Question regarding magazines and other gun-related items. Texas CHL related.

[RX-178]

Well, recently I was doing the usual routine of trying to explain Concealed Carry to friends of mine, and friends of the family, and trying to encourage them to get their Texas CHL.

I honestly can't remember the line of conversation that lead to this topic, but he asked something along the lines of 'so would it be illegal to wear a 'CHL holder' T-shirt?' Or something along those lines.

And I honestly didn't know how to answer that. I told him I didn't think it was a good IDEA to wear a T-shirt like that, but I honestly didn't know if that would be considered a failure to conceal or not.

Well, the more I looked into it, the more confused I got. The law says that to be considered 'concealed', it must be to the point 'a person of normal intelligence cannot determine you are carrying a weapon.'

I always figured that would include spare magazines or other items showing, but I remembered they give you a 'concealed carry holder' nametag to wear at El Paso City Hall after you pass security at the door. That's obviously legal.

I guess my question is, at what point are you legally considered to have 'failed to conceal', while not displaying an actual weapon?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

The law says that to be considered 'concealed', it must be to the point 'a person of normal intelligence cannot determine you are carrying a weapon.'

No, it does not say this. Being spotted is not invalidated if the person spotting you is above or below in intelligence. It says...

"Concealed handgun" means a handgun, the presence of
which is not openly discernible to the ordinary observation of a reasonable
person.

From GC 941 1 .I 71. (3)

From the FAQ section...

"Concealed" means that the weapon cannot be visible, and that its presence cannot be discernible through ordinary observation. It is a criminal offense for a license holder to carry a handgun in plain view,
or to intentionally fail to conceal the weapon.

Getting back to your queries...

I honestly can't remember the line of conversation that lead to this topic, but he asked something along the lines of 'so would it be illegal to wear a 'CHL holder' T-shirt?' Or something along those lines.

Of course it would be legal. In fact, you could wear one to hide your gun.

I always figured that would include spare magazines or other items showing,

Nope. Magazines being visible are perfectly legal. They are not a gun.

I guess my question is, at what point are you legally considered to have 'failed to conceal', while not displaying an actual weapon?

It does not have to be a secret that you are carrying concealed, if that is what you are asking. You may fail to conceal if the gun is plainly discernable via printing where the actual profile of the gun is visible and recognized as a gun, but simple bulges are not illegal. Still, it is best to not print at all. There is no reason you want a person to confuse your cell phone with a concealed carry weapon or vice versa.