How many of you carry ?

[SydneyCarton 48075]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Been here 53 years and don’t recall seeing it except on cops and security guards.

This blows my mind, especially as I know you're a Houston guy. Outside of the fact I have two open-carry folks in my goddamn office, I see open carry fairly regularly. HEB on Shepherd usually every other time I visit I see a pistol, the target by my office on Sawyer. I mean I just see them frequently. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13509]

3 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Eventually enough people will open carry, we can know what’s it like to live in the old west. 

As soon as some see the people, who they're afraid of, open carrying then the laws will prevent that.

[Orange&White 5522]

Since Open Carry was permitted in 2016, I have seen someone open carrying a grand total of four times. One rifle over the back, two holstered pistols, one pistol in the waistband.

[Basil 754]

I own six guns and have never carried.  My wife hhhhhaaaaates, and I mean hates, guns and made me send them to my parents' house when we got married.  I had no issue with that as, despite living in Housotn, I figure I'm much more likely to accidently shoot one of my balls off than actually need it - which has proven true for over twenty years.  Plus, I'm not scared of my own shadow.

[Frank Drebin 5663]

3 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Since Open Carry was permitted in 2016, I have seen someone open carrying a grand total of four times. One rifle over the back, two holstered pistols, one pistol in the waistband.

I cannot recall the last time I saw open carry in Houston.  I have seen it in Freer and Pearsall during hunting season.

I've come to largely prefer no open carry.  Because the availability open carry has caused businesses who otherwise never put up signs to put up signs prohibiting both open and concealed.

Open carry is nice if you're hiking somewhere remote and just want to be more comfortable.  But it's really not much harder to carry concealed if you have the right setup. Open carry would seem to make you the first target if someone was going to rob or shoot up a place.

[BabaYaga 15290]

5 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Open carry would seem to make you the first target if someone was going to rob or shoot up a place.

It's more than that, it's the retention of the weapon.  The holsters LE use are specifically designed to help prevent someone grabbing their sidearm and they spend a considerable amount of time training to avoid this.

[closetohumping 17438]

8 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

I cannot recall the last time I saw open carry in Houston.  I have seen it in Freer and Pearsall during hunting season.

I've come to largely prefer no open carry.  Because the availability open carry has caused businesses who otherwise never put up signs to put up signs prohibiting both open and concealed.

Open carry is nice if you're hiking somewhere remote and just want to be more comfortable.  But it's really not much harder to carry concealed if you have the right setup. Open carry would seem to make you the first target if someone was going to rob or shoot up a place.

I wonder if open carry keeps the wildlife away?

[BabaYaga 15290]

19 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Since Open Carry was permitted in 2016, I have seen someone open carrying a grand total of four times. One rifle over the back, two holstered pistols, one pistol in the waistband.

I've never seen it, and that includes a ton of time in BFE, small-town west Texas.  I've seen a total of ONE gun in the wild, and that was a guy cheering at a local sports practice who raised his hands to stretch and I saw his pistol.  He was also there with his newborn infant, so maybe that played a part?

[LW Goatman 1121]

I have quite a few guns, mostly rifles and shotguns for hunting, some pistols and fun plinking guns. I have had a chl for 15 years and carried probably 15 times in my life while not on a ranch. I don't like open carry at all, but have only seen it a couple of times outside of hunting (one guy on loop 820 in a crotch rocket doing stunts on his bike no less).

Someone asked before about crime prevention and who knows. I can offer one one experience in my life. I was in a "mass shooting" meaning I was within 50 feet of the shooter separated by a single wall. Someone in that room with me was shot as were others, some died. A good samaritan with a chl engaged the shooter and altered the course of the event. More people would have died had that not happened, maybe me? I don't think so but others definitely are alive today because of that person's actions.

[YGIFS 19450]

5% of the time, a good guy with a gun works every time. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by YGIFS

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

This blows my mind, especially as I know you're a Houston guy. Outside of the fact I have two open-carry folks in my goddamn office, I see open carry fairly regularly. HEB on Shepherd usually every other time I visit I see a pistol, the target by my office on Sawyer. I mean I just see them frequently. 

