I don't think the police should not respond, but if they show up and simply see a man walking down the sidewalk wearing a gun they should not confront him at all. He is not doing anything any more illegal than a guy walking down the street not wearing a gun under our current laws.

Hell, I don't even mind a friendly meet & greet with the officer, if nothing else to just allow him to gauge the individual. Nothing wrong with an officer saying, "Hey, how are you today?" 99.9% of the people who OC would WELCOME a decently respectable officer who was just doing his due dilligence WITHOUT trampling on our Constitutional Rights. However, a full-on Terry for JUST carrying a firearm is simply unconstitutional.

I agree with you. It is or should be based on the nature of the call,what the caller said,how they said it etc. there are so many factors that could come into play.

For example,people call us all the times and will not leave their name. They wish to remain anonymous or they just holler need police! And hang up or just call 911 and hang up.

What I wish is more people understand the two sides to a story and the police know neither til they talk to both and find out.

Lets say someone makes up a call. They say a man in camo and blue cap has a gun in Walmart and he is pointing it at someone or did and has walked off. We arrive and it's you. You haven't done what was alleged and feel as you haven't done nothing wrong (which you haven't) and are mad at the LEO for detaining. They may be detaining you for something you haven't done but you also don't know the whole story as neither does the LEO but they have to investigate it to try and get to the so called truth.

So, you do not need a permit to open carry ??? is that correct ?? also,, if you do have a pistol in clear sight can it be loaded? or does it have to be empty and the clip out of the gun???

Also, does open carry also allow for you to have one on your person inside of a vehicle???

Open carry is just that. The act of having a gun openly distinguishable on your person while on foot is not restricted in AL, and is therefore "legal". Doesn't matter if loaded or not.

However, possession of a handgun inside a vehicle requires a concealed carry permit.

What bamachem said.

More and more departments are telling their officers not to even detain someone for a Terry stop if they are open carrying. I was told by a Hoover detective that if the call is just for someone with a gun and nothing more, then they do not respond. If someone ask why they are not responding, they tell them the person with a gun is not breaking any law.

As this spreads, I think we are going to see a much better reception from police departments around the state. I open carry on occasion, and I have never had anyone question me or even ask about it.

you open carry folks just remember that in a shooting situation the first one a bad guy is going after is the one they know has a gun.

The only place i carry open is in the woods.

I think you are completely wrong about that, Buzzard. The last thing a bad guy wants to do is "go after" someone he "knows" has a way to protect themselves.

I don't open carry much, but it certainly won't cause a bad guy to come after you. When we had our gun shop, we all open carried and it deterred SEVERAL confrontations.

I have asked several of my friends in law inforcement and they all agree that they would never open carry unless forced to do so in uniform. I thought the same thing as many of you for a long time about open carry. if a bad guy has bad intentions in a place and knows that you are carrying then you are the first one they would want out of the way. As for the gun shop, only a fool would even attempt to go that route of holding that place up and natural selection should take it's rightful lead. lol. However, if i were in the shop working then yes i would open carry also. I'm talking about just being out and about in different places.
Now, would i open carry over no carry at all?? in a heart beat.

I agree. If someone wants to cause trouble, they are going to look for weak victims. If they look around and see someone carrying a gun, they will probably look for a more opportune time to try to pull whatever it is they want to do.

Buzzard makes a good point, when the "bad guy" is targeting a certain place or building and is dedicated to completing his objective. Someone open carrying would be seen as an obstacle to prevent their plan, so they are target #1. To me this seems like it would be more isolated as in planned robberies.

However, most situations would be like BFB said: Bad guy wants to avoid an armed confrontation, so he moves on looking for weak victims and/or open opportunity ripe for the taking. Open carrying here takes away the ripeness for the bad guy.

Example: I pulled up to get some gas in South Mississippi just this past Saturday evening. Wife was with me in the truck and we were pulling a 5x8 Uhaul trailer heading toward Vicksburg, MS. TRAVELER ALERT! It was dark, small town on Hwy 61 north of Baton Rouge and the stations were not big well lit ones. This particular station had a lot of "locals" hanging around. I sat in the truck for a moment to survey and felt we would be alright...my wife was nervous though. Lots of eye contact with the locals though, some walking slowly by thug style...holding their junk in one hand and strutting with the other. You know how they slow walk and stare. That behavior normally does not frighten me that much, mostly show. The quiet, confident looking guy just observing from a distance...those are the guys to be worried about.

I made sure my pistol was visible by tucking my shirt behind the OWB holster...normally I just leave it covered to conceal. I started pumping gas, and then walked all around checking trailer connection and all tires, returning to the pump. I looked around and the locals were all further away minding their own business and showed zero interest in my truck or us. 3 minutes before and there were 20 eyeballs on us. Open carry can make a difference!

I didn't read all the posts in here but something that concerns me about open carry is how secure that individuals weapon is. Some people carry in a very secure holster and others may have a $5.99 holster that "well, my gun fits in it". And the scenario that I envision is a perp sneaking up behind Mr. OC and grabbing the weapon to use on others.

Personally, I prefer to carry concealed.

That is a very real concern. Take for example, you are in a store. Someone wants to rob the store. They see your gun. Get behind you in line and then reach up and take it before you can react. If is concealed, you can maybe stop a robbery. If it is in a secure holster, you may get into a wrestling match with someone who has a gun in the other hand. If it is in an un-secure holster, then you are about to get shot in the back of the head. With your own gun.

Really good points!

i don't oc and don't have a problem with anyone that dose.all i say is carry smart and safe.just as other post have said.

I don't open carry,I just don't like it. If someone wants too then it doesn't bother me. Heck,I don't even like a shirt bulge. I prefer IWB. It draws attention to me and I don't like that. Thats just my preference. I do carry open when hunting. A pancake Safariland with retention. Love this holster.

I don't like open carrying in public either, but our government has declared that to be the only manner that is protected by our Constitutions. They will enforce their laws against carrying concealed pistols with fines and time in jail if they see fit... and your sheriff can turn down an application for a permit for any reason he chooses to.

Read what the Supreme Court of Alabama said in The State v Reid and you'll see how full of crap they were. They turned to the common law of England to interpret our Constitutions instead of reading what was plainly declared by the people of this state:

Constitution of Alabama 1819 (in force when the Reid decision was made)
ARTICLE I
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS.

SEC. 23. Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defence of himself and the State.

SEC. 30. This enumeration of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people: and, to guard against any encroachments on the rights herein retained, or any transgression of any of the high powers herein delegated, we declare, that every thing in this article is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate; and that all laws contrary thereto, or to the following provisions, shall be void.


So where did our government get the authority to tell us we cannot conceal our pisols? The common law of England according to them. And they went on to admit that it was doubtful if the statute did not come on conflict with our Constitution ... but claimed it was their duty to uphold it in spite of what the people said.