Open Carry While at Home

[rivercityshooter]

I load and do my firearms maintenance in my garage...We have a constant stream of the "church ladies" from the 7th day Adventists and also many "leafelet droppers" that come up to our door...past the garage door....When I'm in the garage I pull the big door down...I've had a couple of occasions where I've been "walked in on" when someone sees me in the garage...

Good thing my Fed ex guy is a shooter...I was bore sighting a rifle from a table/gun vise back in the corner of the garage and pointing down the street to a street light "target" I could bore sight on...of course the bolt was out and no ammo around....I'm looking through the bore when I heard sort of a "gasp"...it was the Fed ex guy coming around the corner of the garage and facing a rifle/scope pointing at him...I got him quieted down and he laughed as he fully understood..said it was just a "moment"....no way would I want some "church lady" having that same experience...

My Neighbors are good and know I have guns...We are within the 1000 foot rule of a school yard so I'm extremely careful about showing anything...if I'm loading my car with stuff to go to the range..I back the car into the drive way and don't walk about with gun cases exposed...just a bit inconvenient but why slap the bull on the nose.

WOW I could see this going bad real quick. My FedEx USPS and UPS drivers wont even come close to my door because of my dog. She does not bark at them but they have seen her and are scared of pits. I could just imagine a church lady. That sucks about living so close to a school. My friend lives close to a school and He feels really weird about loading up to go to the range.

[rivercityshooter]

Discussion has drifted off 'what is the law/how to obey the law'.

Moved.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Thats all I wanted to know 'what is the law/how to obey the law'. but now I feel like I posted a 2A question in a Pro Hillary forum.

[rivercityshooter]

Get an LCP and pocket carry like I do when I'm not doing yard Work OP. Looks and feels like a wallet in my DeSantis super fly.

I am planning on getting an M&P Shield soon. Then I wont have to wear a stupid holster.

[protohyp]

I live in the hood. everyone has guns so nothing to worry about

[44fred]

The "mentality" I dont understand is why are we as legal gun owners so in the closet about our hobby. I have been around guns my whole 44 years of life and never really thought about carrying until about 6 months ago when my wife said to me why do you have all these guns, they are not going to be any good being locked up and put away. This got me to thinking and so a few days later I started carrying when at home. My question is WHY wouldn't you carry? I know what you are going to say "I always have a gun close at hand" I always thought the same thing. When things go south and your caught off guard things happen sometimes to fast for you to react. I know your going to say "Im always on my guard" Well when your at home you WILL let your guard down and why wouldn't you? Your at your home, your castle. Even police officers and soldiers who train day in and day out get caught off guard your human it happens. Home invasions are a real thing. People knocking on your front door and then when you open it the thugs they are with rush in.

When I lived in Colorado alot of people carried open and I am sure alot more carried concealed. I asked someone once about why he carried in public and he said to me "Same reason you carry your knife all the time." which really got me thinking.

Long story short I started carrying at home lately. Why wouldn't I, its my castle and my family that I will die defending. They look to me to provide and also for protection. This is the only state I have lived in or visited that a legal gun owner has to worry about carrying in THEIR OWN HOUSE!!! I am sick of having to live in the closet about owning or carrying a gun.

Lastly on the holster issue!!! I DO NOT ALWAYS LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH AN EMPTY HOLSTER!!!! Only sometime I will leave the house with it on my side I so not make it a habit to take it with me. The hostler is not even the big issue here I mostly wanted to know if I roll up my garage door am I committing a crime by not having a barrier between me an the public. I guess I should have know better than to ask a question on a Pro Gun forum about a legal issue after all the other posts I have read and all the other members jump all over the OP.

The advise you got from me was from a CCW holder for over 27 years.
Do what you want, I really don't care. If you were my neighbor and I saw you with a gun on your hip, I'd go introduce myself by shaking your hand.
After I got to know you a bit, I'd try and educate you just like I did earlier.
Not everybody looks at firearms the way we do, you should know that.
This country is going through a major anti gun shift...you should know that as well.
Do your family a favor, get your CCW. Drama solved.
Anybody on this forum that lives in an area where they can attain a CCW, should buck up and get one.

[Scratch705]

i would love to carry openly around the house... but i'm usually in my boxers so i'm not sure how it would look with the holster and gun pulling it down and showing my *** crack to everyone.

[tonyxcom]

I am planning on getting an M&P Shield soon. Then I wont have to wear a stupid holster.

Why wont you have to wear a holster?

If you are thinking of pocket carry, I think its a little big and heavy. You should just get an IWB holster for whatever you have now.

[DDM4556]

No need to advertise

Why would u advertise? You may get unwanted attention and even your house broken into

This.

To my neighbors I'm just a friendly, courteous, individual who'll make occasional conversation when walking the dog. No one knows I have a gun (let alone many guns) - nor do they need to.

[Jimmy's]

Really?

[IVC]

If the garage door is open, you do run the risk of being arrested for open/conceal carry and having a loaded firearm in public.
Open door equates to open to the public.

