Texas Senate approves open carry of handguns

[joe_security]

I'm a huge fan of retention holsters in general, and Im pleased to hear it mentioned by lawmakers in Texas. At risk of being labeled a fanboy, I feel that Safariland is the leader in this area. They have taken the best features of holsters designed for on duty LE, and put pancake style belt loops on them to come up with something that civilians can use. No holster is "snatchproof" but it certainly gives extra security, piece of mind and most of all creates a pause in the action to allow the wearer to regain control of the situation. Note that I said "belt loops", I would never advocate using a"paddle" holster for open carry use.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Post #24, public contact ....

I understand the point of post #24.
You can't predict or know what someone in the general public will say or do.
As a CCW license holder, gun owner & armed security officer I often had tourists, visitors, clients or residents ask me how or why I was using a firearm or the laws/statues of where I worked-lived.

Along the lines of the screaming woman, I had a older hotel guest wig out over my security duty belt & Ruger GPNY .38spl 4" barrel revolver in a Blade-tech crossdraw holster.
He felt intimidated and didn't "like guns around him". I calmly explained to the guest how I was a licensed security officer & neither of my hands were near or on the revolver. This was around 2007 or so.

I read a printed gun press item in the late 2000s of a sworn LE officer/helicopter pilot who had some irate ER doctor flip out on him because he was wearing a horizontal shoulder holster(semi auto pistol).
The pilot was a sworn LE officer & in a duty uniform too(Nomex flight suit).
I'm glad I wasn't there.

 

[Bexar]

I understand the point of post #24.
You can't predict or know what someone in the general public will say or do.
As a CCW license holder, gun owner & armed security officer I often had tourists, visitors, clients or residents ask me how or why I was using a firearm or the laws/statues of where I worked-lived.

Along the lines of the screaming woman, I had a older hotel guest wig out over my security duty belt & Ruger GPNY .38spl 4" barrel revolver in a Blade-tech crossdraw holster.
He felt intimidated and didn't "like guns around him". I calmly explained to the guest how I was a licensed security officer & neither of my hands were near or on the revolver. This was around 2007 or so.

I read a printed gun press item in the late 2000s of a sworn LE officer/helicopter pilot who had some irate ER doctor flip out on him because he was wearing a horizontal shoulder holster(semi auto pistol).
The pilot was a sworn LE officer & in a duty uniform too(Nomex flight suit).
I'm glad I wasn't there.

Could become a problem. There was a licensed concealed carry guy at Wal-Mart and a Wiggie saw his pistol when the CHL guys coat got catty-wompus and the guy wigged out and jumped him and started pummeling the CHL.

I know a couple of anti-gun reactionaries that will possibly go wiggie and tear their garments and wail lamentations when they see an open-carry civilian at the grocery store.

I had a reactionary raise a dust-up back in the day grocery stores rented VCR tapes. I was checking out a hunting video and a dusty relic standing at the counter started in on me about going all Kumbaya with Bambi. Before I could get a word in my normally quiet in public wife lowered the boom on her. I guess she didn't want any other female ragging on her man...that was her job.

 

[Drail]

Open carry in Texas huh? Law enforcement is no doubt thrilled about this one. They going to have to send a lot of their cops to some re-education center for that to be workable.

 

[Bexar]

Texas Senate just approved "Campus Carry"

http://www.click2houston.com/news/texas-senate-approves-concealed-campus-carry-gun-bill/31873928

Ibid.: But the bill has strong support from gun rights groups and the Senate's Republican majority. It sailed through on a 20-11 vote Wednesday.

 

[barnbwt]

"Open carry in Texas huh? Law enforcement is no doubt thrilled about this one. They going to have to send a lot of their cops to some re-education center for that to be workable"
Don't worry; they've been getting a primer from all those "OCT Ninja's" that ruined any chance of getting ever open carry in Texas. Remember? The only real opposition seems to be coming from big city chiefs (shock) and phoned-in Mothers.

BTW, it kills me that they are doing the hearings in El Paso; too far out in fly-over country for busy-body Austinites, it seems. No Wendy-Davis-storming-the-floor baloney nonsense this time.

Anyone know if the Campus bill had any amendments hung on it? That's how the opposition is expressing itself this time, since they simply do not have the numbers to impede anything. The new training req was put on the OC bill as a show of good faith --basically a freebie*. I'm sure it only emboldened those opposed.

TCB

*Since a training class is still required for OC in the first place under the legislation, a short primer on holsters/retention is actually one of the less bone-headed things to include. In my opinion. Hopefully this won't add to the current course time, and will simply replace a portion of that goofy section on psychology (as if a three hour course will turn us into more-handsome-looking John Kerry's of diplomacy )

 

[orionengnr]

The simple fact that TX is one of only six states which prohibit Open Carry is enough for me.

That and the fact that I live in TX.

Would I exercise that right? No, probably not...almost definitely not.

Should I have that right? Absolutely.

 

[jlr1962]

Some CHL folks might not choose to open carry so they won't be associated with the O.C.T. folks that caused a stir.

 

[Red Wind]

The simple fact that TX is one of only six states which prohibit Open Carry is enough for me.

That and the fact that I live in TX.

Would I exercise that right? No, probably not...almost definitely not.

Should I have that right? Absolutely.

Certainly you should have that right. And Florida is also one of the remaining 6.
We have close to a GOP Super Majority in both the House and the Senate, to go along with possibly the most pro-gun Governor in America, Rick Scott.

