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Open Carry is legal around the country

ADulay

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
512
Location
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
All,

Although I open carry on my motorcycle every day here in Florida, there comes a time in summer when I "must" head west for the annual Sturgis Extravaganza and I just returned from that venue.

The relevant part of this is that I open carried every day, all day with ZERO problems, just like every other year.

My bike is loaded for camping so when I pull out of the driveway, I'm open carrying all the way to Georgia where I no longer need any "excuse" to open carry.

No problems at stores, gas stations, restaurants, motels, and any other place I hit in the two weeks on the road.

Nobody ran away screaming. Children and old ladies didn't faint on sight. Truckers at the truck stop restaurants didn't form up to protect the patrons. The morning breakfast ritual at the motels was uneventful, like usual.

Visted some monuments and various things to see. Nobody cared. Open carry of a sidearm is just not the big crisis that Florida legislators (and the media) would like you to believe.

In fact, every state we hit was open carry friendly so there was no need to conceal or put the sidearm away.

So, this is just a note to let anybody who will listen know that open carry is not the scary event that the news would like you to believe.

Once you leave Florida, it's pretty much open carry everywhere away from Illinois until you hit California!

AD
 

Wstar425

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
570
Location
Tomahawk and Abbotsford, Wi.
Let's talk about Illinois a little bit. You can now carry in your car in Illinois under the same rules as your home state, but the firearm has to stay in the car when you exit unless you have a Illinois permit , or one they acknowledge, and probably a FOID card. Or, some combination of that?

I'm from Wisconsin, we can open carry loaded on a motorcycle, so I wonder if I could ride in Illinois open carry? Don't know, not so sure I would want to try, but it seems like I should be able to.....

Glad you had a good trip. I concur with your findings.

Where did you find a truck stop with a restaurant? They all have Subways and McD's now.
 

bc.cruiser

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
786
Location
Fayetteville NC
All,

Although I open carry on my motorcycle every day here in Florida, there comes a time in summer when I "must" head west for the annual Sturgis Extravaganza and I just returned from that venue.

The relevant part of this is that I open carried every day, all day with ZERO problems, just like every other year.

In fact, every state we hit was open carry friendly so there was no need to conceal or put the sidearm away.

So, this is just a note to let anybody who will listen know that open carry is not the scary event that the news would like you to believe.

Once you leave Florida, it's pretty much open carry everywhere away from Illinois until you hit California!

AD

Key phrase there: "every state we hit". Quite obviously you did not go through SC. Since you are from Florida I am guessing you have a CC permit (does FL have OC now?). If you went through TN, a CC permit is an affirmative defense to OC. It's more likely that you just did not come across any LEO that was really interested than it is that your final statement is true.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
IMHO, the problem persists in some states because too few rise up in indignation over having their natural rights limited/restricted.
 

ADulay

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
512
Location
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
Key phrase there: "every state we hit". Quite obviously you did not go through SC. Since you are from Florida I am guessing you have a CC permit (does FL have OC now?). If you went through TN, a CC permit is an affirmative defense to OC. It's more likely that you just did not come across any LEO that was really interested than it is that your final statement is true.

bc.cruiser,

Well, South Carolina isn't on the way to Sturgis but we did hit Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, N and S Dakoata, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Colorado and Iowa. Only Iowa had a strange statute that made me have to conceal. I've run into State Troopers (and local LEO) at gas stations, in restaurants and out on the road. Never a problem. Of course, I'm not trying to bait them into a made for TV YouTube video fest either. I'm just doing my daily routine and I get left alone.

I do try to avoid Illinois at all costs. Don't like the state, the politics or anything else about it so I don't like to give them any money on these trips.

For me, open carry is just the normal method of carry. I don't make excuses for it and I don't have any problems with friends who choose to conceal.

The whole argument about citizens being driven into a panic by the mere sight of a sidearm is just media hype and anti-gun heresay. The reality of the situation is that it's just not a problem anywhere it is legal. The more people who will CHOOSE to open carry, the better off we'll all be with regards to open carry being a normal, every day sight.

I wouldn't imagine there would be many open carry sightings in Florida should it become fully legal as most people just will not do it for a variety of reasons. Not a problem. As has been shown in the states where it is legal, it's just not a problem at all.

AD
 

bc.cruiser

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
786
Location
Fayetteville NC
Not excusing a lack of preparation on the part of the individual, my concern is that someone may read the last part of your post and end up cross-wise to a LEO in a state that has "OC by permission slip" (my example used TN).

You had a pretty good trip, and I'm glad you are back safely. I made much the same excursion in May, with the same results (also hit WA, OR, NV, and UT but not GA and FL).:cool:
 

notalawyer

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
1,061
Location
Florida
Not excusing a lack of preparation on the part of the individual, my concern is that someone may read the last part of your post and end up cross-wise to a LEO in a state that has "OC by permission slip" (my example used TN).

