Got told I shouldn't wear my neck knife in a store...

[Lt.Col.Vortex]

the bad guy has to worry... is someone carrying?

LMFAO..no wait, you where being serious. If I was a bad guy, I'd feel pretty comfortable because I know my chances for running into someone that is packin' are very slim these days. But I would be concerned because someone with an Ipad or phone will catch my face on camera and get me posted.

[Esav Benyamin]

I have moved this thread to Practical Tactical.

Please watch your language, yes, even here,
Please avoid political rants or I will close the thread.

[jimmo]

...But I would be concerned because someone with an Ipad or phone will catch my face on camera and get me posted.

How true!!! lol

[Unk]

Red hair, perchance?

[killgar]

I often see people say that if you carry a weapon openly that you will be targeted by criminals. But I wonder how many of those people are basing that belief on actual events, or are they just promoting an "urban gun lengend".

I do know of cases where "open carriers" were attacked an relieved of their weapons. But I also know of cases where "conceald carriers" were attacked and relieved of their weapons. So what does that prove? Can anyone provide hard data regarding the frequency of "open carriers" being relieved of their weapons? Or is it just an assumption of "common sense"? If I were going to talk "common sense" then it would be easy to believe that most criminals would assume that a person openly carrying a gun was a COP, and certainly not someone they would want to be around, much less mess with. That sounds like "common sense" to me.

After a brief Google search I found this- http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/0...-carry-holder/

But what does that one incident prove? What would ten or twenty such incidents prove? I guess they would only prove the obvious, that even concealed carriers can have their guns taken away.

As for such reasoning as "You shouldn't open-carry because you will make yourself a target", well, if you truly follow that reasoning then you shouldn't drive a car, because people get killed by carjackers all the time, and driving a car increases the chances that someone will try to kill you for it. Or, you should never wear nice clothes because some criminal might think you are financially well-off and decide to mug you. You shouldn't openly carry or use a cell-phone because criminals have been known to target people just to steal their expensive cell-phones. I could go on and on.

[SeaxyBeast]

I believe that the likelihood of being attacked while openly carrying a blade depend a great deal on the nature of the trouble that finds you. A mugger or random predator will be more likely to avoid you if you look like you will provide any trouble. They'd rather choose a safer target than risk injury. Someone who targets you for what Rory Miller* calls an 'educational beat down' a 'status seeking show' or a 'group educational beat down' will attack you whether or not you have that weapon and the element of surprise may aid you to escape. These sorts of attackers are not attacking you personally so much as they are sending a message to others and they can't afford to seem intimidated by your weapon.

If someone seeks you out because you have a weapon they are probably not very stable.

I think the chances of the last one are pretty slim and the chances of the middle one have more to do with where you are. I usually plan for the random predator type and try to minimize the chances of the other two.

*Rory Miller's books are totally worth the read.

[Lt.Col.Vortex]

But I wonder how many of those people are basing that belief on actual events, or are they just promoting an "urban gun lengend"

These are the same people who think they know everything because they are constantly on yahoo news, they are always tweeting ( that takes about 45 points off your man card if you tweet btw ) and they are always on FB. With these media sources, they now know everything there is to know about life....except how to not drive and text at the same time....

"You shouldn't open-carry because you will make yourself a target"

Yah it makes you a target, a target for cops. They wont touch that petty apple thief, but they'll taser your butt and rough you up if your carrying openly near a "crime scene". ( the crime scene of the petty thief )

You guys make good points, and it seams you know what you are talking about. If you open carry its because you use it, not for show. The only people who get taken out while openly carrying are the wannabees. The ones who buy their knives from "fantasy swards.com" or carry nun-chucks, those are the ones who get taken down and make the 6 o'clock news...and in turn give us carry guys a bad name.

I dont carry a 5 3/4 inch fixed blade openly because it looks cool, I carry it openly because I use it multiple times a day. I cant carry a pocket knife because a knife that short will not pry crap from my mower deck, it wont whack the occasional vine that is in my way as I mark out properties. Its not open carry, its working carry.

[wouldestous]

last summer a convenience store clerk told me i couldnt bring a machete into the store. (had it on my belt in a sheath because i had been using it on a job nearby). i had forgotten i had it on, actually. i just shrugged and put it in the van before going into the store.
no big deal to me. about 20 years ago i worked in a convenience store for a few months and completely understand the clerks point of view.

[Shann]

Even if you can open carry, why would you? In OP's case it just sounds like he stuck it in a convenient place and left it there, but generally speaking why? Just because you can? If that's the reason, well, go for it, but why would you want to make other people uncomfortable or even scared?

I do think a lot depends on circumstances too. Around here, if its deer season and somebody walks into a store with a handgun in their belt, nobody blinks an eye. But if I see a gun other times, I just slip out the door and leave. Even if the guy doesn't mean any harm, I'm not sticking around to find out.

[Codger_64]

OP, sometimes it is best to just shrug, nod, smile and walk on without saying anything. Years ago, I could walk into a store wearing a knife, carrying a gun or whatever and no one blinked an eye. We also had counter checks. Blank local bank checks on the store counter that one could write to pay for their purchases. Things change. People's acceptance of what we consider ordinary changes.

[killgar]

Even if you can open carry, why would you? In OP's case it just sounds like he stuck it in a convenient place and left it there, but generally speaking why? Just because you can?

