Thoughts on open carry

[oljames3]

Are there documented incidents in Houston where open carrying citizens have been targeted by bad guys during robbery? Or is multiple bad guys robbing a business the new M.O. there?

Everyone's situation is different. If its the criminals in Houston have gotten better at recognizing that citizens may be carrying and are looking for open carrying victims then its a tactically sound decision to conceal carry in Houston.

Charles is referencing the common tactic of hijacking, or take-over robberies, where multiple armed suspects are involved going from person to person demanding money and valuables (including cell phones). If they do not notice when one of their victims is open carrying a firearm then it's because Ray Charles can see better than they can. In this situation they will disarm the victim or simply shoot them before taking what they want off the victim (or the body). With concealed carry the weapon is less likely to be discovered unless the suspects are frisking victims or the armed citizen is doing a bad job of concealing.

There is at least one documented instance in another state before TSRA passed open carry where a hijack/takeover crew scout went into a restaurant noticed armed customers and reported back to the crew. Rather than risk an encounter with armed victims the crew waited for the armed citizens to leave. While they were waiting a LEO spotted them and arrested them in the course of investigating their 'suspicious activity' which led to learning why they were waiting. Had the LEO not arrived, or had the LEO not been as aware of the situation as he was Open Carry would not have prevented the crime, it would have simply delayed it. Had the criminals not sent a scout in to check the place out before hand who knows what would have happened.

However there has also been at least one case, in Oregon IIRC, where a man was open carrying and robbed of his weapon at gunpoint. Many people feel that open carry is like a cross made of garlic to a vampire and simply keeps it safely away. This leads to complacency and a loss of situational awareness either of which can lead to the loss of a firearm and/or the loss of life.

I will open carry when I am in an environment that is conducive to it and that I feel comfortable doing so in. This would be when I am hunting, going to a gun store (mostly so they don't ask me if I have an LTC when I say I am going to buy something), and so on. However 99% of the time I am concealed carrying since prefer to simply blend in and avoid attention from unknown parties with unknown intentions.

Oregon, October, 2014
http://www.kptv.com/story/26729956/man- ... -armed-man

North Carolina, December 2017
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/2017122 ... uses-panic

I had previously factored these into my risk analysis. I will continue to carry openly wherever I can legally do so until factual evidence changes my risk analysis.

As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and which benefits matter most to us.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Are there documented incidents in Houston where open carrying citizens have been targeted by bad guys during robbery? Or is multiple bad guys robbing a business the new M.O. there?

Everyone's situation is different. If its the criminals in Houston have gotten better at recognizing that citizens may be carrying and are looking for open carrying victims then its a tactically sound decision to conceal carry in Houston.

I don't know of anyone carrying openly that has been targeted by hijackers. Open-carry is so uncommon it's unlikely anyone has been present during a robbery. Multiple attackers/hijackers have been common in Houston for about 6 years or more. I doubt they are looking for people carrying openly. They just seem to understand that their chances of success are much greater when they use the team concept.

Chas.

[crazy2medic]

. . . the BG goes into a . . . restaurant he or they want the money, they will head for the cash register, their goal is to get the money and get out before LE shows up!

That is not the norm in Houston. There are almost always multiple hijackers and they rob the customers as well as the employee behind the cash register. . . .

the whole argument about being a target because you have a gun is a mute one, people in our modern society simply do not pay attention!

You can't make that generalization fit a hijacking scenario, especially with multiple BGs. These people come in armed, watching customers and presumably ready to engage anyone with a gun.

Again, open-carry if you wish, but don't try to tell me that doing so doesn't draw the attention of BGs during a robbery.

Chas.

Your only choicei s to engage when they come thru the door gun in hand, nobody enters a business gun in hand with good imtentions! There is a reason swat teams refer to doorways as a fatal funnel!

[Grundy1133]

I'm not a fan of open carry unless you're in a somewhat controlled environment like if you're at a buddies backyard BBQ or you're on your own property. open carry in densely populated crowded public areas in my opinion is just asking for trouble. If im carrying a gun, it's for my own personal protection and nobody else needs to know I have one. Especially if a bad guy walks into a building and scopes the place out before deciding to pull out a gun he'll see i have a firearm and i'll more than likely be his first target. If I ever do get in a situation where I'd have to pull my gun in self defense I'd rather have the element of surprise on my side.