Open Carry Texas works against our gun rights
Last week, we talked a little about Open Carry Texas when their heavy-handed tactics resulted in the restaurant chain Chipolte to craft a ban of guns in their facilities. The Dallas News reports that Open Carry Texas and their armed presence is forcing other businesses to do the same, since OCT continues to show up at family-style restaurants with the long guns slung over their narrow shoulders;
According to Mother Jones earlier today, the incident you see above was posted to YouTube on May 19 by the San Antonio chapter of Open Carry Texas, then removed along with another similar incident at a Sonic. The gun-toters weren’t allowed to dine at Chili’s while fully armed. There’s a very good reason for that, says a Brinker International spokesperson: “Long guns are not permitted in our Texas restaurants based on [Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission] regulation, which prohibits a business that is licensed to sell or serve alcoholic beverages from allowing shotguns or rifles into the building.”
As a result, four of the organizations involved in these pointless tactics have issued a joint statement;
Whereas, our mission is to get open carry of handguns passed in Texas, we must once again adjust in a way that shines a positive light on our efforts, our members, and our respective organizations. We have decided the prudent path, to further our goals, is to immediately cease taking long guns into corporate businesses unless invited.
* * *
CJ Grisham -Open Carry Texas
Terry Holcomb, Sr -Texas Carry
Murdoch Pizgotti – Come And Take It – Texas
Eric Reed – Gun Rights Across America
Of course, this doesn’t mean that they plan on ending the practice of walking around Texas communities with thier long guns openly displayed. They’re still going to try and force their openly armed visages down Americans’ throats. According to the Open Carry Texas website, they want to “condition Texans to feel safe around law-abiding citizens that choose to carry them”, for whatever reason. I don’t get it, actually. As I’ve said in the past, if we carry weapons in public for personal safety, why would we need long guns to do that? Most personal safety issues happen within about 7 yards, and you don’t need a gun with 450 meters maximum effective range to deal with that.
As a result of these open carry people, Starbucks has asked all of it’s customers to refrain bringing in all guns, concealed or otherwise. I always respect property owners’ wishes in regards to my concealed gun, so I won’t be going into Starbucks, nor do I go to any of the Denny’s in the area. Now more and more corporate businesses are being forced to craft policy that isn’t going to go our way.
In my opinion, these people who open carry long guns are the bullies of the gun rights folks. Anyone whose mission statement is to “condition” me into accepting something that I wouldn’t otherwise is a bully. The NRA should abandon any connections to them and focus on concealed carry issues instead.
Category: Guns
As Pro Second Amendment as I am, these folks have done nothing but damage the image of a law abiding gun owner.
Yes, you have the right to carry your frigging long gun around like that, doesn’t mean that it is the smartest thing to be doing however.
I’m amazed that this didn’t end in disaster; a CCW license holder having chow with his family could have come up shooting when these jokers walked in with long guns.
The interviews these guys gave after their exercise reinforced every negative stereotype I imagine the non-gun owning public has of those of us who do.
Me too, I’m betting there were at least a few hands going under tables and in purses when these dipshits strolled in. I have a hard time seeing how the open carry crowd can be so stupid that they don’t see how counterproductive this is. They’re trying to start trouble. If they really are that willfully blind/ignorant then they probably shouldn’t be carrying to begin with.
I can tell you straight up, if I was having dinner with my wife and kids, and a couple of these fatass buffoons came waddling in brandishing their fully-loaded ARs and AKs, my hand would definitely be on my concealed Glock and ready to go. And if one of these idiots so much as twitched in the direction of my family with his loaded long gun… well, let’s just say, it wouldn’t be pretty.
They remind me of the people you would see at some gay pride parade dressed in feather boas and leather thongs shouting “We’re queer and we’re here!”
The left has them, we have these guys.
Great. Could someone please pass the brain bleach?
I disagree. That last farce-that-wasn’t-really-a-marriage of mine happened in the middle of a grass weaver, a fiddler, and a pride festival. They were nowhere near as annoying, loud, and belligerent as these prophylactic poster children.
You got me there.
I worked at a bookstore in California for a while and we had a drum circle form outside. It started with three guys and soon morphed to about nine with a bunch of jackasses hanging around and ‘dancing’.
I got my boss to follow the South Park method and we put Slayer on the speakers and piped it outside. Worked wonders on clearing them out.
Well said.
You can say the same thing about any other movement, the fringe extreme members ruin it for everyone else because they want to go full retard.
And what are you really going to do with a long gun in a restaurant? It’ll be like in the movie Hot Shots where two guys are standing 10 feet from each other shooting thousands of rounds and not hitting one another.
As I understand it the original intent was to start a dialog on open carry for side arms in TX.
This has since morfed into a pee pee contest with the “moms” crowd.
A little planning goes a long way.
