I am often asked “Is open carry legal in Utah”. While the answer to this is yes, there are a lot of things you need to consider before you decide to carry in the open.
If you have a Concealed Firearm Permit, you can also carry a loaded, openly visible firearm.
If you do not have a Concealed Firearm Permit, you can’t carry concealed. Any openly carried firearm must be TWO actions from being fired AND with no live round in firing position (interpreted to be the chamber in front the firing pin/hammer).
- For a Semi-Automatic Pistol – this means no round in the chamber. You must rack the slide, then pull the trigger.
- For a Double-Action Revolver this is interpreted to mean that the cylinder under the hammer AND the next one in rotation must be empty. You will have to pull the trigger twice before it will fire.
I strongly advise you to consider the following carefully before openly carrying.
First, Concealed Carry provides a tactical advantage. If the aggressor does not know you are armed, you retain the element of surprise. Keeping in mind that REACTION is slower than ACTION – if you are carrying openly the aggressor will be even more prepared to ACT against you.
Secondly, if you do NOT have a concealed firearm permit, you can not openly carry your firearm “ready to go”. It must require two actions to fire. Keeping in mind that REACTION is slower than ACTION… this is not a good thing.
Third, there are a lot of people out there that get very scared (generally without good reason) when they see someone carrying a firearm without a badge and uniform. Those people are very likely to call the police and express their concern (fear). You may be inviting a confrontation at the least.
Lastly, there are some people – even workers in our own government – that are hostile to open carry. When I was at a recent training session sponsored by the BCI (Bureau of Criminal Identification, the department responsible for Concealed Carry Permits), one of the instructors from BCI made the following statement…
“Open carry is only legal because it’s not illegal”
Now, when I look at that statement, I can see that someone has failed to internalize the purpose, meaning, and intent of the Constitution of the United States of America. I can also see that this is someone that has a position of influence within a government agency. I find that unfortunate, and frightening.
I point this out to illustrate that open carry – while being legal – may not be the best way to go about your business and not encounter undue resistance and attention. While it may be legal, you may find that it’s not always wise given the tactical and practical concerns that accompany it.