Is open carry allowed for police in civilian clothes?

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dcmdon said:
This varies massively from state to state. In CT, there are hundreds of people openly carrying every day with no problems.

While MA doesn't legally prohibit OC, it is frowned upon by the PD. In most states this is irrelevant. But in MA, you have your LCT or even FID at the pleasure of the CLEO. Without a LTC or FID you can't even POSSESS firearms.

So bottom line is that if your OC pisses off the CLEO in your town, you lose your "right" to even possess firearms in the state of MA. So OC by citizens is effectively prohibited in MA.
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I know. I used to live in Chicopee, and Holyoke before that. I just find the regional contrast interesting. In MA if you see someone openly carrying the tendency is to assume that person is a cop. In southwest AZ if you see someone openly carrying you tend to assume that person is just a private citizen who's into guns.
 
ochmude said:
I know. I used to live in Chicopee, and Holyoke before that. I just find the regional contrast interesting. In MA if you see someone openly carrying the tendency is to assume that person is a cop. In southwest AZ if you see someone openly carrying you tend to assume that person is just a private citizen who's into guns.
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I agree completely. We were in ND this fall hunting and saw the same thing.

The surprising thing is that most of the people you see OCing in Connecticut who are not in uniform are also citizens who are into guns. Its just interesting considering CT's general anti gun climate these days.
 
mousegunguy said:
[pot]

[pot]
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Supermoto said:
I was in a convenience store in MA, there was a little guy all decked out in his green shirt and matching cargos tucked into his boots. He had a sweet drop leg holster. He was so tacticool that he forgot to put a mag in his gun.
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Supermoto said:
doubtful, he didn't have a chest rig full of twinkies.
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ochmude said:
I know. I used to live in Chicopee, and Holyoke before that. I just find the regional contrast interesting. In MA if you see someone openly carrying the tendency is to assume that person is a cop. In southwest AZ if you see someone openly carrying you tend to assume that person is just a private citizen who's into guns.
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There aren't any sheep in Holyoke......they are all Latin kings lol.
 
Has anyone actually asked their town's chief what would happen if you were "caught" open carrying in another town? What I mean is, since it's technically legal, the only thing that COULD happen to you is your suitability, right? Am I right in saying that your chief has that final authority? Lets say you are from one of those central/western MA towns that's cool with guns and LTC's, you are visiting friends in, say, Cambridge. The Cambridge PD will probably come with full SWAT and Apache Helicopters, but in reality, its only YOUR chief that can say "You've been bad, I am yanking your LTC". Could he not also say "Hey moron, don't open carry in Cambridge, have a nice day."

Is it worth asking your town's chief how he feels about OC??
 
They are cops in a police state/country. They do WTF they want... Shame on you peon for even questioning such... JBT inbound to your home in 3....2.....1.....

- - - Updated - - -

LetsSeeOne said:
Has anyone actually asked their town's chief what would happen if you were "caught" open carrying in another town? What I mean is, since it's technically legal, the only thing that COULD happen to you is your suitability, right? Am I right in saying that your chief has that final authority? Lets say you are from one of those central/western MA towns that's cool with guns and LTC's, you are visiting friends in, say, Cambridge. The Cambridge PD will probably come with full SWAT and Apache Helicopters, but in reality, its only YOUR chief that can say "You've been bad, I am yanking your LTC". Could he not also say "Hey moron, don't open carry in Cambridge, have a nice day."

Is it worth asking your town's chief how he feels about OC??
Click to expand...

In strong anti towns they MAY charge you with disturbing the peace, inciting panic, or whatever.... The subsequent arrest and charges would most certainly have an impact on your renewal.
 
MSP requires that a badge be on the belt if carrying in civilian clothes. (Except when undercover) people open carry all day long in my office, so I guess it's no big deal to me. I'm surrounded by MP .45s [smile]

I have seen some Feds open carry with badge displayed on belt but never FBI. Can't say for local PDs, a question that LenS can probably answer. Locals I've seen have badges on belt.

