The Concealed vs. Open Carry Debate

During the Christmas Holidays, I watched with great anticipation a Facebook thread in a gun rights group that I am a member of as they carried on the “Great OC/CC Debate”. I shudder when this comes up. It’s like discussing Glock vs.1911 or 9mm vs. 45acp. Nothing gets proven! 175 posts later the only results are hurt feelings and accusations of this, that and the other lol. And when it is over with there are still no stats or dialogue that prove one or the other is better. My personal feelings are, carry the way you feel comfortable and make sure you carry in a way you cannot be easily disarmed regardless if you OC or CC.

“Other than maybe the perpetual caliber wars, one of the most dependable points of argument amongst The People of the Gun: the concealed carry vs. open carry…well, “debate” doesn’t really cover it. It’s more that there are people who buy into one over the other. And then proceed to tell the other side how they’re wrong.

Then the rationalizations are introduced, and soon after, the whole thing descends into name-calling. As in so many internet discussions, it ultimately it gets down to both sides making the carefully-considered, nuanced point that “You’re wrong because you don’t like the thing I like.” And this happens all the time.

As we know, concealed carry is good because a pistol held in a concealed carry holster and kept out of view won’t offend people who are afraid of guns or otherwise uncomfortable around them.

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One Comment

  1. This is a good article. The author gives a balanced assessment of both types of carry. I agree that open carry “could” expose the carrier to a risk of being robbed of the gun. However, gun carriers (a different sort of person than a gun owner) absolutely must have situational awareness regardless of how they carry. If you have a gun on you, you really need to pay attention to your surroundings. I am one of those who believe that dressing well and open carrying dissuades bad guys from acting. Having said that, there are many situations where OC is not the best approach. I very often CC. While there are some who believe it gives them an edge through the element of surprise, I say it increases the potential for needed to use that concealed gun. Why? Because the bad guy didn’t know you were armed so he went ahead and carried out his deed instead of waiting until you were no longer a perceived threat to him.

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