[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by jimhoward

Got it. That is different from my prior state on TN where permit less open carry is permitted except in the airport.

States are all over the board on open carry vs. concealed carry. Some allow open constitutional carry. Others allow open carry only if the gun is unloaded. There also differences state to state, in some a permit is needed to open carry, in others, not. It is a good argument for a nationwide carry law, which some favor.

Minnesota, the state where I come from, is unbelievably over-controlling on just about every thing you can think of, except how to carry a gun. The permit issued by the state, subject to passing the class and background check, is "permit to carry", and how you carry is up to you. Many carry openly. It is even legal there to carry a rifle openly in public if you have a carry permit, which I understand has happened from time to time. I've attended Second Amendment rallies on the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul where most of the attendees were carrying, many openly.

Interesting though: only four states (California, Illinois, New York and Florida, and D.C. prohibit open carry.

As far as I'm concerned, the only person that needs to know that I am carrying is myself. Why precipitate trouble?

[MrFlorida]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

You are not a victim if you do not need to carry a weapon to go to the Squares or the movies or Walmart.

Huh ???

[Blueblaze]

This thread and all of the news articles I have read would be much more interesting if they told us how this thug was apprehended, and why he didn't simply get into the car he shot into and drive away. Did he just hang around waving his gun until a cop showed up? The time I encountered a burglar in my living room, not 5 blocks from there, I couldn't even get the Sumter Sheriff department to roll a squad car, and I was force to eject them myself.

How was the thug detained until the cops arrived? Did a gun-toting villager hold him?

[Normal]

To avoid a car jacking in one of the shopping plazas, do the following:

Take extra care when parking in commercial areas. According to the National Crime Victimization survey, 25% of all carjackings happen in parking lots, parking garages or near commercial areas. Park in a spot close to the building’s main entrance and under a lot of light,[19] avoiding areas that are visually obstructed by walls or large plants.[20] Don’t sit in the car and go through receipts or have a conversation on the phone or with your child in the backseat. Get in, lock the doors and go.
Don’t put your seatbelt on while pulling out of a space. If something happens, you may need to get out of your car quickly. Instead, belt yourself as soon as you are out of the space and ready to drive.
In parking garages, park close to the exit and back into the space. It’s easier to drive forwards than backwards in an emergency.

Taken from 3 Ways to Avoid Being Carjacked - wikiHow

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

This thread and all of the news articles I have read would be much more interesting if they told us how this thug was apprehended, and why he didn't simply get into the car he shot into and drive away. Did he just hang around waving his gun until a cop showed up? The time I encountered a burglar in my living room, not 5 blocks from there, I couldn't even get the Sumter Sheriff department to roll a squad car, and I was force to eject them myself.

How was the thug detained until the cops arrived? Did a gun-toting villager hold him?

The cops came after several 911 calls. I assume he was on foot. According to the August 22, 2025 article in the Local section of The Villages Daily Sun. D4. Public Safety Section. It did not really say how he surrended.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

You are not a victim if you do not need to carry a weapon to go to the Squares or the movies or Walmart.

I'm sure the unarmed people at Colony Plaza felt the same way...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Some are . And some have dementia or Alzheimer's.

I'm beginning to think the same of some of these posters... I'll not say whom I'm talking about, though...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by kingofbeer

Accidents never happen around guns. Have you heard of Terry Kath ?
The tragic death of Chicago’s Terry Kath

Wow, a 47 yo example of an idiot playing with a gun?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by kingofbeer

Never heard of it. I guess she ignored the sign.

You guessed wrong...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

I prefer no one be carrying a gun. At home for protection is one thing, walking around the squares or a rec center is something else.

Mistakes happen, even well-intentioned mistakes. I don't want to be a victim of one of those mistakes.

Based on the posts of this thread, I am far less likely to encounter a prowling criminal than a gun-carrying Villager.

Have you -ever- encountered a "gun carrying villager"?

They are out there. And in higher #s than you might think...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by jimhoward

I am not sure I have ever seen an open carry firearm in the villages. If it were concealed carry, I guess I wouldn't know. Is it common?

Exactly. You wouldn't know...

And that's the entire point of concealed carry...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Most likely, concealed carry is very common and it is legal. But, I think it is illegal for most people to carry a firearm that can be seen. That is probably why you have never seen it.

Correct...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

I would prefer no one be carrying a gun either. But since criminals don't follow rules or the law, you're better off protecting yourself than not.

In spite of some of the ridiculous comments on this thread, not everyone in TV is a demented 90 year old with shaky hands and poor eyesight. Certainly, those few should not carry. But well trained, responsible gun owners is another story.

There you go again, with you logic and reason...

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Have you -ever- encountered a "gun carrying villager"?

They are out there. And in higher #s than you might think...

Which is exactly what worries me.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Which is exactly what worries me.

I've heard the odds of being shot by a Villager carrying a gun if you're not doing a criminal action are the less than those of one's house in The Villages being struck by lightning. So, no worries!