How often do you see someone carrying a firearm?

[rrneck]

Poll question: How often do you see someone carrying a firearm?

In the course of your everyday activities, how often do you see a private citizen (non LEO, military or private security etc.) carrying a firearm in the course of their everyday activities? Please exclude any activity where a firearm would be expected or required such as a shooting range, sport shooting event or political gathering related to firearms.

Edit to add: LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer. Sorry about the shorthand.

[MineralMan]

1. Other: Very Rarely, but not never.

You need another option for voting.

[rrneck]

3. Other added. Thanks. nt

[DrDan]

2. those nuts who wanted to burn the Quran certainly had theirs predominantly displayed

[rrneck]

5. Were you there

or do you socialize with them as a part of your daily activities? Do you think their everyday activities include managing the thundering herd of the media? You know what I'm talking about.

[DrDan]

7. "How often do you see . . . " ------ I saw them , , , ,

[rrneck]

10. That's what I thought.

You can see this too. On the internet. Try to get outside more.

[DrDan]

11. if I were to ask you the question - "How often have you seen a republican lie?"

would you only respond with the number of times you saw it in-person? Or would you include every time it might have happened on TV or in print?

Give me a break - your question was asked and answered.

[rrneck]

12. You get a break

when you at least try to behave in a civil manner. Have you ever been shot at by an image on a computer screen?

[SteveM]

26. Is open-carry allowed in Florida? Please provide a link/cite. Thanks. nt

[DrDan]

31. I have no idea if it is or not

a link to what? Do you doubt that they were openly carrying guns? There were certainly pictures published clearly showing the Jones-supporters with their guns openly displayed.

[shadowrider]

32. Then you won't mind backing up your statement by citing links showing such

right?

[DrDan]

36. I spent 10 minutes looking for the picture I had in mind - one of a woman - one of

the congregation - with a holstered piston around her waist. I could not find it.

so . . . believe whatever you like. The picture was posted. I saw it several times.

I have spent enough time on this.

[cleanhippie]

62. I am not defending Dr Dan, but there was a woman with a sidearm at Jones's church

I saw it too.

[DrDan]

64. not exactly sure why I need to be defended. I have only claimed to

have seen someone carrying a gun.

But thanks for confirming that picture.


on edit - I guess I also claimed to believe that there should be some restrictions on gun ownership. But . . . not sure there is anyone that could disagree with that very broad statement.

[rrneck]

69. I saw two.

One of them appeared to be wearing it wrong, as if she just put it on for the cameras. That's probably the one to which Dan is referring. In the other, you could barely see the weapon.

[SteveM]

37. In the public realm? On the street? In office buildings?

[DrDan]

39. what does that have to do with this thread?

was any of that a part of the question posed in the OP?

[rrneck]

49. What did post #2 have to do with this thread? nt

[DrDan]

57. I guess you forgot the poll question - How many times do you see

people carrying? I just responded to the poll and offered a response regarding a picture fresh in my mind of a a nut associated with the quran-burning group with a pistol strapped 'round her waist.

I still picture her quite vividly . . . some should just not own guns.

[rrneck]

58. LOL!

You're funny.

You saw an image. The best we can say of what you wrote is you tried to spin it for whatever insular ideology you have cooked up. But that's the best we can say. More likely you have such a displaced understanding of the world around you you can't tell the difference between an image and real life.

"Some should not own guns". It would appear that those who do not fit into your ideology, (no matter if their ideology is as screwy as yours) should be denied their civil rights. You should be embarrassed to admit that.

[DrDan]

59. I dare say most would agree with that statement . . .

Are you claiming to believe there should be no gun-ownership restrictions?

[rrneck]

60. No.

[DrDan]

61. I see . . . . . I should be embarassed to believe in ownership restrictions

but it is ok for you.

Why am I not surprised.

[rrneck]

65. I'll let your own post speak for itself.

" I still picture her quite vividly . . . some should just not own guns."

[DrDan]

66. on edit . . . never mind . . . . done . . .

[rrneck]

67. I hope you learned something about yourself before you left. nt

[DrDan]

68. I was able to confirm something . . . . a

[rrneck]

70. What was that?

I think you might have hit the Post message button too quickly.

[SteveM]

73. It has to do with your remarks: What were the circumstances of this "carry?"

It leads to questions of legality, at least.

[shadowrider]

4. If properly concealed, you should never see one even if you're in the midst

of hundreds.

[rrneck]

14. Concealed makes more sense to me.

Where I live I never, ever see someone carrying a firearm. Never. I've seen more naked people walking down the street than people carrying firearms. I sometimes wonder what all the fuss is about. Are people's concerns actual, ideological, or at best, aesthetic? I suspect the latter.

[Mandell]

76. I wound have answered never a year ago...

...however now that I carry and I'm familiar with how it's done and the methods used, I spot many more people carrying without trying. I even spotted a leg holster once and they are difficult.

