Originally Posted by
kg333
I prefer concealed carry, but I would like to point out a potential flaw in your scenario:
From a sheer tactical perspective (meaning issues of alarming neighbors/police aside), open carry relies on the assumption that the visible presence of a weapon acts as a deterrent, i.e. the bad guy sees a guy with a gun inside, goes "ohhh s***" and goes elsewhere. Concealed carry relies instead on maintaining the element of surprise as long as possible, at the cost of the sight of a gun potentially acting as a deterrent.
IMO, it's a psychological guess at what you think your average bad guy is going to do, and there's no right answer tactically. Is he a cowardly mugger looking for easy cash? Is he a druggie willing to do anything for his next high? Is he an experienced shoplifter who knows a fight would be too high profile? Is he a wanna be gangbanger with something to prove? You'll never know for sure.
I prefer to carry concealed. My reasons for doing so stem almost entirely from living in one of the more liberal cities in my state: I do not wish to start a fuss, nor have a conversation with the cops on any given day, so I choose to carry concealed and leave the general public in the dark to the fact that I am armed.
KG