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glockenhand wrote:Charles, I don't know what your overt threat in "Don't do it again" is suppose to mean. I have not done anything wrong. I have worked in corporate security for the past 25 years. While things have definitely changed in that time, most of our thought processes have not. I have officed out of New York, Arizona and now Texas. In each case we follow the same criteria in determining any local or regional site codes we must follow. We begin with federal law, then state and local law. Once that matrix is compiled, legal interprets the code. After that process risk management is consulted. Other variables do come into play as well, but I assure you that local politics do not. It is a monies game pure and simple. I have heard of OCT and/or Grisham. I have even heard of you Charles. Some good...some not. However, I assure you that our decision to post 30.06 & 30.07 at our Texas sites has nothing to do with local issues you've descrived. Truth is, from a risk perspective we don't like anyone that we don't employ to enter our premises with a firearm and that includes local law enforcement (off duty) or armed civilians.
Now Charles ( both of you I guess), I don't fully understand the rift between you and the entities you've mention. I can however recognize intolerance and around here at least on the surface, it feels rampant. I could be wrong and I hope I am. But never in my life would I dream of speaking to anyone in a manner as those here have done to me.

I may not be Charles but I can see your position and that of Charles clearly. Your employer (it would seem a larger one) is one of the few that are not involved in the knee jerk reaction, keep in mind not all companies have corporate security and in the case of those that do not all choose to post signs discriminating against the most law abiding segment of the population. The approach you used in your post looked to me that you didn't want people pointing the finger at the "Open Carry folks" for causing the numbers of signs prohibiting self defense to increase. The truth is some companies will post irregardless of what OCT/CATI/OCTC/ect. does, but of all those that I have talked to not one has said anything other than they want to keep "those nuts marching around with ARs and AKs" out. Those that I have spoke to have come to me with the impression that 30.07 applies to unlicensed long gun carry as well as licensed handgun carry, when that is addressed they seem content to not post 30.06/30.07 notices and deal with the issue as they would have before.

The issue with no gun or gun buster signs is that 99.999% of the ones I have seen are simply a handgun with a circle and a slash through the gun. Someone with OCT/OCTC/CATI/ect. will say that these signs are only providing notice that unlicensed handguns are prohibited, or are a poor attempt to ban licensed handgun carry. Once that happens we will see even more signs posted and calls to regulate the carry of long guns. If you have a no-firearms allowed sign then OCT/OCTC/CATI/ect. will walk in with their pre-1899 and/or BP replica firearms and say that these are not firearms per the law and we will then see even more signs and even more calls to regulate unlicensed carry of anything.

The truly ironic point of this all is that OCT/OCTC/CATI/ect. will be building a new coffin for unlicensed carry for the next few legislative sessions by doing so.

After the antics of OCT, CATI, and others did you expect places not to post 30.07? Lets face it, if OC had passed without the buildup OCT/CATI/ect. caused we would see 10% of the 30.07 signs we are seeing now and we would see 1% of the new 30.06 postings that we are seeing. To be honest I am surprised we are not seeing current 30.06 signs beside the new language 30.06 signs beside 30.07 signs.

I have had businesses in my area approach me after asking around about "who would know about the new open carry law" so they could ask about keeping "those guys with the AKs and ARs from walking in and running of customers." I advised many of them they can post various signs and clutter up their windows and doors even more than they do now while telling the most law abiding segment of the population they are not welcome in the business because they are part of that most law abiding segment of the population. Then I tell them that they can simply keep an eye out for people who come in and ask them to cover it up or leave if they cause trouble or make them uncomfortable. I then make it clear that if these people refuse to leave then they need to call the police so the trouble maker can go to jail and loose their license. Often I am asked "What if someone just walks in with a gun?" I tell them to "treat them like everyone else unless they cause you problems."

After explaining how the licensing process works, why there are so few criminal convictions of license holders, and the benefits of having a license, along with why having license holders in your business is a good thing I know that none of the business that have approached me going forward with posting any signage, one even took down their faded gun busters sign. I also know that around half of the people who approached me for their business have applied for their CHL and now intended to carry whenever possible. But it is very telling that when I am approached about the signage forr keeping out open carry it's always associated with "those guys with AKs and ARs."