TexasCHLforum.com

jmra wrote:

K.Mooneyham wrote:

dale blanker wrote:I can see open carry during some special events but how many would want to open carry most of the time?
It seems to me that some disadvantages of open carry are:
1. might make lots of folks uncomfortable
2.LEO would probably give more attention if not a license check hassle. As someone noted a reason to stop and check can nearly always be found.
3. might actually make the open carrier more of a target for some low life looking for something value to rip off. It might also give the impression a large sum of money is on hand.

Is it worth it?

Responding to your number 3 item, I will simply ask this: if that is true, why aren't we hearing that sort of thing in the news every day from other states that have open carry? It's a well-known fact that the bulk of the mass news media is anti-firearm and anti-self defense, so if people open carrying handguns were being targeted in other states, you can bet the mass media would have it on blast...except I haven't really seen anything on that. Sorry, but I'm just not buying that one.

One of the reasons we don't hear about it everyday from other states is because there are so few people in other states that OC. I spent most of my life in an OC state and don't recall seeing a single non LEO OC. It is definately not being done in highly populated areas.
OC is so rare in other states that I would even be willing to bet that if you did random polling the results would show that the vast majority of residents in OC states have no idea OC is even legal.

I think you misunderstand how most people will open carry. If you mean they won't open carry by sticking a highly polished barbeque gun in a flashy hand-tooled rig and walk around downtown Austin with it on (just making a point here), then you are most likely correct. But I predict a lot of CHLers will OC by having the firearm partially visible at points during their carry day. I know that I am now going to go buy an OWB holster. I wear long shirts un-tucked, and did so before ever getting a CHL. I still intend on dressing like that and my carry pistol will still be covered to the vast majority of observers. But, despite how the law was re-written last session, I never had the confidence to carry OWB, just in case (I remember the incident that a former forum member suffered through); now I will. And I think that others will be doing the same. Call it semi-open carry if you like but I think that is how this will play out, and how it will help.

dale blanker wrote:I can see open carry during some special events but how many would want to open carry most of the time?
It seems to me that some disadvantages of open carry are:
1. might make lots of folks uncomfortable
2.LEO would probably give more attention if not a license check hassle. As someone noted a reason to stop and check can nearly always be found.
3. might actually make the open carrier more of a target for some low life looking for something value to rip off. It might also give the impression a large sum of money is on hand.

Is it worth it?

Responding to your number 3 item, I will simply ask this: if that is true, why aren't we hearing that sort of thing in the news every day from other states that have open carry? It's a well-known fact that the bulk of the mass news media is anti-firearm and anti-self defense, so if people open carrying handguns were being targeted in other states, you can bet the mass media would have it on blast...except I haven't really seen anything on that. Sorry, but I'm just not buying that one.

If this doesn't pass into law, Bloomberg, et al., are going to laugh so loud that you'll be able to hear them on the other side of the planet. And they are going to buy media time crowing and saying how they won, etc., and how much influence they have even in a Republican dominated state. I'm so irritated right now!

Email sent, I kept it polite and focused and also reminded them our "neighbors to the north" in Oklahoma already have this. Can't let them show us up, can we?