What is the purpose of this thread? OP saw some people carrying. Who cares ?
 
ThePreBanMan said:
.. In strong anti towns they MAY charge you with disturbing the peace, inciting panic, or whatever.... The subsequent arrest and charges would most certainly have an impact on your renewal.
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This is mostly Internet lore or legend, and part heresay.
 
Xringer said:
At first, I assumed the guy we were standing behind, in line, was a LEO. And he was facing away from me, so I was unable to see his badge.
Then, when we were sitting down at our table, I saw him at and his friend from the side. Still no badges. When the 3rd guy joined them,
that made three armed men without badges.

That worried me and I was fearful. Because these guys were not what people expected to see.
Since the full-size M&P is Woburn PD issue, and the haircuts were GI, I assumed these
guys were not just some Mass Rifle members on their way home from the range.

If the restaurant manager or a customer had called Woburn 911, what would happen?

One night back in the 70s, a Woburn PD LEO and a Woburn PD Aux stopped at a Somerville DD near Mcgrah highway.
The counter girl saw the LEO's concealed weapon and called Somerville PD.
They came rushing in with guns drawn and pointed at the Woburn LEO.
They ignored the other guy, until he volunteered that he too was armed.
Both were disarmed, yelled at for 20 minutes and told get out and never to come back.

That event and a few others, told me something about concealed carry in the Boston area.
It's not real safe. Do it and your chances of being shot by a LEO will shoot way up!

Today, I don't know any of the LEOs in Woburn. I have no idea if they are more
or less competent than they were, when I was forced to deal with them many years ago.
They could still be the KeyStone Cops for all I know. Just with better firearms.
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Are you ****ing kidding me?!?! You were scared by a gun? Did you piss yourself and blow your whistle? What difference does it make if it's two or three? If it's one does that make it better? Do you pee yourself a less or according to how many guns their are/ Seriously WTF is your issue. Crawl back in to your liberal utopia.

dcmdon said:
This varies massively from state to state. In CT, there are hundreds of people openly carrying every day with no problems.

While MA doesn't legally prohibit OC, it is frowned upon by the PD. In most states this is irrelevant. But in MA, you have your LCT or even FID at the pleasure of the CLEO. Without a LTC or FID you can't even POSSESS firearms.

So bottom line is that if your OC pisses off the CLEO in your town, you lose your "right" to even possess firearms in the state of MA. So OC by citizens is effectively prohibited in MA.
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I've never had an issue with it. Some are scared shitless about OC and carrying in general. Back when I first was starting to carry I was worried about printing or the shirt creeping up. As I have talked to a few CoP and regular leo most don't care. You will get the occasional one who doesn't know the law and wants to make an issue of it. Overall who cares do it if you want.

LetsSeeOne said:
Has anyone actually asked their town's chief what would happen if you were "caught" open carrying in another town? What I mean is, since it's technically legal, the only thing that COULD happen to you is your suitability, right? Am I right in saying that your chief has that final authority? Lets say you are from one of those central/western MA towns that's cool with guns and LTC's, you are visiting friends in, say, Cambridge. The Cambridge PD will probably come with full SWAT and Apache Helicopters, but in reality, its only YOUR chief that can say "You've been bad, I am yanking your LTC". Could he not also say "Hey moron, don't open carry in Cambridge, have a nice day."

Is it worth asking your town's chief how he feels about OC??
Click to expand...

See above. The few that I have talked to in Western mass don't really care. As long as you leave or cover it if someone has an issue. If you decided to stay and argue at the mall or the Big E they would take issue with you but if you just left then they wouldn't care. There are also cities that are very much green. All but one don't even require an interview. The only one that is long gone that shared this view but required an interview was Westsides Burke and he always issued class A NR.

Hell I OC'd the other day at Walmart and even bought ammo and no one ever said anything. Same thing with a retailer in West Springfield and I definitely didn't look like a cop. With that said I mostly carry concealed.
 
