Where Can you Open Carry, And Where Can't You?

[FDNYLiberty]

I have been reading the "Tell You Open Carrying Stories" topic with some interest. For the sake of introduction and a primer to any new (or potential) WY residents, can you please answer the the following questions.

1) Where is it NOT PERMITTED by Wy state / Federal gun laws to OC (or not permitted to Concealed Carry?), such as certain buildings, businesses?
2) Must the gun be VISIBLE at all times when open carrying? In other words, if you had your pistol in a holster on your belt, can you have a jacket or shirt over it? If the holster is still partially visible with a jacket over part of it, is this legal, or must the holster be fully visible?
3) I kept telling my better half that we will see LOTS of folks in WY open carrying, however during our entire travels in the state, we only saw one person OC'ing.  Are most folks concealed carrying instead?
4) What surrounding states permit Open Carry?

Any answers / comments most appreciated. Thanks folks. 

FDNYLiberty

[Old Ironsights]

I have been reading the "Tell You Open Carrying Stories" topic with some interest. For the sake of introduction and a primer to any new (or potential) WY residents, can you please answer the the following questions.

1) Where is it NOT PERMITTED by Wy state / Federal gun laws to OC (or not permitted to Concealed Carry?), such as certain buildings, businesses?
2) Must the gun be VISIBLE at all times when open carrying? In other words, if you had your pistol in a holster on your belt, can you have a jacket or shirt over it? If the holster is still partially visible with a jacket over part of it, is this legal, or must the holster be fully visible?
3) I kept telling my better half that we will see LOTS of folks in WY open carrying, however during our entire travels in the state, we only saw one person OC'ing.  Are most folks concealed carrying instead?
4) What surrounding states permit Open Carry?

Any answers / comments most appreciated. Thanks folks. 

FDNYLiberty

OC is "allowed" pretty much wherever the property owner doesn't tell you to "leave now".

CC is "prohibited" in:  Bars, most "public" (gooberment) buildings, churches (without permission) and a few others.  I'd have to look up the "law" but it can be Googled...

[MamaLiberty]

1) Where is it NOT PERMITTED by Wy state / Federal gun laws to OC (or not permitted to Concealed Carry?), such as certain buildings, businesses?

We honor private property, so if the owner (or manager) asks you to leave, you leave. Or if they have it posted no guns... but I've not seen one here. There are ordinary restrictions, laws and a permit for concealed carry - SHALL issue. We're hoping to go to Vermont carry soon. There is not a single word in the Wyoming statutes about open carry. It is legal everywhere except on federal property. I carry everywhere except the post office.

2) Must the gun be VISIBLE at all times when open carrying? In other words, if you had your pistol in a holster on your belt, can you have a jacket or shirt over it? If the holster is still partially visible with a jacket over part of it, is this legal, or must the holster be fully visible?

Technically, it has to be visible, period. In reality, nobody much notices or cares. If you are not causing trouble, it's not an issue. Technically again, CC without a permit is a misdemeanor.

3) I kept telling my better half that we will see LOTS of folks in WY open carrying, however during our entire travels in the state, we only saw one person OC'ing.  Are most folks concealed carrying instead?

Heck if I know.    Quite a few have obtained the certificate from the basic pistol class I teach specifically to obtain a permit, but I don't know how many of them actually carry.  Several people carry openly here in Newcastle besides me. It's not common, but it is not remarkable either.

4) What surrounding states permit Open Carry?

South Dakota, Montana, Most of Colorado (Denver is dicey and dumb), Idaho.
See this map for details: http://www.opencarry.org/opencarry.html

[Crappiewy]

Most people who open carry are not Brazen about it. They are there but you just didnt see them.

[MichaelNotMike]

3) I kept telling my better half that we will see LOTS of folks in WY open carrying, however during our entire travels in the state, we only saw one person OC'ing.  Are most folks concealed carrying instead?

lol....I thought this too before I moved here, but since living here a year and a half, and having been all over the state....other than a few FSW folks, myself, my wife, and my buddy Neema, I've only ever seen one other person open carrying in Wyoming.

As for CC, the state is shall-issue, something like 3 and a half % of adults in my county (Natrona) have permits, and I'd estimate maybe 1/2 of one percent of non-criminal adults might carry without a permit (even non-freedom folks).