What the fuck? What kind of office? I have been in O&G (engineering and operator side) for the past 16 years and all the companies I have worked for have strict no guns in the office policies. Signs on the outside of the building. Before this I worked in music and owned a studio in Austin. Had someone in a band carried into my business I would have told them to leave it in the car.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

36 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

What happened to sack

He cleaned up, found Jesus.

[atomheartbevo 89644]

9 hours ago, totallynotabuttpirate said:

Open carry to me just seems crazy. Makes me feel like a Gravy Seal or something. 

9 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I imagine most of the open carry people daydream about the different scenarios where they would be called into action and be the hero. It’s fucking fantasy cosplay.

I've seen a few people who open carry over the past few years in situations that don't need it, and yeah, there's a lot going on there mentally.  Sure, they could find find themselves in one of those situations they fantasize about, only it won't go the way they anticipated, and they don't even realize they've put a juicy target on themselves. These people don't realize that the image they are putting out there is not one that is helpful to gun owners.

Meanwhile, the chances of people like them needing to actually do something are far less than him getting run over or t-boned by some asshole on a cell phone blowing through a stop sign or red light.

There's a time and place.  On my family's farm, I'll carry a rifle or pistol if I'm going out in the boonies, since it is extremely rural and there are critters out there that need to be dealt with (mostly armadillos, turtles, and one of these days the fucking beaver that's wrecking a pond if I ever see the fucking thing).

 

[YGIFS 19450]

You shoot turtles, you sick fuck?  

[JMFP 1120]

3 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

He cleaned up, found Jesus.

I thought he died in prison from lung cancer?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

You shoot turtles, you sick fuck?  

That’s a head scratcher. But then again I am not scared of snakes so turtles is even more confusing.

[Shaggy3.0 1695]

17 hours ago, Deej said:

I would only carry at Surly sponsored events. You guys are nuts. 

well, this is/was the home for TexTow and Ray Pugh.  so yeah, there's that.

 

[closetohumping 17438]

9 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

He cleaned up, found Jesus.

Last dude that did that got crowd sourced in three minutes

[SydneyCarton 48075]

14 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

What the fuck? What kind of office? I have been in O&G (engineering and operator side) for the past 16 years and all the companies I have worked for have strict no guns in the office policies. Signs on the outside of the building. Before this I worked in music and owned a studio in Austin. Had someone in a band carried into my business I would have told them to leave it in the car.

The kind of office that is a small business with 8 employees, and the primary in question is an equity shareholder in the company, and the other guy is his direct report. We don't work in a traditional office building. The internal dynamics for productivity versus the fiasco of infringing on his freedom is...a tightrope. 

[Armybrat 40832]

38 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

I wonder if open carry keeps the wildlife away?

It did until we packed up our gear from the blind and started driving back to town.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Armybrat

[Armybrat 40832]

I’ve only seen open carry once - in Round Rock a couple exiting Whataburger several years ago. Both had holstered semiauto pistols.

Open carry around in urban areas is not my thing at all, but don’t care if anyone chooses to exercise that right (as long as they are not threatening). It’s rather a dumb display of “look at me”, IMO.

[closetohumping 17438]

24 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The kind of office that is a small business with 8 employees, and the primary in question is an equity shareholder in the company, and the other guy is his direct report. We don't work in a traditional office building. The internal dynamics for productivity versus the fiasco of infringing on his freedom is...a tightrope. 

Not that I want to defend this fella, but when I lived in Texas, it was definitely not uncommon.  Daily occurrence?  No.  

[Mittens 8260]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I’ve never encountered one of the open carry people in the wild but I would immediately leave any location if someone walked in like that. 

My toxic trait is that I'd be inclined to shit talk them and laugh at their tiny dicks.  

[gurt 748]

Sometimes I feel like there are only about 5-10 topics discussed on this forum

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

The kind of office that is a small business with 8 employees, and the primary in question is an equity shareholder in the company, and the other guy is his direct report. We don't work in a traditional office building. The internal dynamics for productivity versus the fiasco of infringing on his freedom is...a tightrope. 

