While gangbangers are dumb I would think they have enough brains not to do that, too many witnesses and how many are armed?

I wonder about the ignorant and the attention freaks. I don't know how many people don't know chapter 790 but have a concealed license, let alone those that have maybe 50 rounds through a gun with no knowledge of self defensive use. Then we have those that want to look cool and think they know the law and how to use a gun. This is going to be interesting to see how it plays out but I hope I'm wrong and there's an uneventful outcome.

 

It will take a few months for this to become part of our culture in the state.

The way I see it, dozens of other states have permitted open carry successfully. Why can't we do the same thing in Florida?

 

Fully agree!
At first I had all of the obvious reservations about it ie: theft, arguments/fights, "Rambo Morons" trying to show off etc, etc.
But there are many states where OC has been the norm for ages......without the entire population being wiped out!
I will ALWAYS carry concealed.
But to each his own.

 

I suspect the county sheriffs will make an example of someone who breaks the law soon.

 

Many other states have open carry and it is not the Wild West with shoot outs. The truth is that very few people open carry in those states. imho, the reasons not to open carry far out number the reasons to open carry. I certantly won’t be. I predict that a year from now, after the yahoos have done it just because they can, you will observe very few guns displayed out in the wild.

 

I moved to Florida a few months ago from Ohio. Ohio has open carry. You might see one guy a year exercise it, and nobody cares.

Just an fyi, your worries here are the arguments gun grabbers use, and they are not found in facts.

The same arguments were used when we were trying to pass constitutional carry in Ohio. After it passed, surprise, no O.K. Corrals, cacti didn't sprout up, it was busienss as usual.

Open carry has been a bigger part of our nation's history than concealed carry, and homie is gonna discharge his G2C in the Wallyworld regardless of what the newest law says.

 

What caused you to move to Florida? Warmer weather, or job?

 

Same with me. Ohio has had open carry for decades. And nobody cares.

 

In Florida. Will open carry depending on occasion. I'm happy about this but I do a lot of hunting and fishing and it's nice to be able to open carry in transit (in and out of gas station with my thigh holster).

 

Yup, I open carry in a thigh holster in Florida back since the 90's and still do but I'm on a buggy in the middle of the everglades. Collier county sheriffs could care less about it and same with the FWC or Federal Wardens. But always took it off before grabbing ice and cold beverages from the stop and rob on 41.

 

Thank you all for the replies, I guess I’m just used to the headline, “in other news, a Florida man…..”, but hearing from others that have lived in open carry states, with no real shoot outs that I’m kind of expecting , has eased my mind, thank you.

 

When the news publicizes the first open-carrier to get clubbed over the back of the head while he’s waiting in line for a Big Mac and relieved of his handgun, I’m sure a few people will rethink not going concealed. We have open-carry in Washington, and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have seen anyone exercise it in public in the last five years or so.

 

We went to constitutional carry here in Arizona, and have had open carry for a while, the left always said "there would be blood in the streets", never happened.

 

I live in Ga, and open carry every day. I have never had any issues or even any negative comments about it, while open carry does have its disadvantages from a tactical point of view, I believe it is crucial that we exercise our right to freely and openly carry arms, the more the “public” sees it, the more normal and accepted it is. One of the laziest ways to loose a right is to simply not exercise it. And no I’ve never been in or heard of any wild shootouts in the streets between open carriers😂 the bad guys regardless of carry laws, tend to hide their guns.

 

A few months ago during a chiropractor visit the doctor and I were talking about shooting and guns and he told me he had one patient that always came in with two holstered SAA pistols. He was always the center of attention when he arrived for his appointment.

 

I live in Florida. I’m more concerned with the amount of people that conceal carry now with zero training. I’ve lived in several open carry states and rarely ever saw people doing it. IMO, the big plus to open carry is it being a crime deterrent. So, if you open carry in to a gas station and see a couple fellas walk in and then slowly back out, you know it worked 😀.

 

I'm ok with it. It will let me worry a little less about printing.

I don't have plans to open carry, myself. Maybe camping and what not, OWB, but normally it's CCW for me every day. I don't see any benefit, and a number of disadvantages, to open carry for my situation.

 

Constitutional concealed carry has been around for a while in Florida. Nothing has changed. The morons in Orlando will continue to do stooopid stuff with open carry or not. As far as crime goes, stats show it won't be any different .
As a Floridian and retired LEO, the sky will not fall.
Let's face it when seconds count LEOs are minutes away.
I tell people buy a gun , learn how to use it and protect yourself and your family... Who said an armed society is a polite society?? Churchill I think.

 

Texas did it over a year ago - it was a non event..... people still carry but aren't as concerned about a grip sticking out of coat or pants

 

What kind of fudd nonsense is this? There are tons of open carry states and nothing happens.

 

I’ve obviously lost faith in my fellow human beings, the stupid sh!t I see everyday at work and driving has become the normal for what I expect from people.

 

People gonna people. That's not an excuse for government infringement upon constitutional rights.

We have constitutional carry and open carry in Texas. No blood in the streets, no shootouts at the OK Corral or Bucee's.

 

It's legal, it probably doesn't make any difference practically, but if I saw somebody walking around Wal Mart with an AR strapped to his chest, I'd just think he's a complete moron (among the many other morons at Wal Mart).

 

Yea except walmart pretty sure has posted no carry. Now in Florida I can see at least the signs I saw didnt meet state statutory guidelines to mean a damn thing

 

It’s not going to change anything I do for my carry routine, it’s truly about the others with no training or common sense that I expect to see in the headlines.

 

NC allows open carry without permit, and I come across a person doing it maybe once every 2-3 months.

I've lived here for a while now, and I can't recall one problem with someone do so. It's not what I would do inside the city, but to each their own. I carry OWB under my t-shirt because it's the most comfortable for me, and I definitely print and if someone is looking at that side closely, they can tell. I just don't worry about it and I've never had an issue with it.

99.9% of our shooting problems here involve criminals illegally carrying guns and shooting at people in the streets (or at houses which is popular "hobby" here for repeat felons).

 

How else are you supposed to show off the new ivory grips on the Nighthawk if you don’t open carry? Just kidding I really don’t expect to be a problem down here most people including myself only carry concealed as mentioned. The bigger problem is training. It does seem like most people don’t take the time to familiarize themselves with the firearm or learn how to properly shoot it. How many times can you go to a gun store and see people mishandle a firearm.

 

Yea most people also dont know what the words weapon retention training js

 

Maine has had open carry since I was a kid at least. And ive only seen it exercised once. Now mind you left for the military and when I went back lived there only a year and half before moving to FL.
Dont get me wrong areas of Florida are trashy/ghetto. But open carry isnt going to change that. You know why gangbangers arent going to open carry (so that whole idea is dumb to begin with ) cus local pd know the local gangbois and will scoop them up for felon with a firearm.

 

This is the exact kind of “the world is ending, it’s the Wild West” language that I was hearing as a kid when Illinois became the last state in the Union to legalize concealed carry. Spoiler alert: nothing happened.

Plenty of other states have open carry and this kind of stuff does not happen.

 

a lot of chicken littles here screaming the sky is falling.if anything i think it will detour the criminals from
pulling their crap its not like they are going to be showing their illegal/stollen arms anyway.i wont be
open carrying mine here in florida and worrying about those that are grand standing with them im
sure they have been CC this entire time anyway.