Open Carry at GRPC in Salt Lake City, 2025

At the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Salt Lake City, in 2025, a number of people were openly carrying sidearms. They were uniformly willing to have pictures taken of the sidearms being carried. The sequence of images is about the sequence in which they were encountered at the Conference. There were probably people who were open carrying who this correspondent did not encounter.

The predominant type of handguns were variations of the popular 1911 style handguns. The handgun in the outside the waistband leather holster with a thumb break retention system was the first one encountered.

The 1911 style with CCDL on the grip is believed to be a representative of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League.  Connecticut banned open carry in 2023. Some CCDL members at the Gun Rights Policy Conference were open carrying because they legally could do so in Utah. As is often the case, the main purpose of the open carry at GRPC was to make a political statement. Self defense was a secondary purpose. There were few places where violent crime was less likely than at a Gun Rights Policy Conference in Salt Lake City.

As the attendees from Connecticut are not allowed to open carry in their home state, it is not surprising their carry gear may be more appropriate for concealed carry. The 1911 type handgun in an inside the waistband holster is a good example.

A particularly rare example is the Freedom Arms mini-revolver in an original Freedom Arms belt buckle/holster. Freedom Arms no longer makes the mini-revolvers. They command high prices. The number of Freedom Arms original belt buckle/holster manufactured was never very high. They are difficult to find and command prices bolstered by their rarity. Most people do not see them as real firearms. In a sense, that makes them a form of "concealed in plain sight".

The ubiquitous Glock semi-automatic pistol was represented by what appears to be a Glock 17 in an outside the waistband holster. It is unclear if the holster uses a paddle or belt loops.

 The pistol below is unidentified. The slide appears rather "Glockish". Polymer framed pistols have become common, with many variations.

 

 

Several people mentioned the open carry of a standard sized revolver in an outside the waistband belt rig with a thumb break retention system. The revolver appears to be a Smith & Wesson. I did not ask the owner to unholster the handgun. Removing a handgun from a holster in the crowded conditions of the Gun Rights Policy Conference would breach etiquette.

This correspondent believes considerably more people were carrying concealed at the GRPC in Salt Lake City than were carrying openly.

Great strides have been made in the restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment. When concealed carry was banned for most people in most states, open carry was legal for most people in most states. Most people did not do so because propaganda against the carry of firearms created a stigma. It was common for those who did not want people to have the right to carry arms to call police and complain, thinking it had to be illegal to openly carry even when it was not.

This correspondent has had the opportunity to educate police on at least six occasions in three states while openly carrying holstered handguns. Open carry is strong, symbolic, protected political speech. It sends a message: The power of the state is limited. The Second Amendment means something. The people have the right to bear arms. Those who pushed back against infringement of Second Amendment rights by openly carrying firearms did so at some risk. Some were illegally arrested. Some had to endure long court cases to prevail. This correspondent believes one of the most effective purpose of open carry is education for political purposes. Open carry normalizes the carry of weapons. 

Once Constitutional Carry is achieved in a state, the number of people openly carrying seems to fall off. The political purpose was achieved. This correspondent has often openly carried at Gun Rights Policy Conferences. This year was different. Utah has Constitutional Carry.

 

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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