I'd estimate gun ownership is much higher....I'd be willing to bet well over 50% of adults in the state own a gun (especially a deer rifle), probably half of those keep a gun in their truck much of the time, but don't carry a gun on their person. I've even met several folks who always carry a handgun in their truck but never carry a gun on their person, don't see the need to, and think I'm silly for doing so.

These estimates are based on talking to a lot of different types of folks here. Your mileage may vary. Anyone who's got a different estimate, lay it on me.

MWD

[MichaelNotMike]

Deer season in Wyoming is something you've gotta see. Seems like everyone's dressed in camo, everywhere, even in line at the bank. People start dressing in camo a few days before the season opens, and you can feel it in the air. People dress their babies in camo!

EVERYONE is hunting. (Even many Democrats) A lot of people call in sick for work and a few businesses even shut down the first few days. It's pretty cool, and something I didn't see in Los Angeles! (It's something people would likely protest in Los Angeles.)

I used to see some of that when I was a kid in Western New York State, but can you even hunt in New York State anymore? Isn't that where the government recently hired sharpshooters to shoot deer because there were too many of them?

MWD

[manfromnevada]

What people seem to have left off here is that carrying of ANY gun in ANY federal building is prohibited. Everywhere.
Or am I wrong?
This includes
The post office
The USDA building
The Forest Service building
The ranger building
The FBI building
etc.

That's why I always remove my weapon before entering any PO. That's about my only contact with the feds.
However, carrying in the state capitol is allowed. As is the county building (treasurer, assessor, clerk).
But it appears you can NOT carry inside the actual COURTROOM here in Sundance, but within the rest of the building, like the clerk.

Mac

[jubal]

   I've OC'd in the Newcastle court house, they seem OK with it. You just have to be aware. Very few places object.. If a private business says no, I'm fine with that, its their choice, they own the place and they can do as they wish, just as with smoking. I just don't go along with gov. telling you where or where not you carry or smoke. Shall not infringe is easily understood and not ambiguous. Sophistry arguments to the contrary are from the dishonest. controllers thru out history, and by the disarmement elitists and hoplophobes. We have seen where that leads in many of our lifetimes, mounds  of corpses.

[jscottdavis04]

I've OCed in Utah and Wyoming thus far. I plan on getting a CC permit once I can get one/spare the cash, because I HATE having to take my holster off and place it on the seat/in the (open) glove compartment. It's also annoying going to the post office, but the one that bothers me the most is being prohibited from OCing when I'm at school: I'm there 12 hours a day, four days a week. I know I can CC with permission under state law, but I already know the answer to that request!

It was really nice OCing in Utah, because you can carry concealed without a permit in your vehicle, so I didn't have to dance around with my gun getting into and out of my vehicle everywhere we went in SLC--it just stayed on my hip, nice and simple. One thing about Utah is you can't have a round in the chamber, but I don't do that anyway. I'd also like to add that people in SLC were much less freaked out by me OCing than the average person in Rock Springs. I went to an aquarium, a mall, a Kia dealership (getting work done on the van) and Enterprise for a car rental: not one stare, no whispering, no bulging eyes, etc. The Enterprise guy even gave me a ride and said absolutely nothing to me about it in our long chat from there to the garage--I didn't initially take him as someone who would be happy with me OCing, but maybe Sweetwater County has given me a complex!

I think the fact that Wyo law is basically silent about OC is both a blessing and a curse. Having recently researched the Utah laws prior to our recent trip there, I like the fact that the laws there state specifically what you can do, because it makes things less confusing (I suspect most LEOs here wouldn't interpret the law's silence in exactly the way I do). For instance, in Utah, you can conceal a weapon in your vehicle at work even if your employer doesn't allow weapons on their property. In Wyoming, I have to leave it at home while I'm at work because my employer has a you're-fired-on-the-spot-if-we-catch-you-with-so-much-as-a-toothpick policy. My employment contract states that this no-weapons policy applies to me even when I'm shopping at my place of business (it's a store), which would not be allowed in Utah. And the car thing, as I mentioned above, is a big pain--that's one area where the law isn't silent about OC, as it requires you have it plainly visible. ANNOYING! Keeping my fingers crossed for Constitutional Carry...

