Arrested for Open Carry in Missouri? New Ruling Brings Questions

If you asked me this question yesterday, I would have said there was no way you could be arrested for open carry in Missouri. But, there's a new court ruling that brings real questions about whether that is still the case. I predict many will be very unhappy about this.

Here's why this topic has come up. The state of Texas has just received a ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The case stems from an incident that happened on March 27, 2018 when emergency dispatchers received complaints about a man who had an AK-47 around his neck. Officers responded and the man was non-compliant, so he was arrested. That's the short version of what took place. The court has ruled that the officers had the right to arrest the many because he was open carrying and his behavior caused a disturbance for others.

Could this happen in Missouri?

Since I'm obviously not a lawyer (and not giving legal advice either), I did some research through the Missouri DWI and Criminal Law Center. They say "the way you exhibit the weapon can affect the legality of your carry". In other words, if you're open carrying in Missouri, but doing it in a threatening or alarming manner, you can be arrested.

I tried to discern the Missouri open carry statute for myself, but am probably more confused than I was before I read it. My advice if you have concerns about the constitutional ramifications of what just happened in Texas and how it will affect Missouri would be to dig into the Missouri laws yourself. Perhaps you'll get a clearer understanding than I currently have on this controversial issue.