[Daugherty16]

I have always seen OC - the optional kind, not LEOs or others required to OC - as making a statement. Maybe it's standing up for 2A or trying to shock people, maybe it's a testosterone thing, maybe it's an old guy advising the world he still should be feared. It could be a lot of things, but if we're talking about optional OC - when concealed carry is also a legal option - I will always believe the OC'er is trying to send a message. To me, advertising that i carry a gun is antithetical to my reasons for carrying.

There are certain potential advantages to OC, but to me they are outweighed by the disadvantages. I only do it around the house or out in the woods - when i am virtually assured of being alone. Everywhere else, it's concealed, and i won't ever trade away that advantage. A gun coming out of nowhere, in the hands of someone previously perceived as a victim, or shots fired from a coat pocket - is EXACTLY what i want to accomplish if i ever have to use lethal force in self-defense. I hope i never do but if so, i want the element of surprise on my side, or if surprise is lost because my SA failed me, i want the potential ability to regain it that OC doesn't offer. Just like a karate master doesn't wear his blackbelt out into the world, my firearm will remain out of sight unless i truly and urgently need it.

Growing up in an era where a fistfight settled even serious disagreements, now it seems inner-city style murder for nothing has invaded every quiet suburban area throughout the country. Today it seems reasonable to me for any law-abiding citizen to carry for self and family defense reasons, but i believe the need is even stronger for women and older citizens, who are logically and statistically more likely to be selected as victims. I still contend CC offers the greater advantages. It could even be argued that an otherwise attractive victim with an openly-carried pistol might be viewed by a thug as an easy source of a free gun.

What we really need are more shall-issue states and national reciprocity. John Lott shows pretty clearly the link between shall-issue laws and a marked decrease in violent crime in More Guns, Less Crime. If criminals can't tell WHO might be carrying, they perceive greater personal risk in attacking anyone. But until violent crime drops to zero, or until all law-abiding citizens carry, I won't be advertising.