Bottom line; People are afraid of guns. Even some people on this forum. Sadly they correlate guns with bad people.
If gun owners are afraid of other gun owners carrying, open or otherwise, then we are in deep trouble. The court house is right down the street from The Restaurant so its not hard to imagine what you were looking at. There are also a number of gun shops and gun clubs in that area. Plus the PD is not far away.
If you seriously get nervous when you see a gun I think you should turn in all of your firearms and move to Cambridge.

edit in blue
 
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mark056 said:
MSP requires that a badge be on the belt if carrying in civilian clothes. (Except when undercover) people open carry all day long in my office, so I guess it's no big deal to me. I'm surrounded by MP .45s [smile]

I have seen some Feds open carry with badge displayed on belt but never FBI. Can't say for local PDs, a question that LenS can probably answer. Locals I've seen have badges on belt.

What is the purpose of this thread? OP saw some people carrying. Who cares ?
Click to expand...

Locals will vary. Back many years ago I used to see one or two of our detectives open carrying in the local 7-11, no badge on belt and no other toys to give onlookers a clue that they were cops. I used to cringe at it as we are in a moon-bat town but I never raised the issue with them.

I've been in stores and at gas pumps where I have seen visible guns and no badge. I just smile to myself and go about my business. Nobody seems to notice.

A number of years ago I used to OC in my car (no badge visible) in the Summer on the way to BR&P. Anyone in a truck could have seen it . . . if so I never knew.

It's not something that I would advise someone to do in E. MA and I haven't seen it very often but who cares.


ThePreBanMan said:
Didn't someone post an article here about it happening to someone?
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Joe <forget his last name> carrying in a shoulder holster, breeze blew jacket open (he was carrying pizzas to his car) and cop in Dedham Square saw it, reported it and he lost his LTC. Lost his lawsuits to get it back (even on appeal) and it took a negotiated deal that when the Dedham chief retired, his replacement would re-issue him a LTC (about 4 years later). I understand that the restricted LTC forbade him CCW'g! Yes he posted his story here at one time.
 
Coyote33 said:
This is mostly Internet lore or legend, and part heresay.
Click to expand...

The scary part for me is if someone does call it in, I don't want to be on the wrong end of a bunch of freaked out local cops with twitchy trigger fingers. Being in eastern MA, it is just plain safer to stay under the radar.
 
I have a couple friends who are detectives and they open carry while on the job. They are always in plain clothes with no badge or other equipment except a radio visible. Most carry their badge on a chain around there neck so it can be retrieved easily for identification. I think most people who see an open carry gun assume it is a cop as long as the person with the gun is not dressed like a thug.
I dont think most gang members would openly carry.

And by the way, haven't you heard the Police can do whatever they want when ever they want and there are no consequences.
 
Couple experiences-
1.Had my revolver on me at movies. Popped out onto floor in popcorn line. Reacted calmly. Chuckled. Picked it up. No one reacted. Sure if I acted concerned woulda been different.
2. Guy was open carrying at Walmart in Pittsfield. No one reacted. Out of curiosity I asked people their opinion. Most all of them said he's "obviously an off duty cop if he has a gun he isn't hiding". Guy wasn't a cop. People r stupid. It's sad. Because people relate guns with cops or bad guys. Nothing in between. Couple people smiled seeing his gun. But they were over by sporting goods.
3. Gun concealed in blackhawk serpa at lunch place.(I usually carry crossbreed but was on way home from range) Sweatshirt on. Bottom of plastic holster visible. Maybe an inch. I was asked what shift I work at the police station. I said none. They said "wow u retired young".

Can't fix stupid. Local pd tells me they get tons of calls at station for "I saw a gun" at shopping centers etc.... Of course this is 99% concealed carriers bending over to get a box of Cheerios of something I'm sure. But if they were open holstered I'm sure it wouldn't draw such a large fear reaction.
 
