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[Molly B.]

Quote

"The concern: whenever officers are out there making stops or dealing with certain situations, they'll be involved with people--more people--that now would become armed," Deputy Director Limey Nargelenas said.

We often hear this concern from law enforcement officers.  SirMatthew posted this response in another thread and I thought it very appropriate to post it here in Community Educational Opportunities.  It is not exactly an educational event but an educational tool for all of us to have tucked away in our "files" for use when the occasion arises.

SirMatthew's reply:

Are some of his traffic stops and suspects armed now with a concealed firearm? Yes

Does he have the ability to see who is armed with a concealed-weapon up front now? No

Does he approach every traffic stop or suspect as if they are armed? Yes

Does he use extra caution when he discovers they are armed (concealed or openly)? Yes

If open-carry were legal in Illinois, would some still choose to carry their firearm in a concealed manner? Yes

Would any of the above change if LTC became legal in Illinois? No

[Molly B.]

Because of the anti-gun sentiment in Illinois and the Brady group using the term "hidden gun" to cast a bad light on the right to carry concealed some LEOs hold the opinion that only "bad guys" carry concealed and only open carry should be considered for citizens.  While most of us would gladly welcome open carry, if that is all we could get, there are tactical and social reasons that makes "concealed" carry desirable for many.  It could be helpful to share the following points with these LEOs.

From a tactical standpoint carrying concealed leaves the bad guy to wonder if his intended victim is carrying or not -  
Open carry gives the bad guy a possible advantage as in the Missouri county board meeting where the two security officers were targeted first which left the rest of the citizens in the room, who were restricted from carrying in that facility, unprotected.

From the social standpoint, while many in other states are accustomed to seeing citizens openly carrying, that is not the case in Illinois.  If an open carry law were to be passed here we can all be very sure that our local law enforcement would be inundated with reports of "man/woman with a gun" and all the hysteria that would follow.  Carrying concealed would eliminate that problem.

An "open carry only" law will not prevent the bad guys from carrying concealed and they sure aren't going to obey a law that says they must show the whole world they are carrying a gun illegally.

In the end all LEOs are suppose to assume that everyone is armed anyway, and approach as such.  

Thanks to Silver Guardian for suggesting this post and contributing to its contents.