Open Carry in Texas

[Vinny]

Just caught a news short stating opencarry.org is attempting to make Texas an Open Carry state. Supposedly, Governor Rick Perry is open to the idea and has said it was time the topic came up for debate. I'd like to hear everyone's opinion (politely without hysterics), especially those from open carry states. I'd also like to see reliable statistics on the safety factor. Does it save lifes? Do some open carry individual use this right to show off or intimidate?

Thx

 

[Frog48]

Good, its about time. I'm undecided whether I'd actually open carry (I'd probably prefer concealed carry), but I certainly support OC.

 

[DeathByCactus]

Lets do it. Would make things much easier to have concealed and open.

 

[Prepster]

Cool. Open carry is a compromise, just like concealed carry is a compromise, I say let the people weigh their options and choose for themselves.

I open carry occaisionally in the summer, and most folks don't notice and/or don't care. Sometimes it does draw negative attention, and I have had one police encounter, but that turned out to be a non-event. I choose based on the situation. I believe it is an effective deterrent, but at the same time, I can't rest my hand on my pistol when I'm open carrying, if a threat is present and my weapon is concealed, I can prepare for a draw without causing alarm. For me that's the biggest drawback. Regardless, both methods have their place.

 

[bensdad]

OC is fine in MN. We haven't had any problems with it. My wife OCs sometimes. I do, once in a great while. OC used to be considered polite.

 

[FoMoGo]

I OC pretty much daily.
Some people see it and you see their eyes widen, some see it and they give you a nod... most dont see it.
I OC a 4" S&W Thunder Ranch N frame .44 special usually, other times a 1911 clone, not small unnoticeable pistols.
I am all for OC, I like it as an option to CC.
There are times when I like CC better, but for the most part I like it handy and unobstructed.


Jim

 

[anymanusa]

I live in Alabama, an open carry legal state, but here in Madison county, the sheriff Blake Dorning thinks that he can enforce a law not on the books, regarding open carry. On the concealed carry permits it clearly states "this permit does NOT allow you to open carry like an officer of the law" and I've read testimonials of him giving grief and pulling permits from people who choose to open carry.

Open Carry is a fight, at best, not really a right. I will choose my battles wisely, as I wouldn't open carry even if the law wasnt' against it.

Open carry makes you a target to some extent.

 

[Prepster]

Open carry makes you a target to some extent.

IMHO, sometimes this is true, and sometimes it isn't.

This is largely speculative, but I'd think that a petty thug (purse snatcher) would seek an easy target. On the other hand, career criminals charging into a bank or some other place with large amounts of cash or valuable goods might be more inclined to shoot you first. I haven't had the courage to open carry into a bank, nor do I plan to, so this isn't an issue.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

I'd love to have open carry as an option. While I wouldn't think it would be my daily carry option, I can certainly think of instances where it would be preferred. That said, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

I'd love to be able to open carry just so I wouldn't worry about exposing my roscoe in public.

Sometimes I'll reach up for something at a store, and nearly crap my pants when I remember I have to keep my t-shirt over my gun.

 

[Rob G]

I signed the petition in favor of it. Personally I don't think I'd open carry for the most part. I do however constantly worry about printing, or exposing my gun accidently in some other way. So for that reason I'd like OC legal so that if my gun were to be accidentally exposed it would be a matter of embarassment, and not criminal charges.

 

[NavyLCDR]

I'd also like to see reliable statistics on the safety factor. Does it save lifes? Do some open carry individual use this right to show off or intimidate?

Reliable statistics on the safety factor. What safety factor? Whatever you define as the safety factor, you won't find reliable statistics on anyway.

Does it save lives? I am sure it does, just like CC does, but again, you won't find reliable statistics on it. I am sure there has been at least one case of self defense by an OCer and possibly by an OCer who did not/could not get a CC permit.

Do some...blah, blah...intimidate. Probably. There are bad apples in every crowd. Do some CCers act like a-wholes because they have a gun? Probably. I don't think something should be illegal just because sometimes it causes people to be a-wholes. I mean we would have to make alcohol illegal and we see where that went.

My vote is for OC, without a license, allowed for any person who is eligible to possess a handgun.

 

[Vinny]

I'm also curious what the opinion of the LEO's in the open carry state. Do they believe it helps deter crime? Do they feel it's more of a hassle for them?

Thx for all the responses.

 

[7.62X25mm]

So, how does one carry a sidearm in TX when you're out in the open range, on a horse?

Makes no sense to make it unlawful.

Keep and bear, shall not be infringed.

Not being able to openly bear a handgun is infringement.

