have little or no visible print. Changing clothing options help reduce your print, such as vests, jackets, or button up shirts. Also, some holsters will hold the gun closer to the body minimizing the print.
What are the pros and cons to concealed carry?
The argument for concealed carry vs open carry is: you don’t want to be a primary target by any assailants and you want to maintain the element of surprise. The thought is that if you are open carrying and a bad guy comes to do harm they will take out the person with the gun first before moving on to others. There are numerous videos out there of a bad guy with a gun coming in and not knowing another individual is concealed carrying a firearm. The bad guy does not pay attention to the concealed carrying individual allowing that person to access their firearm and stop the threat.
The largest downside to concealed carry is the ease and quickness in accessing your firearm. When carrying concealed you must remove the covering garment, pull it out of your pocket, your purse, or fanny pack. The most effective way to draw from many concealed positions requires two hands: one to pull the garment and one to draw. Even though the access is slower with a concealed weapon, it's not a lot slower. For most new shooters it is only 1-2 second slower to draw from a concealed position versus open position. You can train to lower your draw time from a concealed position and lower your draw time to within .5 second of an open carry draw. People could argue that .5-2 seconds slower is everything when you need to access your firearm. However, if you are open carrying, the bad guy with a gun will have his gun already drawn on you if he sees your open carried gun. You should never draw your weapon on someone that already has their gun drawn on you, unless you are willing to get shot.
This brings me to an unsolicited referral:
The “Active Self Protection” channel on Youtube is amazing for actual real world scenarios. I don’t know them but am impressed with their work. They walk you through what went right and what went wrong. I would strongly recommend you follow those guys. They use footage from real world shootings and some of their material can be disturbing, I would suggest previewing any of their videos before allowing children to watch.
What are the pros and cons to open carry?
Open carry gives the person quick and easy access to their firearm. However, If you open carry you WILL BE NOTICED. The argument made for open carry is that the high majority of bad guys want easy targets and if you are open carrying they will know you are not an easy target. Using the above scenario, the people who opt for open carry would argue that the bad guy would not have attempted a violent crime if he would have seen another person with a gun. Also, imagine you are a female walking to your car in a dark parking lot and a bad guy starts to follow you. Do you think he will keep following you when he sees the gun on your hip? Or, suppose a bad guy comes in and sees multiple people open carrying, he will probably walk away and wait for another, easier target. Another argument is, Police officers open carry. Yes they do but they already stand out because of their uniform or badge. So, they might as well open carry to have quick and easy access to their firearm.
The down side to open carry is you will be a target for anyone wanting to cause mayhem. A bad guy comes in with a gun and sees you open carrying your gun, he will probably draw on you first. Also, you could be walking down the street or in a mall and a bad guy with no gun wants a gun, so he blind sides you then takes your gun.
Open Carry vs Concealed Carry isn’t a this vs that. Many times your situation will dictate how you should carry. I suggest having holsters ready for either option.
if you are a law enforcement officer and your uniform or badge lets everyone know you are carrying, well you might as well open carry. If you are going hunting and want to carry a sidearm in the woods, it would be good to open carry, especially since the animals that could attack you don’t care if you are open or concealed carrying. If you are open carrying it is a good idea to have a vest or jacket in your vehicle just in case you need to cover up to stop by the store or don’t want to be noticed.
Most people choose to conceal carry in almost all situations such as malls, stores, churches and parks. I would have to say that I am with the majority in this opinion. I don’t look at the open carrier as a “weirdo” or “extremist”, I just see someone who has a different opinion as me and i respect their decision to do so.
if you open carry you WILL BE NOTICED. If you conceal carry you will be more unassuming.
No matter how you carry, make sure you know the laws of your state, make sure you practice before you carry in public, and always ALWAYS practice proper gun safety.
