I disagree completely. When you are driving your car down the road, what evidence is there to the casual observer that you have an operator's license and proper liability coverage?A-R wrote:Winchster wrote:No stress, just disagreement about what constitutes harassment. I feel the same about all my licensed activities. Unless I'm violating a rule regarding said activity, there's zero reason to question me about it.Taypo wrote:This may come off as antagonistic, but its not meant to be. In the perfect gun rights utopia, we're all considered normal for carrying a gun. In the real world, however, we're a massive minority and open carry is likely to bring attention at some point.
For those of you that are concerned about police attention and/or MWAG calls, why not continue to conceal? Nobody is forcing you to open carry, yet there is a near constant undertone of folks worrying about how often they're going to be stopped/questioned/harassed/annoyed/etc.
Yeah, I know you'll have a right to do something but for some, it sounds like that right is causing more stress than convenience.
Devils advocate: unless it is readily apparent by casual observation that you're NOT violating rule or law, then an LEO has a responsibility to investigate further, especially if requested/instructed to do so by superiors and/or concerned citizens.
Search found 4 matches
- Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:52 am
- Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
- Topic: Open Carry impact
- Replies: 98
- Views: 15890
Re: Open Carry impact
- Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:49 am
- Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
- Topic: Open Carry impact
- Replies: 98
- Views: 15890
Re: Open Carry impact
That's my view. No one should be stopped and questioned for following the law.Winchster wrote:No stress, just disagreement about what constitutes harassment. I feel the same about all my licensed activities. Unless I'm violating a rule regarding said activity, there's zero reason to question me about it.Taypo wrote:This may come off as antagonistic, but its not meant to be. In the perfect gun rights utopia, we're all considered normal for carrying a gun. In the real world, however, we're a massive minority and open carry is likely to bring attention at some point.
For those of you that are concerned about police attention and/or MWAG calls, why not continue to conceal? Nobody is forcing you to open carry, yet there is a near constant undertone of folks worrying about how often they're going to be stopped/questioned/harassed/annoyed/etc.
Yeah, I know you'll have a right to do something but for some, it sounds like that right is causing more stress than convenience.
- Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:12 pm
- Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
- Topic: Open Carry impact
- Replies: 98
- Views: 15890
Re: Open Carry impact
Do the police have to respond to calls about someone walking around with shoes on?nightmare69 wrote:As a LEO, I'm not looking forward to the influx of calls of someone OC a firearm. Unfortunately, we have to go and check out all calls no matter how silly. Hopefully it won't last long as I would rather spend my time answering legit calls.
- Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:17 pm
- Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
- Topic: Open Carry impact
- Replies: 98
- Views: 15890
Re: Open Carry impact
Sorry Tex, to sound like I'm picking on your post, it just happened to be the one I decided to respond to.thetexan wrote:I suspect that this is what will happen.
As more people carry open more businesses will gasp at the change of events in Texas law, especially those who are not friendly to guns. For most of these types they have not been aware that the concealed carry's have been frequenting their stores.
These will want open carry stopped so they will put up a 30.07. That's when they will realize that there is such a thing as a 30.06 sign and want to put one of those up also...anything they can do to stop the uncontrolled and vile practice of carrying a weapon.
The beauty of concealment is that it doesn't draw attention to yourself and create interest where it is to your advantage to not create interest. So, sometimes keeping something under wraps is the better part of valor. I don't envision there being many 30.07 signs where there isn't also a 30.06.
The kind of owner who would only put up a 30.07 is one who knows about concealed carry and doesn't object but does object to open probably because of his other customer's alarm.
In the end what good will it do us to win open carry if, by exercising that right, we loose a substantial number of locations where we can carry openly. Especially when the other alternative serves our purpose nicely...protection and the exercise of 2nd amendment rights.
What I worry about is that starting on January first, there will be a suddenly increased number of open guns being seen by everyone. Most of those people will be caught off guard and wonder what has happened. They will complain profusely and it will draw attention to the perceived idea that all of this open carry stuff was ill-thought out. Legislators will scramble to make modifications to ease the tension. Luckily for us, the legislature only meets every two years.
Hopefully, by then, everything will settle down and people will be more accepting of the idea.
I will still go to Walmart at least once just because I can.
tex
I think your concerns (and others similar to them) are unfounded. Here are my thoughts.
Open Carry will be "light"
I don't think we're going to see the widespread open carry. Yes, it will be "increased", but only because it's virtually non-existent right now (because it's mostly illegal). The percentage of Texans with a CHL is low (below 2%). I've heard that the number of CHL holders that actually carry is also low (I've heard below 50%, and among my friends that I know have CHL's, that's pretty accurate). Then, you factor in how many CHL holders that do carry, will choose not to open carry (I'm in that group), I don't think we're going to see much of an increase in numbers.
Open Carriers Often Won't be Seen
I know this probably sounds crazy, but I really believe it to be the case. I personally have had two occasions where I've holstered my gun in front of people, and they didn't notice. In one, a guy had come to admire my motorcycle while I was getting ready to take the gun out of the trunk and holster it. After 3 or 4 minutes of chatting, he didn't seem to take the hint that I was leaving, and I didn't want to have to stop again further down the road, so I took it out of the trunk and holstered it. He may have noticed, but didn't seem to. I was watching for a reaction, and there was none. On the second occasion, I was meeting a friend for dinner, and forgot to holster before I left work. When I got to the restaurant, she was waiting for me and we chatted while I took the gun out of my trunk. When we got inside and my wife got there, my wife mentioned she had recently completed her CHL class. Our friend asked if either of us had guns, when I had just holstered mine in front of her. She said she hadn't noticed when I told her that.
In short, I just don't think the average person around us is aware enough. I suspect most of those that do decide to open carry are going to mostly unnoticed by those around them.
Business Owners Won't Want Two Signs
I have nothing to back this up other than gut feeling, but I don't think most store owners are going to want to put up two signs. I suspect most businesses that currently have 30.06 signs will simply replace it with a 30.07 (for open carry), and let it go at that; or leave it at a 30.06, then ask those that they see with weapons to leave. I personally believe that there will likely be a few that decide to just give up and either put up only a gunbuster, or just do away with them all completely.
All of the above is just my personal opinion. I could be wrong, but if that ever happens it would rock my world ;)