You had a pretty good trip, and I'm glad you are back safely. I made much the same excursion in May, with the same results (also hit WA, OR, NV, and UT but not GA and FL).:cool:

Well then, they are stupid and deserve everything that happens to them.
 

77zach

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Messages
2,913
Location
Marion County, FL
It's different in Florida, so we "can't" have open carry. Police must draw down on people bearing arms and businesses will be shuttered from the extreme fear that open carry produces. Ignorance is bliss, so concealed guns are ok. Don't think so? A handful of republican senators say it's a fact, and our oh so smart rulers always know best.
 

FTG-05

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
441
Location
TN
bc.cruiser,

[snip]

The whole argument about citizens being driven into a panic by the mere sight of a sidearm is just media hype and anti-gun heresay. The reality of the situation is that it's just not a problem anywhere it is legal. The more people who will CHOOSE to open carry, the better off we'll all be with regards to open carry being a normal, every day sight.

[snip]

AD

I can understand the media and antigunners being antigunners, it's what they do, OC or not.

What I don't get, is the absolute hatred of OC by lot of other gun owners! :banghead:

Personally, I think a lot of that hatred is due to their fear of OCing. I can understand that too, since it's pretty scary OCing for the first time. After a year or two, piece of cake.

Another thing I don't understand is how so many gun owners will make the "scares the sheeple" argument, yet, time after time, people who actually OC report over and over how so many people don't even notice, much less get scared. This gets continually ignored by the OC haters no matter how many times it's stated.

I call these people "OC Fudds". They are gun owners who believe in and support the 2nf amendment but only if you carry their way!
 

whiskycut

New member
Joined
Nov 5, 2014
Messages
7
Location
alabama
I am from S.Carolina. now live in the free state of Al. My father was a judge there for 20 yrs. S.C. will honor your conceal carry permit, from Fla. (Not Al.) But open carry, you may not make it out alive, cops in S.C. will light you up.
 

ADulay

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
512
Location
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
I am from S.Carolina. now live in the free state of Al. My father was a judge there for 20 yrs. S.C. will honor your conceal carry permit, from Fla. (Not Al.) But open carry, you may not make it out alive, cops in S.C. will light you up.

The police will probably give you a hard time about open carry in South Carolina because it is still illegal in that state.

This is a discussion about open carry in states where it is legal.

AD
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
I can understand the media and antigunners being antigunners, it's what they do, OC or not.

What I don't get, is the absolute hatred of OC by lot of other gun owners! :banghead:

Personally, I think a lot of that hatred is due to their fear of OCing. I can understand that too, since it's pretty scary OCing for the first time. After a year or two, piece of cake.

Another thing I don't understand is how so many gun owners will make the "scares the sheeple" argument, yet, time after time, people who actually OC report over and over how so many people don't even notice, much less get scared. This gets continually ignored by the OC haters no matter how many times it's stated.

I call these people "OC Fudds". They are gun owners who believe in and support the 2nf amendment but only if you carry their way!

IMHO it is not the hatred of OCing itself, but the fear of (pardon the pun) coming out and declaring to the world that you accept the responsibility for your safety and protection. In their eyes you have to be big and bold and twice as tough as John Wayne to make that declaration in public.

As for "scaring the sheeple" line of thinking - let's take that in two parts.
a) if there are "sheeple" there must be "sheepdogs". CCers see themselves as the protectors of the rest of the world. When trouble rears its ugly head they are going to push back that cover garment, whip out their flavor-of-the-month super-tacticool hand blaster and take down evil incarnate. Has anybody else noticed that they have only one response available when things stop being all rosy and the pixie dust has run out?

When did anybody decide that besides the policedepartment police we needed to have a secret underground hidden set of police to take care of the world until the real police show up? Realizing that the plural of anecdote is not data, I cannot recall ever meeting a CCer whose first plan was deescalate/disengage/retreat.

b) has anybody else noticed the prevalence of CCers wearing "shoot me first" costumes? The vests that could be hunter/photographer vests except the pockets are not deep enough, the pants of too many pockets, the very special belts that have a place here you can insert/clip in a rope to repel up or down the sides if buildings and food court columns, the multiple "tactical" knives plus a multi-tool, and the special "special operator" boots.

Full disclosure: I sometimes wear pants with cargo pockets. The metal loop on my belt and the way it is attached to the leather, as well the leather itself, could probably support an elephant slung under a helicopter. And if I were to go back to the time of the Roman legions I guess my flip-flops might be considered "special operator" footwear.

stay safe.
 

FTG-05

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
441
Location
TN
IMHO it is not the hatred of OCing itself, but the fear of (pardon the pun) coming out and declaring to the world that you accept the responsibility for your safety and protection. In their eyes you have to be big and bold and twice as tough as John Wayne to make that declaration in public.

As for "scaring the sheeple" line of thinking - let's take that in two parts.
a) if there are "sheeple" there must be "sheepdogs". CCers see themselves as the protectors of the rest of the world. When trouble rears its ugly head they are going to push back that cover garment, whip out their flavor-of-the-month super-tacticool hand blaster and take down evil incarnate. Has anybody else noticed that they have only one response available when things stop being all rosy and the pixie dust has run out?

