I concealed carry every single day. I probably have a gun on me at this very moment. I say probably because you would never know just by looking at me. If you are a bad guy, you have a 50/50 chance of dying if you try to do something bad to me. If a bad guy walks into a store that I happen to be in, he's not going to pay any special attention to me. I'm just another fat guy getting a pop. However, if that bad guy does something bad, I will have the upperhand since I will have the element of surprise on my side.
Which brings me back to the original question of this thread: Why open carry? You are only drawing attention to yourself. If a bad guy walks into a store you are in and wants to do something bad, you are his first target. He now has the element of surprise on his side since he knows you have a gun but you have no idea if he has one or not until its too late. You have put a target on yourself. Lets take that just a bit further: If all the good guys open carried, the bad guys would love it. They would know exactly who to do bad things to. If everyone concealed carried, the bad guys would have to assume that everyone COULD have a gun and they would have to decide if their life is worth the risk.
Now lets all take a break from the talking points and be honest. Why do you open carry? I'd guess its for attention. Either trying to get attention from law enforcement or bystanders. You hope for someone to create a scene. If you really were concerned about being able to defend yourselves and others, you would conceal carry. You add to the safety of the public just by adding doubt to the bad guys' minds. You give yourself an edge over the bad guys. My thinking is that open carry people are either out for attention or can't get a license to conceal carry. Maybe you can't afford the license or the class, maybe you can't pass the background checks, maybe you are just an attention *****.
Feel free to flame me, but those are the thoughts of a lifelong gun guy and someone who carries a gun every single day for the sole purpose of self defense.
Which brings me back to the original question of this thread: Why open carry? You are only drawing attention to yourself. If a bad guy walks into a store you are in and wants to do something bad, you are his first target. He now has the element of surprise on his side since he knows you have a gun but you have no idea if he has one or not until its too late. You have put a target on yourself. Lets take that just a bit further: If all the good guys open carried, the bad guys would love it. They would know exactly who to do bad things to. If everyone concealed carried, the bad guys would have to assume that everyone COULD have a gun and they would have to decide if their life is worth the risk.
Now lets all take a break from the talking points and be honest. Why do you open carry? I'd guess its for attention. Either trying to get attention from law enforcement or bystanders. You hope for someone to create a scene. If you really were concerned about being able to defend yourselves and others, you would conceal carry. You add to the safety of the public just by adding doubt to the bad guys' minds. You give yourself an edge over the bad guys. My thinking is that open carry people are either out for attention or can't get a license to conceal carry. Maybe you can't afford the license or the class, maybe you can't pass the background checks, maybe you are just an attention *****.
Feel free to flame me, but those are the thoughts of a lifelong gun guy and someone who carries a gun every single day for the sole purpose of self defense.