If you are undecided between open carry and concealed carry, this simple guide could help steer you in the right direction.

Concealed Carry vs. Open Carry

The purpose of open carry and concealed carry is identical. No matter which suits you best, the only reason why you want and need to carry a gun is for self-protection. Otherwise, it means you are a bad guy who carries a gun to pose a threat. If you are a law-abiding citizen, you wouldn’t really carry a gun for any other purpose than self-defense.

Whether you choose open carry or concealed carry, what matters most is your ability to use your weapon. Just remember – owning a gun comes with a lot of responsibility.

Open Carry

If you are tired of feeling helpless or you just want to make bad guys know that they would be in for a really tough day in case they choose you as a target, then open carry is a great choice. Once bad guys see that you are carrying your own gun, there is a high chance that they would scratch off the idea of targeting you.

You don’t have to worry about it looking too bulky since you won't be hiding your gun under your clothes. All you have to do is make sure that you have your pistol at the right place so that if anything bad happens, you can easily access it.

Nonetheless, open carry can be a disadvantage – especially since bad guys can shoot you right then and there so that you won’t have a chance to defend yourself. Plus, they may try to take your pistol away from you and use it against you, thereby placing you in grave danger.

However, if you are aware of everything that’s happening around you and you know self-defense, open carry is a great choice.

Concealed Carry

Concealed carry should not be visible to the public eye. Unlike open carry, you have to make sure that you are properly hiding your gun under your clothing.

The good thing about concealed carry is that you still have that element of surprise in case a bad guy chooses to attack you. Plus, you don’t have to limit yourself on the places that you want to go.

On the other hand, concealed carry can be hard to execute. Moreover, it may not scare off thieves as much as open carry since they won’t know you have a firearm unless they attack you.

Basically, concealed carry can serve its purpose in making sure that you have all it takes to defend yourself.