If they had considered the second order effect a rather rough hune group carrying at the ready in a family dining area would cause they wouldn’t need to be back peddling.
I hate seeing those that are supposed to be on my side using Saul Alinsky tactics like f-ing Occupiers. Push till you get a reaction then scream “Help I’m being repressed!”
Loach, great analogy. We have a guy here in Washington state that is running for Congress. He is about 27 years old and his hobby is going taking his Go Pro camera a videoing arguments with police and elected officials. He is just a loon that wants attention. We have pretty reasonable weapons laws in this state. I am afraid that nut jobs will cause the liberals to push for stricter laws!
I don’t want someone to know whether I’m carrying and, if so, where on my person my piece is. Why? I don’t like the 360, head on a swivel, back to the door living open carry requires. Second, if I’m openly carrying, I’m the first target of a bad guy who suddely pulls his shit. At worst, I’m dead and he’s got my gun. At best, I’m alive and he’s got my gun. I don’t like those possibilities. No, I like that he doesn’t know and he’s the one with the shocked look on his face.
I like the way one of the mods on a forum i frequent put it once- “it’s a lot harder to yell ‘surprise, cock fag!’ when he knows I’m carrying”
Back to the door? What an idiot. I meant to write, back to a wall, facing the door.
CJ, et al:
Way to play to the fears and stereotypes of the Bloombergs, Bradys, Blumenthals, and other gun grabbers of the world.
Respectfully – I disagree. For the places that it is not illegal – I see no problem with the open carry. So often we are demonized by doing something that is actually legal by the left – and we roll over and fight the fight for them.
If we let them(anti gunners) continue the evil gun mantra we will lose more than just open carry. One of the benefits of what these guys are doing is that people will come in contact with them and actually WONT be killed by some “scary” gun… and maybe that will take the wind out of some of the arguments.
Of course I am open to better ways to protect this right…
While a nice theory you have there, practical application takes some real thought.
In a city is not the place to carry a long gun unless you are begging to become a target. The drama queens who want it otherwise are simply delusional.
There are plenty of places that carrying a long gun would go fairly unnoticed. There might even be some restaurants on that list, but not in a city.
Silly boys. They are asking for serious trouble and will eventually get it. Is this a cause they really want to die for?
“May I?” and “Should I?” are two different questions. These people are seriously lacking in judgment.
This.
Just because you CAN, doesn’t mean you SHOULD… unless of course, you’re just trolling for attention and relevancy.
CJ? Looking for attention?? No!! 🙂
Legal =/= moral, mannerly, polite, or classy.
And, the intent may be one thing, but the result is a bit different. When seriously pro 2a people are having a negative reaction, chances are the rest of the folks aren’t getting the warm fuzzies.
Someone is going to be killed … They are provoking an incident that will result in one of their followers not following verbal commands from law enforcement through the use of deadly force.
From a law enforcement perspective, the LEO is at a distinct advantage in seeing the weapon. However, it is rather interesting to ponder what verbal commands that would be given by a lone LEO to someone already holding a weapon. “Police! Don’t move! Turn around! Don’t move! Put the gun down! Don’t move! Um. Shit!”
2/17 Air Cav, great point. When I was still just a rural deputy sheriff, I encountered quite a few people that were lawfully carrying weapons while trespassing while hunting on private property. My approach was not to say anything but just to watch their hands. I am not too confident the way young cops are being trained now. It seems that some places they have the mindset that everyone is the enemy and you are constantly in danger.
Too many young cops with “itchy trigger fingers” + too many fools walking around with rifles screaming about their “rights” = trouble!
OCT and the other groups are looking like kids that are spoiling for a fight… and when it happens the press and the gun control nuts are going to have a flippin’ field day with it.
(sigh) These folks apparently never were told something that a wise old man told me years ago: “Just because you can do something, son, that don’t mean it’s a good idea.”
Or maybe they were told, but just didn’t “get it” – and still don’t.
I thought CJ was a friend of the blog. I must have lost track. Is CJ a good guy or not? I’m not condoning what they are doing, just a little confused. However, I can also see their point (even if it is a little sideways). Personally, I’m for concealed carry but that’s just my preference. I agree with you, scareing folks at establishments is bad for business and not a good idea.
“I thought CJ was a friend of the blog. I must have lost track. Is CJ a good guy or not?”
In my opinion, not the issue. The issue is about behavior and inappropriate actions. I’m a friend of Jonn’s and TSO’s – if my behavior went off the rails like this I’d fully expect them to call me out – and I know they would
Regarding the issue of why a long gun-one of the “rules of a gunfight” http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/ccw/gunfight_rules.htm is “If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.”
And I agree with that as far as a general principle, but these guys basically seem to be looking for a fight, and if that’s the case I know some 79 series guys they can talk to.
