TexasCHLforum.com

ScottDLS wrote:

VMI77 wrote:
I've lost track since the OC law passed and the discussion started....is a retention device required by law for OC?

.
No. You simply must carry in a Belt Holster or Shoulder Holster.

Scott's correct. I am using a retention holster as a sop to the possibilities and to public attitudes, but as I said, I'm not going whole hog. A simple thumb-snap or similar level of retention is more than adequate for my purposes. I am normally perfectly comfortable with a simple leather holster without retention device and have been carrying that way for years.

I have found.....at least with the thumb-snap holster I bought for the G17, that it doesn't really slow down my draw and my thumb goes to the snap instinctively.

I have carried OWB for years now, for everything from XDS/G43/PM9 sized pistols, to full-sized 1911s and G17s; so the transition from CC to OC isn't that big of a deal for me in sartorial terms. What it means is that, barring a blasted hot "day in hades" summer day, I'll probably still wear an unbuttoned cover garment (typically a light, short-sleeved collared shirt) and not worry if the gun is visible or not. That way, if concealment is required where a 30.07 is posted, I'll just button the cover garment and walk right in.

My concession to OC is to purchase retention holsters for those guns I might open carry. But I'm not going crazy with nth-level top-secret super-tactical operator gear. A simple thumb-snap leather holster is sufficient for me, as is any synthetic holster that requires a serious enough tug on the gun to know that it can't be easily swiped, as well as (and this is critically important whether you OC or CC) maintaining a sufficient level of situational awareness when I am out and about.

Without situational awareness, it doesn't matter what you carry, how you carry it, or what you carry it in. That, and a due regard for the sensibilities of people around me, will be the determining factors for me.