The article cited by Mike123457 dates from last May, when the Legislature was in session, and the bill died when the Legislature adjourned. Rick Perry, when he's actually in Texas earning his pay, is opposed to open carry.
The next shot is, as I posted earlier, in 2013. If you're in favor of having the choice, now is a good time to start getting active. Me, I am looking for someone with the cojones to champion Constitutional Carry - no permit required. I have heard all about how everything must proceed in baby steps and have become convinced that baby steps don't work very well, either. Might as well take the tiger by the tail.
Open carry isn't about a legal requirement; it's about having a choice. Those who would rather carry something bigger than a Ruger LCP, especially on a hot summer day, might find it easier to belt on a good holster and open carry.
Retention is a straw man issue: having one's weapon snatched doesn't seem to have become much of a problem in states that already allow open carry. If it is something that really bothers you, there are plenty of very fine rigs on the market that will make snatching your sidearm a bit more difficult. For that matter, I have seen commissioned, uniformed law enforcement officers with Uncle Mike's nylon holsters on their duty belts. Guess retention hasn't played a big role in their equipment choices.
The first target objection is interesting. Unless I am dripping jewels or hundred-dollar bills, why would a bad guy want to pick on me, knowing that I am armed? If he picks on someone who is not visibly armed, the odds are in his favor; there just aren't that many CHLs and they don't all always carry. With me, there's a chance his plans could go awry he could wind up dead. He doesn't know if I am playing cowboy or if I have the skills of a Bill Jordan. It just seems to me your typical opportunistic thug is going to want prey that doesn't have teeth.
And now for the "Elephant of Surprise!" What surprise? "Surprise! I'm digging in my pocket?" "Surprise! I have a gun tucked in my waistband underneath my shirt?" or "Surprise! Ignore me as I reach for my ankle holster?" If you want a surprise, time how long it takes you from the time you telegraph that you're going for a weapon to the time you produce it, ready for action, from your favorite concealed carry mode. Then think of all the bad things that could happen to you in that time.
Open or concealed carry, you're at a disadvantage because the other side has to make the opening play. Jeff Cooper recognized this in his States of Awareness.
Your preference in carry modes is your business. But your preference may not be the preference of others. It wasn't too many years ago that Texans had no choice at all; we couldn't carry a handgun. It's time we finished the job of doing away with the old Jim Crow law and restored choice to the citizens of the Lone Star State.