open carry
noun
US
: the act or practice of carrying a firearm openly in public or the legal right to do so
In Pennsylvania, open carry is generally allowed without a license, but Philadelphia does require a license.—
Joshua Gillin
Joshua GillinThe next frontier for gun-rights advocates is "open carry," epitomized last year by protests in which permitted gun owners carried firearms in plain view at Starbucks coffee shops.—Patrik Jonsson
Patrik JonssonThree more states ban concealed carry but not open carry.—Hank Johnson and Mitch Seabaugh
—often used before another nounHank Johnson and Mitch Seabaughopen carry laws/legislation
compare concealed carry
Examples of open carry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But there is plenty that states can do, such as requiring more thorough background checks, instating a thirty-day waiting period, banning assault weapons, taxing the sale of firearms and ammunition, promoting gun storage in lockers, and prohibiting open carry.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Places where guns are prohibited Although open carry laws allow firearm users to have their weapons on them, several locations in Nevada are off-limits, according to state law.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 29 July 2025
Several callers expressed concerns with seeing the men with guns, but three callers recounted confrontations with the armed men that step beyond what many would consider within the limits of Ohio's open carry laws.
—David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Ohio law allows anyone legally permitted to own a gun to open carry without a permit.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open carry
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The New Yorker, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Places where guns are prohibited Although open carry laws allow firearm users to have their weapons on them, several locations in Nevada are off-limits, according to state law.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 29 July 2025
Several callers expressed concerns with seeing the men with guns, but three callers recounted confrontations with the armed men that step beyond what many would consider within the limits of Ohio's open carry laws.
—David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Ohio law allows anyone legally permitted to own a gun to open carry without a permit.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open carry
Cite this Entry
“Open carry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20carry. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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