I haven't followed it too much, but I'm pretty sure the standard is "publicly accessible private property." This would roughly translate into "would a leaflet guy walk freely in that area" - front yard qualifies, garage doesn't.

Was there a case that answered this question recently?

[Sharp Shooter]

What? Walking around stores with an empty holster is a look at me sign, and its not going to be "their" problem are constantly explaining to coos that its just an empty holster.

To me, this is as silly as wearing a CCW vest as you carry.

^^^ This. I don't know why anyone would carry an empty holster. It's just too easy to take it off before you go out. BTW what's a coos?

The "mentality" I dont understand is why are we as legal gun owners so in the closet about our hobby. I have been around guns my whole 44 years of life and never really thought about carrying until about 6 months ago when my wife said to me why do you have all these guns, they are not going to be any good being locked up and put away. This got me to thinking and so a few days later I started carrying when at home. My question is WHY wouldn't you carry? I know what you are going to say "I always have a gun close at hand" I always thought the same thing. When things go south and your caught off guard things happen sometimes to fast for you to react. I know your going to say "Im always on my guard" Well when your at home you WILL let your guard down and why wouldn't you? Your at your home, your castle. Even police officers and soldiers who train day in and day out get caught off guard your human it happens. Home invasions are a real thing. People knocking on your front door and then when you open it the thugs they are with rush in.

When I lived in Colorado alot of people carried open and I am sure alot more carried concealed. I asked someone once about why he carried in public and he said to me "Same reason you carry your knife all the time." which really got me thinking.

Long story short I started carrying at home lately. Why wouldn't I, its my castle and my family that I will die defending. They look to me to provide and also for protection. This is the only state I have lived in or visited that a legal gun owner has to worry about carrying in THEIR OWN HOUSE!!! I am sick of having to live in the closet about owning or carrying a gun.

Lastly on the holster issue!!! I DO NOT ALWAYS LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH AN EMPTY HOLSTER!!!! Only sometime I will leave the house with it on my side I so not make it a habit to take it with me. The hostler is not even the big issue here I mostly wanted to know if I roll up my garage door am I committing a crime by not having a barrier between me an the public. I guess I should have know better than to ask a question on a Pro Gun forum about a legal issue after all the other posts I have read and all the other members jump all over the OP.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Thats all I wanted to know 'what is the law/how to obey the law'. but now I feel like I posted a 2A question in a Pro Hillary forum.

You asked a question. You didn't like the answers you got and now you get all huffy about it. Call the Wahmbulance.

I am planning on getting an M&P Shield soon. Then I wont have to wear a stupid holster.

I have a Shield. Trust me it's too big to pocket carry.

[desertjosh]

Why wont you have to wear a holster?

If you are thinking of pocket carry, I think its a little big and heavy. You should just get an IWB holster for whatever you have now.

Yep. The shield was too big and heavy for Pocket carry for me

[nstoolman1]

I have the same situation you do OP. I Open the side door of the garage and raise the garage door up about a 1 to 1.5 feet. There usually is a breeze that goes across the garage and cools the area I am in. It will give you a break if someone does try to come in and puts them at a disadvantage.

[adamjay]

Wow, OP, sorry some of these guys are all over you, seems like a simple question and I'm not sure you've gotten a real answer yet.

I have the same situation as you do with the garage and have asked before with no real legal conclusion. The one opinion I did get that seemed valid was that your garage is just like your house - a reasonable person (public) would not feel welcome or justified entering your house (or garage) uninvited even if the door was open. As long as you are inside the threshold, you are good. Again, this was someone's interpretation, not legal advice or case law, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

If your garage were public space, you wouldn't be allowed to mount a scope out there or clean your guns. If I'm in the garage working on a rifle, you can bet I've got a sidearm on. I built a shelf and backed it with a tarp so that I can leave the door open while being completely screened from sight unless someone actually enters. I would never have guns in sight from the street. Notably, I live in a small, rural town.

What I find frustrating is that we are supposed to unload and lock up our pistols every time we go between the house and garage.

I almost always carry my pistol strong side OWB with a generous cover garment when I carry at home. To echo the posts above, why advertise or tempt a hassle. I would sometimes disarm but keep my (very small) holster on when I ran to the corner store - still, always with that generous cover garment. Not a big deal.

I did read a post awhile back about a guy who wore an empty holster to town, inadvertently exposed it and had a rather unnerving and unfriendly, time consuming interaction with the police. Not illegal, but what a hassle.

I hope we all get a real answer on this one.

P.s. Getting a CCW if you are able solves all of this.

[MarikinaMan]

My situation is different. I have a fenced home with a remote gate. I keep the gate open when I'm working so I can accept clients to my home workshop to the back of my lot. My home workshop is about 20-25 yards from the curb. Armed, I will walk up to my front gate, never to the sidewalk. If I intend to meet someone on the street, I will put my gun away in a locker in the shop.

I will openly carry when I do not expect customers. It's easier as I can bend and sit without having the gun dig into my side. I will carry concealed either outside the belt with a big shirt for my 9 or inside the pants with a 380 or 9 when I expect people to be coming for drop offs or pick ups.