Thank You, by no means am I telling anyone what to do. Personally I feel the safety of my wife is more important than the law. But then she would not be very safe in jail either. IMO if the business allows carry, open carry would make my spouse safer than concealed carry. If my wife was to find herself in a situation needing deadly force her stuff is already up a stream without a paddle. Though she would at least have a chance.
The problem with concealed unless it is in a purse is most people can see a person is concealing, if they are paying attention. Sooner or later it will get sticky. Heck I worked for a employer and everybody assumed I was armed even though I was not. I found this out when the boss asked me to accompany him to the bank. When I asked why he wanted me he said because I was armed, I cleared him up on his mistake. I was working as a meat cutter at the time. Everybody knew I was a former LEO, I guess they assumed I was armed because of it.
You are very welcome. It is neat to compare the laws between states. We try to open carry as much as possible because we want people to see that citizens carrying guns is normal. It is easier to get to an openly carried gun versus one that is concealed, especially if the person has not trained for such an occasion. I would disagree that most people can see a person is concealing, depending on the holster you cannot tell. Someone may be able to see a "lump" if they are really looking, but most likely they won't be looking for it to see it. When we open carry many times people do not even notice that.
Personally, there are some times that it is just easier to conceal out of respect/simplicity. For example at work I counsel people from various backgrounds who likely have mixed feelings regarding the use of self defense/guns. So, since there is no sign, no policy posted, etc I conceal carry and thereby have a layer of protection. Another example of where I conceal carry is at church; there are no signs prohibiting and the Attorney General recently stated that "self defense" was a "good and sufficient reason to carry in a place of worship." There is another local church where everyone open carries at church as everyone is on the same page in their understanding. However, I go to a large church with again likely mixed opinions, and do not want to cause a distraction from our purpose of being there, while I also do not want to be a victim.
I definitely am mostly a fan of and support open carry, hence my presence on this page. However, I just like having other discrete/covert options when necessary.
