We live in a dangerous, violent world. As LTC (Ret) Dave Grossman says, the best way to stop a violent attack is with superior violence. Most of the folks here have chosen to carry a firearm as a tool for self defense. No matter how you carry a firearm, you must contend with risk. Determining the level of risk and how best to mitigate that risk is a very personal decision. I search daily for reports concerning "open carry" in Texas. I constantly review my decisions on what and how to carry and adjust as I gain new insight. I prefer to base my self defense decisions on facts rather than unsubstantiated opinion, feelings, or fears.K.Mooneyham wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:06 amoljames3 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:34 pm I carry openly as my default. The point is not that no one who carries openly has ever had their gun stolen but, rather, that it is very rare. A cursory search of "open carry gun stolen" returns several instances. It does happen, but if it were a real issue it would be much more widely reported.
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/wi-ope ... -criminal/
http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html
https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2017/12/2 ... a-walmart/
https://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/d ... story.html
John Correia, of Active Self Protection, narrated a video of such a grab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQiLwA3zuU
I carry my S&W M&P M2.0 9mm 5inch openly in a Safariland 7TS ALS holster with Guard and QLS. Works for me. Your mileage will vary.
As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and with benefits matter most to us.
The second link, the story of the guy in Oregon, I remember that one. And I also remember thinking that something was not right with the circumstances of that story. There are other versions of that story out there, and the incident was fishy, at best. In fact, the first three all seem to either be missing information, or have dubious circumstances. The video also seemed like a weird incident. Only the one in Newport News seems like the situation that most fear about open carry, that of being attacked from behind, pushed down and having your firearm taken. Of course, situational awareness must be a component of open carrying, but then again, we should all have good situational awareness, anyway.
The Oregon incident was the first of it's kind that I had seen. It happened in October, 2014. I read at least 4 different reports at the time. All indicated that the victim broke at least three, if not all, of Farnham's rules of stupid: never (1) go to Stupid places, (2) with Stupid people, (3) at Stupid times, and (4) do Stupid things.
http://www.newser.com/story/196985/open ... point.html
I have seen many more reports of concealed carriers having their gun stolen. Search "gun stolen in walmart restroom" and you will see several reports of the same incident.
December, 2018, in Dallas, a woman died after trying to steal a gun from an unlocked car. https://texas.concealedcarry.com/2018/1 ... tolen-gun/
Last July, Portland, OR, a concealed carrier was shot as he tried to retrieve the pistol that had fallen out of his holster. https://www.military.com/daily-news/201 ... ermit.html
Last November, a security guard was killed by police in Chicago. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/p ... icago.html
These last two incidents involved persons holding a gun. I have not found any reports of open carriers being "shot first". Of course, this is purely anecdotal and unscientific.
A quick look at vehicle injury and death in Texas, using data on the DPS site, seems to indicate that I am much more likely to be injured or killed in my car than in a gun fight. I will not stop driving my car. I will drive defensively and wear my seatbelt to mitigate the risk of injury or death. For me, I am willing to manage the risks involved in driving and I find the benefits of driving important to me.
Same thing with carrying openly. For me, I am willing to manage the risks and the benefits matter more than the complications.
