Why I carry: One gun in my face was enough.

[Agent 007]

Originally Posted by SMiller

How in the hell would the robber notice he was OC'ing? He was sitting at a booth or table, sitting down as the guy"s" walked in the door. Makes no sense, sounds like another bs OC hater!

OC hater? Settle down, Beavis.

Gee, sorry to make you think about the tactical ramifications of a certain style of carry. I'm thinking one of the 3 robbers might have seen his openly displayed firearm when they ordered him to stand up and move to the kitchen, but hey.....maybe they all have glaucoma or something.

This is not an OC vs. CC debate. It's merely an observation that an openly carried firearm in an event such as this one would be more likely to force the OP's hand than a concealed firearm which could be deployed at the defender's most tactically advantageous moment, if it even becomes necessary to draw. As bigus_D himself has stated, as soon as the bad guys see the OC weapon, his option to cooperate (until the right moment) is gone. If you think that most bad guys won't think "cop" when they see an openly carried pistol, you are kidding yourself. OC may force you into a gunfight against multiple adversaries that may have been avoided.

I personally will never OC for exactly this reason. I've never said that others don't have the right to OC. We all take our chances in life, and each of us has to determine what is important with regards to carrying a firearm for personal defense.

I am guessing that the OP is sharing this experience so that we may discuss and learn from it. I think that it is important to discuss the possible advantages or disadvantages of how we carry. It is rare to get a first hand account of a situation like this, and I am very thankful that bigus_D has shared this incident with us. So instead of addressing posters from the peanut gallery screaming "BS" because I dared to suggest that this may be food for thought in the decision to OC or CC, I'll just ask the OP....

Bigus_D, if you had been carrying your pistol on that fateful day, which method to you think would have served you better, in a tactical sense? Your insight would be valuable, as you've actually lived through a real situation with a potential for a deadly force encounter.