Metonymy

Anyone here do it?

Found a website dedicated to this very topic:

OpenCarry.org - A Right Unexercised is a Right Lost!

They have lots of good information on there.

Here's their "fact sheets" for the PNW states:

Washington
OpenCarry.org - State Information For Washington

(and an interesting supplementary WA document from the KCSD: http://www.opencarry.org/pdf/KingCou...fsBulletin.pdf )

Idaho
OpenCarry.org - State Information For Idaho

Oregon
OpenCarry.org - State Information For Oregon

Guff

I don't... which isn't to say I wouldn't, but good post.

-Guff

FLIPEXED

I have open carried a few times before.... no negative experiences except for a few rubbernecking granola eating liberals. That said i prefer concealing most times because i just don't want to deal with someone calling the copperz on me :P

GixxerPete

I open carry whenever I do yard work.

Metonymy

Only a handful of people will get this one...

Coug91

And only in Michigan... or was it Wisconsin?

Oly

I've entertained the idea but never have.

Jared535

This is a very misunderstood topic and a great post to answer questions. I have noticed many more people are doing it lately. As opposed to not seeing anyone do it in the past 10 years I have seen 2 people do it in the past week here in Spokane. I am not sure if I trust Spokane's finest to not have a problem with it but thats just me.

cordodor

wow, i had no idea this was legal. I've got my cpl anyways, so i always just conceal

WarriorDriver

hunting I do (44mag), around town its concealed.

DJ Nathan V

Sometimes I leave my holster on my hip coming back from the range and have made quick stops on the way home. *shrug*

Lefdrgn

Yes, opencarry.org is full og great information and great gun enthusiasts. One reason I was turned off by this peticular forum was the drama. Biggest being open carry (OC) vs concealed carry (CC). My feeling is, I don't believe either is better or worse. I believe each has their purpose and time. So my opinion on OC vs CC is simple. JUST CARRY. Lol. Although I think the OC.org guys are doing a great job showing everyday people on the streets that just because I (or any responsible gun owner) have a gun dosn't mean we are dangerous. A firearm is a tool, and like any tool can very very constructive in the right hands, or very destructive in the wrong hands. Just my 2 cents. But even though some of the drama turned me off, I still recommend people check em out because they are full of awsome info.

Keep it up guys!

-Lefdrgn

reppinthe509

sorry to bring this up again, but if i were to get my concealed weapons permit could i open carry? i thought you had to do one or the other.

Kolat

yes you can, the pita thing about open carrying if you don't have a concealed weapons permit is that you can't have a loaded firearm in your vehicle without one, so that means you need to unload and reload every time you leave/get somewhere.

T

reppinthe509

meaning you cant even have a loaded magazine?

cjbaum

Im curious ... Does anyone have any good / bad experiences with OC'n ?

Booga

CJ: I went to Marymoor park with a group of people/dogs. One person showed up openly carrying his pistol. Cops didn't show up, nobody screamed and ran, nobody even gave us a wide berth as they passed us.

If you don't look like a thug, people probably won't give you any hassle. They might keep an eye on you, but that's not unexpected.

Reppin: So far as I've found, having the magazine loaded is not the same thing as a loaded firearm so long as that magazine is separated from that firearm. The actual law looks a little less clear about a magazine that is inside the magazine well, but not locked in place.
Stuff that applies:
RCW 9.41.050: Carrying firearms.
RCW 9.41.010: Terms defined.
Specifically from that second link, section (9) describes "loaded":
(9) "Loaded" means:

(a) There is a cartridge in the chamber of the firearm;

(b) Cartridges are in a clip that is locked in place in the firearm;

(c) There is a cartridge in the cylinder of the firearm, if the firearm is a revolver;

(d) There is a cartridge in the tube or magazine that is inserted in the action; or

(e) There is a ball in the barrel and the firearm is capped or primed if the firearm is a muzzle loader.

GixxerPete

^^ Wow I'm quite surprised that nobody would freak out at a place like Marymoor Park in yuppieville Redmond. I'm pleasantly suprised, but definitely suprised!

