I have a question about open carry

[Mecread]

Open carry does not bother me, most of the time.... yet....

the other day Dh and I went in to a local sporting store and a man had 2 9mm and 4 spare mags. The way he was touching them like uh well it was making me feel kinda skeeved out. He was prancing up and down the isles with a look at me type going on. So Dh, I and a uniformed LEO just looked at each other was was what? really?

but all I thought about going home if I felt he had a target placed on him that HE put on.

Am I missing something? Is there a need for that much open display of fire power? (maybe because i am a girl and i just don't get this) Dad and my brother keep one on them most all times on the farm, and the logger who logged out the woods this past fall always had one on him.
I never batted an eye at that..

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Ghost1958]

Dont see a need for that much open fire power but its his right to do it. I might get flamed for this but I suspect one could probably whip him with either 9mm and he wouldnt do anything but hump up. Just by your description of him. To much flash not just simple open carry.

[rugergunner]

I prefer to keep a lower profile myself. I have OC before, but usually at the range or something like that. Personally, I think when gun owners do that sort of thing, it makes us all look like we are on the razors edge. Silly.

[NC Bullseye]

You just have to remember that every person that makes the conscious decision to take the steps of carrying personal protection also has to make the decision of exactly what level of that protection they will carry. Some are happy with a small caliber handgun others feel more comfortable with a larger caliber and perhaps a back up magazine. Then you have those that find their comfort level with multiple handguns and spare magazines.

I can understand the feeling of wariness when you see something that appears to be above what "you" feel is adequate levels of preparation but then again, others may feel that you have not considered all of the facts prior to your choosing your carry equipment.

That's the beauty of being able to decide on your own.

[Mecread]

I agree with this 100% its clear with Dh and his .22 in his pocket and me with a .40 with an extra mag in a bag off a mollie loop. I just find it odd in an area that is pretty pro gun that you see that much on one person, and just in hope I was missing a part.

[Ghost1958]

Just to be clear I wasnt referring to the amount of firepower this person had but the OPs description of what I at least took of him doing his best to make sure everyone in eyesight saw him and what he was carrying by the "touching them etc". That is what I meant by to much flash for me personally to take seriously. But totally his right to do it.

[archer51]

This is coming from someone who OC's probably 99% of the time. The person you saw is an attention hound. He just happens to be one with a gun. Put him in a state where OC was not legal and he'd find something else to draw attention to himself with. Remember the guy at the stop light with headers on his car/truck who keeps revving the engine and then backing off, just so everyone would look? Same thing. Your always going to have them. They've been around since the world began.

[SmokinFool]

This is coming from someone who OC's probably 99% of the time. The person you saw is an attention hound. He just happens to be one with a gun. Put him in a state where OC was not legal and he'd find something else to draw attention to himself with. Remember the guy at the stop light with headers on his car/truck who keeps revving the engine and then backing off, just so everyone would look? Same thing. Your always going to have them. They've been around since the world began.

Spot on. I OC fairly frequently (weather permitting) but I make a point of acting naturally so as NOT to draw attention to myself. Some people just don't feel complete unless they know they are garnering all the attention. I have seen similar situations before. For the most part they're harmless. I just laugh it off and give them no overt attention whatsoever. However I do keep an eye on them out of the corner of my eye to make sure they're not doing anything that may jeopardize the safety of the people around them, especially me.

[GunsAndViolince]

Right! It shouldn't matter what you're carrying; in MI (and some other states, I'm sure) it could even be an AR slung over your shoulder. But be polite, friendly and as uncreepy as possible. That's the way to OC. Anything short of that hurts our cause.

[Fla]

Sounds the same as wearing pants below the butt to me.

[ccw9mm]

... a man had 2 9mm and 4 spare mags.

Am I missing something? Is there a need for that much open display of fire power?

For myself, I have at times carried OC or IWB my primary along with a pocket-carried backup. Haven't carried two firearms on the belt, openly or concealed. But that's just me.

If a person doesn't have a CHL yet is the sort that does carry a backup to the primary, there's only one way to do it lawfully (at least, in a state that doesn't disallow OC): and that's to carry OC.

I don't really have a problem with it. And likely you might well not have, either, had he not been "prancing" around and looking for all the world like he wanted to be noticed. Hard to tell how much of that was your bias, and how much was his demeanor. Carrying, by itself, shouldn't (IMO) attract undue attention. Being a target sort of defeats the purpose, I'd say.

Still, to each his own. It's mostly a free country, still. He wasn't behaving criminally, by all appearances. No outright criminal felon would be acting in such a manner, not if he wanted to avoid LEOs. So, likely nothing more than someone with a "look at me" predilection. There's plenty of those out there.

[GeorgiaCarry]

I've seen it happen and I really am going to stop and ask why. Those that open carry MUST understand that the "other side" votes too. Now is not the time to show how cool you look. Always remember the image you project.

GeorgiaCarry

[OhioCatter]

I think maybe he was an attention getter or maybe he feels he needs that much protection. You can open carry and be seen or open carry and not be seen or at least minimize being seen.

[Crews]

He's compensating. Ten bucks says he got in a jacked up truck when he left the store.

[retsupt99]

Idiots abound everywhere.
Life goes on.