I love open carrying my revolver. The wife took these pix tonight at the WalMart here in Casper, Wyoming.
Open carry is legal here, but it is not common. In seven months of living here, the only people we’ve seen carrying are us, and a few members of the Free State Wyoming project.
We love Wyoming in ever way, and for every reason, and this is one more reason. If I’d tried this in Southern California, a cop would have pointed a gun at my head and I’d have been arrested, probably within minutes of leaving the house.
Gun is a Taurus model 605, .357 magnum snubbie. I’m also carrying two loaded speedloaders in the little pouches.
Photos by Debra Jean Dean. Photos and post covered by Creative Commons, Cc-by-sa 3.0.
– Michael W. Dean
Tags: guns and walmart, open carry, open carry photos, open carry pictures, Wyoming
Right on, Michael!
Serious question, Michael. What do Wyoming natives think when they see people open carrying? I wonder if it’s just like, meh, whatever, or do they think, gee, another transplant with a boner for firearms walking around showing it off? I’m just curious, I’ve seen a couple people open-carry in PA (although I am not sure what the laws are here regarding that) and it doesn’t bother me, I guess I just want to know if you fit in there or do they look at you like you’re some city slicker?
When I encounter open carriers around here, the reaction of whoever I’m with can be predicted, 100% of the time, based on their politics. If I’m with a liberal coworker, they are appalled. Anybody else, they don’t even mention it, unless they’re confused about what model it is.
Matt,
The only time we’ve ever gotten strange looks or comments it’s out of town at places that tourists stop, like truck stops, hotels, roadside restaurants etc. Anyone who’s ever been visibly upset or said anything (only happened a few times), they’ve been from somewhere else, passing through.
Mostly only little kids notice it, because they’re at eye level. (and they’re usually just curious.)
I usually wear black pants, I have a black holster and a black gun. It all blends in, and really, people don’t usually look at other people’s belt lines. Out of the corner of their eye, they probably think it’s a cell phone or a hunting knife, and don’t investigate further.
I think some people probably don’t know that open carry of pistols is legal, and probably think I’m an off-duty cop. I do nothing to propagate that idea, and would tell them otherwise if they asked, but I do have a pretty square haircut.
If I looked unkempt and dressed like a thug, and/or carried myself in an aggressive manner, I think I’d get a lot more looks, and probably get stopped and questioned by the cops. I do NOT carry myself in an aggressive manner. I carry myself in a confident manner, but do not act badass or cocky at all. I also smile a lot anyway, but smile more when open carrying, and try to be an emissary for open carry….go out of my way to open doors for old ladies, things like that.
Open carry of knives here is much more common, I’d say one in four adult males has a knife on his belt, usually a four or five-inch blade. Partially for self-defense, partially just as a tool. I’ve often been around a male who whips out a knife when I need to open a box or strip some wires.
I even saw a youngish looking gal (about 19 or 20) working at a hardware store with a HUGE (like nine inch) knife in a sheath. It was not store issue, no one else working there had one. I assume it was for opening boxes, and for protection.
MWD
-Serious question, Michael. What do Wyoming natives think when they see people open carrying? I wonder if it’s just like, meh, whatever, or do they think, gee, another transplant with a boner for firearms walking around showing it off?-
My guess would be about half and half, but what do I know? I live in Montana, not Wyoming, LOL. I’m a member of the former most of the time, but I have been a member of the latter a time or two. Some people just make it a little TOO obvious that they’re pretty proud of the fact that they’re strapped and it’s pretty obvious when they’re like a kid in a candy store about it. To most of us that grew up around here though, a gun on someone’s hip doesn’t draw any more attention than a Leatherman tool or a cell phone unless the person appears to have ill intent. Most people that wear a gun on their hip have no ill intent whatsoever, or else they’d have their gun illegally hidden. Hence the reason why it doesn’t garner a lot of attention. I’m sure some of the transplants that live here might not think too much of it, but fortunately most take a “when in Rome” position, and keep their mouths shut. Unfortunately they don’t vote accordingly however.
Downtown? Might make me raise an eyebrow, but only out of concern for the person carrying. Montana doesn’t have a state law protecting open carry like Wyoming does, so a lot of towns have city ordinances against it. I’m not a big fan of people who mean no harm getting beaten down by jackbooted thugs when they aren’t doing anything “wrong”. Just because some nanny stater made a law against it, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily “wrong”.
Out in the woods? Never give it a second thought. Look through all of my hunting, fishing, and ATV pictures, and you’ll be hard pressed to find one of me without a firearm close at hand. Even my kids are packing in a lot of them.
-I’d say one in four adult males has a knife on his belt-
I’d say 2.99 out of the other three has a knife in his POCKET. I don’t know many guys that don’t carry a pocket knife. I have since I was about 4 years old, and so have pretty much all of my friends. I used to carry a Buck lockblade on my belt years ago, but I lost it, so now I just have my little fold up toad sticker in my pocket. The only time I took it out and left it home, was the one time I got on an airplane to fly off to . . . California of all places, LOL. I actually forgot that I had it until the last minute and had to hand it off to my wife when she dropped me off at the airport.
Justin