My opinion - and it's just that - conceal carry until you are comfortable with your skills. I have no problem with open carry, but it's an advertisement that you will handle situations if they arise. Until you are comfortable with that thought, conceal carry. It gives you the option of responding or not to your level of comfort. But I can't agree more with the comments - practice, practice, practice... Get training. Then get more. When you are more comfortable and confident, it will become a tool vs. 'a weapon'. It's a big boogeyman in your head right now, but as you become more comfortable, it will take the edge off. Even trained LEOs will mag dump when stressed. You want to make sure that your skills are such that you will hit what you want to hit, and not spray a general area. Every bullet that leaves your pistol carries a criminal and civil suit attached to it. It's your responsibility to make sure they go where you intended. (Source: Canadian with US concealed carry permit. Many, many courses. Many hundreds of thousands of training rounds fired.)