Well, they set the rules. So no problem there. Just curious as I have never seen that in my career. Granted my career (in this industry) has been with large engineering firms and energy companies where it is strictly not allowed. I would imagine most corporations are similar (ones large enough to have a substantial HR department).

[SydneyCarton 48075]

5 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Not that I want to defend this fella, but when I lived in Texas, it was definitely not uncommon.  Daily occurrence?  No.  

I'm not defending or attacking the guy, I was simply offering an illustration that I see open carry all the time. Two in my office, but I also see it fairly commonly at stores, groceries, a couple times at restaurants, etc. The thing I find most odd is the number of people on this thread, who live in the same city I do, who've said they have seen it a handful of times ever. 

2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Well, they set the rules. So no problem there. Just curious as I have never seen that in my career. Granted my career (in this industry) has been with large engineering firms and energy companies where it is strictly not allowed. I would imagine most corporations are similar (ones large enough to have a substantial HR department).

Yes, I assume any large corporation has those policies. Hell, I imagine most medium sized companies and small businesses have those policies. This situation is definitely fairly uncommon. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I'm not defending or attacking the guy, I was simply offering an illustration that I see open carry all the time. Two in my office, but I also see it fairly commonly at stores, groceries, a couple times at restaurants, etc. The thing I find most odd is the number of people on this thread, who live in the same city I do, who've said they have seen it a handful of times ever. 

I am in Houston and yes, I have seen it several times.

I reckon these folks have seen it but assumed they are off duty cops or detectives/other plain clothed cops.

[Frank Drebin 5663]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

This blows my mind, especially as I know you're a Houston guy. Outside of the fact I have two open-carry folks in my goddamn office, I see open carry fairly regularly. HEB on Shepherd usually every other time I visit I see a pistol, the target by my office on Sawyer. I mean I just see them frequently. 

You see that at H-E-B?  I don't think they allow open carry.

I don't think Target does either.  But it's been awhile since I have been inside the one near my house.

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

59 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

He cleaned up, found Jesus.

 Things are good, or so I hear · This bottle of Stephen's Awakens ancient feelin's

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

48 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

5% of the time, a good guy with a gun works every time. 

Every last person on this forum would quickly opt for the extra 5% chance of survival when faced with their imminent death. Ardent 2A, gun control, religious or not wouldn’t matter. The hind brain will take over and everyone will choose anything that extends life. 
 

It’s why so many are oddly acquiescent when they are clearly being walked over to their certain execution. Anything for a few more moments of being. 
 

None of us would begrudge a solider about to charge an objective wearing some piece of equipment that upped their odds of survival by any percentage. And yet we begrudge some for doing the same in the unlikely event of a self defense situation. It’s silly. 

[SydneyCarton 48075]

Just now, Frank Drebin said:

You see that at H-E-B?  I don't think they allow open carry.

I don't think Target does either.  But it's been awhile since I have been inside the one near my house.

 

I don't think a 20 yea old stocker or curbside shopper is looking to cause trouble be confronting customers regularly. But yeah, I see it. Then again perhaps the question might be what qualifies as "open carry." The guy with it on his hip that had his untucked shirt fail to cover the pistol as he moved around? Does covering it qualify as him re-arranging his shirt? If so, then I guess he's concealed. 

[CHIEF 5079]

9 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I am in Houston and yes, I have seen it several times.

I reckon these folks have seen it but assumed they are off duty cops or detectives/other plain clothed cops.

I have seen one or two open carries that I definitely knew were Qnon crackpot types. Seen a lot more dressed nice, open carry, no badge, but look the part type of folks (men and women). One would assume that in Houston, you would see that much more often.

CHIEF

[Frank Drebin 5663]

3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I don't think a 20 yea old stocker or curbside shopper is looking to cause trouble be confronting customers regularly. But yeah, I see it. Then again perhaps the question might be what qualifies as "open carry." The guy with it on his hip that had his untucked shirt fail to cover the pistol as he moved around? Does covering it qualify as him re-arranging his shirt? If so, then I guess he's concealed. 

I don't shop at your store and agree an hourly low paid employee is not going to say a thing.  But at the two near my house there is always an armed cop standing at the entrance.  I cannot imagine it would end well for someone walking in with a pistol on their hip.

