It was disconcerting to see a man checking out in front of me at Freddy’s (a local big box store) with a holstered black semi-automatic pistol (like the police carry) on his hip. He was wearing jeans and a regular shirt and a cowboy hat. I’ve seen police detectives once or twice in plain clothes in stores; but in addition to their handguns they have their badges on their belts right next to the weapon, presumably not to alarm anybody.
I didn’t think Oregon was an open carry state so I took a few photos of his truck as we were leaving, and stopped at the sheriff sub-station to ask about open carry. I talked to two deputies who acted as if I was taking up their valuable time.
It turns out that Oregon is open carry state, which means anybody can carry a side arm as long as it is visible.
According to flag etiquette tattered American flags like this aren’t supposed to be displayed. I wasn’t about to remind him.
Friends where I live told me they’d seen this truck around, but it will be upsetting but not surprising news to them that the driver is carrying a pistol.