[Tansy_Gold]

6. There's a guy who comes to the coffee shop I frequent

Usually has his tucked into the back of his shorts.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. In CA, since CCW permits are so hard to come by, most people have to carry openly

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

9. At least once a day...

Then again, I like to look in the mirror before I head out the door.
I'm not sure about other gun owners though.

[Crystal Clarity]

30. Just out of curiosity

Why? Serious question. Do you live in a high crime area or feel threatened in some way? Ex-spouse, previous traumatic experience, something of that nature? OK, maybe this is getting too personal, and if so, I apologize and will direct this same question to anyone else who wishes to answer.

BTW, I'm not necessarily for or against carrying concealed weapons, I'm just trying to understand under what circumstance(s) a person (not in law enforcement or whatever)chooses to do it.

[shadowrider]

33. I carry concealed because

I never, never, never, EVER know when the direct threat to my life or my family may come.

I choose to be prepared, just in case.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

34. No real reason, actually.

"Because I Can" or "Why Not" comes to mind. I live in a decent area and feel no real threats and have never really experienced anything violent. In fact, only once twice have I ever drawn my firearm with the expectation I might have to use it. (Both situations at home and, in the end, proved to be benign).

It's a tool. Like carrying a pocketknife or a flashlight. I was already a firerm enthusiast and owned a few pistols... so when Ohio allowed concealed carry and passed Castle Doctrine Law I figured wearing one really isn't that big of a deal. It's become second nature so much so that when I forget it at home I feel weird without it... kinda like when you forget your weddding ring or watch. To tell you the truth, I've been in some bad neighborhoods at night before and felt really glad I had it on me. Not that I ever want to have to use it but it feels good to know that if I ever truly needed to defend myself that I would have the means.

Actually, before Ohio passed CCW laws I open carried ocasionally just to see people get thier knickers in a twist... "OMG, a GUN!!!" But that's was just about having a little fun with people, lol. If you could "troll" in real-life... open carrying is definately one method - lol.

[Crystal Clarity]

41. Ok that makes sense

Or at least the part about having felt the need for it on 2 occasions while you were at home... I once had an incident when my SO was away w/our German Shepard and I heard someone in our garage. It turned out only to be a close friend of ours borrowing something (he thought both of us were out) but it scared me so badly that I had my SO's handgun loaded and ready if he had tried to enter the home. We live in an isolated rural area and I just plain feel safer knowing I have that sort of protection available to me. BTW I have a 4-16 rifle of my own for skeet shooting.

I guess I just don't worry as much about safety in public. I realize that no one is immune to a threat great enough to require a gun anywhere however this is a very safe area. Everyone I know owns some type of firearm (mostly for hunting- or hobby like me) but I don't know anyone personally who carries a concealed weapon.

Of course, everyone's life experiences are different and if carrying a concealed weapon works for you, then far be it for me to judge. I'm glad the option is open to me if I ever DO feel I need to though.

Thanks for sharing

[Mandell]

77. Rural Safety

The lefty gun folks I hang with have noticed that there's a big difference between rural lefties and ... well not urban but suburban lefties. Rural lefties are far more likely to see a gun as a tool, important for home safety when the cops are 45 minutes away. Suburban lefties don't recognize it as valid.

We also think the gun control think is loosing the left votes especially in rural areas. If the left dropped the advocacy for this, recognized the legitimacy of a right to self defense and the futility of gun control in a nation of 223 million guns, force the NRA to defend their alarmist rhetoric when there's no threat, and take away guns as an issue and leave the right with only religion, they would become a laughing stock.

[oneshooter]

78. Welcome to DU. n/t

[jazzhound]

79. Welcome, and accurately stated.

While I grew up in the city, my father grew up on a farm in ND, and I've spent some time with my rural relatives. I believe that at least to some degree I've "inherited" the rural attitude of which you speak.......or at the very least been protected from the irrational hate that so many members of our team suffer from. (Even though the rest of my family is RW!)

More than any other issue, the guns/violence debate has proven to me that personal integrity doesn't break down along political lines.

[oneshooter]

38. I have carried arms as part of my job for years

Mainly full auto rifles and machine pistols. I have carried in Texas( concealed only) for the last 10years. My current job requires me to be in some of the less welcome areas of town. I have had to show my weapon once,and have never had to fire it. But I carry because I conceder my life, and the lives of my family, more important to me than that of someone who would do me, or my family, harm.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[cleanhippie]

63. You sound just like a fundie asking an atheist why they are an atheist.

"Why do you reject god? Did you have some traumatic event happen in your life......."



:puke"

[X_Digger]

13. Concealed means concealed..

Texas doesn't have open carry, so I can't remember the last time I saw someone carrying a firearm that wasn't LEO / security.

