Why I Prefer Concealed: Man Robbed Of Gun He Was Openly Carrying

NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA — A 37-year-old man was pushed to the ground last week and had his openly-carried firearm stolen right from it’s holster by two thugs.

According to dailypress.com, the man was walking across the street after visiting with friends when the unfortunate incident occurred.

The man said he was approached from behind by two men, and one of them demanded his gun. The other then grabbed the gun from the holster and pushed him to the ground.

After this happened, the man said the two suspects took off on foot. Police have still not found them, nor the stolen firearm.

I often stay away from the topic of open carry not because I hate it, but because I run a site called Concealed Nation. Anytime, however, that the topic of open carry comes up, a sort of feud between open carriers and concealed carriers opens up and floods the comments section.

I get why some people open carry, and I also get why others decide to conceal.

Do you want the honest truth? Having an openly-carried firearm makes you more of a target to the bad guys. It’s a simple fact that rings true each day. I’ll also say that I have no doubt that crime has been deterred even before it started because the bad guy saw the armed citizen first, and decided to not go through with the crime. There is no doubt this is true, either. When it does happen, it’s impossible to track. But it does happen.

I always use this scenario. Picture yourself in a grocery store at the check-out lane with your firearm displayed openly on your hip. Now, picture the bad guy coming up to the register you’re at with his gun drawn, looking for all the cash that the cashier can give him. If this bad guy happens to see your firearm, guess where his attention is going to move to. That’s right, it’s you, because you’re the closest viable threat to his mission.

As Brandon the concealed carrier, there won’t ever be a day that I’d open carry (if I were in an area that allowed it).

The reason?

Just start reading this article again, right from the top.