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First Post and Question on Dress

Sasamba Arnis

New member
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
2
Location
NC
Hi Everybody,

I have been reading for awhile and appreciate the site and everybody's insight as I am new to OC. That being said, I have seen numerous posts that I find interesting.

Many people have stated about how they dress while OCing, and how there is a proper way to dress, IE collared shirt, slacks, etc.

I am by no means a hooligan, I work for a top Fortune company as an auditor. I figure I dress up 10 hours a day, the last thing I want to do when I go out is stay dressed up. Typically I wear old jeans and a tshirts and skateboarding shoes. I understand that I may be looked at differently by LEO because of how I dress and because I have a beard and long hair, but why is that acceptable. I believe that I should be given the same curteousy as people who dress up to OC. Its my opinion that the way people dress should be dropped as a complaint when LEO interact with them.

What are other people's opinions? Do you feel that dressing the part is important to OC, or should everybody be "equal" for lack of a better word.
 

thebigsd

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
3,535
Location
Quarryville, PA
Welcome to OCDO!!! Stick around and you will learn a lot!

This has been debated several times. Dress how you feel comfortable. Just remember that people's perceptions of you as an open carrier reflect on the open carry community as a whole. What I mean by that is you can wear whatever you want, so long as your conduct is that of a responsible citizen. Actions are more important than looks.
 
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Glock19fan

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
73
Location
Coats
When I first started to OC, I always wanted to wanted to dress a little better as not to draw any extra attention to myself, but as I have gotten more comfortable with I just dress as I casual as I normally would. Just make sure that you dont cover it, and you dont carry where your not supposed to and you should be fine.

E.J.
 

ArmySoldier22

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2011
Messages
406
Location
Concord, NC
As has been said, actions are more important than the way you dress. Although I can definitely understand why somebody would want to dress nice as to not draw unwanted attention, I don't have anything against that at all. That being said, a good friend of mine got off work about 2am this morning and she called me up asking if I wanted to go to iHop. At 2 in the morning, I didn't even feel like throwing on jeans, so I put on some sweat pants and a t-shirt and we went to go get some food. I definitely don't let attire dictate whether or not I'm carrying lol.
 

Medic1210

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
298
Location
Rockingham, NC
Because like it or not, your outward appearance is often the first thing someone notices about you, and like it or not, judgements are made based off of the image you give. No law says you have to dress a certain way when open carrying, but society is going to view you more cautiously if you're carrying and dressed down. Right, wrong, or indifferent, it is what it is. I would fully expect to get unwanted (and unjustified) attention if I was OC while dressing like a thug with my pants sagging around my butt, a shirt that's 3 sizes too big, gold teeth and a ball cap on sideways. Right, wrong or indifferent, I would feel more nervous around someone who's OC and dressed like I just described, as opposed to someone dressed more "appropriately" if you will. Personally, the thug attire is not how I want gun owners or OC'ers to be represented. From what you've said, it doesn't appear that you're at that end of the spectrum, but I can imagine you'll get more attention dressed like you describe than you will dressed like you were at work. Again, it sucks, but books are judged by their cover every day. Strap a firearm on the cover of that book, and it gets judged a lot more quickly, especially by the folks who aren't quite anti-gun, but more on the fence and cautious of it because it's not something they see all the time.


edited to add: If I was in a convenience store, and this person walked in, I would definitely be on high alert, as I would suppose just about every other member on here (as well as the general public) would.

k12-150x150.jpg
 
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Motofixxer

Regular Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
965
Location
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Welcome aboard, feel free to follow the links below in my signature for lots of useful info. Some is state specific but much is general with some very informational videos.

I will echo what has has been said before too. There are no rules to dress. But you will be judged based on your attire. It's just a fact of life. But don't be afraid to be comfortable too.
 
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Sasamba Arnis

New member
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
2
Location
NC
Thank you all for your replies and welcoming. I fully agree with everybody that has replied, which I guess is a little suprising. I hadnt seen anybody bring up what I had (although I may not have looked really well). But I am glad to hear people's responses. So far I am glad to say that for the 3 months that I have been OCing, I have not had any encounters other than the occasional person complimenting my gun (IWI baby eagle). Nobody has asked if I was a LEO, but I guess that goes back to the beard, long hair and clothes :cool:
 

spiderjohn

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2011
Messages
113
Location
Fletcher, NC
Thank you all for your replies and welcoming. I fully agree with everybody that has replied, which I guess is a little suprising. I hadnt seen anybody bring up what I had (although I may not have looked really well). But I am glad to hear people's responses. So far I am glad to say that for the 3 months that I have been OCing, I have not had any encounters other than the occasional person complimenting my gun (IWI baby eagle). Nobody has asked if I was a LEO, but I guess that goes back to the beard, long hair and clothes :cool:

I don't dress up to carry. I've carried wearing casual business, jeans and tshirts, shorts and t-shirts, and right after cutting down about 10 trees in very dirty jeans and t-shirt. No one hardly notices anyway.
 

chiefjason

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
1,025
Location
Hickory, NC, ,
I carry in what I'm wearing. I don't dress around my desire to carry anymore. I did at first. Now I'll go out in greasy clothes from working on the car or dirty clothes from yard work if I need to go out in the middle of working. Can't say I've seen any difference in how it's perceived.