Now, does that mean there weren't people right next to me carrying? Nope.

I see one guy carrying every day- when I look in the mirror.

[oneshooter]

16. +1 n/t

[Euromutt]

45. Yeah, but sometimes you can tell without actually seeing the gun

For example, a few months ago a guy passed me at the supermarket wearing one of the Maxpedition "Versipacks" under his right arm, and I'm reasonably certain he had his concealed carry piece tucked in there. Other bits of apparel or accessories give strong hints as well, like suspiciously rugged-looking waistpacks and khaki "shoot me first" vests. It's a good indication that somebody is carrying, even if you never actually spot the weapon itself.

Mind you, it's usually only a tip-off to other concealed carriers, because they've shopped around trying to settle on a method of carrying themselves and considered those options.

[X_Digger]

46. Or hawaiian shirts.. bowling shirts.. cubavera shirts.. (clean) mechanics shirts..

I always wonder when I see a shirt like that, especially if it's rather larger than absolutely necessary.

[Euromutt]

54. I wouldn't know about that...

(he said self-consciously, hiding his oversized Hawaiian shirt in the closet).

[DBoon]

15. Other: Only by law enforcement

Very little to hunt in the big city.

[oneshooter]

17. "Very little to hunt in the big city." But there are "hunters" there

and you are the game.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[Crystal Clarity]

19. I don't go a day during hunting season w/out seeing

Guns on gunracks in pickups. Or hearing shots somewhere in the distance.

[oneshooter]

22. That is not the type of "hunters" I was speaking of. n/t

[DBoon]

43. yeah, right

Someone else who gets their ideas about urban America from bad movies

[Katya Mullethov]

47. And amidst all the hyperbolic hand wringing from the press

It really is hard to keep from getting swept up in the hysteria .
http://omaha.com/article/20100913/NEWS97/100919895#fourth-arrest-in-stabbing-death

[SteveM]

27. If you "hunt" in a city, you are violating the law. nt

[oneshooter]

28. How do you know that you are not the prey for these hunters I speak of ? n/t

[SteveM]

29. I don't know. I just don't "hunt" in cities. Self-protection, that's another thing. nt

[DBoon]

42. that's what I tell my dog

"Keep away from those squirrels"

[RamboLiberal]

18. PA - While OC seems to have some movement here

I've only seen one person a couple of years ago OC. And I saw one person who's gun I could see when his shirt pulled up again a couple of years ago - oops. I assume like myself I've been around people CCW. I try to guess if a person is carrying when I see a fanny pack or something else that seems to indicate carry though I can't prove if they are.

[proteus_lives]

20. Other: I'm not looking for them.

[spin]

21. My daughter and son in law carry on a regular basis ...

I see them everyday.

[DWC]

23. I know they are there even if I can't see them

In Texas over 2% of the entire adult population holds a
concealed carry license.  Excluding LEOs at least 1 in 50
adults are carrying a fire arm.  I see several hundred adults
every day.  I might not see the guns but they are there.  I
know it and the bad guys know it making Texas one of the
safest States in the USA.

[chibajoe]

24. Are you asking about open carry, or just carry in general?

I almost never see anyone carrying openly around where I live, but I live in the city. However, I occasionally spot people conceal carrying... or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I spot people that I am reasonably sure are conceal carrying, since I can't actually see the firearm. If you know what to look for, it is possible to spot someone with a CCW, especially if they are new to carrying. Now, out in the country, especially during hunting season, it isn't unusual at all to see someone waling with a rifle.

[rrneck]

48. I was intentionally non specific.

In looking through the thread people familiar with firearms are more likely to spot somebody carrying concealed because they are familiar with the methods and equipment required to do so. People who are not would likely only notice open carry.

I was just wondering how many people around here actually saw "guns on the street" in their everyday travels. And maybe more importantly, prompt them to think about how many times they actually saw them themselves.

[chibajoe]

71. I suspect that the actual number of people carrying guns it higher than

most people think, and many are probably doing it illegally. It seems in talking to people, especially older men (keep in mind that I live in the south), that carrying a "heater" isn't all that uncommon. My mechanic, an older white gentleman in his 60's, carries a snub nosed .38 and I'm pretty sure he hasn't bothered to get a concealed handgun license. Of course, in my state possessing a handgun without a license is a misdemeanor, and having a gun in your car is perfectly legal.

[rrneck]

72. That's very true.

People, myself included, oversimplify issues. We sometimes think in terms of anyone carrying a firearm as either an upstanding citizen who has done the paperwork or an outright criminal who has not. There are no doubt any number of law abiding citizens who carry illegally who would never shoot anyone unnecessarily, as well as any number of others who might have no compunction about hurting others except for the fact they don't want to risk going to jail or getting shot themselves.

