Concealed Carry or Open Carry

About a month ago I was sent an email from a church security leader that was bringing a request to his deacon board to allow some of the security guys to open carry their weapons while serving.  Wisely, one of the church elders was requesting that this person reach out to people in the security networks to get various other input on this subject.  I did not respond with an answer right away but asked two questions.  What was the purpose of wanting to have an open carry? What training and certification process was there to reduce the liability to the church regardless of how the weapon was carried.

I got back a 3-point response and a description of the training and qualifications he would have.
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1. Deterrence. Gun-rights activists often cite deterrence as a good reason to openly carry a firearm in public. Open carry makes you (and those around you) safer because would-be attackers or criminals will avoid a person with a firearm.
2. Speedy defense. It’s faster to draw a pistol that is openly carried, compared to one that is concealed. Instead of fumbling around for your concealed handgun, you can quickly defend yourself with an openly carried weapon.
3. Normalizing weapons. The least reason is: Wearing a handgun in public is also intended to “desensitize” the public. Today, many people are alarmed at the sight of a private citizen wearing a handgun. Once desensitized, weapons become normal.

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