What would happen if I answered the door with Sig in my left hand and there was a door-to-door marketer outside?
A cop?
Well, in Canada you’d be in a tonne of trouble, but I’m guessing that’s not the jurisdiction you’re interested in! 
What’s Sig?
Firearms manufacturer. Sig-Sauer
Or it’s that line of text under your post.
So far we have one Canuck smart ass and one Canuck who doesn’t know his firearms. This thread’s off to a bad start.
Hey, I just litigate about them. I don’t use them. 
In your hand is more brandishing than armed. The marketer will say a little prayer hoping you’ll blow his brains out to end the long history of poor choices and failures which have led him to sell door to door. The cop will probably yell DROPTHEWEAPON while putting eight shots in your center mass.
How about a sword (as in this classic post from Master Wang-Ka)?
Moderator Note
Assuming that you’re the Canuck smart-ass (Northern Piper being the other Canuck), let’s keep the smart-ass answers out of GQ, especially as the first reply. No warning issued, but don’t do this again.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Since the OP requires speculation, let’s move this to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Wouldn’t that depend on your state laws? Open carry is legal where I live (not that I do) but it would be legal here as long as you weren’t brandishing it.
But if you’re carrying a gun in your hand, you ARE brandishing it.
Ah. You are correct by most states’ definitions.
My bad.
I hate to admit but I have done this; usually when just home from the range or just picking up/putting down my carry weapon. For the most part if you are polite and not threatening and holster or set it aside, they go into their pitch without missing a beat. Once (and this was like 15 years back) I had a follow-up visit from the police who basically wanted to make sure I was
a) legal
b) not planning harm.
Open the door with a gun in your hand and yelling “Get off my fucking property you son of Satan” and I’m betting you will hear the phrase “terroristic threats”.
In other words, its attitude as much as it is the sight of a firearm.
There’s a significant difference between brandishing a weapon in public and doing so in your home. I would imagine that in most states the law sees the distinction.
Out in the country around here, many people, especially women home alone will answer the door, weapon in hand. If an LEO came to my door & I had a weapon in hand, I tell him I had it & would ask him to wait while I went & put it down.
I think even a pissed off LEO would have a hard sell if I had my front door open and was practicing the ‘quick draw’ in my front room. Nothing wrong with that. IMO If some door to door person called about that, they would get laughed at.
Most of the time I have it ( weapon ) down behind the door or my leg which in no way is ‘brandishing’ IMO.
One time I had the police chief of the town come to my house to check me because I fit the description of a perp that he knew could fit me. I was sitting in a chair watching TV with a weapon on the arm of the chair. He never batted an eye.
He was doing due diligence by coming to see me because he knew it was not me, I am a biker, not a thug, but now he could say that yes, he had checked that rough looking guy who lives over West of town…
It also did not hurt that he was the instructor when I got my first CCW in AR.
Just as a data point, the auto repair shop I’ve patronized for years is owned and operated by a guy who openly carries. He has a gun on a leg holster. I think this is a little weird, but they are cheap, honest and friendly plus the shop has a very cute resident dog who visits with clients in the waiting room, so I overlook it.
As I understand it, there’s a legal distinction between open carry and brandishing, the latter being tied to “intent to use”?
What would happen if a poster asked a location-specific question, and also included where he was?
I don’t know since it rarely happens. But if it ever does I’ll try to answer it. :rolleyes:
What would happen if I responded in comic sans to spam e-mail?
To a business associate?
BEWARE MY CAPS LCOK
Or a crab boat captain. Although I have no idea what he would be doing in your left hand.