Open Carry - GOA jumps in

[Mike1951]

They seem to have adopted Opencarry.org's stance.

Texas Open Carry Bill Stalled!

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Monday, February 16, 2009


Most states require no permit to carry a holstered handgun openly. Yet
incredibly, Texas is one of only 6 states to outright ban open carry!
Yes, that's right, law abiding Americans can "open carry"
without any
permit in Pittsburgh and Seattle, but not Dallas, Houston or West Texas.

Even the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to endorse open carry in the DC v.
Heller decision when it said that the right to "bear" arms means to
"carry" them. It doesn't take a law degree to figure out that open
carry is constitutionally protected and that Americans don't need no
stinkin' permit to carry openly.

Over 54,000 Texans have signed an online petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/texasoc/petition.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to decriminalize
open carry and, for some weeks now, Texas legislators meeting in Austin
have been waiting to receive a final draft of a bill from legislative
services to effect this change.

But now that the bill is drafted, some legislators seem to have gone
wobbly on introducing the bill. Some are concerned that open carry is
too controversial and may harm the chance of passage for other pro-gun
bills. If anything, the reverse is true. The more the merrier. Many
pro-Second Amendment bills help to show legislators that their voters
want to see freedom expanded in this area.

Self-imposed bill rationing makes no more sense than gun sale rationing.
The anti-gun forces don't play this way, so why should we?

The Texas legislature only meets once every two years, and there's no
reason to put off this open carry reform in Texas any longer.

ACTION: Please urge your state representative and senator to introduce
the Texas open carry bill.

[casingpoint]

law abiding Americans can "open carry" without any permit in Pittsburgh and Seattle, but not Dallas, Houston or West Texas.

Isn't that the stupidest.

[jimlongley]

law abiding Americans can "open carry" without any permit in Pittsburgh and Seattle, but not Dallas, Houston or West Texas.

Isn't that the stupidest.

Yeah, with poor grammar like that, it's hard to tell if they mean West, Texas, a city between Waco and Hillsboro, or the generic locality west Texas, which is pretty much all of Texas west of the city of West, Texas.

[wheelgun1958]

Yeah, with poor grammar like that, it's hard to tell if they mean West, Texas, a city between Waco and Hillsboro, or the generic locality west Texas, which is pretty much all of Texas west of the city of West, Texas.

However Westfest, the annual celebration of West heritage is probably 51%.

[barres]

IIRC, isn't Pitt big enough that you actually do have to have a permit to open carry there by Penn law? I know Philly is.

[stevie_d_64]

Yeah, with poor grammar like that, it's hard to tell if they mean West, Texas, a city between Waco and Hillsboro, or the generic locality west Texas, which is pretty much all of Texas west of the city of West, Texas.

However Westfest, the annual celebration of West heritage is probably 51%.

[The Annoyed Man]

From the article:

Most states require no permit to carry a holstered handgun openly. Yet incredibly, Texas is one of only 6 states to outright ban open carry!

I'll believe that when I see it in law. I might be wrong, but I'll bet that in most of the other 44 states, open carry will get you arrested on the spot. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this statement of theirs is either a bald faced lie, or GOA's leadership is unbelievably naive. It is partly due to poorly supported and ill-conceived hyperbole like this that I cannot take GAO seriously.

[anygunanywhere]

From the article:

Most states require no permit to carry a holstered handgun openly. Yet incredibly, Texas is one of only 6 states to outright ban open carry!

I'll believe that when I see it in law. I might be wrong, but I'll bet that in most of the other 44 states, open carry will get you arrested on the spot. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this statement of theirs is either a bald faced lie, or GOA's leadership is unbelievably naive. It is partly due to poorly supported and ill-conceived hyperbole like this that I cannot take GAO seriously.

Why do you find this hard to believe? The statement, though not backed by statistics, is true. Most states do not specifically outlaw OC or require a permit to OC. Texas would likely not outlaw it were it not for the reconstruction era modification to our constitution.

The fact that GOA has jumped in the fray that will very likely seal the fate of ever legalizing OC in Texas is truly a shame. The way this is unfolding is a travesty and us Texicans should let those responsible know it.

Anygunanywhere

[roberts]

I have been to other states where open carry is legal and there's no problems but I think most Texans are too antigun and antifreedom to tolerate the CHOICE to open carry.

[The Annoyed Man]

From the article:

Most states require no permit to carry a holstered handgun openly. Yet incredibly, Texas is one of only 6 states to outright ban open carry!

I'll believe that when I see it in law. I might be wrong, but I'll bet that in most of the other 44 states, open carry will get you arrested on the spot. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this statement of theirs is either a bald faced lie, or GOA's leadership is unbelievably naive. It is partly due to poorly supported and ill-conceived hyperbole like this that I cannot take GAO seriously.

Why do you find this hard to believe? The statement, though not backed by statistics, is true. Most states do not specifically outlaw OC or require a permit to OC. Texas would likely not outlaw it were it not for the reconstruction era modification to our constitution.

The fact that GOA has jumped in the fray that will very likely seal the fate of ever legalizing OC in Texas is truly a shame. The way this is unfolding is a travesty and us Texicans should let those responsible know it.

Anygunanywhere

What can I say? It's not that I'm not in favor of it. I just don't believe that it won't get you arrested in most places, that's all.

Let's take Tennessee, for instance. That's a fairly gun friendly state. You do have to have a permit to carry a weapon in Tenn., concealed or not. That took me 30 seconds of research.

Plus, with the possible exception of those few states that have pro-open carry laws on the books, you walk down the streets of the state's capitol with a gun strapped on your hip, you're going to get arrested. Look, I'm not an attorney, but I'm pretty sure I know when it is stupid from a legal perspective to carry in the open. If there is an existing law on the books permitting open carry, that's another thing. And it's not that I don't think open carry is a bad idea. I just don't have faith that it won't get you arrested in most of the states in the union, including most of those states which have no overt prohibition against it. And I don't want to get arrested, even if I think I'm in the right, because getting arrested costs money and is a giant hassle. Life is too short to dance with ugly women.

[Fangs]

I have been to other states where open carry is legal and there's no problems but I think most Texans are too antigun and antifreedom to tolerate the CHOICE to open carry.

Do you live in Austin?

Oh, and thanks for speaking on behalf of "most Texans".

From my experience, "most Texas" that I've met are either all for guns and carrying them everywhere, or they don't really care that much one way or another. Excluding Austinites. They make them some funny ones up there.

NOTE: I used to live in Austin, great people, just more hippie than I like.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have been to other states where open carry is legal and there's no problems but I think most Texans are too antigun and antifreedom to tolerate the CHOICE to open carry.

Back that up with statistics, please. "Most" is painting with a pretty broad brush.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have been to other states where open carry is legal and there's no problems but I think most Texans are too antigun and antifreedom to tolerate the CHOICE to open carry.

I've been here all my 59 years and I couldn't disagree more. I have no idea why you feel this way, but you obviously do. Do you live in Texas?

As for carrying openly without problems in other states, I think a review of OpenCarry.org indicates many people have problems, more so in urban areas than in rural areas. I can also say that I have traveled all over the country for 30 years and I have seen very few people carrying openly and never in urban areas. In fact, I can't recall the last time I've seen anyone open-carrying. I'm in Virginia at least 8 times a year and I've never seen anyone carrying openly right in the heart of VCDL and OpenCarry.org country.

Chas.

[LittleGun]

A few months ago, I visited friends in Arizona which allows open carry. I asked them if they ever open carried? They told me that they never open carry and that they have never seen anyone open carrying. During my brief visit, I did not see anyone open carrying.

[flintknapper]