LetsSeeOne said:
Has anyone actually asked their town's chief what would happen if you were "caught" open carrying in another town? What I mean is, since it's technically legal, the only thing that COULD happen to you is your suitability, right? Am I right in saying that your chief has that final authority? Lets say you are from one of those central/western MA towns that's cool with guns and LTC's, you are visiting friends in, say, Cambridge. The Cambridge PD will probably come with full SWAT and Apache Helicopters, but in reality, its only YOUR chief that can say "You've been bad, I am yanking your LTC". Could he not also say "Hey moron, don't open carry in Cambridge, have a nice day."

Is it worth asking your town's chief how he feels about OC??
Click to expand...

Excellent point. There is no harm in asking.
 
K7500 said:
Couple experiences-
1.Had my revolver on me at movies. Popped out onto floor in popcorn line. Reacted calmly. Chuckled. Picked it up. No one reacted. Sure if I acted concerned woulda been different.
2. Guy was open carrying at Walmart in Pittsfield. No one reacted. Out of curiosity I asked people their opinion. Most all of them said he's "obviously an off duty cop if he has a gun he isn't hiding". Guy wasn't a cop. People r stupid. It's sad. Because people relate guns with cops or bad guys. Nothing in between. Couple people smiled seeing his gun. But they were over by sporting goods.
3. Gun concealed in blackhawk serpa at lunch place.(I usually carry crossbreed but was on way home from range) Sweatshirt on. Bottom of plastic holster visible. Maybe an inch. I was asked what shift I work at the police station. I said none. They said "wow u retired young".

Can't fix stupid. Local pd tells me they get tons of calls at station for "I saw a gun" at shopping centers etc.... Of course this is 99% concealed carriers bending over to get a box of Cheerios of something I'm sure. But if they were open holstered I'm sure it wouldn't draw such a large fear reaction.
Click to expand...

I had a similar thing happen to me at Bass Pro, I was bringing a long gun in to have a scope mounted and as I leaned over to unlock the case that I had put on the ground, my PPK fell out of my jacket pocket into the rifle case, I just felt stupid and glad it didn't get scratched up. [mg]
 
Ben Cartwright SASS said:
I had a similar thing happen to me at Bass Pro, I was bringing a long gun in to have a scope mounted and as I leaned over to unlock the case that I had put on the ground, my PPK fell out of my jacket pocket into the rifle case, I just felt stupid and glad it didn't get scratched up. [mg]
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Ben, Ben Say it isn't so...you always carried SAAs or Remingtons on TV now you tell me you carry one of those new fangled semi-automatcs. Next you'll probably tell us that Little Joe and Candy are getting married. [wink]
 
Adam my oldest got married and became a LAWYER (went to Scrivner's law school)

Hoss and Little Joe are still living at home (Little Joe my youngest is also a lefty and goes by Joe Cartwright in SASS)

Don't worry though the PPK that I love is my CCW, I still have the matched Ruger Stainless Vaquero's for my double holster!
 
You people who are saying you would call the cops are part of the problem in this state. As long as they aren't threatening anyone or waving their guns around, who cares! Let them go about their business.
 
warwickben said:
I eat at this Greek sub place in dracut. It's right near a station . There's a few I see come in and they do a shitty job hiding it. Oddly the tiny female cop dose a good job . I ate next to her a crap load of times and didn't realize she was a cop till her radio went off .
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is she doing the snatch carry?[laugh]
 
Supermoto said:
I was in a convenience store in MA, there was a little guy all decked out in his green shirt and matching cargos tucked into his boots. He had a sweet drop leg holster. He was so tacticool that he forgot to put a mag in his gun.
Click to expand...
was it a paintball gun?
 
dcmdon said:
I agree completely. We were in ND this fall hunting and saw the same thing.

The surprising thing is that most of the people you see OCing in Connecticut who are not in uniform are also citizens who are into guns. Its just interesting considering CT's general anti gun climate these days.
Click to expand...
it seems that our problem is they want to telll us what to carry and how many rounds to pack, i go OC when i shop in the summer, because i would rather it be seen openly than get a call out a guy with a concealed gun. Torrington is totally ok with open carry, see it at walmart often, in my town, Canton, I OC with some frowns and disapproval from cops, but they know the law.
 
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