Booga

Went to a house party in Bellvue last weekend and that same guy from the park showed up with his sidearm on his hip. No trouble so far as I know, but I was only there for a half hour after he got there since my group was ready to go home.

SGT D USMC

I play alot in the desert by myself, Sometimes I run into A group of others doing the same thing, I think of most of them as being alot like me, but certainly not all of them so I carry open when I'm by myself.

JayD1981

I open carry all the time. I have not had a bad experience at all. The biggest downfall I've experienced is that everyone seems to think I'm an off duty cop.

ecotechjosh

the general populus of washington is not anywhere nearly as liberal as the dems would have you believe.

GixxerPete

It's not about the general populus, it's geography. The east side is much more conservative, and the west side, more specifically the Seattle area, is much more liberal.

Washington is an open carry state. And in many places, people do just that. For example, I know Kolat slings a rifle over his shoulder and rides his bike to go deer hunting. That simply wouldn't fly around here. Just prior to the Halo ODST release, an employee at Bungie studios in Kirkland was walking around the parking lot with a GIANT *fake* sniper rifle, a mock up from the game. Several people panicked called the police reporting someone with "an AK47" was on the loose. Ultimately nothing came of it, though the police advised Bungie to keep the guns, fake or otherwise, inside and out of sight.

KillermondoDude

Open carry is alot like goin to a nude beach if you act like a tard people notice, if you act like you belong there people dont give 2 shits

Booga

Interesting observation. Accurate so far as I've seen.

Dordorine

What's up everyone, I'm new to the forum and just wanted to say hey. Hopefully I posted this in the right section!

Steelfright

if you think you fit in you do fit in. That being said, if a yuppie asks if you are a cop. make them think. Tell them "what makes you say that?" because we all need guns if they are available. like phones, wallets, and cars. maybe more important.

DevilDoc

I have my cpl, and I carry pretty much all the time. That being said, I just don't see what's constructive about oc, unless you have a reason to do so. I.E. hunting or hiking in bear country. Walking around downtown Bellevue with a pistol exposed is just going to reinforce negative stereotypes about guns. 2 kinds of people are going to see you with an oc. First are the people who know that it's legal, and won't care either way. Second are the people who don't know about it (and probably don't know much about guns anyway) and they are going to be afraid. Right or wrong, you've just reinforced to that person everything they fear about guns to begin with. With as easy as it is to get your cpl, why not do that instead? Positive reinforcement of carrying a pistol is going to come from a) people using their cc to deter crime, and b) large numbers of wa citizens having a legal cpl. If for instance, half of the population of wa has a cpl, it's pretty hard for politicians or anti gunners to argue that it's a fringe element that feels the need to carry. Flip side of that is that every yahoo that makes the paper for carrying a slung ar-15 to a presidential rally is immesurably hurting the cause of gun rights, because the average person doesn't understand it. Fear is a powerful thing...
I don't disagree with oc, I just think the timing is wrong.

carryabigstick

I have only packed in the open once and that was in Idaho. I have a CC permit so I just keep it in the pants. People have seen my firearm or atleast the bulge before but that was on accident. I am open to the idea (pun) but I do not plan on carrying open all that often. Of course I support the right but I do not like to draw attention to myself unless I can give a full explanation. It is the same reason that I don't sign wave or protest.

hubers454

it was sad that such an inportant subject became a pissing match, I used to open carry all the time, every time I went hunting my blackhawk was on my hip. went to the store a bunch, got gas, stop for a beer(before the bar ban) no one ever said anything. would I in this climate, no I wouldnt because if someone starts screaming Gun who knows. I do carry concelled, sometime under a tshirt might as well be open carry

koorbloh

well, I'll let you know how it goes, I guess...gonna sling a rifle over my back and go shoot assuming my helmet clears the rifle butt!