I can think of two VERY good reasons to carry a fixed-blade openly- 1. It's illegal in many places to conceal a fixed-blade. 2. Speed and ease of accessibility.

I've been carrying a fixed-blade openly wherever I go for the past 7 years and I've never had any issues as a result, not even when cops saw it. And I don't live in the "country", I live and frequent the very urban areas of San Diego.

why would you want to make other people uncomfortable or even scared?

I can't imagine what a miserable life it would be if I worried about whether or not my legal actions, personal choices, or the exercising of my lawful freedoms made total strangers uncomfortable or caused them to get scared.

As long as what I'm doing is legal then I don't give a rats ass what people think about me or what I do or what effect it has on their delicate feelings or their silly irrational emotions.

[earlthepearl]

Mine goes where i go!!!!-Period!!!

[sqoon]

Some people are dumb. Some people are scared of knives. Some people just say whatever bonehead thing pops into their brain. Sometimes it is all three.

[Mitchell Knives]

It sounds like the clerk is just ignorant or is tyring to give you a hard time.

To relate carrying a neck knife to Denver is absurd.

I'd suggest getting pizza elsewhere from now on.

[AeroNautiCal]

Unless your equipment has to be visible due to work related requirements (such as LEO/Security Detail, etc) perhaps consider wearing it in a more discreet manner, irrespective of the prevailing weather conditions, and ensuring that it does not print.

Seeing a person whom is visibly armed can (at best) have an unsettling effect on people, particularly when highly publicized attacks have recently occurred, and fearful people can (unwittingly/with the best of intentions) react in a way that you may not like.

Simply put, if you're going to carry a weapon for peace of mind/personal safety, then carry it in a manner that won't have a potentially negative effect on those around you by unsettling their peace of mind and give rise to personal safety concerns...

[Fanglekai]

Strangers don't know your intentions. They don't know you. They see a guy walking around with a weapon. If you carry a knife for self defense you are carrying it as a weapon. If you don't want negative reactions don't advertise your weapon to everyone. From a self defense standpoint should you assume everyone carrying a knife or gun is friendly?

[lilknifekid]

When someone turns their head or looks up and suddenly sees a person carrying a knife or gun in such an obvious way can be suprising. I have seen someone open carrying before and the first thing that popped into my head was "oh crap he has a gun" because its a natural reaction, even to me being a gun person. But I didnt mind it or say anything because he was not only well within his rights but was not being threatening. So to see how someone who is not a knife or gun person would have that reaction is not that hard to understand.

However, to associate carrying a knife to Colorado is just stupid.

And carrying it on your collar seems like a strange and uncomfortable place to have it.

[namechangerep]

I cant remember a time I tried to threaten a man holding a knife

[killgar]

So my girlfriend comes from a family of cops, and since I carry a fixed-blade, I've inquired about how law enforcement reacts to such things. This of course relates only to my area (San Diego) because that's where they work and know the laws-

First, experienced cops here know that it's perfectly legal to openly carry a fixed-blade of any size. Most won't bother you because they've got more important things to do. Rookies who don't know the law might hassle you but that's because they don't know any better, but the same thing happens with folders clipped to peoples pockets. And fortunately such rookies are partnered with more experienced officers.

I've heard cops say that you can carry a samurai sword and as long as you don't look scketchy (drunk, high, insane) they won't bother you. After all, it's not illegal to carry a samurai sword. And in a city like this there are plenty of actual crimes to deal with. Of course there are cops who might ask you for a moment of your time to discern if you are drunk, high, or suffering from mental illness. They might ask for you name so they can check to see if you have "wants or warrants". And if you're clean, they will send you on your way WITH you sword.

Now lets say you were to walk into a McDonalds with a fixed-blade openly hanging from your belt. And some paranoid sheeple called 911. The call would likely go like this-

Operator- "911, what is your emergency"
Caller- "I'm at McDonalds and there's a man here with a KNIFE!"
Operator- "What's he doing with the knife?"
Caller- "Nothing, he's wearing it on his belt."
Operator- "That's not a crime Sir/Ma'am."

End of call. No unit dispatched.

There aren't enough cops in any city to respond to every paranoid person who calls 911 to report something that ISN'T a crime. 911 operators are trained to tell the difference between an actual crime and a waste of precious law enforcement resources. If the cops responded to every 911 call, the entire system would collapse and REAL crimes with REAL victims would not be responded to.

And as far as this "Don't scare/upset the people" attitude regarding the carrying of "weapons", the very same argument could be made "Don't ever use or carry a knife publicly, ANY knife, for ANY purpose, not even a SAK, because you might scare someone or make them uncomfortable". Sounds pretty silly to me.

[AeroNautiCal]

And as far as this "Don't scare/upset the people" attitude regarding the carrying of "weapons", the very same argument could be made "Don't ever use or carry a knife publicly, ANY knife, for ANY purpose, not even a SAK, because you might scare someone or make them uncomfortable". Sounds pretty silly to me.

The point appears to still be being missed!

By showing a weapon, and "because you might scare someone or make them uncomfortable", and not knowing what real or otherwise threats they may have experienced, and, not knowing whether or not they are armed, you may be increasing the potential for scared, uncomfortable and armed people seeing you as a threat!

The law allowing open carry has nothing to do with how such people may respond to you being visibly armed!

Them dialing 911 may be the least of your concerns...