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

The 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

Three more states ban concealed carry but not open carry.

—Hank Johnson and Mitch Seabaugh

—often used before another noun

open carry laws/legislation

compare concealed carry

Examples of open carry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Ohio state law allows anyone legally allowed to own a gun to open carry without a permit. —Morgan Radford, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2025

Albritton has rejected the idea of passing an open carry bill this year. —Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open carry

• intermarry
• denarii
• miscarry
• harri
• marey
• scarry