[Panda]

I talked to an officer friend of mine yesterday and I asked his opinion of Open Carry in Texas. I didn't know what to expect, but he responded that he was totally in favor of it. I was a bit surprised, but he offered this scenario as an example. You and your wife go into a Denny's for breakfast one morning all you see is people openly carrying handguns on they're hip. To him (and me) that would be a reassuring sign that a bad guy wouldn't dare try to take down the place with all that firepower on display.

I know we have a lot of Law Enforcement officers on this forum. Do you differ with this opinion, or support it?

 

[Panda]

Moved to Open-Concealed Carry... sorry about that.

 

[AOCM.RET]

Well, he has a good point, only a fool would walk in there with any ill intentions, but we also know there are some stupid people in this world. My problem with this is, I have no idea who is carrying legally and who may not. So, that cause me some concern, because one or more bad guys could come in armed and fit right in and wait until it thins out and then go into actions. Hopefully, I am one of the guys they waited on to leave. .....I am not adverse on open carry, but I think it would cause me to be on a very high alert if I was around a group like that in a store or whatever. ....That's just me.

 

[TexasAviator]

I'm not a cop, but the cops I have talked to have generally been in favor of it.




The mentality used to be that if you carried concealed you had something to hide and were probably a bad guy, if you carried open you were considered to be less nefarious.

 

[RonPT24/7]

There has been a lot of LEO's that lost their lifes here locally in the past . I'm not sure but I think I heard Sheriff Gary Painer say he was against OC . But I cannot verify that .

 

[NativeTexan]

Sheriffs are elected, police chiefs are political appointments. They don't necessarily reflect the opinions of the beat cop.

I doubt you'll ever see a burger joint full of OCers, though. Be lucky to see one, but ht coud be backed up by 3 or 4 CCers.

 

[MOONDAWG]

Generally speaking I don't have a "problem" with it as long as the person doing so shows a little common sense. The "problem" is the lack of common sense nowadays.

 

[20361]

The good guys that open carry do not generally hold their gun unless it is needed, it is always holstered.
Bad guys on the other hand will be holding it, generally partially concealed until they start their bad actions.
How many bad guys holster a gun anyway?

 

[Cariwine]

The only problem with open carry that I can see is when a citizen calls about a man with a gun and the cops have to rush over for nothing. Just in case.

 

[ISSMER]

AOCM.RET,

I do not understand your perspective and I am hoping you can elaborate more to help me better appreciate it.

In my opinion, the only thing open carry will do definitely is change the general publics awareness of the # of firearms present at a given location. It has the potential to deter crime and to make a lone open carrier a first target of a bad guy. The reality is that bad guys are everywhere and whether or not they open carry is irrelevant. They will make a choice to do bad and we should be ready to react.

 

[AOCM.RET]

AOCM.RET,

I do not understand your perspective and I am hoping you can elaborate more to help me better appreciate it.

In my opinion, the only thing open carry will definitely is change the general publics awareness of the # of firearms present at a given location. It has the potential to deter crime and to make a lone open carrier a first target of a bad guy. The reality is that bad guys are everywhere and whether or not they open carry is irrelevant. They will make a choice to do bad and we should be ready to react.

I am sorry you don't understand what I wrote, I think I was very plain in my comment. Try reading it again and if you still don't understand then send me a PM.

 

[osbornk]

Well, he has a good point, only a fool would walk in there with any ill intentions, but we also know there are some stupid people in this world. My problem with this is, I have no idea who is carrying legally and who may not. So, that cause me some concern, because one or more bad guys could come in armed and fit right in and wait until it thins out and then go into actions. Hopefully, I am one of the guys they waited on to leave. .....I am not adverse on open carry, but I think it would cause me to be on a very high alert if I was around a group like that in a store or whatever. ....That's just me.

Around here in the mountains, nobody seems to pay any attention to open carry. Of course, we generally know everyone we see and strangers are noticed whether or not they open carry.

 

[TexasDeputy]

I have no problem with open carry as long as the carrier acts responsibly. Most of the sheriff's people I work with feel the same, but the college police chief is vehemently opposed.

Last year during an active shooter drill, the campus chief directly ordered his officers to shoot anyone with a weapon. Those of us with the sheriff's dept were appalled at his directive.



Sent from my Huawei Phablet using Tapatalk

 

[GhostHorse]

Last year during an active shooter drill, the campus chief directly ordered his officers to shoot anyone with a weapon. Those of us with the sheriff's dept were appalled at his directive.

Holy chit; and well you should be appalled!

 

[garyh]

That sheriff made a stupid remark in my opinion.

 

[Craftsman]

That illustrates a point I have observed. A police officer's opinion on citizen carry is a major indication whether you have a public servant or a wanna be public master. Masters want control, servants are glad for help and support. Good cops do not have to worry about getting shot by law abiding citizens. All thugs, whether they wear a uniform and badge or not, worry about getting shot by law abiding gun owners when the thugs are committing violent crimes.

 

[Panda]

The odds of an altercation with a bad cop seems very remote to me. Maybe I'm being naïve, but if I have my credentials with me and I treat the officer with respect, I don't feel I have anything to worry about. In my humble opinion, they deserve the utmost respect for what they do on a daily basis. It's also my belief that Cops are trained to recognize the difference in behavior. Act like an a**hole and you'll be treated like one!

 

[TexasDeputy]

That sheriff made a stupid remark in my opinion.

It was the college campus police chief, not the sheriff that gave the order.



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[Marinevietvet]

I have no problem with open carry as long as the carrier acts responsibly. Most of the sheriff's people I work with feel the same, but the college police chief is vehemently opposed.

Last year during an active shooter drill, the campus chief directly ordered his officers to shoot anyone with a weapon. Those of us with the sheriff's dept were appalled at his directive.



Sent from my Huawei Phablet using Tapatalk

Perhaps he's another one of those "political appointees" with little or no street experience?

 

[McE]

It's a critical mass situation, there is a percentage threshold that needs to be reached to establish a status quo.
Only seeing a few people here and there open carry will contribute to a certain attitude, while seeing most people open carrying will contribute to a different attitude.
After all, if the majority of a population are open carriers, then the majority of that population are used to seeing open carriers.

Attitudes are still changing, if police are not in favor of a few open carriers here and there, that is not to say they would feel differently about open carry if it were the norm.