While I went with both OC and CC to be legal I personally only CC and yes I do have a permit.

Don't really care about OC; I'd be OK if it was prohibited as long as CC was as I said (and there was protection for incidental exposure, and OC was allowed in hunting areas, or other areas where it's the preferable choice).

As for whether or not people do choose to carry, I'd hope that those who do think very carefully about the responsibility and ramifications, take steps to be highly competent, and consider whether or not carrying is the ideal choice for their own particular circumstances (the training/education thing comes in here). But I definitely think it should be an individually available choice...

And quick edit: for those who do choose to carry, if they have the option, I'd prefer they carry concealed to avoid squicking out any passersby who are unused to the sight of a gun. That's just common courtesy, IMO.

I think OC and CC are fine in some places in the country, with CC being more acceptable in more places.

OC should be allowed in any state whose population supports it and in rural areas and back country.

CC likely has a broader number of places where it can be justified and it has the advantage of not scaring the timid folks among us.

Both should come with safety and legal training and background checks.

I am of course being silly, but doing so to make a point. People move around. I don't see how a law can be realistically implemented based on the fluctuations of population density.

I would consider the open carry of firearms rude. If I carried a gun I would conceal it. But to my mind there is a big difference between a social Faux pas and illegal behavior. If we try to legislate what we see on somebody's belt, we are legislating what they look like and I don't think that will work.

I agree about the need for safety training and background checks. The tactical and legal environment outside the home requires more skill and training. Furthermore, education is good for people.

I would love to see education, safety and legal, tied to gun ownership.

On the OC and CC matter, what we've had has worked pretty well, IMO.

Alaska can allow OC statewide and if they want, Anchorage can be an exception.

Same thing for New York state versus New York City.

The poll doesn't allow for these combinations and differences between urban and rural.

Maybe it's ultimately up to local authorities to decide which they want to see. (Sorry about the pun.)

That's the problem with mandating one kind of carry over another. We would be requiring people to dress a certain way based on how they are perceived by people the presence of which they cannot control. I don't see an objective standard. Yes, there's rural and urban. But there are also exurbs, small towns in the middle of nowhere, bedroom communities, state fairs, truck stops, state parks, and the list goes on. Plus, OC would probably go over fine in Anchorage or Dallas, but not so much in any of the densely populated areas around San Fransisco.

It seems to me that social opprobrium will sort the difference out without the need for a law to be written and enforced. The scrum over what kind of law and where might well make a solution more complicated and protracted.

I agree that what we've had has worked pretty well.

...based, apparently, on Huffington Post stories about other states.

Seriously, how many DU members have even ever seen a person in a store with a gun (except for a LEO)?

Yet it's a big question! http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023735183

I have an idea for an OP about it, but it would invariably be too long and nobody would read it.

I used to live in the south. You know, where you can't cross the street without tripping over machine guns and confederate flags? I think I might have seen one or two people wearing a gun in almost a half century there.

This is the place to test ideologies against each other. None of it is real, but the nature of the place makes for an interesting sort of ideological control group. I think it's fascinating to watch how people manage ideology. And kittiehs. I like kittiehs.

Exceptions for OC would be things done in "the great outdoors", like hunting, camping, hiking, herding, etc. And I guess during some kind of regional catastrophe that causes a breakdown of law and order. Riots, for example.

Exceptions for disallowing CC would be places and situations where it is foreseeable that emotions and passions would be high. For example, a courthouse, a sporting event, a bar, a hospital, a political rally, etc.



But a state has to allow one or the other in order to be able to "bear" arms.

and social norms becoming the determining factor about which should be best.

While I certainly am not fearful of OC (I actually met one at the Bristol Wal-Mart a month or so ago; the guy had a pistol strapped to his hip), it just seems to be inflammatory and not much protection against attack. Any advantage in access or draw speed would be negated by the attacker(s) knowing not only that you're carrying, but what and where you're carrying.

You'd also be a target for criminals looking for a gun to steal, particularly if you have a routine.

That's been my experience.
I've held concealed carry licenses/permits from three states since 2004 and have been open carrying for the last five years at least, both in Ohio and in Virginia.

What I've discovered, as I stated above, is that people DO NOT see what they don't expect to see.
I've actually stood and talked to people about hand guns and personal protection with my 1911 in full view on my right hip and they didn't know it was there until I mentioned that I carry everywhere I legally can.

As a matter of fact, just this last week I spent a lovely evening dining at my local Red Lobster (Everlasting Shrimp, YUM!) OCing as usual and no one even blinked.

It's just like you don't see motorcycles on the roads and highways until you start riding yourself then suddenly you see them everywhere.

Oh, and I don't ever expect, or plan, to get into a fast draw contest with anyone, as a matter of fact I hope I never have to draw my gun except at the range or to clean and oil it. Shooting someone is WAY down the list of things I have on my life list, however it IS on the list if it means saving my or someone else's life.

Open carry is fine and dandy if you stick to sidearms with proper holster and dressed nicely.

Conceal Carry is for everywhere else, there's no reason in these modern times to be required to be a willing victim.

As citizens and not subjects we've made great progress in our ability to defend ourselves and loved ones. Where once we were required to be victims first we can now have at least a little control over our fate when in public.

CC is fine. It's the law in almost the entire country now, and it's not a problem. I'd like to see more stringent competency requirements, but basically, it's good to go.

OC should be something decided by local jurisdictions. That's how it works here in Oregon, with state law permitting it, but providing for local governments to ban the practice (the only area in Oregon law where state preemption is explicitly nullified, I believe).

I don't think either OC or CC is okay, but neither do I believe they should be illegal. As long as we keep the B in RKBA, then at least one option will be legal. I think both should be legal, but CC should be by federal permit only, involving extensive screening and training. OC should be determined by local authorities.

OC or CC do not bother me AND Starbucks coffee is vile, nasty brew

left by a particular state. The states can regulate the mode of carry (either mode, or both modes), but they cannot deny both means of carry as this would violate the "...bear arms" portion of the Second, and the incorporation clause of the 14th Amendment. If a state allowed both means of carry, I would opt for concealed-carry as this would be less upsetting to some, and would not be an inducement for more violent and confrontational criminals to take a chance and try to rob me of the weapon.

and where you are at. Kind of how Montana treats CC, no permit needed if you are in the sticks but is required in town.

I have only seen one non LE open carry in town even in Wyoming, that was because he rode a bike to the range and it was the only legal way to carry it at the time (putting it in a saddle bag or back pack would have been equivalent to glove box or under the car seat, which was illegal at the time.) I don't OC in town in Wyoming. At the moment, I don't CC in Wyoming or Florida.

In Florida it would make sense to OC where there are a lot of alligators but not off of St Pete pier unless you are looking for a false arrest payday.

States should allow weapon carry, both OC and CC. My preference would be that both forms of carry would require a permit for any non-rural area which isn't your own land. Rural areas are unrestricted for any form of carry.

The odd folks that need to carry an uncased AR or

My coffee is better and cheaper than most chains stores but I do occasionally enjoy a small White Mocha after a meal.

There is no real practical difference between either form of carry for either the person carrying or the surrounding people. The only difference is the sight of the gun, and it doesn't make any sense to regulate how people look. Such differences of opinion are better handled through the course of coexistence rather than the force of law.

...the real issue here is one of getting along versus personal choices. That's why I feel both should be accepted......

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......but try getting a thermos of coffee through the TSA line.