[FDNYLiberty]

Lots of good info coming across here folks. Thanks.  And thanks for highlighting that FED info ManFromNevada. Got to keep that one in mind, especially for less-than-evident FED property such as a Forest Service buildings. The only FEDS we have on east coast (at  least where I currently live) other than the P.O. are the alphabet soup kind (FBI, DEA, BATFE, CIA, DOJ). Never even thought about the Smokey The Bear hat or Forest people.

Are you are you (now) permitted to OC or CCW in the National Parks such as Teton or Yellowstone?

JScottDavis makes some good points in his reply. Tell me JScottD, does Home Depot in Rock Springs prohibit customers that OC?

Can any of you good folks tell me if you believe WY gun laws are the best around (your state), or better in UT, MT or elsewhere around you?

I also hope that Constitutional carry becomes law in WY.

Thanks for all your help and comments . I'm getting a real (and much needed) edge-jah-ma-cation 

[sbeckman]

Are you are you (now) permitted to OC or CCW in the National Parks such as Teton or Yellowstone?

FWIW...

My understanding is that the state laws pertaining to Concealed Carry are now applicable to the National Park within that state.

Open carry is still a no-no AFAIK.

I spoke at some length to a park ranger at Mesa Verda National Park, who BTW was pretty pro-gun, and was told that the area that we were being toured through was considered a "federal building" since it had a gate that was locked after we entered the area.  Something about the controlled access being part of the definition.

Not that there was anything preventing anyone with the slightest imagination from leaving though.

Just one of those technicalities.

So, she was pretty clear that without some other extenuating circumstances (like the person being an a$$hole) she wouldn't say a word about someone carrying concealed in that area, if she happened to spot it.

Of course, concealed is concealed.

She did wonder why someone would want to carry in the forest but the conversation was ending at that point since the tour was starting.

[Stratispho]

Every time I read these problems I keep wondering what part of "shall not be infringed" people don't understand.

And, it makes me glad that I'm in AZ as far as gun rights go. Without a permit, I can carry concealed or open anywhere except a Federal building. I do see a lot of restaurants that are now posting "no firearms" signs as per state law so we spread the word and tell gun owners to boycott those places.

[manfromnevada]

jscottdavis said:
I plan on getting a CC permit once I can get one/spare the cash, because I HATE having to take my holster off and place it on the seat/in the (open) glove compartment. It's also annoying going to the post office, but the one that bothers me the most is being prohibited from OCing when I'm at school:

I don't get what you're saying here.
Carrying a weapon in the PO is ILLEGAL whether open or concealed.
And why do you have to take holster off and place it in the glove compartment?

On other notes.
Home Depot is a private business. They can do what they want. I've never seen a sign on their doors and OC there all the time. How they deal with employees is their business.

BTW, there is no law that ALLOWS you to do anything.
ALL laws are negative freedoms. In the absence of laws you are free to do anything. Each law restricts you to a smaller universe of operation and behavior.

Also, carrying in the courtHOUSE is different than carrying in the courtROOM.

And lastly to sbeckman.
I thought that the new "ruling" was that "state laws apply to national parks located within that state."
The media only seemed to talk about CCW at the time this changed, but I take that as due to the fact that the public and media is ignorant about OC. Certainly you have to have a PERMIT to carry a gun anywhere, right? So it's all about CCW!

I've never seen anything directly related to OC. The national parks of course are keeping their mouths shut about this.
Oh, just thought of this: I thought part of this ruling was such that it would allow people with rifles to bring them in while camping for protection. Long guns are not pertinent to CCW so somehow I doubt that long guns are prohibited now in the parks.

But then again, I really don't know!

Mac

[Terence]

Geez, Jscott is getting OC grief from all sides: School, Work and then the bank
incident.

Goto 14:45 in this video for an OC solution for the car.

This reg is for CC but hints at the possible angle of getting school consent by becoming
part of campus security:

Wyoming Code 6-8-104.
(t)(x) Any College or University facility without the written consent of the security service of the
college or university.

Then there's the notion of getting deputized by the county upon which you become magically
safe with a gun wherever you go. The deputization process must change
every molecule of your body in a magical transformation mere civilians will never experience 

Hang in there and thanks for paving the way for some of us,

Terence

[Stratispho]

Then there's the notion of getting deputized by the county upon which you become magically
safe with a gun wherever you go. The deputization process must change
every molecule of your body in a magical transformation mere civilians will never experience 

Isn't it amazing that simply by being a State minion your get all the magical powers?