# Do you support open carry firearms laws? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072 "2008-11-23T04:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/41 "2008-11-26T15:18:29Z")
Should people be able to openly carry other types of weapons? If it’s legal to carry, say, an AK-47, would you feel that people should be able to walk down the street with one slung over their shoulder? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/42 "2008-11-26T15:20:10Z")
People do open carry hunting rifles, just not usually down a city street. Town street maybe. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/43 "2008-11-26T15:57:26Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > Legal to carry where alcohol is served as long as you’re not in the actual bar. ( I think) > I haven’t heard about limits when you’ve had something to drink though. > > But that’s not really my point anyway… Yet you purposely try to make the most egregious example of improper carry for what reason? > [@](#): > > My point is that having a sizable portion of the population intimidated by gun owners when trying to do nothing but go about their everyday lives isn’t good for anybody. Who is being intimidated, what makes a sizable portion? Are you equally intimidated by a cop who open carries as well? If not, why? I mean [police](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/30lima.html) [never](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G63FEamhpA0)[make](http://blog.al.com/breaking/2008/10/city_council_to_consider_settl.html)"mistakes" with their weapons. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/44 "2008-11-26T16:12:38Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Should people be able to openly carry other types of weapons? If it’s legal to carry, say, an AK-47, would you feel that people should be able to walk down the street with one slung over their shoulder? [Virginia Law](http://law.justia.com/virginia/codes/toc1802000/18.2-287.4.html). I only remember this because VA only recently (2004) gained state-preemption. A number of small towns with bans on open carry of handguns tried to enforce their preempted laws under that statute but missed the “population larger than 160K” part. The 2005 changes look like the “silencer or folding stock” part, and the bit at the end about “urban county executive” and “country manager” forms of government. Which I’d guess was added to appease Fairfax and Arlington Counties and surrounding areas. I’ve had no luck finding a concise list of the types of government in various VA counties, so it would probably be pretty burdensome to figure out where that law applies. Having a valid CHP is an exemption, though, so that makes it academic in my case. In any event, it would appear it is legal in VA to do exactly what you describe in many cases. I can’t recall having ever seen someone carrying a “scary” rifle… well, besides military personnel on watch. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/45 "2008-11-26T16:14:37Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Should people be able to openly carry other types of weapons? If it’s legal to carry, say, an AK-47, would you feel that people should be able to walk down the street with one slung over their shoulder? Nah, I’d _much_ rather see somebody try to hide one in his pants. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/46 "2008-11-26T16:24:11Z")
Missed the edit window. The previous statue cite is out-of-date [the current version](http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-287.4) lists the specific localities to which the mess of population limits and government types actually applies. the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/47 "2008-11-26T16:35:53Z")
I carry concealed, and I’d love it if I were able to carry open as well at times. I use an ‘inside the waistband’ (IWB) holster, and they can get damn uncomfortable. I’d rather carry outside, let a jacket or vest cover it, and not have to worry if I reached up and the bottom of the holster was revealed. As for open carry only, I’m against that as every jacket I own would cover a gun on my waist, and it tells criminals “Hey - ambush me. Free gun!” I see it as a bigger risk for a violent encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/48 "2008-11-26T20:38:50Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > Ah, ok. That I can understand. I’ve known a few people that open carry apparently for the sole intent of causing trouble. “Trouble” as in they want to annoy people, not shoot them. Unfortunately, America is the fight first and ask questions later maybe society. The egos of too many Americans are so weak and fragile they need to defend themselves against every perceived threat to better their own self-worth. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/49 "2008-11-26T20:49:08Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Unfortunately, America is the fight first and ask questions later maybe society. The egos of too many Americans are so weak and fragile they need to defend themselves against every perceived threat to better their own self-worth. In my experience, the type of person you describe isn’t the type to choose to carry a firearm. It’s the folk who don’t carry firearms (and don’t want anybody else carrying firearms) that could see it in themselves to shoot someone in the mall parking lot for taking a parking space they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/50 "2008-11-26T21:24:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I not only support open carry laws & concealed carry laws, I think the vast majority of people should be armed at all times. That would be evolution in action, man. One of my favorite quotes from Robert Heinlein: an armed society is a polite society. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072/51 "2008-11-26T21:53:28Z")
Yeah, I’ve been present when a couple of guys had a major fistfight - I don’t mean roughhousing, I mean real anger and drawing blood - where there were guns present, and neither of them made any move toward the guns. I’ve been furious at people to the point where I’d want to hurt someone - but it would never occur to me to **shoot** them, FFS! I don’t even like joking about killing people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-support-open-carry-firearms-laws/474072.md?page=2)