So...is it just me or what?
Lately, I have been seeing a ton of folks walking around in public with either Outside-the-Waistband holsters or their gun just tucked in the waistband of their pants, fully-exposed to view. One guy in the Walmart even had a 33-round magazine hanging out of his Glock 19. (I actually had the opportunity to speak to him. I said, "If it's so dangerous to shop here that I need to be carrying THAT, I want to find another store!") Another guy had a Kydex chest rig on with a Beretta 92 in the convenience store that I visited yesterday in Jasper County.
I know lots of people have an issue with this style of carry because of the "public alarm" aspect, but my issue is this: Doesn't the public display of your firearm make you "Target #1" if someone is hell-bent on causing a problem? I would rather the perpetrator not know who the sheepdogs are until he is unpleasantly surprised (a la Elijah Dickens). I feel that concealed carry leaves me options during an emergency. I can gather my loved ones and make a move for the door OR I can engage if I have to. When I am designated as Target #1, my options become very limited.
Don't get me wrong. I am a big supporter of Constitutional Carry. This is not a gun rights issue for me. It's a TACTICS issue. In other words, it's not a "Can I do this?"; it's a "Should I do this?".
Lately, I have been seeing a ton of folks walking around in public with either Outside-the-Waistband holsters or their gun just tucked in the waistband of their pants, fully-exposed to view. One guy in the Walmart even had a 33-round magazine hanging out of his Glock 19. (I actually had the opportunity to speak to him. I said, "If it's so dangerous to shop here that I need to be carrying THAT, I want to find another store!") Another guy had a Kydex chest rig on with a Beretta 92 in the convenience store that I visited yesterday in Jasper County.
I know lots of people have an issue with this style of carry because of the "public alarm" aspect, but my issue is this: Doesn't the public display of your firearm make you "Target #1" if someone is hell-bent on causing a problem? I would rather the perpetrator not know who the sheepdogs are until he is unpleasantly surprised (a la Elijah Dickens). I feel that concealed carry leaves me options during an emergency. I can gather my loved ones and make a move for the door OR I can engage if I have to. When I am designated as Target #1, my options become very limited.
Don't get me wrong. I am a big supporter of Constitutional Carry. This is not a gun rights issue for me. It's a TACTICS issue. In other words, it's not a "Can I do this?"; it's a "Should I do this?".