Please don't take offense at this but frankly there isn't one.
Unless you are wearing a duty belt and a Level 4 retention holster along with the training on weapon retention and ground fighting to go along with it.
Bear with me.
I firmly believe in the 2A and CCW anywhere and I have had a CCW and do so on a regular basis since 1997.
That being said Civilians have NO BUSINESS open carrying firearms unless you are on private property hunting or something like that.
**I don't agree with the verbiage here. Civilians DO have the right to open carry. My opinion is that they shouldn't, for reasons stated further down in this post.
It is a very, very bad idea to be in public.
-It "scares the horses". Face it, a significant number of people in the US have no firearm training and no experience with weapons. Seeing people that aren't police carrying weapons is "intimidating" to them. Particularly if that person is physically smaller and/or of a different sex/ethnicity than the person carrying the weapon.
This does nothing to help our cause and ultimately hurts it as people don't like being fearful and they vote on their fears.
**THIS^^
-There are morons everywhere, including gun owners. While you may be a 100% "switched on" individual there is a Cleetus doppleganger of you somewhere that will be doing unsafe things with his sidearm because he wants to "feel big" by making everyone look at him and fear him and will carry the weapon unsafely. See point #1.
**Most times I see someone carrying openly (unless I'm out in the woods) it appears they have a "look at me" attitude.
-Carrying a weapon opening makes you a "shoot me first" target during an attack and you give up your primary tactical advantage which is surprise.
**BINGO!! You have LOST the most important tactical advantage; the element of surprise.
You don't have a radio, you don't have a vest, you don't have backup but you have a gun which means if someone starts attacking and you are the focus, you probably lose because action beats reaction. This also negates the primary benefit of a CCW armed society in that perps don't know who does and who doesn't have a gun so they avoid targeting people who may be armed.
-Guns in "normal" non retention holsters are grab targets of opportunity for thieves and psychopaths. Even with your head on a swivel you can't be 100% observant of everyone around you and you will be giving a weapon to someone that absolutely shouldn't have it.
**Truth.
-It makes extra work on LEOs. If you aren't a cop, they don't know if you are a law abiding citizen exercising a fundamental right or a nutcase trying at best to intimidate the sheeple or at worst a wolf looking to prey upon some so they are taking their attention away from real problems and keeping a weather eye on you because they don't know you. If you were concealed, they would be oblivious and could focus on keeping the real criminals at bay rather than watching you.
**100% correct.
DO carry a gun.
DO get training.
DON'T carry openly in public.
Stay inside the OODA loop of your potential adversaries and keep that iron hidden until it is needed.
