Now that it will soon be legal, who will actually carry openly?

[okietom]

I want to open carry on Nov. 1st just because I can. I will do it in the small town that I live in where most people know me. I may give the local LE's a headsup.
I like the idea that printing won't get me in trouble. I don't mind some attention in my small town but I don't want to alarm anyone or even get a second look in public. I will most likely buy different holsters for my carry guns.

 

[abajaj11]

Hi Rebelracer79, I tend to agree, generally with what Aarondhgraham said. I do agree that carrying openly, at least for the short while just after November 1, could be provocative...or will in other words cause possible negative attention to the carrier. You may not even no about the negative attention as it may come in the form of pushing folks into the gun control way of thinking because they can now see what was hidden before. They may not say one word to you. They don't have too. But these people vote and they can influence media and polliticians. In the other thread about OC I mentioned the potential danger that OC could have on our general rights, over the long haul, of all of us second ammendment rights enthusiats. Early in that thread, some folks mentioned they would not OC, at least around their wives, because their wife does not approve. Wives are often mothers. Mothers will do anything they can to protect their children...ANYTHING! There's a chance more Oklahoma women, a.k.a. mothers of children, than men are "on the fence" with respect to gun control. If you happen to be at Target shopping and carrying OC you just may annoy a mother that thinks your are in some way threatening her children. If she's on the fence about gun control she can easily jump completely into the Brady Bill camp and become a gun hater.
I doubt that I'll every carry openly in public. On my own property, yes I will. I've trained enough that I can get my CC carried pistol into action just as fast as my OC pistol. So, for me there's really not a reason to OC.

You are right, currently, because guns are banned from public sight, a fear culture has developed amongst kids and moms and even dads that guns are dangerous and evil.
With OC, IMHO, the reverse of what you fear may happen. These parents may realize that guns are nothing but tools carried by responsible citizens. and the kids may realize that "normal folks" carry guns without posing a threat to anyone. That guns are not inherently dangerous or evil, any more than other tools we use in our daily lives, like the 3 ton object you get to drive around at 65 mph while actually pointing it at people who are some distance away...you know....your SUV.
Or that dangerous chainsaw you see landscape artists brandishing around in public.

 

[gerhard1]

I pretty much agree with the OP. While I am happy that the bill was signed by the governor, just about the only place I plan to OC is on my 80 acres.

 

[chuter]

I don't plan on OC'ing; goes against my basic policy of staying invisible, stealthy, and anonymous.

I can see arguments from both sides about it scaring people into being anti-gun, or letting them see that normal people carry guns and it's nothing to worry about.
I hope it plays out to the latter.

 

[okiebryan]

I open carry in my business. It has already stopped an armed robbery before it ever occurred. My office manager OCs as well, and it has stopped a lot of nonsense. Of course, my business is of a different nature than most.

I will not OC in crowded places, but I like the idea of being a polite and well dressed ambassador. I have the opportunity at work to educate a lot of people when they ask questions about my sidearm, and I look forward to doing that from time to time in public.

I also like the fact that OC allows criminals to think twice about selecting me as a victim. Mostly, I'm happy that we soon will have that choice.

 

[aarondhgraham]

One thing for sure,,,
The first few months are going to be weird.

Lots of people will be open carrying,,,
A number of them will have run-ins with cops,,,
I just hope cool heads always prevail and these encounters are sane events.

I was chatting with an off-duty policeman,,,
He said he is going to stop and license check every one he sees.

I asked him if that was a legal thing to do,,,
His reply was: "I don't care of it's legal or not. I'm stopping them for a license check."

This was very disturbing to me,,,
I'm drafting a letter to his department.

Aarond

.

 

[hrdware]

One thing for sure,,,
The first few months are going to be weird.

Lots of people will be open carrying,,,
A number of them will have run-ins with cops,,,
I just hope cool heads always prevail and these encounters are sane events.

I was chatting with an off-duty policeman,,,
He said he is going to stop and license check every one he sees.

I asked him if that was a legal thing to do,,,
His reply was: "I don't care of it's legal or not. I'm stopping them for a license check."

This was very disturbing to me,,,
I'm drafting a letter to his department.

Aarond

.

Step 1. Educate yourself, read the law: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf/2011-12 ENR/SB/SB1733 ENR.DOC

Yes, under the law it is perfectly legal for him to ask to see a license from anyone he sees openly carrying a firearm. However he may not disarm them or physically restrain them with reasonable and articulable suspicion of a crime or if they fail to produce the permit.

 

[jhat]

I can see no good reason to open carry in a public place. Any tactical advantage is lost when the bad guy knows you have a weapon. If the BG is convinced that you have something that he wants and he sees your weapon, he will just shoot you in the back of the head. I wanted open carry to pass so that if I expose my weapon by accident, I am not violating the law. It's not about looking cool.

 

[hrdware]

I can see no good reason to open carry in a public place. Any tactical advantage is lost when the bad guy knows you have a weapon. If the BG is convinced that you have something that he wants and he sees your weapon, he will just shoot you in the back of the head. I wanted open carry to pass so that if I expose my weapon by accident, I am not violating the law. It's not about looking cool.

Nope, it's about personal choice. If a BG sees me open carrying he will move on to a softer target so I won't need any tactical advantage over him, I have already gotten the mental advantage. This scenario you paint doesn't happen in other states. Do you think we have smarter criminals?

 

[spd67]

And why?

I'm really trying to understand the reasoning behind carrying openly,,,
And I truly do not want to ridicule anyone who has a differing opinion than mine.

Personally I am ecstatic about the new open carry provision,,,
Not that I would ever want to carry my handgun openly.

To me the best thing about this new provision is,,,
I can no longer be cited for an accidental showing of my handgun.

The DA in the county I live in has stated he is against citizen carry,,,
It's his personal method of implementing some form of back-door gun control,,,
So in that vein he has instructed the county sheriff to cite "brandishing" whenever possible.

I witnessed a Payne County deputy cite a woman who had a gun in her purse,,,
The cashier at the Mini-Mart saw her gun when she opened her purse to get her credit card,,,
He commented on it and the deputy sheriff standing 10-12 feet away from her detained her and wrote her a citation.

He never even saw the handgun until he asked her to open her purse for him,,,
She initially didn't want to open her purse but the deputy threatened her with an "Obstruction of Justice" charge.

I stayed around and told her that if she wanted to fight this,,,
I would be her eyewitness that she never "brandished" her gun in any way.

She never called me so I do not know what the eventual outcome was.

I am extremely happy to know that after 01 November I can not be ~legally harassed~,,,
For printing or an accidental exposure of my concealed weapon.

My position is this,,,
I will probably never carry openly,,,
I feel it is provocative and actively invites conflict,,,
Not to mention that it puts a valuable object in a thief's eyesight.

What I anticipate is a lot of contact between people who are carrying openly,,,
And law enforcement who want to check if they have an Oklahoma CWL.

Some DA or LE agency is going to argue that the firearm in itself is "probable cause" to do a CWL check.

It will be interesting to see how the (inevitable?) stops will come about.

Anyways,,,
That's just my personal viewpoint.

What are yours?

Aarond

.

With all due respect, I'm calling bullcrap on this entire post...Our DA is actually very 2A friendly...and forgive me if I don't believe your story about a deputy citing someone. If your going to post things like this back them up. What have you heard the DA say personally...What was the Deputy's name...Did you see the citation and what it was for...What was the date that this happened...