But I'm preaching to the choir here.

 

[expvideo]

Open carry does not cause mass panic and chaos, but there are people that abuse it and try to either use it as an intimidation tool or because they are the special kind of person that tries to be mistaken for a cop. There are plenty of people who open carry regularly and are normal everyday people, but yes, to answer the OP's question, there are some bad apples.

That being said, OC is not for everyone, but it's not a bad thing either. Sometimes when I am wearing a holster with a jacket over it, I might want to give my jacket to my girlfriend because she is cold. In that kind of a situation, it's nice to know that I have the option. Usually I won't do something like that unless there are very few people around, only because I don't like worrying people, but I've OC'd before and for the most part it was never a big deal. You'd be surprised how many people never even notice.

I don't OC anymore. I used to, but I really don't like worrying people, and no matter how friendly and normal you are, some people are still worried. More power to the people that do OC, but it's not for me anymore.

ETA:
I was also getting tired of being mistaken for a cop. I'm not a cop and I don't want people to think that I am.

 

[biggiesmalls]

Proud TEXAN here. I support open carry and I signed the petition too. I intend to stay carrying concealed regarless or whether open carry passes here, but I think open carry will help our Pro-2A community by spreading awareness. It will show people who are otherwise unexposed to guns that everyday-normal-Americans are gunowners, and not the gangbangers or stereotypical hillbillies. Open carry could show a classier side of firearms too. Nice leather belt, custom leather holster, and a personalized 1911 with ivory grips makes the good guys drool and the bad guys piss. And hell, OC is just more comfortable. Having OC as an option would enable so many more people to arm themselves when their clothing would otherwise not enable them to. I have a friend who couldn't carry a Kahr CW9 because his work jeans were slim-cut and his shirt had to be tucked, and no expensive tuckable holster lived up to the promise of not printing. It was also his preferred way of dressing when not at work, and people shouldn't have to change their fashion choice drastically to arm themselves. Did I mention I was for open carry? haha

 

[RangerHAAF]

Our representatives in GA are working on getting open carry passed without any exceptions(currently one has to have a CCW permit to do it). Hopefully we can get a law on the books like Virginia's.

 

[Aran]

Open Carry is a fight, at best, not really a right.

No? I can open carry without permission from Uncle Sam, yet I have to pay for and beg my state for a license which allows me to conceal. which can be arbitrarily revoked at almost any time.

How is open carry not a right, again?

 

[TexasRifleman]

Open Carry is a fight, at best, not really a right. I will choose my battles wisely, as I wouldn't open carry even if the law wasnt' against it.

Open carry makes you a target to some extent.

But I should be able to make that choice myself rather than have the nanny state dictate to me what is "safe". Arguments that it isn't safe really don't apply.

Motorcycles are not "safe", should I not be allowed to own one?

 

[CoRoMo]

That's odd. I thought open carry was legal in Texas.
I used to work at a hardware store in Lubbock, TX and remember a customer that had a revolver on his hip. Never thought he might be a LEO in plain clothes.

Good luck Tejas!

 

[jerkface11]

I wish Arkansas had open carry. I've got a nickle 1911.

 

[bdickens]

Opencarry.org should keep their butts in Virginia where they came from! Their proposed bill is poorly written; it looks like a first-year law student simply lined through parts of the Texas Penal Code. They have no concept of the political realities of Texas. A poorly crafted bill could actually make things worse.

One thing that bugs me is how they disseminate misinformation about people getting in trouble for inadvertantly revealing their handguns. The crime in Texas is intentional failure to conceal and there have been exactly two convictions for that in the whole history of CHL in Texas.

I'm not against open carry in principle, but the whole selfish, peevish open carry crowd should be more concerned with where they can carry than with how.

 

[Mainsail]

Their proposed bill is poorly written; it looks like a first-year law student simply lined through parts of the Texas Penal Code.

The thing is, you don’t want a law written that allows open carry, you just want the laws or parts of laws that forbid it to be deleted. It’s not semantics either, the differences are huge.

 

[TexasRifleman]

They have no concept of the political realities of Texas. A poorly crafted bill could actually make things worse.

Only in Houston, the rest of the state seems to get along pretty well with the laws we've had in the past. Only in your county, and specifically with one DA who is gone now, have there been major "confusions" over gun laws for the most part.

As mentioned, you don't want a law "allowing" anything, simply amend the provisions that currently PROHIBIT it.

 

[CoRoMo]

I just emailed a multitude of family in Texas directing them to get on their reps and on the petition.

Wow, doing something for a change makes me feel... the same.