Open Carry

[crazypilot]

How many of you open carry here in Las Vegas? I was reading some posts on opencarry.org and it just got me thinking. Do you guys meet up somewhere and do it? How often do you open carry? Just want to see the responses I get.

[tactical9mm]

I open carry my Glock-34 in a Safari-land ALS thigh rig virtually all the time, except when I'm at my place of employment or in places where openly displaying my weapon would get me asked to leave.

I don't meet up with anyone that I don't know to "carry", and I think that idea would be folly which would serve no purpose except attracting the wrong kind of attention.

I carry openly rather then concealed because I think the Nevada CCW laws are an obscenity. I don't like the idea of having to submit my fingerprints and "register" myself to exercise what I feel is a constitutional right, but here in Nevada this is called a "privilege".

Nevada needs to take a lesson on this from Vermont and get with the program.

If Nevada was like Vermont I would probably be carrying my Glock-19 concealed and would not be carrying anything openly except for rare occasions.

Wishful thinking on my part...

[WHORLMAN]

Open carry is legal in NV? Wow another bonus to moving there. How widespread is OC? What kind of reception do you get from "the public"?

[osiruscyn]

OC is not widespread at all. I have lived here for 27 years and cannot remember one time seeing a single person OC honestly. I did it once and will not do it again. People get too freaked out about it.

The time i did it. I was going to a Sport's Authority and waited outside while my friends went inside. My friends were in there about about 10 minutes and during the time, people came and went. As we were heading to the car afterwards, an LVMPD unit pulled into the parking lot at a fairly decent speed and came right for the Sport's Authority. The officer drove around and then took off. By this time we were in the car and driving away. I'm certain that the officer was responding to a "guy with a gun" call that some scared soccer mom called in. Since that day, i have never open carried and never will again. Concealed is much easier to deal with and doesn't worry the little soccer moms since they can't see it. Also gives you an advantage of secrecy. If you are in a robbery or something similar, it's highly probable the BG's are going to automatically shoot the guy with the gun on their hip first, especially with the rash of robberies in the valley recently.

A little aside, the pharmacy in the Walgreen's on Ft. Apache and Desert Inn was robbed last night of prescriptions. The guys had a gun. I was in that exact same pharmacy only hours earlier carrying concelead. No one suspected a thing.

[WHORLMAN]

Also gives you an advantage of secrecy. If you are in a robbery or something similar, it's highly probable the BG's are going to automatically shoot the guy with the gun on their hip first, especially with the rash of robberies in the valley recently.

A little aside, the pharmacy in the Walgreen's on Ft. Apache and Desert Inn was robbed last night of prescriptions. The guys had a gun. I was in that exact same pharmacy only hours earlier carrying concelead. No one suspected a thing.

Having carried here in FL for the last 7 years, I've always taken great pains to make sure I wasn't "printing" or "flashing", for that very reason. If anything did happen, I wanted to mantain any tactical advantage I had by not announcing to everyone that I was armed.

I guess if you OC with a buddy or in groups you can kind of watch each others back. Still, it just seems like such hassle having do deal with the ignorant public...cops may not arrest you, but just having them check you out is a pain in the butt I'd rather avoid.

[crazypilot]

I opened carried on my home from Front Sight once since I don't have my G23listed on my permit yet. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and man was I nervous. I kept looking around to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on me but I don't think anyone really noticed since I stayed next to the car. I haven't done it since.

[jfrey123]

Open carry is legal in NV?

Sure is, but I'll also admit I've never seen it in the greater Reno/Sparks area. I've seen it twice while in the smaller farm towns, mainly cause farmers don't feel the need to take off the ol' six gun they carry on their ranch.

I've heard people talk about it with mixed results. Some do great, some get harassed and scare the public, but typically you won't see it in the cities. I've never personally heard of a case where one was arrested for doing it, but that's not to say cops won't ask you to just leave it in the car.

