I want to have an understanding of how many people carry open. What issues you come across. I have always felt that Concealed was the way to go for the most part. Harder in the summer than winter but, maybe there is another option.

Kevin, it's reasonably easy to conceal nearly any firearm with most attire. The key is having the right holster to do so. I often carry a .45 springfield XD with 13 round magazine in shorts and a t-shirt. The right holster makes all the difference.

As far as open carry goes. I do, sometimes. It really depends on where I'm going and what I'm doing.... or sometimes what I'm wearing. I've never had any major issues, or bad experiences doing so. I have had a few good experiences and even a few permit students because of it. More often though I conceal, mostly so that I can pay less attention to posted business'. Oops, did I say that outloud?

You mean like a poll?

I open carry at times. Most of the time I conceal. It depends on where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing.

My primary job sort of requires that I conceal. There's no regulation saying I have to, but it minimizes distractions for clients. My secondary job outright forbids carry of any kind of weapon... yet they give us sharp objects and all kinds of things a person could use as a weapon.

I think that women's dress attire presents a greater concealment challenge, but I am able to conceal even in dress attire year round.

On my own time, I carry concealed the majority of the time. If I open carry, it's because I'm making a conscious decision to create positive open carry contacts with others in my town, or because I'm in the boonies.

I primarily conceal, using an untucked T-shirt or dress shirt over a tank top with an IWB holster. Generally, any place that is okay to walk around in an undershirt is okay to walk around OCing. IMHO. Leaving the fireworks around the 4th @ Powderhorn park for example or walking around near the river & Minnehaha Falls park (being careful to avoid the Fed property near there). I often open carry between the dumpster and my condo or in my immediate neighborhood (pushing a baby stroller as I was in the Target).

I left the outer shirt in the car going into the Target in St Louis Park and was asked to leave, it was no big deal they were polite, I was polite . . . and it is the only time I have ever been asked to leave because I was carrying (they still aren't posted BTW & apparently are unconcerned about concealed handguns).

Having the option to open carry is nice.

I carry concealed; but, I don't worry about it being "invisible".

I support open carry completely, even though I choose not to.

You have it right, a lot less hassle than carrying openly. But in Minnesota if you accidentally expose because you print, your cover garment blows open, or a seat belt or chair pulls your cover garment up and over your carry weapon, not a problem under current Minnesota law.
Yep, conceal carry is the way to go, it's just that the current Minnesota carry law is forgiving of some mistakes and I see no reason to carry open on Minnesota streets.

It is lawful to OC. I have done so but not around downtown.

I conceal carry 98% of the time. It is easier to do so for me with less drama due to police who don't know the law and sheeple who don't know the law.

I open carry everytime I carry I've never carried concealed. To big of gun.
Never had a problem. But I don't live in Murderapolis or St Paul or Duluth either.

And if I go to a mall I leave the gun at home. My choice, no ridiculing please.

I carry open. I enjoy doing so. Since you're soliciting feedback specifically about open carry, I can only assume you are considering doing so yourself, and are looking to test the waters a little bit.

Start small. Go on a walk with your dog if you have one. Pop into the service station to pay for your gas instead of swiping the card at the pump. Drop off the dry cleaning with your pistol on your hip. These things will give you a buildup to more routine daily tasks, and before you know it, you'll have full confidence in carrying open about your day.

Your mileage may vary with what kind of response you will receive from business owners and police, and since you haven't included your location in your profile, there is little I can do to speculate on what may or may not happen to you. Only you can fill us in on how that goes!

I have come across no issues at all, save the experience I just posted with Southdale Mall, after carrying open over a period of about six months.

What Tick said about holsters is good advice. I personally carry in CQC SERPA holsters and highly recommend them. I have found that most people don't even notice there's a pistol in plain view. I forget whose signature it was (or even if he still uses it), but there was a signature on here that said something to the effect of, "I swear I could drive a tank to the market, and if it was painted red and had the words Honda Accord written on it, no one would notice."

So true. Give it a shot and tell us how it goes! Remember: you are doing something legal, for which you do not have to justify or apologize to anyone. That should give you great confidence!

Huh? I did?

+1 on the CQC holster. It's my open carry and night stand holster. I have a variety of other holsters for concealed carry. It takes awhile to find out what works best for you, but the search is worthwhile.

Andrew's sig line, but GraySkys said it I believe.

I've OCed about 90% of the time since March. (Hey, why die of heat trying to dress around it?) I haven't had any negative experiances, only a few that were informative to curious folks who actually noticed a full sized GLOCK on my hip.

<--- Check out the Avitar.

Correctamundo.

You might want to use the search feature; we've discussed open carry many, many times.

I open carry most weekends. Once, in five years, I had some very polite and professional cops (in Minnetonka) ask to see my permit. They also gave my kids stickers and endured a four-year-old's interrogation ("Are you a powiceman? What are you doing here? Is that your gun? What's a Taser? Are there any bad guys here?"), so it's a wash who inconvenienced who more.

I tend to cover, but if my shirt rides up I am not really getting worried about it.


I carry concealed mostly because if something happens I prefer the element of surprise and its ensuing tactical advantages be mine.


If I am wearing a cover garment like a sport coat that day and I take it off while driving or what ever, I really don't freak if I have to get out of the car and get gas or other chores without the cover garment on. I try not to create havoc by OC'ing into places that might have legit reasons to fear a visible gun, (frequently robbed gas stations, or KFC's for example) there I just cover up and try to be greyman.

Uhhhhh, Nevermind... I don't know wth I was thinking... I think I just read another thread where someone, perhaps not even Tick, was commenting about the value of a good OC holster...

<Wipes egg off of face>



Talk about a mix up. However, +1 about my holster comment, just not the Tick Slayer part.