OC at home with visitors?

[C-dub]

I have openly carried at home for years, but always covered up whenever we had guests. I openly carried at my parents' place last summer in the house and out. They are in Kansas and it is an OC state, so no legal worries there. My parents were fine with it.

We currently have family visiting from out of state and while they know I carry and would probably be okay with it if I did not cover up I'm still a little hesitant. They will be at the house for dinner tonight and I am thinking about leaving it uncovered.

I was curious about what some of you all do in this type of situation?

[knotquiteawake]

If i'm at home I usually use some kind of light cover, if it shows it shows but I at least take some basic steps to have it slightly concealed. Probably depends on how well your friends know you.

[CC Italian]

Well my close friends know I carry and if friends are coming over I either carry on my person concealed (I don't care if I wear a tight shirt and it bulges but I rarely carry open when even at home alone) or I just leave it on my side table if we are watching tv or something on the couch if they are close friends. If children are over I conceal it on my person and make sure all other guns are locked up!

Honestly I do believe the out of sight out of mind view. Half of them have a chl anyways and are carrying in my home. My close friends know how I feel and I encourage them to carry in my house! My friends usually forget I have a gun or if they see it on a coffee table no big deal but for some reason people get a little weird when they can see the pistol on your person in plain view if they don’t have a CHL. This is why I only open carry (which I still rarely do) with my closest friends who are basically extended family. Acquaintances just think you are crazy and paranoid and do it just for attention.

It’s your home so do what you please but just remember that some people will never be comfortable around firearms and that it can often start a debate when people don’t share your views. I never really understood why people want open carry in our state. This will just make the Antis try that much harder to infringe on our right to carry. I personally don’t want to advertise that I have a firearm on my person.

[MoJo]

Although the law says OC on your own property is OK I keep my gun concealed at home to prevent someone being alarmed if I answer the door, or have to go to the mailbox.

[RoyGBiv]

Concealed for me always...
Although I'm warming up to trying some OWB carry options... That might make my at-home opinion change.

[Commander Cody]

I personally keep my gun concealed at all times. I think it is good practice for when I am out and about.

[karder]

I always open carry at home, however, if I had guests coming over who I felt would be nervous at the sight, I would probably cover up just to keep anyone from feeling uncomfortable. I would rather everyone have a good time and enjoy themselves, so if I thought the gun would be an issue I would keep it covered. People who are close to me know I open carry at home and know that they are free to take off their jackets and open carry as well while they are visiting. For me, it just depends on who the guest is, but I want everyone who is invited to my home to relax and enjoy their visit, and I make all reasonable accommodations to ensure that will be the case.

[LabRat]

I open carry at home and I make no apologies for it.

I do tell visitors that I have a firearm; never had anyone freak out or come undone because of it.

An interesting tidbit:
A salesman came to the house (invited) to inspect and provide information on an air-conditioning system (new condenser, upstairs air handler, duct work, etc).

He was there about 2 hours and never even noticed my firearm.
BTW it was a Kimber .45 in an OWB holster. He missed it completely!!

It was only when I asked him if it made him nervous, that he even saw it. Even then, it was no problem.

LabRat

[Commander Cody]

Just curious… why did you ask him if asked him if it made him nervous?

[gringop]

What advantage does it give you to open carry at home? This is a serious question for those the OC at home.

Draw speed?
Comfort? The OC holster fits better?
You can carry a bigger gun when you OC?


I, myself, never carry my pistol OC, at home, at the range or even out dove hunting.

I am interested in how the OCers answer.

Gringop

[bayouhazard]

It's up to you. No legal problems.

Personally I don't have guests in my hose who would get upset.

[snatchel]

I open carry if I have been at home all day... cover up if I have been out. I guess it really depends on what I was doing that day. If I have it covered up because I have been out and about all day, I dont see any reason in going through the trouble of switching holsters, etc. Thats the case in the summer..

Winter, I carry OWB a lot because I almost always am wearing a sweater or light jacket, etc. So when I take off the jacket in the house of course i'm open carrying. Funny enough, Deputy Faison, who is running for sheriff in my town came by the other night. He knocked around 8:15 pm, out hunting votes and meeting folks. I aswered the door OC, and first thing out of his mouth was, "I support concealed carry, vote for me!" I got a good laugh out of that. We talked for an hour almost over coffee on my porch. Good Guy.

In hidsight, I may start covering up... or attempting to while answering the door.

[C-dub]

What advantage does it give you to open carry at home? This is a serious question for those the OC at home.

Draw speed?
Comfort? The OC holster fits better?
You can carry a bigger gun when you OC?


I, myself, never carry my pistol OC, at home, at the range or even out dove hunting.

I am interested in how the OCers answer.

Gringop

For me the answer is yes to all four. However, I didn't switch from my 27 to the 22 once home. I would just take off my jacket or cover shirt. Now that I'm carrying the 21 I do like the full size better and am mulling over the need for the 30.

[RPB]

I open carry (Jeans or cargo shorts, no shirt when:
doing yardwork
answering the door
talking to Jehovah's Witnesses or similar who visit on my porch
entertaining male guests

I put on a shirt if a female non-relative is in my house

I put on a shirt to answer the door 2 nights ago when a patrol car stopped in front of my house and the officer started towards my door. (My phone isn't listed ... An officer in another city in Texas who is an ex-brother-in-law's brother got my local P.D. to come to my door to deliver a funeral notice to me to pass on to my relatives who are grandkids of the deceased)

I hadn't heard from that guy since 1973, I and he moved many times since then, Since I'm "unlisted" I assume I was found through one of the licenses DPS issues ... the officer did keep trying to not be obvious glancing at my shirt/ belt bulge at 3:00 ... friendly fellow who after chatting with me a minute figured I'm nice too and "looks aren't everything" (but I've known Narcotics officers who looked scarier than I do)

Now when the mail man sees me, he hurries up or if he already delivered mine, sometimes he makes a U-turn to come talk about guns and shooting ranges because he moved here from a city 30 miles away and they used to just go out in his back yard and shoot (He came from a rural acreage place near Lampasas).

The UPS and Fedex guys don't seem to mind either, and the neighbors laugh when I tell them I'm not allowed to cross the street unless I put a shirt on so they need to talk louder, come over here, or hold on while I either get a shirt or pitch my gun in the bushes/hide it in the mailbox so I can cross the street.... I'll never hide one in the garbage can again ...(no it didn't get picked up, I remembered where I put it the next morning)

gringop wrote:What advantage does it give you to open carry at home?

Well, I've always been a topless kinda guy, and my beard is grey, I'm balding and I am just trying to keep track of the brown fur I still have. I also wear flip-flops until it reaches 20 degrees, 30 if wet

Last year there was one day I went concealed at home, it was the flannel pajamas day when I was waiting for the heater/air conditioner repair guy to replace a sensor he had to order.

[Purplehood]

Loose-lips sink ships.

I carry concealed around family unless around only those that I am absolutely comfortable with.

My open-carry when home alone is more a matter of setting the firearm on the nearest flat surface.