Open carry would be a deterrent however the regulation problems would not be solved with it. There is still the issue of keeping the guns out of the hands of those who will abuse them. I don't think that no regulation at all is viable for that reason alone. I see that some compromise is going to be necessary but all people involved need to be willing to be open to compromise and they don't appear to be so at this time. They are too busy making silly arguments back and forth and not focusing on the real issues. In order to compromise all parties need to start from a common ground point. I don't see that happening, not yet.