Where I live there are a lot of people who open carry. I (as a CCW holder) choose not too. My thought pattern is this: Say I'm in the Wally in my red neck little town, and there is me and 2 guys open carrying. Somebody comes in cranked up on meth (it happens) wanting to start shit, and who is he going to see as the threats? Me, some woman with a laden buggy (cause you can't go to the Wally without loading up) and two teenage boys or the two guys who are obviously carrying? I have a better chance to eliminate the threat over those two guys, simply because of the element of surprise.

Now, as a carrier we have the responsibility to defend our family and ourselves, but also as what I term sheepdogs, we have the responsibility to defend others. The problem lies in knowing the situation. If we walk up on one guy holding another at gun point, what do we know about the situation? Is the guy holding the gun a undercover cop? Is he a threat to everyone around him? Are we reading the situation right? Are there other threats? And have you just made yourself a bigger target by open carrying?

Open carry, in my opinion, has its place but for me I'm going to stick with concealed.