When did anybody decide that besides the policedepartment police we needed to have a secret underground hidden set of police to take care of the world until the real police show up? Realizing that the plural of anecdote is not data, I cannot recall ever meeting a CCer whose first plan was deescalate/disengage/retreat.

b) has anybody else noticed the prevalence of CCers wearing "shoot me first" costumes? The vests that could be hunter/photographer vests except the pockets are not deep enough, the pants of too many pockets, the very special belts that have a place here you can insert/clip in a rope to repel up or down the sides if buildings and food court columns, the multiple "tactical" knives plus a multi-tool, and the special "special operator" boots.

Full disclosure: I sometimes wear pants with cargo pockets. The metal loop on my belt and the way it is attached to the leather, as well the leather itself, could probably support an elephant slung under a helicopter. And if I were to go back to the time of the Roman legions I guess my flip-flops might be considered "special operator" footwear.

stay safe.

Actually, my "scares the sheeple" comment was how some anti-OCers will use the argument to state that if people get scared, they are more likely to vote for more gun control. The usual example, of course, is the PRK.

I think it's BS, just like most of the other anti-OC BS spouted by OC Fudds.
 

ADulay

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
512
Location
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
All,

Although I open carry on my motorcycle every day here in Florida, there comes a time in summer when I "must" head west for the annual Sturgis Extravaganza and I just returned from that venue.

The relevant part of this is that I open carried every day, all day with ZERO problems, just like every other year.

AD

All,

Just a note to let you know open carry is still alive and well around the country. If this is August, it means I've just come back from my annual Sturgis run and other than bypassing Illinois (as usual) we could open carry in EVERY state I rode through this year again. The usual assortment of restaurants, fast foods, hotels, motels, museums, stores and general, day to day operations.

Not a single problem at all and I had a pretty good conversation with a local LEO in western Nebraska at a gas station while we were both refueling. He mentioned that he has "several" people in the community who open carry regularly and obviously he has no problems with them as he knows they are the good guys! He also had the largest coffee mug/jug container I had ever seen in his car.

So, for what it's worth, the annual run out west was a good one with zero open carry problems to report.

The Glock 23 was my road/carry gun this year as we try to standardize on ammunition type for this trip and this year it was the .40S&W for the preferred caliber.

AD
 

utbagpiper

Banned
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
4,061
Location
Utah
...

What I don't get, is the absolute hatred of OC by lot of other gun owners! ...

I call these people "OC Fudds". They are gun owners who believe in and support the 2nf amendment but only if you carry their way!

I don't think there are a lot of CCers who hate OC. I think it is a relatively small number who are very vocal.

As for reasons, I suspect in most cases it boils down to a concern that by rocking the boat OCers are going to invite some kind of "blowback" that will result in added restrictions on RKBA including on CC.

I don't get the OCers who hate CC. Some go so far as to claim there is no constitutional right to CC or at least that the 2nd amendment only protects OC. I just don't find that language present. CCers can't cause too many social or political problems as the presence of their guns is generally not known. Maybe some OCers hate them as "sell outs" for getting a permit or for not doing enough (or not doing the same thing) as OCers are doing to advance the cause.

As with the case of anti-OC CCers, I suspect the number of OCers who really hate CC is rather small, but very vocal and obnoxious.

That said, those of us who support RKBA without limiting it to CC or OC do well not to label those who are narrow minded on either side. It was the division of gun owners into groups like Hunters (ie Fudds), personal protection, collectors, competitive shooters, etc, that allowed the Scary Looking Gun Ban of 1994 to get through Congress. We can either hang together as gun owners, or we will hang separately. Those gun owners who are too narrow minded, proud, or ignorant to see that can't be expected to do more than they already do. Those who recognize the problem in one direction, however, should recognize it in both directions, and work to avoid deepening divisions. Instead, we need to work to unite as a common front against gun grabbers.

The liberals have their "No Enemies to the Left" mantra that works well for them. Far too many gun owners are fond of the circular firing squad.

In private, I will offer my personal thoughts on the best attire to wear to legislative hearings (I call in "urban cammo"), or when and where various forms of carry that are off limits to discuss here might be appropriate or might be best avoided, or even the best talking points to use. In public, I am loathe to criticize another gun owner engaged in legal conduct. In private, I will offer my opinions on the best strategy and tactics to use to achieve our goals of full, legal and social respect for the 2nd amendment and our natural/God-given right an effective self-defense. In public, I defend the 2nd amendment (and the 1st). If conduct is legal/peaceful, I don't intend to criticize in public. There are plenty of gun grabbers who will do that.

Charles
 
Last edited:

Va_Nemo

Member
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
654
Location
Lynchburg
Correct me if I am in error but I recall information that SD was very friendly to carry except on a motorcycle. And there were other specific limits regarding Sturgis.

Nemo
 
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