There are a lot of carrots and sticks surrounding the discharge of our civic duty. The possibility of a license to carry a firearm is just one incentive among many others, which are coupled with any number of disincentives. People rarely rely on just one motivation for what they do. The crafting of any effective public policy requires the intelligent combination of both incentives and disincentives for a stable and equitable society.

[SteveM]

25. Concealed-carry in Texas; you have to look for one...

I have seen a couple of folks carrying, but one, it turns out, works for a gunsmith. Otherwise, I frequently see guns at the public hunting fields.

[krispos42]

35. Never

Subrural Minnesota and suburban Connecticut doesn't seem to have anybody that regularly open-carries.

[benEzra]

40. Nearly everyone I know who carries a firearm carries it concealed...

so I don't commonly see openly carried firearms. It is legal in NC, but most people prefer discreet carry, as do I.

[ManiacJoe]

44. I voted "once per year"

Of the folks I know/see, they mostly carry concealed. Thus, no one sees it.

Open carry does happen in the Seattle-Bellevue area, but not that much yet. However, it is growing.

[armueller2001]

50. Every day

when I tuck mine into my holster and carry it concealed.

[rrneck]

51. Many thanks for participating.

It seems that most people never see a gun carried by a private citizen. Of those that do see them, I expect that most of them either know what to look for (if concealed) or their lives intersect with the same person or persons carrying on a regular basis.

I think it's safe to say that it's generally very rare to see somebody actually walking around armed here in the United States. That sorts with my experience and I live in a very low crime area where gun ownership itself is sort of rare.

There are of course a lot of people with concealed carry permits, but I wonder how many of them actually carry the weapon on a regular basis. When I had a CHL I only carried twice to see what it was like. I know others that are not much different.

The most interesting response so far has been from someone who doesn't like having to see a firearm anywhere. Even an image of a gun is apparently enough to offend his or her delicate sensibilities. That's actually a very conservative trait. Conservatives tend to feel that a symbol has more power to influence us than it actually does. The more conservative one is, the more they concern themselves with the percieved influence of symbols and images. Liberals, on the other hand, tend to downplay the power of images, sometimes overreacting in the other direction.

Only one poster so far reports seeing a gun carried by a private citizen for self defense the way I might have expected them to. They go to the same coffee shop a lot and no doubt so does the guy with the CHL. Most of the others are gun owners who know what to look for or are more likely to notice a firearm because they find them interesting. The bulk of the most vociferous anti gun folks seem to have opted to not weigh in.

[mvccd1000]

55. I'd say you're right.

Even though I'm obviously a supporter of open (or concealed) carry, and live in one of the best states for people with such attitudes (no permits here!), I still only see someone openly carrying once a week or so. I see them in places like the eye doctor, the grocery store, the bank, the junkyard, or riding a motorcycle... basically anywhere I may roam.

I just don't see them every day.

[PavePusher]

52. 'Bout once a week or so for me...

but hey, it's Arizona, and usually I'm one of 'em.

[eallen]

53. Here in Texas, I'd have to go with "never." But, it depends on what you mean...

By "any activity where a firearm would be expected." I see firearms all the time at the range, at a gun shop, in people's homes, and on the ranch. In the city, I can't recall ever seeing anyone carrying a gun who wasn't in transit to one of the foregoing, or an LEO. So: I see guns all the time, but never what you seem to be asking about.

:hippie:

[jazzhound]

56. As a SoCalian, I voted *never* because I have never

witnessed anyone open carry, or noticed anyone printing from concealed carry ---- rare as that is in CA.

[57_TomCat]

74. I tend to often visit local gunshops...

and it is very common for the staff to open carry in the premises. I also look for the styles of dress and other clues to indicate who "might" be packing heat. I have rarely see non uniformed people carrying in public lately. Depends on the state however. For awhile in a rural community the number of guns in truck racks were many and often you would see a farmer with a .22 in the coveralls when in town or on a tractor. I remember never seeing my grandfather on the farm without a loaded rifle or shotgun in the truck and a small revolver tucked in his pocket. He never changed his manner or dress when going into town either. Just a normal part of my life growing up.

As a police officer now my son sees me armed every day at home and he enjoys range visits with me as well. He has his own .22 rifle and pistol with plans for a 20 gauge shotgun this holiday season. Just passing on the traditions.

[Broken_Hero]

75. At least 1 time a month

but probably around 2-3 a month. A good friend of mine, his father is a local cop, and he shows up often to the house on the weekends to catch up on sports scores.

[AtheistCrusader]

80. Never Open, but I see a LOT of concealed carry in the Seattle area.

Never can tell on the man purses though. Those could be, maybe not. Sort of a fashion trend.
Good sneakybags if you are considering it.

But there are a lot of the usual suspects, conceal carrying.

[YllwFvr]

81. Every day

either my brother before he leaves for the police station, myself in the mirror, or any of the four or five people I associate with often who carry regularly