Personally, I think how you carry yourself is more important. Walk into a store like you belong there and everything is OK, and nobody will think twice. For some reason, walking in like you own the place and it's exactly where you are supposed to be seems to but people at ease. Go figure.
 

aosailor

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
228
Location
Hampton, AR
Wear what you want, be comfortable!

When I first started carrying, I had just got home from 4 yrs in the military. Prior to joining I had spent most of my childhood/teenage years either in military academies, JROTC, Sea Cadets, Police Explorers, etc... Always buzzed head, clean shaven and in uniform. So when I got out of the military It was the first time I could go a little crazy with my personal style and appearence... well I got a few peircings, grew out my goatee and was rocking an 8" tall bright crayola red mohawk, with the rest of the head shaved bald. All while OCing.... never had an issue with carrying a gun while looking like a freak.
 

Chris Hamby

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
28
Location
Cary,NC
The way I look at it is your not only representing yourself when you carry your representing all OC'ers in general. If you walk into a gas station and you just happen to hold the door open for the person behind you(which if you live in NC you would fear not to because you know your mother will show up from out of the blue and pop you in the back of the head if you didn't) the people or person may see that you are armed and see that you are polite and become more at ease with the situation. I dont throw on a tux or anything but I may choose to maybe tuck in my shirt or really just smile alot more to show people there is nothing to be afraid of. Being polite while carrying,I've learned goes a long way.
 

aosailor

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
228
Location
Hampton, AR
You hit the nail on the head Chris. If you stomp around with a scowl and balled fists, expect the Po-Po to come ask you questions. Put a smile on your face, say ma'am and sir and people will melt around your charm.


Its like when I take my pit bull out in public, parents of small children run and scream in fear, until they see her lapping icecream from a cone, then she is just the cutest little puppy they have ever seen!
 

PistolPackingMomma

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
1,884
Location
SC
I definitely don't dress up just because I'm carrying; to me carrying a gun is as normal as carrying my keys or cell phone, and if I want others to perceive it as normal, I need to behave as if it is normal. Jeans, sneakers and tank top/cardigan are my general every day wear.

That's not to say that tucking in your shirt won't help your appearance, but I prefer to go about my day as normally and naturally as possible.
 

Medic1210

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
298
Location
Rockingham, NC
Wear what you want, be comfortable!

When I first started carrying, I had just got home from 4 yrs in the military. Prior to joining I had spent most of my childhood/teenage years either in military academies, JROTC, Sea Cadets, Police Explorers, etc... Always buzzed head, clean shaven and in uniform. So when I got out of the military It was the first time I could go a little crazy with my personal style and appearence... well I got a few peircings, grew out my goatee and was rocking an 8" tall bright crayola red mohawk, with the rest of the head shaved bald. All while OCing.... never had an issue with carrying a gun while looking like a freak.

With an 8" tall bright crayola red mohawk shaved head, I'm betting nobody even noticed the gun in the first place. Just sayin... ;)
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
Frequently (although not always) my custom black-and-stainless 1911 is by far the best looking thing I'm wearing.

For EDOC, nothing beats a gun which looks nice AND shoots well.
 

dmatting

Regular Member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
445
Location
Durham, NC
...and you just happen to hold the door open for the person behind you(which if you live in NC you would fear not to because you know your mother will show up from out of the blue and pop you in the back of the head if you didn't) the people or person may see that you are armed and see that you are polite and become more at ease with the situation...

This is exactly what I did for the lady entering the Coastal Federal Credit Union this morning. I held both the inner and outer doors for her while smiling. I'm not sure any one noticed or even cared that I was carrying in there while conducting my business.
 

MSG Laigaie

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
3,239
Location
Philipsburg, Montana
ArmySoldier22 said " I definitely don't let attire dictate whether or not I'm carrying"

Because I carry all the time, I tend to carry a better looking weapon when I "dress up" for the wife. I do not "dress up" for anyone else. The usual OC weapon would be my black/OD CZ82, or that truck of a pistol, the Ruger P85.
 

rotorhead

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
862
Location
FL
Hell, a gun isn't a set of earrings, a watch, or a fancy set of cuff links. It's a tool for self-protection.

Be YOU, and carry.

Society isn't going to be impressed with your efforts to dress up a gun anyway. If you normally dress a certain way, then stick with it.
 
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importinvasion

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
71
Location
greensboro
I gotta say I agree with the above. When I oc, I wear jeans, sneakers,tshirt, and a smile. Sometimes I wear really nice dress up clothes and a SMILE. See where I'm going here? As long as you represent yourself as a good natured person, you should be fine. Also, please be nice if someone asks you a question about your firearm. I know we don't really want to be bothered, but this is one cross we must bear when we OC. How you answer that person can change their opinion of all oc'ers from that point on. I should have my cc in a couple of weeks, but rest assured I intend to continue oc'ing whenever possible. Whenever I oc, I assume the responsibitity that I may have to educate some people on nc gun laws and their rights.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
Hell, a gun isn't a set of earrings, a watch, or a fancy set of cuff links. It's a tool for self-protection.

Guns are just about the only tool which people put as much effort into making purdy as they do into making them work. Frequently they do both to the same gun.

Just sayin'.
 
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