Open Carry Texas again
ABC News did a story on Open Carry Texas recently. Of course, it stars our old friend CJ Grisham, but I mention the article because of something he said;
As for his controversial marches, Grisham says they help show people that guns are not always something to be feared. When pressed, he acknowledged that he knows he may be scaring some people, but that these people have what he calls “an irrational fear of guns.”
Being a common sense kind of guy, I don’t fear guns – I fear people who feel a need to make a spectacle of themselves by displaying their long guns in public. I noticed that many of the rifles in the video were scoped. Why would I need a scoped long gun in a personal protection situation? I’m a pretty good shot with iron sights at a hundred or so yards. If something dangerous was coming at me from more than a hundred yards away, I could use other methods to extract myself from the situation – like call a cab.
Another fallacy his statement supports is that leftist thing about guns being the subject, not the people who commit crimes. I rightly fear crazy people with guns, I don’t fear the gun itself. When I see people like folks in the video who are carrying weapons just for the act of carrying weapons, well, they worry me. They’re purposely looking for confrontation, either with their political opponents, the police or with business owners – just for the publicity they think they can generate.
If they were openly carrying a sidearm, I’d really have little problem with that – but I’d wonder why they can’t carry their handgun concealed like those of us who passed background checks and took the training. And, you know, it’s Texas. A state that is better than most when it comes to Second Amendment issues. It just seems so counter productive.
And when the issue becomes about the actual gun rather than the people who carry guns, you’ve kind of conceded the argument to the gun grabbers, because they only want to regulate the guns that you want to shove in everyone’s faces instead of regulating the people who have access to the guns. See how that works?
Category: Guns
The only reason for open carry is the accidental reveal of your concealed weapon. If you can’t get a concealed carry permit (in reasonable states where open carry is remotely legal), you probably shouldn’t be carrying period.
Come to Maryland where concealed carry is impossible except for those blessed by the staatzpolizi, and bang your drum.
So they’re at it again. Astounding. They keep this up and the left will get their way, even in Texas. I don’t like gay/lesbian agendas and lifestyles being shoved down my throat and neither do I like overt idiots with guns shoving their crap “rights” down my throat. They are not serving the cause of legal, responsible gun ownership and possession in any positive way I can see. Thanks guys for yet another black eye for the responsible gun owners nationwide.
That’s pretty much how I see it Sparks, and those slobbering goobs are living right up to liberals’ stereotype of Gun Owners and NRA Members!
They’re too Moronic to see that they play right into hands of gun grabbers. I had a run in with a couple of these nut sacks where I live in Texas a couple of weeks ago on the downtown square and can verify their Idiot Quotient is lower than Whale shit off the coast of Japan.
Had to laugh – they claim to be obeying the law, but unlicensed open carry of handguns is illegal, even if they are the black powder revolvers these clowns had. Otherwise… idiots. Just idiots.
Sorry, David but Texas Statutes say otherwise concerning the open carry of Black Powder Pistols.
ANTIQUES AND REPLICAS
Antique or curio guns manufactured before 1899 and replicas thereof which do not use rim fire or center fire ammunition are not included in the definition of “firearm” as it is used in Texas Penal Code Title 10, Chapter 46, which governs weapons.
I stand corrected – thanks.
And because I’m a gun owner, I’m going to get lumped in with these morons in the minds of the general public?
I. Am. So. Embarrassed.
Pinto Nag…In Patrick Swayze’s words, “Ditto”.
Maybe they can impress the ladies with how big and long their gun is!
This is a momentious day! vwp finally wrote an almost coherent comment!
I will be awaiting my monkey-typed Shakespeare, it must be en route. Same odds.
I don’t see why you’d need to open carry long guns anyway. I understand if you’re transporting it somewhere, but simply slinging a long gun on go to a restaurant isn’t logical at all and thus immediately brings up suspicious as to possible violent intent to anyone with a brain.
I see a restriction on open carry long guns in the future if it’s not being transported because of people like this which intentionally make rational people nervous.
As background: When OCT first got started I was a supporter. The fact is… I still support the open carry concept at a basic level. I’ll define “basic” as: Clowns should be restricted to seltzer bottles.
However, as others have noted, the current effort IS more circus than protest.
Saddens me…
“Why would I need a scoped long gun in a personal protection situation?”
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Do you remember how Charles Whitman was finally stopped?
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“If you can’t get a concealed carry permit (in reasonable states where open carry is remotely legal), you probably shouldn’t be carrying period.”
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Our divinely inspired Constitution of the United States of America exists primarily to restrict the powers of government, and not to endow, bestow, regulate, and/or restrict the rights and/or activities of individual citizens.
Each and every one of us were endowed from birth with unalienable rights, which may not be infringed upon.
Why should we need a concealed carry permit?
Why do we need permission from anyone?
Why do we need a reason to justify being armed, openly or concealed?
I think Vermont style Constitutional Carry laws in Texas would be great. We don’t live in that world and OCT is more likely to keep it from happening than help.
Because it’s the law in Texas. Get the law repealed, changed or overturned in court and you’ll be good.
Grisham and company are within the law carrying their long guns in public. But when the do do on private property, their rights under the law do not trump those of the private property owner. Their antics do not help promote OC in Texas and they should rethink their ‘strategy.’
Actually, JRM – Charles Whitman isn’t a partcularly good example for your argument.
Whitman died after being shot twice at relatively close range by a policeman using a shotgun loaded with buckshot. That was only necessary because another policeman had a clear shot at him from approx 50 feet away with his sidearm – and missed all 6 shots. Neither used a rifle.
The civilian accompanying the two policeman, with a borrowed rifle, actually nearly got them all killed. That individual accidentally (and prematurely) discharged that borrowed rifle before he could engage Whitman,thus alerting Whitman to their presence.
However, 3 on 1 is good odds – for the side with 3. In this case, the 3rd man took out Whitman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.
TARDS
As I see it, TARDOS MUY GRANDE!!
These people are counterproductive nitwits. Scaring the crap out of the Eloi won’t bring them to your side.
I live in an open carry state and in an area with very pro gun cops, including the leadership. I carry everywhere at all times – concealed. Occasionally I see someone open carrying and no one pays them any attention. Of course, they’re carrying pistols.
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
Open carry nitwits, it’s your CA counterparts that got all forms of open carry banned in CA through your confrontational idiocy, and thus created legally awkward situations for people carrying their guns from the parking lot to the gun store, to the ranch, or even transporting them in their private vehicles when the legislature cracked down on open carry without actually knowing anything about the issue. Fuck all of you sideways with a rusty chainsaw up the ass while a Great Dane with a horrendous case of the galloping shits feeds you from its ass.
—Sincerely, HS Sophomore.