If you want to find a topic that will result in some very complex discussions among true 2nd Amendment supporters, the topic of "Constitutional Carry" - also referred to as "Open Carry" - is it.
First off, let me define what I mean by "true" 2nd Amendment supporters, and the definition is very simple: any statement made in support of the 2nd Amendment that includes the words "BUT" or "HOWEVER" means you are NOT a "true" supporter of the Amendment. "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" means just that, and there's ZERO room for those two words or any word like them in any statement ever made by anyone who claims to be a supporter of our right to keep and bear arms. End of story. Period. The 2nd Amendment doesn't mention background checks, limits on purchases, age limits, training of any kind, or any of that other nonsense that some "supporters" of the 2nd Amendment will mention AFTER they use the word "BUT" or "HOWEVER" in their statement about how they support the 2nd Amendment. You either support the 2nd Amendment in its entirety or you don't. 'Nuff said.
Now, on to the topic at hand.
For the record, since I am a true supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I absolutely believe in "Constitutional Carry" for the obvious reason - the Amendment says we can. Rather, it doesn't say we CAN'T. And if you don't think the Amendment says that, allow me to refer you back to my second paragraph.
But even though I believe in and support "Constitutional Carry," would I do it? As a practice, no; as an exception due to circumstances, yes. And this, friends and neighbors, leads us into the pros and cons of "Open Carry." Let's start with the pros, shall we?
PROS OF OPEN CARRY
1. The open display of a firearm is an obvious and effective deterrent. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. If a bad guy is looking over people to choose which one he's gonna assault and rob, chances are pretty damned good that he's gonna pass right on by the guy or gal who has a .45 resting in a holster on their hip or hanging under their arm in a shoulder holster. He's going to move on to a victim that can't blow his brains out - in other words, he's gonna go looking for a libtard sheeple who believes that to be unarmed is to be "safe." (And if we're lucky, he'll pick a conservative sheepdog who has his/her CCW permit, is carrying a concealed weapon, and will blow his brains out anyway.)
2. You don't have to worry about your firearm "printing" or being accidentally exposed. While I don't know of any police officer who would charge a CCW holder for displaying a weapon if this happens, it's nice to know that it's no big deal if the wind blows your shirt open and Sally Jane Soccermom sees your pistol, freaks out, and calls the cops. Carry it open on your hip and let Sally Jane freak out at that instead - and trust me, she most certainly will freak out.
3. Quick and easy access to the firearm if needed is assured. Quick and easy access to my firearm when I'm carrying concealed - which is 99% of the time - is my #1 concern when I'm dressing around the weapon. In the summer it's fairly easy since my mode of carry (which I won't reveal) allows me to have nearly instant access to my weapon, but in the winter when it's cold it's another thing entirely. Walking around with your jacket or coat wide open in 20 degree weather is a sure indicator that you're armed, and it's also a good way to catch pneumonia. I prefer jackets and coats with zippers instead of buttons because it's much faster to unzip a jacket than to unbutton it, and if you're in a situation where you need to access your weapon RIGHT NOW, you don't have the time to spare to unbutton your coat.
And now for the other side of the issue - the cons of "Open Carry."
CONS OF OPEN CARRY
1. You are Target #1. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a situation where a bad guy or several bad guys with guns have appeared, once they see you with a pistol on your hip you are instantly going to become Target #1 and are going to be the first person they shoot. And since they'll already have their pistols out and in their hands, chances are pretty good you're gonna die before you have the chance to clear leather. I'd rather not be Target #1 so I'll carry mine concealed, thank you. Besides, I just love a good surprise, don't you?
2. The temptation for someone to try and snatch your weapon out of the holster. There are people, believe it or not, who will think this is a good practical joke to pull on a weapons carrier and will actually try it. You may also run across a deranged or mentally unbalanced (spelled "C-R-A-Z-Y") person who wants to harm both himself and as many people as he can, and will make a grab for your weapon. In both instances anyone who tries this with me will receive two unpleasant surprises: first, on the rare occasions I do open carry (when I'm in North Carolina as South Carolina where I live doesn't have open carry yet) I always use a Stage 2 holster which prevents someone from snatching the weapon out of the holster unless they perform an additional and separate act. (IMHO anyone who carries open and doesn't use this kind of holster is an idiot.) Second, I'm going drive my elbow into your nose as hard as I can, and if you do happen to get the pistol out of the holster I'm then going to draw my backup weapon (yep, I carry one) and shoot you until the slide locks back. Then I'm going to reload and shoot you some more, just to be sure.
3. The weapon is exposed to damage. This is not a good thing, because if the weapon is damaged to the point where it won't fire, then you're doing nothing more than carrying around an expensive paperweight on your hip. While it is most certainly true that this kind of damage is rare, I also don't like the idea of the weapon being exposed to the dings and scratches it wouldn't be exposed to if it were covered even by just a t-shirt. Yeah, I know weapons are eventually going to show signs of wear and tear, but I'd rather delay that as long as I can, thank you. Additionally, most holsters these days are of the "open bottom" type which leaves the muzzle exposed. That exposes the weapon to the chance that something will get shoved up inside the muzzle, especially when you go to sit in your car, and that can be VERY bad if you have to fire the weapon. Firing any weapon with some kind of obstruction in the barrel will cause the weapon to explode in your hand, and that will ruin anyone's day.
And there you have it, the pros and cons of open carry - at least all of them that I can think of, anyway. If you can think of any more please don't hesitate to let me know.
Let me end this blog entry with a funny and true story of something that happened to me last year when I was in North Carolina visiting my family. I went up to the local gas station to fill my car up before I left the next day, and instead of putting on an overshirt to cover my pistol I said "screw it" and went out without it, my Springfield Mod 2 .45 pistol sitting snugly in a Stage 2 polymer holster on my hip. As I was filling up my car a minivan pulled up to the same pump on the other side, and Sally Jane Soccermom got out. It took her about ten seconds to see the pistol on my hip, at which point her eyes got big and she froze. The conversation went like this:
Sally Jane: Is that a gun?
Me: Yes, it is.
Sally Jane: Why are you carrying a gun?
Me: Why are you NOT carrying a gun? (Brief pause while Sally Jane tries to think of what to say next.)
Sally Jane: Why do you think you need to carry a gun?
Me: Why do you think you DON'T need to carry a gun?
At this point you could pretty much see the circuits frying behind her eyes, and she just stood there with her mouth hanging open and a stunned look on her face. I finished filling up my car's gas tank, hung up the hose, said "Have a good day!" and then got in my car and left. She was still standing there as I pulled away.
And yeah, I laughed all the way back to my parent's house.
Deo Vindice
IHC
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