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• open carry
  open carry

  noun

  the practice of publicly carrying a gun or other weapon that is fully or partially visible.
• open-carry
  open-carry

  verb (used with or without object)

  to openly carry a gun or other weapon in public.

open carry

¹ American  

[oh-puhn kar-ee] / ˈoʊ pən ˈkær i /

noun

1. the practice of publicly carrying a gun or other weapon that is fully or partially visible.

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open-carry ² American  

[oh-puhn-kar-ee] / ˈoʊ pənˈkær i /

verb (used with or without object)

open-carried, open-carrying

1. to openly carry a gun or other weapon in public.

   He open-carried a pistol to his daughter’s school.

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Etymology

Origin of open carry¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Origin of open-carry²

First recorded in 1985–90; open ( def. ) + carry ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open carry open-carry open-carried open-carrying

It seems fair to say that the average American who wants to keep a handgun at home did not sign up for unpermitted open carry of an AR-15 at the zoo.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Although disclaiming any such intent, the federal court here required a “historical twin” — that is, previous legislation that banned open carry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

New Mexico is an open carry state, so the governor’s order affects anyone in Bernalillo County who can legally own a gun, with some exceptions.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

Instead, lawmakers relaxed regulations, including allowing the open carry of handguns without a license or training.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2023

"De cellar door is open, carry it all in and put it in de back part and nobody ain't never going to know how long it has been in dar."

From The Lock and Key Library The most interesting stories of all nations: American by Julian Hawthorne

People who live in jurisdictions with fewer than 200,000 residents, such as Baird and Gallardo, can apply for open-carry licenses from local law enforcement, but such licenses are also difficult to obtain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Ohio was an open-carry state at the time.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 29, 2022

Even this fanatical open-carry gun website implores: “Don’t chase criminals.”

From Slate ● Jun. 21, 2022

At the time, California was an open-carry state with few gun restrictions.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022

Mr. Beach, a lifelong Texan and gun enthusiast who had asked a Congolese official about open-carry laws before arriving in the country, helped raise $150 million for Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.

From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2021

Similarly, the Senate ought to be able to consider preventing open-carried guns at government events without proceedings devolving.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 24, 2022

At a July 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, held in Austin on behalf of George Floyd, some protesters who'd already faced death threats were legally open-carrying guns.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2023

“But if it must be — and if you don’t feel comfortable, you know, I don’t know, open-carrying — ”

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2021

“If you are open-carrying, de-escalation is more challenging because at that point you are also a threat to anyone that you come up to,” Markinson said.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2020

“I probably have seen one person open-carrying this year,” he said.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2019

Last week, several shoppers came across another customer open-carrying at the same Whole Foods while he picked out asparagus.

From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2016

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