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I've been carryin' a pistol of some flavor on my hip here beginning in 1966. There was no discussion of 'open carry' or 'concealed carry'. You were either heeled or not.
The title of this thread is bothersome. "If open carry were legal..." Bearing arms openly IS 'legal'. It's a recognized pre-existing Right codified under 2A. The right is either permitted or denied. Rights do not require license, permit or registration. 'The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.' SHALL NOT be INFRINGED. This is the law of the land.... yet it is continiously 'infringed' or denied. It is denied by those who swore an oath of office to 'Support & Defend the Constitution' in some form or other. Yet... they do not. The same people who will scream 'Civil Rights' will deny the basic means of self defense codified by an actual 'Civil Right'.
The Constitution does not specify or limit the type or arms, not does it specify the manner in which arms are borne. 'Arms'... per se, are not limited to firearms. The 2A does not mention firearms... but Arms. At one time... concealed arms were considered cowardly. Perhaps this is why (under 10A) the States created permits to carry in this manner. In doing so... over a generation... the myth was created that 'permits' were required to carry at all. This is still in effect.
It would be difficult to recall the number of times I have been questioned as to 'permit, license, or some such by the sheeple. I have been asked is that: 'real or loaded?' I have been questioned as to why I carry it at all. The vast majority of the query's coming from snowbirds 'n noobs who hail from places where the right has been denied for so long, it's now 'cultural'.
I carry at the 10 O'Clock position (cross draw) as it does not interfere with seat belts... or mounting a horse... or havin' the butt of it hit stuff. It's also much easier to draw w/o the pistol being in my armpit by the time it clears the holster. There is nothing in the way of it... and nothing to snag on. The weather here in the desert is not normally conducive to concealed anything, but I do have a CWP for those times when it's practical to conceal.
I purpose carry for self defense and nothing else. Around the property or in the house I carry a Makarov 9x18mm from the time I wake up. When I leave... it's the 1911. The holster (and mag pouch) is Bianchi UM-84 military with the flap removed and thumb break added... altho retention is not required in AZ. The gun belt is 2 1/4" nylon w/E-buckle. All are black. This combo and postion of carry works best of anything I've tried... and I've tried out a lotta stuff over the years.
Note... I do not care how you carry... or what you carry. It's a matter of choice.
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