I have just never seen an open carry at Central Market or Buffalo Speedway H-E-B and I am in both probably once a week.

[Nivek 16923]

I prefer to just let my elementary aged kids to carry. They are also wearing emotional support vests and have emotional support stickers on the AR15s.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I have seen one or two open carries that I definitely knew were Qnon crackpot types. Seen a lot more dressed nice, open carry, no badge, but look the part type of folks (men and women). One would assume that in Houston, you would see that much more often.
CHIEF

For sure. I do see quite a lot of what we are talking about. But, to Sydney’s point, I have definitely seen a handful of open carry folks that I doubt are LOE.

[SydneyCarton 48075]

Just now, Frank Drebin said:

I don't shop at your store and agree an hourly low paid employee is not going to say a thing.  But at the two near my house there is always an armed cop standing at the entrance.  I cannot imagine it would end well for someone walking in with a pistol on their hip.

I have just never seen an open carry at Central Market or Buffalo Speedway H-E-B and I am in both probably once a week.

Don't know what to tell you man. Thanks to my co-workers I've also become quite adept at recognizing the outline of folks who are carrying pistols on their hip, covered by a polo in a way that lets everyone know they've got a big ass pistol on their hip. But covered. 

[closetohumping 17438]

11 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

You see that at H-E-B?  I don't think they allow open carry.

I don't think Target does either.  But it's been awhile since I have been inside the one near my house.

 

Maybe all the baggers were too busy to spot it? 

[SydneyCarton 48075]

Just now, Patricio Swayze said:

For sure. I do see quite a lot of what we are talking about. But, to Sydney’s point, I have definitely seen a handful of open carry folks that I doubt are LOE.

In my experience, there is a huge percentage of LEO that go well out of their way to make everyone aware that they are LEO even when they are obviously off-duty. 

[Frank Drebin 5663]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

Don't know what to tell you man. Thanks to my co-workers I've also become quite adept at recognizing the outline of folks who are carrying pistols on their hip, covered by a polo in a way that lets everyone know they've got a big ass pistol on their hip. But covered. 

Have you ever seen someone with an uncovered pistol at HEB or Target?  Not printing.  Not because you caught a brief glimpse because their shirt lifted up temporarily.

I mean open carrying like with a holster with no attempt to cover?  That's what I am talking about and what most people think of when they hear the phrase "open carry". Walking around like John Wayne in the old West.

[gsoda3 3254]

18 hours ago, CHIEF said:

I carry one in the center console of my truck. I was unarmed, and got into an altercation with three ex-cons and their cousin in Throckmorton in 2006. Apparently they were the town bullies, had shot some folks. Just generally bad people. My truck wasn't recognized, so I was a sure mark.I fucked them up and lived through it at 38, not sure I would live through it at 55. I had CHIEF Jr. with me, he was eight at the time. If I would have stopped way out of town, where it all started, if they would have killed me, they would have killed him on the side of the road.

CHIEF

well chief what's the story here?

 

i don't like open carry, i think it causes more alarm than necessary which doesn't justify its benefits over concealed carry.  also my wife had a bad encounter with an off-duty sheriff's deputy (pre open-carry) at her school which didn't do anything to endear us to off-duty officers.  i've only conceal carried a handful of times even with my CHL back in the day:  when i went to the bank with an obscene amount of cash, going to buy gold from the coin shop, and a couple craigslist transactions. 

 

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

In my experience, there is a huge percentage of LEO that go well out of their way to make everyone aware that they are LEO even when they are obviously off-duty. 

My favorite Vietnamese place near my house gets a lot of LOE and oddly military. I say oddly because I am not aware of any military facilities in NW Houston. Anyways, yeah, most of the plain clothed cops are wearing their badge on their belt. Not overtly going out of their way to show they are LOE in any other way but that badge. Sometimes maybe a polo with their department logo.

