Many states are "open carry"(You can carry a firearm on you person as long as it is not concealed). Any of you do this? Stories? I ask because I am traveling solo cross country and prefer concealed carry, but am forced to carry open in some states KANSAS!. I'm sure many meth heads on the highway will see my $20,000 bike as a way to stay high for several days, and I am the only thing standing in their way. I want to exercise my consitutional right to keep and bear arms; But I don't want to get in trouble either. Right now it looks as if I will be stopping in Hays Kansas for lunch in June, and I don't want to leave my firearm in the saddlebag.

 

Reef: Since I'm both a LEO and a CCW Instructor, I have to say my advise is to obey the "Law". With that said, I must say that "open carry" bothers me tactically. I am an advocate of never letting your adversary know if you are armed and never letting them know how you are armed until it is time to produce your weapon. Open carry just brings unwanted attention to yourself from both LEOs and badguys. If I were you and were comfortable in concealed carry, I would never carry openly. I follow that old adage; 'It is better to be tried by 12 than to be carried by 6'.

Open carry even as a LEO bothers me some because it brings a gun to every encounter in which I'm involved. Sure there are '****** resistant' holsters, but there is always someone big and strong enough to defeat everyone of them. I for one do not mind in the least the good guys carrying concealed and am tactically aware of where the badguy's hands are at all times.

Both Nevada and Arizona are "Open Carry" states. I hardly ever see it being done in Nevada except at the shooting range or while hunting. I do see it more frequently in Arizona, usually by a class of people that really make me feel uncomfortable. I know personally one man who's a resident of Nevada that commonly carries openly. He is adamant about his "Second Amendment Right". He gets stopped a lot by LEOs and "run". He has lost at least one handgun when required to enter a "no firearms building" by leaving it in his locked vehicle in the parking lot. A slim-jim was used on his vehicle door. ............... You pays yo' money and makes yo' choice. ................... BC

 

Check out this site before you travel. Click on the drop down list for the states you will be traveling in.

http://www.packing.org

 

I agree with Big Cholla... In indiana, you have to go through the formality of getting a permit (easier in some counties than others) and then you can carry either way. But open carry would be like wearing a "Hassle Me" sign on your forehead. And we have reciprocity with few states, so your license is probably not valid here.

There has been talk in the NRA circles of getting a national right to carry, but I'm sure the subject is too inflammatory for any politician to vote for....

 

New Mexico is an open carry state, but if you carry open in places like Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Farmington, and some of the other metropolitan areas, you are going to get stopped and questioned.

If it is concealed and you don't do something stupid, no one is going to know you have it anyway. If you carry it on the bike and not on your person, there is a federal law that allows peaceful passage through all states. You can't stop and hang around for a couple of days, but you are legal to pass through.

Another alternative is to get a Florida and a Utah CCW permit. Between the two of these permits, you will be legal to carry concealed in about 28 states, and both permits are available to non-residents, and are easy to obtain.

Regards,

Bill

 

Just don't go through Illinois. One of the worst states about guns. Neither concealed or open carry is allowed. That's why a lot of people are gunned down in Chicago. No chance to defend yourself. And if our governor could, he would make everyone turn in their guns. Thank God for groups like the NRA (lifetime member here). They won't let our freedoms be taken away.

Some day we'll get a governor that will go the route of other states and allow CCW

 

Illinois is not an open carry state. You have to carry the gun unloaded and it has to be locked up. The bullets have to be locked in a separate (inaccessible) compartment. I'm retired LEO so I can carry anywhere Nationwide except Fed. buildings and Airports. I am also a believer of the judged by 12 theory. You carry your weapon in your saddlebag or tourpak where you can get to it in case of a breakdown and you will be fine. You would have to do something pretty bad to have the police stop and search your bike. Get and FOP sticker for your windshield. It helps.

 

FOP stickers work, but I prefer my bumper sticker instead

It says, "I SUPPORT PAY RAISES FOR STATE TROOPERS"

 

I know that some believe it's the best thing since sliced bread, but I'm just not too crazy about open carry. Firstly, you are instantly marked by it. This can work for and against you. Tactically, you become the focal point. You may or may not even be aware of it. You have completely given away the element of surprise. I also hear a lot about citizens with big mouths giving open carriers a hard time. Not something I want to go through every time I leave the house. The only advantage is that it "may" work as a deterrent. Someone "could" think twice about what they had initially planned if a known armed citizen is present. When carrying a concealed firearm, you have many more options that are given away if you carry openly. In my estimation, the disadvantages FAR outweigh any perceived advantage.

 

When you come to the sign "Welcome to New Jersey" turn around and run like hell! NJ is such a tight *** about any type of carry. You can apply for a permit if you want but that's as far as it goes. It says you can apply "for good reason to carry" but no one can tell you what a good reason is. A superior court judge must sign and approve a permit. They wouldn't sign for there own mother let alone a stranger. Living in a rural area we hunted, shot target and skeet without anyone complaining. Now they call LEO if they see you on your outside on your back porch cleaning your gun!