That said, I do carry every time I go camping or hiking. I've run into plenty of folk while enjoying Nevada's deserts and no one has really batted an eye at the Glock or Ruger on my hip. I don't see a point in CCWing in the woods, cause the mountain lions don't care either lol. I did leave a gun belt with holster and mag cases on when hitting a Quizno's on my way home from a day of shooting, but the gun was in the car. No one said a word or gave an odd look. :tongueout:


I'd like to open carry, but I'm afraid I don't have the cahonez! :dunno:

[tactical9mm]

I have found that one's personal appearance as well as how you conduct yourself in public makes a big difference as far as a "public reaction" goes. Additionally this matters a GREAT deal if you do run into any curious law enforcement.

If you're dressed like Mad Max, and convey the image and appearance of a thug, expect to be treated as such by the public and by law enforcement.

On the other hand, if you dress neatly and are well groomed and conduct yourself calmly and as you would in any normal situation, the majority of people do not even notice the weapon, or do not care.

If you are approached by law enforcement (as I have been twice, once in Henderson and once in Las Vegas by metro), they are trying to determine your state of mind at the time of the encounter and will initiate a conversation with you to see if you are on your way to shoot up a church congregation, or just an armed citizen going about his business. If ID and your blue card are requested (in clark county for example), don't hesitate to provide the officers with this information.

Treat them with respect, and you will be treated with respect. On the flip side, if you try to bust balls then expect to have an unpleasant situation develop.

To me most of this is common sense. I've never had what I what consider to be a "negative" encounter with either the general public or with law enforcement in Nevada.

One other point I think I should bring up is that if you see people who are openly carrying it is a fairly safe assumption that they are not "bad guys". Bad guys do not worry about laws, and will carry concealed without a permit.

Law enforcement in Nevada is also well aware of the law regarding open carry, and respond differently to dispatch qualified "man with a gun calls". A person brandishing a pistol coming out of a 7-11 that he just robbed is going to be handled quite differently then say a cell phone call from a woman freshly moved in from California about "a man paying for groceries who has a holstered weapon".

[osiruscyn]

I have found that one's personal appearance as well as how you conduct yourself in public makes a big difference as far as a "public reaction" goes. Additionally this matters a GREAT deal if you do run into any curious law enforcement.

If you're dressed like Mad Max, and convey the image and appearance of a thug, expect to be treated as such by the public and by law enforcement.

On the other hand, if you dress neatly and are well groomed and conduct yourself calmly and as you would in any normal situation, the majority of people do not even notice the weapon, or do not care.

If you are approached by law enforcement (as I have been twice, once in Henderson and once in Las Vegas by metro), they are trying to determine your state of mind at the time of the encounter and will initiate a conversation with you to see if you are on your way to shoot up a church congregation, or just an armed citizen going about his business. If ID and your blue card are requested (in clark county for example), don't hesitate to provide the officers with this information.

Treat them with respect, and you will be treated with respect. On the flip side, if you try to bust balls then expect to have an unpleasant situation develop.

To me most of this is common sense. I've never had what I what consider to be a "negative" encounter with either the general public or with law enforcement in Nevada.

One other point I think I should bring up is that if you see people who are openly carrying it is a fairly safe assumption that they are not "bad guys". Bad guys do not worry about laws, and will carry concealed without a permit.

Law enforcement in Nevada is also well aware of the law regarding open carry, and respond differently to dispatch qualified "man with a gun calls". A person brandishing a pistol coming out of a 7-11 that he just robbed is going to be handled quite differently then say a cell phone call from a woman freshly moved in from California about "a man paying for groceries who has a holstered weapon".


I agree that the way you carry yourself does have some influence on to how you are treated and how the general public react. However, society, as a whole, are not used to seeing average citizens exercise their right to open carry. Because of this, most of the public are not aware of the law regarding open carry and hence freak out if they see the average joe wearing a holstered weapon.

