TexasCHLforum.com

big picture. people on this site are more or less gun nuts; people who practice, take care of their weapons, discuss scenarios, and/or otherwise prepare for the worst.

the problem is most people who carry guns don't. i've run across a whole lot of CHL people, and a lot of them carry a particular gun because it was cheap, or they saw it in a movie. someone who has a chl is more likely to be into guns, but a lot of people who have one aren't. reason being is it takes more effort to get a chl.

imagine open carry where you have people wearing guns who have 0 knowledge of how it works, just because they can. i'm not the type to say "the sky is falling". i know there are states that allow it, but i still don't see where it does anyone any good. i see someone wearing a gun around in regular clothes, i'm going to be very suspicious.

KBCraig wrote:
Just curious... in those cases where you were jumped and the BGs tried to take your gun, were you just bee-bopping down the street when someone said, "Hey! There's a guy with a gun! Let's take it away from him!"

Or, were the cases you cite ones in which you, in your capacity as a LEO, were already in official contact with someone who was about to be taken into custody, but who not-so-politely declined your offer to wear the steel bracelets?

It is a significant difference. Weapon retention drills are very important for anyone who carries openly. But those who openly carry in uniform tend to elicit a different response from the critters of this world, versus those honest citizens who have no arrest authority.

Keep things in perspective: just because you're had to wrestle over your duty weapon while fighting a do-bad, doesn't mean that Joe Q. Gaspumper should have to throw on a cover garment at an empty gas station in the wee hours.

well let's see...i have a radio to call for an entire army. i have on a bullet resistant vest. it's no secret that cops carry backup guns and knives. yet despite all that, there are people who will still attack to get YOUR weapon. you think these people only attack uniformed cops? the whole reason i'm generally there is because they attacked someone else.

your theory sounds great and all, but you're underestimating these bad guys. so you're mr. gaspumper and you're standing there doing your thing. mr bad guy sees your gun, but you still haven't noticed him yet. guess what? you just gave mr bad guy a crime of opportunity. not only can he now get your wallet, but he KNOWS he can get a gun out of it at least. that's 100 bucks easy. if mr bad guy is carrying, he's got the drop on you. you have no element of surprise. he rushes you, puts the gun to your head, takes your gun, your wallet, and you get to sit around and cry waiting for the police. and that's if you don't get shot.

same scenario, but your gun is concealed. mr. bad guy rushes you, puts the gun to your head and demands your wallet. now you get the wallet, pitch it in mr bad guys face, draw your concealed weapon and send a few rounds at him. his plan just got crapped on and he's lost, maybe even shot. criminals generally have plans. even opportunity crimes have plans. i know this because i have caught a ton of people looking for the opportunity, and/or planning for a new opportunity. if they know you have a gun, they'll plan accordingly.

i know working in a jail you get a little more personal than a street cop would, but you take that for granted. that same guy you stand and visit with in a jail setting will kick the stuffin out of you the first chance he gets on the street. (Fixed it for you.) 10 yr ODR.

i don't know where you get the idea that a gun prominently displayed on your hip gives you this big bubble of protection. that is a terrible misconception. cops who get shot usually get shot by people who have a concealed gun, and it comes when they don't expect it. the criminal gets to choose the time it is revealed. even criminals aren't stupid enough to run around flaunting a gun on their hip.

i would never support open carry. by policy, i can carry openly, but you would never catch me doing so. on duty, i have to carry openly. i've had people jump me, and try and take my gun, and it's in a retention holster. people who think blatantly displaying a firearm is protection in and of itself, are only fooling themselves. a visible gun tells you and everyone else that there is a gun on scene. whether you can hang on to it is a whole different story. i'd rather not show my hand until i choose.

i know criminals like to hang around outside and scope out their targets just a few minutes before they hit it. who do you think is going to get shot first? the guy with the concealed weapon who chooses when to react, or the rambo flaunting a firearm?

i'll vote against it if it comes up. sorry. i support concealed carry 110%, but open carry is not a very good idea.