Skinny

I have my chl here in Oregon. I open carry quite often. I don't live in the nicest apartments in town and while I'm outside washing my motor cycle or doing other misc things I open carry. Stangly enough alot of my neighbors have come and asked me about it and I have made friends because of it. I always send them to the opencarry website and I believe there is a open carry Oregon as well. I have had some people flip out when a over shirt rides up and they see it. I even had someone yell "he has a gun" in a crowded mall. After explaining that's a good way to get someone shot I told them to think about it logicly. Most people that are carrying illegaly a. Don't have it in a holster, their most liky carrying it sorry for the racial slur here "Mexican style" down their pants. And b it's legal to carry openly and concealed with the right licenses. I also work as a security guard and will be going armed in the next month or two. So I'm all for it either way you look at it. Now like always there is a time and a place but use good judgement and you will be fine.

FYI. Alot of malls in Oregon have started posting at their doors no weapons or firearms. Make sure to read fine print so you don't get a trespassing charge and loose your chl! I know the gateway mall in Eugene and the Washington square mall in Portland/Beaverton get pussy about it so read read read!

JayD1981

I open carry all the time. Mainly because my most comfortable holster is a belt holster. I have never had anyone freak out, no one has even said a negative comment about it. Usually people just ask if I'm a cop, and why I have a gun when I say I'm not. I also think open carry is a active deterrent. Criminals look for easy targets, not the ones with guns on their sides. I am glad that some choose to open carry and some choose to concealed carry. I believe a mix of both gives the best protection against crime.

Cody1877

I have a concealed carry and dont carry open, atleast I havent had a reason or need to. But from a tactical standpoint I question the wisedom of giving up the element of suprise when some goons come in and start jackin the 7-11 while your trying to get your pop or some other typical situation where you might need to pop off a few.

Skinny

I think it serves as a deturent. If your some meth head and you walk I to a 7-11 and are going to rob the place. Your gonna do a quick look around. You spot a gun on so done your most likely gonna go on to the next one where there isn't a gun

Booga

It is easier to leave and come back later or go rob a different place if someone has a gun in sight.
Not that it doesn't happen, but most robberies don't *start* with a murder.

Driftertank

I would only carry in the open if I was heading to the range or hiking or something else where humans aren't my primary concern.

I have, in the past, had an incident where a guy picked me out of a crowd to start a fight. Found out later his friend had a gun. The dude was on drugs. I wasn't even carrying that night, and I'm not sure if having one visible would have made a difference. I DO know that even if I had, I'm not drawing against a guy who just punched me. If he'd pulled a knife, or a gun, then I would have. If I actually had gotten into the fight he wanted, and started to get the upper hand, I'm sure the guy with the gun would have threatened me. Assuming they were BOTH high, I think if I'd fought, and had a gun on my hip, he may have just shot me.

I'm not a slight man. If someone wants something from me, it's probably more than a passing fancy if they're willing to confront me for it. They will probably be armed. If I have my gun in the open, I'll assume that an assailant's first priority will be to remove that threat. I think that by not appearing armed, I have a better chance of them trying to challenge and intimidate me rather than sneak up behind me and bonk me on the head or worse.

I tend to have a very cynical outlook on self-defence. I try to maintain every advantage I can. Surprise is a big one. Besides which, people are generally less jumpy when they don't know you're carrying.

One nice thing about being a BIG guy. Even a full-frame 1911 disappears under even a light overshirt.

JayD1981

You could look at it this way also, by apearing unarmed you look like an easier target.

Skinny

Well as stated. A right un exercised is a right lost. Police and security guards do it all the time. Just cause your a private citizen doesn't mean you should always conceal. But that's just me.

WhiteKnight

I dont have a CC permit, but I do open carry. I follow the unloaded rules were present. I either wear a drop leg holster that also holds my extra mag or a shoulder harness with a double mag holder on the right side and the holster on the left. I do get some odd looks every now and then, but Ive worn it just about everywhere in Salem and the surrounding area. A lot of people just ask me questions about it. I did wear it in California when I was on my honeymoon. The San Francisco cops didnt know that open carry was legal and I was detained for 30 min. while they checked me out. They ended up giving me my weapon back and handed my wife the mag. Even if I get my CC permit I will most likely still open carry.