Open Question

Fella's;

This afternoon I stopped in at the local Barnes & Noble, Great Falls MT.  While in there, I noticed a young man with a high & tight, T-shirt, jeans, & an open carry glock on his hip.  He was sitting on a bench, reading & minding his own business.

I was also carrying, but concealed.  I didn't ask him what he was doing, didn't see the need.  But, I don't think that Montana, or at least Great Falls, allows open carry in the city.

What would you have done, presuming that you're not LEO.

900F

Wow, this is a totally foreign concept to me... 'course I'm in a country where the only 'open carry' are LEO's, military police or specially licenced armed guards, like on an armoured truck, etc. No civilian 'open carry' except on an approved range for target practice.

'Concealed carry' is even more restricted than that...

I see that here from time to time. I guess living in ranching country I have never given it much thought. I guess it is about like seeing a rifle in the back window of a pickup. I see that at least once a week. The only thing that bothers me about the rifle in the back window is, its not uncomon to see one in Walmart's parking lot with the windows down and nobody around. I would be afraid someone might steal it.

Wing master

d4570 wrote: I do think it is very leagle to carry a gun in plain sight, but ai allso think it's not laegle to have a loaded gun in greatfalls. If you are" permitted" you can have it loaded.I knew a manager of a 24/7 store that would carry a loaded 44mag steapped on Her hip . she never got robbed!!!!!

That's 'cause 'an armed society is a polite society'...

Fella's;

I talked with a Deputy about what I saw on Sunday.   This was a call I made to the Sheriff's office, recorded official & everything.  I was told that a concealed carry permited person can carry openly anywhere except the usual places, like where alchohol is consumed, banks, & schools.

I about had to pick my jaw up off the floor.  A permit to carry concealed allows you to carry openly.  Huh!!??  Oh, well, I just live here.

900F

CB,

   Same rules apply in NY (upstate)... I still have my CC from when I was in the military (I applied and got it while stationed in Rome NY).

   Anywho, they told me the same, open was OK however if not in uniform it only drives concerns, and it should not be done open in Banks, resturants, bars, schools, and stores.  Same speach, I got tired of carryin' after a few years, that blue steel gets heavy (S&W).

   Anyway... It's a requirement if certain agencies to carry ALL the time...  But yer local county mountie typically doesn't have to put up with this like the fed's do.  But ya never know, there are enough wild eye'd pistol waver's in MT anywho.

Spot

Fella's;

I knew that open carry was legal in Montana in general.  However, I still am under the impression that it is not legal for the general public to open carry in the city of Great Falls.  The exception to the carry ban in Great Falls, as I understand it, is to have a concealed carry permit.  With the permit, a person can carry either open or concealed.

I would have thought that the intent of the concealed carry exception was to prevent prosecution for an inadvertant flash of a gun, not naked, on-the-hip for the world to see carry.

Anyway, I'm not about to start open carry unless & until I'm out of town.  Most of the time when hiking, I carry concealed anyway.  When one meets a Kali soccer mom & family on the trail, open carry just isn't worth it.  I mean, even if she's got big hooters & takes a deep breath, the following indignent screaming is just too much.

900F