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VMI77 wrote:

Bird of Prey wrote:I'm more of an "Ounce of prevention" kinda guy. I'd prefer they know so they might not want to try anything then to have them feel confident enough to do something stupid. If I'm a BG, I'm hitting the house that doesn't have someone walking around with a gun in the front yard. My front yard is the closest I can get to open carry in Texas! Besides, I've been doing it for over a year now and never had any problems.

I don't know.....it may provide an ounce of prevention, but what I'd be concerned about is the leverage you may be allowing an anti-gun nut neighbor or visitor to the neighborhood. If such a person wants to cause you problems and accuses you of threatening them, or waving your gun around, or just scaring the children in the neighborhood, I think you're more likely to have problems refuting the charges if you're carrying the gun in the open. Someone driving by could call the police and say "there's a man walking around outside with a gun." My son knows someone who had the police called on him by someone who saw him clearing his guns through a kitchen window --a Yankee who thought it was illegal for people to own handguns.

If it's concealed then no one has anything to report in the first place. It seems to me that running into a jerk in the neighborhood is a more likely event than a deterred attack. That said, I think you should be able to walk around in your yard with a gun without having to worry about a nutty neighbor, but I don't think that's the world we're living in now. I lived in the Valley when I was in high school and I used to walk down the street carrying a rifle or a shotgun over my shoulder --no one ever complained or called the police. And when a cop stopped me it was to ask about my gun and check it out, not as some kind of criminal suspect. Unfortunately I think those days are gone and I wouldn't dare do that in my old neighborhood today.

dubya wrote:"I open carry when watering my lawn"

I am not putting open carry down but I do not understand it. You lose a tactical advantage when you let someone know you are armed.
I'd prefer no one know. Are you open carrying just because you are waiting on your license?

And, I do understand open carry in a rural environment; it escapes me in an urban setting.
I saw a "Pawn Stars" episode where a lady's very large son had a big tactical holster tied down on his leg. Completely floors me what that must do to a crowd in Nevada.
Regards,
JW

pbwalker wrote:

Bird of Prey wrote:My neighbors have two poodle-looking things and a red heeler that bark at EVERYONE (including me and I've lived there for 2 years now). Then I have motion sensor lights all around the house and night vision cameras with the monitor in my bedroom right by my head recording everything! This is the cool part, I rigged a wire from the motion sensor lights to one of those speaker things used to scare off mice so if the lights go off, I'm jumping out of my jammies! If they make it to the front door, my 9 month old Boxer (Meeko) has already been alerted by the "poodles" and is standing by the front door looking out the window through the curtain. If he so much as sees a shadow, he'll start howling and barking in a real low tone. (He thinks he's a Mastiff or something). All that racket will have me reaching about 2 feet from my bed to my Glock 19 9mm (15 in the mag and ALWAYS one in the pipe!)

If I were in McAllen, I'd also keep an AR / AK by the bed...

You never know when those Narcos may get the wrong house.