It's true that calls can be handled differently, however that relies heavily o the person reporting it. If the PR calls in frantic and yelling that someone had a gun and is walking around with it, the police are going to respond as if someone is about to shoot up everyone and everything when it could be that it's some guy just wearing a holstered weapon. They have to assume the worst and hope for the best. However, if a PR calls in and says they see a guy with a gun holstered on his side at a store, then the police are going to respond accordingly in that situation as it's someone not familiar with the law and to try and quell any situation that may arise from the misunderstanding.

[RMTactical]

I ALWAYS saw people open carrying when I lived in Phoenix. Not so much in Vegas, but I have seen it a few times.

The most memorable was a guy I saw open carrying a 1911 with 7 mags on his belt!!

I just thought it was funny... because... can you imagine being in a situation where you would need that many mags outside of a war zone? I mean... if you were gonna need that many mags, I would think you should consider a more powerful firearm... :dunno:

[osiruscyn]

I ALWAYS saw people open carrying when I lived in Phoenix. Not so much in Vegas, but I have seen it a few times.

The most memorable was a guy I saw open carrying a 1911 with 7 mags on his belt!!

I just thought it was funny... because... can you imagine being in a situation where you would need that many mags outside of a war zone? I mean... if you were gonna need that many mags, I would think you should consider a more powerful firearm... :dunno:

must have been my CCW instructor at American Shooters.

[Ripple]

Heres the deal on open carry in Vegas..... Dont

Lets face it a CCW is simple to get, literally 1 day for the class and a few hours down at the sheriffs card place and thats it.

Your going to have someone call the cops with a "Man with a gun" call. The unit responding is going to have to drop all other traffic to come out and tell you your an idiot. :) Most likely getting a Disturbing the peace citation for wasting his time.

That said, if I'm on the way to the range and have something on my belt. I would stop in at a 7-11 for a soda but I wouldn't make a show of it. I normally keep a vest or something to toss on but if I didn't have it handy oh well.

So don't waste a cops time he has donuts to eat damn it!!!!

[eXe]

Where I live In Pahrump (About 60 miles outside Vegas) open carry is pretty common. You will see people walking around in Walmart or Smiths with a weapon on. Its just not as big a deal.

Its kind of a culture shock to visitors but it is 100% legal out here and you DO see it at least once a week.. sometimes more.

I only open carry when going to front sight or when going or coming back from target shooting.. but I have done it a few times just to do it.. (Remember, I grew up in NYC and lived in California for a while.. so I just HAD to do it cus it was legal lol)

[tactical9mm]

Yep. As long as it is done responsibly, things are okay. I've been doing it in Clark county (specifically in Las Vegas) for about two years now on a daily basis.

Until Nevada becomes a no-issue state (meaning no permit necessary) for concealed carry, I'll continue to carry openly.

Submitting your fingerprints, paying the state to allow you your right to carry concealed every few years and signing a blatantly invasive waiver and authorization form to release information just doesn't do it for the patriot in me.

Until then it is business as usual, and even if that time does come, I still will probably carry openly after thinking long and hard about it. If everyone always carried concealed then people who aren't used to being around firearms will continue to live in ignorance and fear.

Seeing people armed should make people feel safer, not more insecure.

[crazypilot]

I opened carried on my home from Front Sight once since I don't have my G23listed on my permit yet. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and man was I nervous. I kept looking around to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on me but I don't think anyone really noticed since I stayed next to the car. I haven't done it since.
Forgot to add, I did open carry in one of the gas stations in Pahrump. I went in to purchase some snacks before I headed over to FS on the last day. The lady on the counter looked at me and asked me if I was a student at FS and nothing else. I guess she was use to it.

[Slmpickins26]

Just pony up the bucks and get your CCW. Just to cover your own azz.

[crazypilot]

I got it. I just need to add to it.

[Slmpickins26]

I got it. I just need to add to it.

Well?:supergrin: I know a good guy if you need the number IM me.