I've been open-carrying for awhile now--I'm 36, and people in Bloomfield Twp. where I frequent know that I openly carry and have no problem with it. At first I just got "looks," but nobody said anything. Only TWICE did I have a BK manager call the police, who are obligated to respond, and when the officer arrived, she asked "why do you have a weapon, sir? May I see your I.D.?" So, I showed her my I.D., informed her I had a CCW on my person (as is also an obligation by law) and presented it, and then she told me to "sit tight " as she ran me through LEIN in her patrol car. When I came back clean, the officer left me with "have a good day" and went to the manager and explained that open carry is legal in Michigan. The manager said "I have the right to refuse service," and the officer responded with "yes, but he's perfectly within the law--though I'd prefer he carry concealed myself."
So, I finished my meal and have since returned to the BK without incident.
The second time was when I ate at a local Deli and an older woman asked "are you the police?" I responded with "no" and simply kept eating. She persisted with "then why carry a gun? Isn't that illegal?" Instead of reading her the "litany," I simply explained that OC is legal in Michigan, and in lieu of the fact that a wealthy person less than a mile away was held at gunpoint in his driveway for his watch last week (to which she was SHOCKED), I decided to be proactive. She responded with "wow" (I think about her naivety about the violent incident) and we both took our time finishing our meals.
People here are increasingly the target of violent crime because we're "sandwiched" between Pontiac and Southfield (much poorer communities, lots of drugs and "gang-bangers"), I OC just about everywhere now.
Tony