Isn’t one of the desired potential side effects of an openly armed society the avoidance of gun fights in the first place?
Sure. And maybe that’s what these open carry groups are (if you’ll pardon the pun) shooting for.
But I still think Jonn has a point. Guys who have a pistol openly on their hip are less intimidating than these guys who we see, that are slung at the low ready, and send the same message.
In one of these threads someone brought up the point that open carry groups are trying to acclimate the public to seeing law-abiding citizens with weapons openly displayed. Frankly, I’m not sure that they’re sending out the best representatives to accomplish that from the pictures we’ve seen.
Sending out men and women whose pistols are holstered openly on their hips or under their shoulders and who are friendly and ready to answer questions or have a friendly disagreement with members of the public would go a lot farther towards making the public feel more comfortable around armed citizens than these guys who, frankly, have a “come at me bro” vibe.
For context, I’m talking more about these two jackwagons http://valorguardians.com/blog/?attachment_id=48193 more than the man we see in the post above.
Common sense obviously means nothing to plenty of those dildoheads, they’re dead set on playing up to the propaganda that the Bradys, Bloomberg, and the rest of the left continue to pimp on the public!
This ain’t the Old West. These kids are dumber than a bag of old socks.
You want a fight (yes, they do)? If you go looking for it, as they are doing, you’ll get what you want. Be careful what you wish for.
Scaring the bejeezus out of families out for a nice dinner just doesn’t seem like the best way to win friends and influence people. Attention whores, the whole lot of ’em.
The guy here that is doing it claims to be a “patriot” of course he never signed the dotted line to serve in the military. I guess he is too busy protecting my Second Amendment rights by video taping police on traffic stops and confronting woman clerks at courthouses.
What guy is that?
” We have a guy here in Washington state that is running for Congress. He is about 27 years old and his hobby is going taking his Go Pro camera a videoing arguments with police and elected officials.” I think that’s who Cacti was referring to.
Dear OCTards,
You’re. Not. Helping.
Only reason I know for open carry is because while you are open carrying, you become the primary target and give me time to make a decent shot. You’re a disposanidiot, in other words. Other than that – you’re jut an idiot.
Really? Is that what you tell armed security guards and police; that they’re just making it easy to be a target?
These idiots, not LEO etc. I’m referring to open carry by citizens, not peace officers.
Ever notice it’s always some fatass dweeb in shorts doing all he can do to draw attention to himself in some other way than being a stupid, fatass, moronic MF’er…
“Open Carry” activists are simply drawing peoples attention to the fact that open carry is not specifically outlawed.
Put another way, they are providing a road map for more gun control by explicitly showing people what is not currently prohibited, which of course means that after the OC advocates alienate enough people (or after there’s a well publicized shooting involving OC ‘activists) the legislature will fix that right quick by outlawing the practice entirely, for everybody.
And you know what? As a gun owner and 30+ year member of the NRA I think I would support that. If that’s what it takes to get these OC advocates to stop their idiocy (and I think it is) then that may be what we have to do.
As someone in a similar thread a few months ago said “this is why we can’t have nice things.” [rolling eyes]
Everyone here has common sense about this issue. If you open carry you are the first target to get rid of. If you carry a long gun around like the fat bastard in the last article on this issue you again become a very, high profile target of opportunity. (He was, by the way, an EXTRA LARGE target.) Hondo said it best. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should or need to. I know I am only repeating what all of you have written. It just galls me to see these, ill prepared, ill trained ass hats brandishing their long guns, just because they can. The day is coming, mark my words, when one of the assholes does come to the wrong attention of a lone LEO, out on a highway somewhere and instead of complying, starts spouting the Texas open carry laws and his Second Amendment rights. Right up until he moves the weapon in an even marginally threatening manner and assumes room temperature in a hurry. I hope it doesn’t happen because of the liberal fallout but I fear it is coming.
Especially the way those assholes were carrying their rifles. If they were truly trying to educate people, as they claim, then they would have those guns slung behind their backs, not carrying in a ready position like they were. One day, and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, they will find themselves on the business end of a LEO’s service pistol if they keep carrying the way they do.
As I stated over on our blog last week, he and his fanbois can act stupid all they want, but they’re damaging the collective calm of responsible gun owners with their immaturity. That, however, isn’t the worst part to me. A cursory search of both OCT and CJ’s name will net thousands of results, both from his own blog and not, identifying him as a vet with PTS.
Way to feed into the crazed vet media meme, jackass.
When CJ Grisham had his little contretemps with Michael Yon a couple of years ago, I was sympathetic with Grisham. But now I am starting to wonder, why is it that every time I see Grisham’s name, it is in the context of some sort of drama and conflict?
If you have a conflict with one person, it may be that one person is an asshole. But when you’re in conflict with everyone you come across… you are the asshole.