Is It Legal To Open Carry Outside On Your Property?

[Abraham]

At home, after opening the gate, I generally back in, park, and then walk back to close the gate. It's a bit of a walk. Yep, I have a fairly long driveway.

The other day, I had to unload some heavy sacks out of the back of my pickup and found myself taking off my cover shirt. I'd left the gate open.

Later, I returned to the gate with my pistol exposed. It was hot! I think this is legal as I completely remain on my property, but now wonder? If I'm wrong, I won't be doing it ever again.

So, is doing this legal?

[longtooth]

You are correct. Remain on your own property & carry open.

[TXDonkey]

How about living in an Apartment? Say I get home 3:00am and notice I need to take out the trash (the other side of the complex) do I need to cover up? CHL is in the mail and always wanted to ask about what the "own property" included.

[txinvestigator]

How about living in an Apartment? Say I get home 3:00am and notice I need to take out the trash (the other side of the complex) do I need to cover up? CHL is in the mail and always wanted to ask about what the "own property" included.

Common areas are not your property, nor are they under your control.

[TXDonkey]

That was what I thought. Thank you for clearing that up for me

[jbenat]

If you live in a subdivision, urban or suburban, on a regular (large or small) lot, it would probably not be a great idea to rove around with a gun exposed even though you are on your own property. Lets face it not all the neighbors enjoy our appreciation of guns. It would be a good idea to use a little common sense.
No need to start the sheeple whinning any more than necessary.

[txinvestigator]

If you live in a subdivision, urban or suburban, on a regular (large or small) lot, it would probably not be a great idea to rove around with a gun exposed even though you are on your own property. Lets face it not all the neighbors enjoy our appreciation of guns. It would be a good idea to use a little common sense.
No need to start the sheeple whinning any more than necessary.

Why not? It is legal.

[Xander]

No need to start the sheeple whinning any more than necessary.

Personally, I'd think that this would fit under the (old?) adage, "short term pain for long term gain." By nature people tend to be afraid of things that are uncommon, or unusual. People fear plane crashes more than they fear car crashes, for instance. Or they fear being shot more than they fear riding a bicycle without a helmet. Exposing then to guns safely and responsibly would likely, in my opinion, lead to an acclimatization that would eventually make them more comfortable around guns and less apt to "whine" in the future.

[frankie_the_yankee]

No need to start the sheeple whinning any more than necessary.

Personally, I'd think that this would fit under the (old?) adage, "short term pain for long term gain." By nature people tend to be afraid of things that are uncommon, or unusual. People fear plane crashes more than they fear car crashes, for instance. Or they fear being shot more than they fear riding a bicycle without a helmet. Exposing then to guns safely and responsibly would likely, in my opinion, lead to an acclimatization that would eventually make them more comfortable around guns and less apt to "whine" in the future.

Absolutely.

Not to mention the "educational" value of some fool neighbor calling the cops to report a "man with a gun" only to be told, "So what. If the man is on his own property he's not breaking the law."

I would sometimes do this (carry openly) when I lived in the city (on a small lot) back in RI. Never had a problem.

The Left does not have a monopoly on 'raising peoples' conscieousness'.

[jbenat]

I guess it's just what you are comfortable with. Some of my neighbors already know that my wife and I are pretty well armed and we have caught no flack from it yet. The select few that do know always love to talk about guns when we meet. I just like to keep a low profile about my guns for these reasons.
1) I don't want anyone getting the idea to rob my home to get at my guns. I'm not worried about any of the neighbors I know, I'm more concerned about passerbys that I don't know.
2) If anyone should want to crash through my doors I would rather have the element of suprise on my side. Actually that's why I prefer concealed carry to open carry. Often, I do carry concealed when I'm in my yard.
3) I really don't want to explain to the police that I'm not a stalker or some kind of nut case. Some cops, I'm sorry to say, are not really that happy to have us legally carrying guns.
By no means am I ashamed of my gun fetish, it's just that in PC dominated Yuppyville of Frisco, Tx it's just best, IMHO to not provoke the whiners.

[txinvestigator]

I3) I really don't want to explain to the police that I'm not a stalker or some kind of nut case. Some cops, I'm sorry to say, are not really that happy to have us legally carrying guns.
.

Few, and I mean VERY few cops, are against civilian carry. The overwhelming majority not only support it, but encourage it.

Besides, you don't have to explain ANYTHING except that it is YOUR property.

[frankie_the_yankee]

To each his own. I'm not criticizing your choices or your reasons for making them. But here's my take on the examples you cited.

1) I don't want anyone getting the idea to rob my home to get at my guns. I'm not worried about any of the neighbors I know, I'm more concerned about passerbys that I don't know.

My take is that should such people see a gun they would be more likely to avoid me than to target my house for burglary.

2) If anyone should want to crash through my doors I would rather have the element of suprise on my side. Actually that's why I prefer concealed carry to open carry. Often, I do carry concealed when I'm in my yard.

See above times 10.

3) I really don't want to explain to the police that I'm not a stalker or some kind of nut case. Some cops, I'm sorry to say, are not really that happy to have us legally carrying guns.

Happy or not, I can't see this as ever happening. If I am on my own property, what's to explain?

I think I would want the cop to explain what the heck he was doing here bothering me.

Then I would ask him to go educate the person who called in, in addition to his dispatcher and supervisor.

[KBCraig]

I3) I really don't want to explain to the police that I'm not a stalker or some kind of nut case. Some cops, I'm sorry to say, are not really that happy to have us legally carrying guns.
.

Few, and I mean VERY few cops, are against civilian carry.

Makes sense, since THEY are civilians too.

[Photoman]

Telling the whole neighborhood you own and carry guns is not a good plan.

[Liberty]

Telling the whole neighborhood you own and carry guns is not a good plan.

I don't know. I wouldn't assume anyone would particularly notice. I could be toten a couple of shotguns on my property and no one would notice. If i let the grass go a a couple of weeks then they will notice.