Should I open carry or concealed carry? My personal opinion for most civilians in normal circumstances I believe Concealed carry is the best option.
I'll break down the biggest advantages & disadvantages of what brings me to this conclusion.
Concealed Carry:
Element of surprise! Nobody knows that you're carrying, so most bad guys will view you as being unarmed. Surprise!
Discreet. It draws less attention from anti-gun people, police, and bad guys.
Slightly Slower draw since you have to move clothing to access to access your gun.
No deterrent. Criminals will usually assume that you are unarmed. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on their intentions.
Usually limited to carrying a smaller gun, something that doesn't print through the shirt, etc. This small gun will have a lower ammo capacity or shorter sight radius.
With Open Carry the disadvantages greatly outweigh the advantages:
Slightly faster draw. No clothing to move, gun and holster are exposed so it’s easier to grip gun and draw quickly.
Ability to carry a large full sized gun with a higher ammo capacity and a longer sight radius.
No clothing to move. Gun and holster are exposed so it’s easier for THE BAD GUYS to see your gun and TAKE YOUR GUN quickly!
Training in weapon retention is extremely important, especially when open carrying since bad guys see your gun and may try to take your gun. Do you have the empty hand fighting skills to stop any attacker that quickly puts his hand on the grip of your gun and tries to take it? Bad guys regularly go for law enforcement officers' open carried guns, so what makes you think they will not go for yours (plainclothes civilian open carrying a gun)?
May/may not be a deterrent. Most bad guys will be deterred and choose a softer & unarmed target. BUT, there are some bad guys that will not be deterred. They instead will see you as an immediate threat and eliminate you first if they decide to proceed with the attack.
The bad guys will most likely be CONCEALED carriers so they will have the element of surprise on you OPEN carrier!
Repeat of #3. No element of surprise! Everyone knows that you armed.
The Hassle - Even though you are legally open carrying I hate the hassle of having to unnecessarily deal with law enforcement officers responding to a call of a "Scary Man with a Scary GUN walking in a Scary manner" because some anti-gun or fearful person called 911 because they saw me open carrying in plainclothes (not a uniformed law enforcement officer).
These are the biggest reasons why I recommend concealed carry over open carry. In the end every legal gun carrier will decide which is best for them. This is 1 man's opinion. Choose wisely.
Surviving,
Joe Porter
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