Arizona\'s Open Carry
In Arizona you are allowed to carry openly without a permit. To carry concealed you need a concealed carry permit. A part of me says that does not make sense, the other part says it makes perfect sense.
When I first moved to Arizona, even as a person that has almost as many guns than the local gun shop, I was somewhat taken aback at passing members of the local motorcycle club pass me while packing a handgun on his hip. After a while, I even ventured out a few times with a fully loaded hip. Nobody said anything to me, nobody ran for cover and the police didn\'t stop and question me. I doubt that they even saw me. In the 14 years after that, with the exception of LEO or other gunowners at ranges, gunshops, etc I can count on one hand the number I have seen openly carrying a handgun. I guess they don\'t feel anymore comfortable with than I did when I tried it.
I do, however, carry my handgun with me when I go to work downtown every day. When I get in the car, I pull it from my bag and place the holstered weapon between the passenger seat and the console on my Jeep Grand Cherokee where it is available should I need it. It is also fully visible to an officer should I get stopped, which has happened once over the years.
In that meeting, as the officer approached my door, and asked for my license, registration and proof of insurance, and BEFORE I made a move to retrieve them from my wallet and glove compartment, I told him I had the pistol. He looked in and asked me to grasp it between thumb and forefinger and hand it out to him. As I was handing it to him, he asked me if it was loaded and I told him it was. Only then did I gather the documents he had asked for and passed them out to him. At that time he asked me why I was carrying the weapon and I told him I worked just off Van Buren Street in downtown Phoenix and he seemed to understand. Upon returning to my car, he handed me a warning citation, my documents and my pistol. He handed me the magazine separately and asked me to not reload until he had pulled away. I responded \"no problem\" and he added, \"Thanks for your courtesy and for declaring your firearm.\"
I do like having the right to openly carry, even though I don\'t normally exercise that right.
Do others feel the same way and had similar experiences? Do you regularly open carry or just limit yourself to carrying it in the car with you, fully visible in the seat next to you?
In Arizona you are allowed to carry openly without a permit. To carry concealed you need a concealed carry permit. A part of me says that does not make sense, the other part says it makes perfect sense.
When I first moved to Arizona, even as a person that has almost as many guns than the local gun shop, I was somewhat taken aback at passing members of the local motorcycle club pass me while packing a handgun on his hip. After a while, I even ventured out a few times with a fully loaded hip. Nobody said anything to me, nobody ran for cover and the police didn\'t stop and question me. I doubt that they even saw me. In the 14 years after that, with the exception of LEO or other gunowners at ranges, gunshops, etc I can count on one hand the number I have seen openly carrying a handgun. I guess they don\'t feel anymore comfortable with than I did when I tried it.
I do, however, carry my handgun with me when I go to work downtown every day. When I get in the car, I pull it from my bag and place the holstered weapon between the passenger seat and the console on my Jeep Grand Cherokee where it is available should I need it. It is also fully visible to an officer should I get stopped, which has happened once over the years.
In that meeting, as the officer approached my door, and asked for my license, registration and proof of insurance, and BEFORE I made a move to retrieve them from my wallet and glove compartment, I told him I had the pistol. He looked in and asked me to grasp it between thumb and forefinger and hand it out to him. As I was handing it to him, he asked me if it was loaded and I told him it was. Only then did I gather the documents he had asked for and passed them out to him. At that time he asked me why I was carrying the weapon and I told him I worked just off Van Buren Street in downtown Phoenix and he seemed to understand. Upon returning to my car, he handed me a warning citation, my documents and my pistol. He handed me the magazine separately and asked me to not reload until he had pulled away. I responded \"no problem\" and he added, \"Thanks for your courtesy and for declaring your firearm.\"
I do like having the right to openly carry, even though I don\'t normally exercise that right.
Do others feel the same way and had similar experiences? Do you regularly open carry or just limit yourself to carrying it in the car with you, fully visible in the seat next to you?