Yet the years go by, no Democratic Gov since 1999, almost total Republican control all these 16 years, and Open Carry, which we lost in 1987, does not come to pass.

 

[barnbwt]

"Some CHL folks might not choose to open carry so they won't be associated with the O.C.T. folks that caused a stir."
Such will then be their right. We'll cross that bridge when OC is legalized (and I suspect that if there are any isolated troubles, it will be readily apparent that half-cocked newbs rather than even 'radical' activists are responsible.)

One could easily argue that this niche-of-a-niche issue was finally given a spotlight precisely because of the 'stir' you mention.

TCB

 

[jlr1962]

Did you approve of the way the O.C.T. group represented the gun owners of Texas, and gun owners in general?
Are you a Texan?

 

[X-Rap]

I've had strong misgivings

 

[X-Rap]

About the in your face OCers with their long guns in Texas but I don't believe one can take them out of the equation with regard to this new legislation

 

[mgmorden]

Congrats. If this passes SC may be the only "gun friendly" state left that doesn't allow open carry of handguns.

 

[jlr1962]

About the in your face OCers with their long guns in Texas but I don't believe one can take them out of the equation with regard to this new legislation

I think they did more harm than good. Public opinion can change quickly. If they had timed their protests differently....... Who knows.

 

[X-Rap]

Considering how long OF has been forbidden in Tx it does seem more than coincidental that this legislation has moved so far forward.

 

[km101]

I don't think that the Open Carry Texas folks had much of a negative impact on public opinion. It was the "splinter" group - Open Carry Tarrant County that caused most of the negative press. People don't seem to realize that they are two separate and distinct groups. But as is the norm, the bad apples got most of the publicity as the media homes in on sensationalism.

 

[barnbwt]

"Did you approve of the way the O.C.T. group represented the gun owners of Texas, and gun owners in general?
Are you a Texan?"
Yes. Yes.Yes

"In your face"
Literally? Because I'm not aware of a single prosecution for brandishing or threats/assault from any open carry protestor in Texas. Let alone convictions. Not even the guys who caused the 'panic button' fiasco.

Must not have been that threatening, I suppose. But I understand how 'threat to my life' and 'mildly annoying or irritating' can get mixed up by some people.

I think OCTC has mostly shown just how little there is to fear from OC. None of those idiots have been caught doing anything unsafe, and it is transparently clear that the little amount of 'OC hoopla' present is coming from like the same three guys --pretty obvious OC won't cause widespread issues. The only people ginning folks up about this are the ones constantly squawking about those same three guys over and over and over. Moms Against Everything and closet case gunowners (self defense Fudds)

TCB

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I think OCTC has mostly shown just how little there is to fear from OC. None of those idiots have been caught doing anything unsafe

Well, except for the one arrested for murdering her husband.

 

[jlr1962]

"Did you approve of the way the O.C.T. group represented the gun owners of Texas, and gun owners in general?
Are you a Texan?"
Yes. Yes.Yes

"In your face"
Literally? Because I'm not aware of a single prosecution for brandishing or threats/assault from any open carry protestor in Texas. Let alone convictions. Not even the guys who caused the 'panic button' fiasco.

Must not have been that threatening, I suppose. But I understand how 'threat to my life' and 'mildly annoying or irritating' can get mixed up by some people.

I think OCTC has mostly shown just how little there is to fear from OC. None of those idiots have been caught doing anything unsafe, and it is transparently clear that the little amount of 'OC hoopla' present is coming from like the same three guys --pretty obvious OC won't cause widespread issues. The only people ginning folks up about this are the ones constantly squawking about those same three guys over and over and over. Moms Against Everything and closet case gunowners (self defense Fudds)

TCB

As a Texan, I don't like being associated with "Those idiots" that you referred to.

I am not aware of any actual trouble that any of the OCTC folks were in.

 

[CapnMac]

Are there any links to the Senate Bill?

 

[hatt]

Well, except for the one arrested for murdering her husband.

While open carrying?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

While open carrying?

It doesn't matter if it was while open carrying or not (may have been, but who knows?). It just sort of solidifies the perspective that such folks are crazy.

It wasn't just the husband, but also the stepdaughter.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/16/open-carry-militia-mom-murders-family.html

This just happened in December, so no adjudication yet.

As noted here, some have dubious pasts...
http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article10243031.html

This is not a good image in general and the current legislation would not allow some of the folks to open carry because they could not get permitted.

 

[hatt]

It just sort of solidifies the perspective that such folks are crazy.

The radical left winger militant antis use the exact same arguments. You really think we should be using the same tactics?

Militant antis: "This is exactly why we do not need open carry or concealed carry. Too many gun nuts!" Actual quote from the newspaper yesterday about some road rage incident where some dude flashed a gun.

Anti OC: "Well, except for the one arrested for murdering her husband." Yeah, those OC folks. Gotta watch them.

I can use the same arguments to go after CCW holders. We have a couple cases here in FL where CCW carriers killed people for playing music too loud and texting during the previews in a movie theater. Wow, they'll give a license to any nutcase.

Of course using such an argument would be silly because we know such cases are incredibly isolated. Just like cases of OCers shooting up the place.

 

[X-Rap]

Does seem ironic that we are now seeing states demand permits to OC while so many off the CCW states have always allowed OC without permit.