Open carry experience, part 2

Yesterday was my first day actually open carrying a gun around real people. I took the dog for a walk in the park, like I do every day. But today it was different, because my mind was screaming at me the whole time “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU’RE CARRYING A GUN OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE GOD AND EVERYONE CAN SEE IT THIS IS WEIRD.” Contrary to popular belief, I am not so desperate for attention as to want negative attention, which is what I sure I would attract. Of course, nothing of the sort happened, and anyone that did look at me was looking at the dog anyway, because let’s face it the dog is awesome.

the dog

I’ve been carrying a concealed firearm for over a decade now. I’m sure that when I first started, it might have felt unusual, but I can’t honestly ever recall it feeling like that. Open carry on the other hand feels weird because no matter which way you slice it, you are doing something that is not a common practice, and you’re doing it in such a way that anyone who is casually observant can notice.

The other thing I found myself doing was mentally rehearsing what I’d say to the police if they did stop me; and in that I realized I have a couple of goals for any encounter with the police while open carrying:

  • Don’t get shot
  • Don’t get arrested
  • Don’t get my dog shot
  • Have the police leave the encounter with either a positive impression of me, or at least a neutral impression.

Of course, I didn’t encounter the police, and basically no one noticed.

The only other thing of note that I did after yesterday was change my gear. I switched Galco M4 holster for a Safariland ALS, also for a 1911. The ALS paddle is a lot more comfortable for all day wear than the Galco’s paddle, which is narrow and can dig into the hip after a few hours. In comparison, the Safariland wears much better and distributes the load of a full size pistol a lot more evenly. Tomorrow I’ll have another update, which I hope will be as boring as this one.

12 Comments

  1. If you lived in Arizona this blog would never have been written. Open carry has been common place fror decades

    1. I live in Peoria, it is different if you go to Snottsdale, the natives there are a little different about Guns!!

  2. I’ve been considering the same experiment. I wear “business casual” everyday anyways, so all I’d need to do is switch holsters and tuck in my shirt. I’m a little hesitant about using my Serpa, though, but only because I’ve never really trained to draw with it.

    Side note: Love the picture! The usual things strewn about the floor… dog, laptop charger, shoes, magazine. Is that a pit, or a boxer? Hard to tell the body proportions(for me).

  3. I open carry when I’m out biking because there really is no practical method for me to conceal. So far I’ve had no issues with either people or cops on the trails. My strategy of following the Don’t Be A Dick principle seems to be working well. It’s probably worth nothing that I’m in Minneapolis where open carry is uncommon.

    1. IMHO, Open Carry while Hiking, Biking or any other Outdoor Activity should be an accepted practice all over.

  4. Leather is classier! Get a Bianchi on Amazon for $45! The Galco high ride thumbsnap is not much more, about $65.

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