While we are here, and mostly unrelated to the topic, I was eating there last week or the week before and a HPD swat officer came in. I usually sit right in front of the register to people watch. He was in fatigues and had his pistol holstered on his thigh. He orders his food and goes and sits down. Moments later he runs back to the kitchen door, holding his radio, and asks if they could cancel his order that there is an emergency. As he passes by me I hear on the radio “I’m hit!” Couple of O&G Bros a table down here it to. The cop hits the door and then sprints to his truck. We all stand up and see him retrieve his rifle from the back and take it with him in the cab. It sounded pretty intense. I check the news through your the day but didn’t see a thing about any incident where a cop was shot.

Training exercise maybe?

[SydneyCarton 48075]

4 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Have you ever seen someone with an uncovered pistol at HEB or Target?  Not printing.  Not because you caught a brief glimpse because their shirt lifted up temporarily.

I mean open carrying like with a holster with no attempt to cover?  That's what I am talking about and what most people think of when they hear the phrase "open carry". Walking around like John Wayne in the old West.

I am positive I have seen that at HEB. Target gets sketchier with my memory. I visit there much less because I have a wife, and it's more of a mental checklist at this point of "There's an open carry guy" and at this point I'm relatively desensitized to it. And now that you mention it, I'm trying to think where I consistently see an armed guard outside our HEB. I see dudes in their security vehicles patrolling the parking garage all the time, but I don't recall a guy just sitting on a stool outside the 2nd story automatic doors, or by the registers. 

[aggie08 21495]

44 minutes ago, gurt said:

Sometimes I feel like there are only about 5-10 topics discussed on this forum

I agree. HEB does get WAY too much attention.

[Born to Run 6569]

I grew in a shitty part of Houston and kept a loaded shotgun under my bed through high school. Carried on a commercial construction project when I went back to Houston and we were working nights. Everyone did and we still had issues.
Moved to West Austin and haven't carried since. Pistol is in a safe by the bed. All my other guns are in a safe.

I'm far more worried about gun accidents than I am about self defense. And anecdotally I know more people that have experienced death or injury due to gun accidents or friends or family going nuts (multiple horrible incidents) than from home invasion or robbery (zero shots fired). One of my friends that carries in Houston got robbed and when he tried to draw he got the fuck beaten out of him instead of just handing over his wallet and watch. Fuck living in fear or shooting someone over possessions.

We sold the family ranch so my son hasn't had a ton of shooting experience since. I'm pretty leary of public gun ranges and we share many other hobbies that don't lead to fucking death.

I can’t even imagine feeling so scared in my own home or driving around town that I needed a gun.
I feel bad for y’all.

This

[BabaYaga 15290]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

You shoot turtles, you sick fuck?  

Fuck all stock pond turtles.  Murder on sight

[Born to Run 6569]

Most people that carry here dont believe in open carry. Not necessarily not believe in the law, just that it’s ignorant to show your cards. Sort of antithetical to the purpose for those that feel the need to carry.  That’s my takeaway mental polling from active involvement in the gun owners thread over the last however many years going back to the scat site. 

Yet most that oppose open carry would freak the fuck out if it was banned. I think it's the dumbest fucking thing and completely goes against notions of discretion and courtesy that was taught to us as young hunters. Don't frighten the non -gun owner. That's both courtesy and self-serving to protect your right to own guns. It's basic, don't be a dick and keep your rights.

Now days it's fuck your feelings I'm going to parade my AR around.
And for some reason we let the fringe set the rules.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

8 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

Fuck living in fear or shooting someone over possessions.

When do you know if your life is in the bargain of losing your possessions?  
 

I agree, all the extra fuckery that goes along with gun ownership probably wouldn’t be worth it if the exchange was your TV and then you call the police. 
 

That’s an unknown quantity. Each of us reaches a different conclusion about that. Some don’t consider it at all. 

[Born to Run 6569]

I imagine most of the open carry people daydream about the different scenarios where they would be called into action and be the hero. It’s fucking fantasy cosplay.

A relative used to mail me NRA magazines back in the day and it was all fear porn and "good guy with a gun saves the day". Dude never got to save the day and shoot some marauding (likely black) thug and instead died of shitty life and health choices. Man he spent a lot of timing preparing to shoot another human.

[Homercles 10205]

No surprise on Frank Drebin’s views

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

My favorite responsible gun owner stories are the ones where two dads end up in a shootout with their kids in the car because one cut the other off in traffic.