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It only took a week, but I'm now sorry that OC was passed. Maybe I'll change my mind after some time has passed, but right now I'm sick and tired of tons of threads complaining about signs. Before OC passed, there were ample warnings posted in this forum by many respected members that OC would change things and possibly not for the better. OC enthusiasts mocked those posts and claimed it was all based on fear and ignorance. Now that it's passed, we have multiple threads complaining about signs going up everywhere, 30.06 signs going up where none were found before, anger over signs not being legal, angry defiance over being asked to show ID when entering a business OCing.

All of this was predictable. No one should be surprised that some businesses don't allow OC. After all, licensed carriers represent less than 5% of the Texas population. Is it really ridiculous to think that at least 5% of the population might not want to see guns openly carried? That the businesses might want their business just as much as they want ours?

It was equally predictable that OC would raise awareness about proper signage, and some businesses would then decide to post both 30.06 and 30.07 signs.

In the ideal world of the gun activists (which does not exist anywhere in the world) they could carry a weapon openly into any place, and the people that don't like it would either have to shut up or leave. Apparently their rights (in their minds) trump those of every other person in the nation. In the real world, those people have an equal voice and both the police and the authorities have to listen to them and consider their complaints equally with ours.

Maybe this will all sort itself out over time, but right now it's a huge pain that has made this forum a lot less enjoyable to follow.

Are you kidding? The Forum was getting boring...what else would we have had to supply us with endless debate until the 2017 legislative session?

same thing happened when CC passed, people cried because of 30.06 signs being up, and if they couldn't carry their gun they would do business elsewhere. Same exact arguments.

I am surprised that so many posted 30.06 as well as 30.07. It is up to us to fight back and raise awareness that LTCer are good guys and very safe guys. If some businesses want no OC, that is understandable, just leave CC allowed.
That being said, spending sometime in a park doing any kind of recreational activity with OC is priceless.

Don't have buyer's remorse just yet. let people settle into it. the signs will slowly come down over the next year or two.
When the crime statistics go down, when a LTC holder is a hero, when the OCT AR/AK wielders go away... things will get better.

No that new Star Wars movie - that I regret... I should have just thrown $11.50 in the toilet.

baldeagle wrote:All of this was predictable.

It was more than predictable. It was predicted. And it came to pass.

I don't have regrets about passage, but I DO have major regrets about people who carry and don't care what damage they do to the reputations of all of us. THAT is a huge regret.

Pride goeth before the fall.

Glockedandlocked wrote:same thing happened when CC passed, people cried because of 30.06 signs being up, and if they couldn't carry their gun they would do business elsewhere. Same exact arguments.

Not even close. This is a completely different animal. Sheople (sheeple?) never even noticed concealed carriers, out of sight out of mind.

I predicted this would happen and I regret to see that my fears came to fruition. I have no issue with open carry, but it certainly wasn't worth announcing to the huddled masses that we have weapons to protect ourselves from bad guys.

IMHO, it was much more important to gain access for and lift restrictions for concealed carry than to push for open carry. We now have open carry but can carry fewer places since before 1995.

After 125 years of being told that OC is bad unless you work for the government (who never thought it was a bad idea for themselves) there is some growing pains. It's been 5 days. NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO MAKE ANY DECISIONS ONE WAY OR THE Other OR NOT OPEN CARRY IS GOOD OR BAD!

baldeagle wrote:It only took a week, but I'm now sorry that OC was passed. Maybe I'll change my mind after some time has passed, but right now I'm sick and tired of tons of threads complaining about signs. Before OC passed, there were ample warnings posted in this forum by many respected members that OC would change things and possibly not for the better. OC enthusiasts mocked those posts and claimed it was all based on fear and ignorance. Now that it's passed, we have multiple threads complaining about signs going up everywhere, 30.06 signs going up where none were found before, anger over signs not being legal, angry defiance over being asked to show ID when entering a business OCing.

All of this was predictable. No one should be surprised that some businesses don't allow OC. After all, licensed carriers represent less than 5% of the Texas population. Is it really ridiculous to think that at least 5% of the population might not want to see guns openly carried? That the businesses might want their business just as much as they want ours?

It was equally predictable that OC would raise awareness about proper signage, and some businesses would then decide to post both 30.06 and 30.07 signs.

In the ideal world of the gun activists (which does not exist anywhere in the world) they could carry a weapon openly into any place, and the people that don't like it would either have to shut up or leave. Apparently their rights (in their minds) trump those of every other person in the nation. In the real world, those people have an equal voice and both the police and the authorities have to listen to them and consider their complaints equally with ours.

Maybe this will all sort itself out over time, but right now it's a huge pain that has made this forum a lot less enjoyable to follow.

I have considered posting something similar the negativity and self entitlement in some of the post relating to OC have me worried things will only go down hill as companies post 30.07 and get bombarded by extremist post 30.06 then have such a damaged impression of LTC that its hard to recover.

I posted this in another thread, added a few edits, but it applies here as well........

I am sure OC has played a role in speeding up the inevitable. But IMHO, it was only a matter of time before 30.06 was going to inevitably be posted in more and more places as time goes on regardless of OC.

Every time there is an incident that gains national media attention or another gun control push by congress or executive action more and more signs go up. And the more anti-gunners see the signs the more they become educated about them. The more they become educated about them the more they put up.

As these things happen, they get discussed and those who want to feel safe want to do something but they almost always do the wrong something, like putting up signs that create gun free zones instead of the right something like arming themselves and allowing law abiding citizens protect themselves against criminals who don't obey signs or laws.

Why some people would rather just feel safe than actually be safe is beyond me.

It just goes to show that relying on peoples ignorance of posting/not signs is not an effective Pro Gun strategy. Sooner or later the cat will be let out of the bag.

I just think sitting back trying to maintain the status quo is more detrimental to our cause in the long run as the anti gunners continue to chip away at our rights. Sometimes forging ahead can be painful but in the long run we will be better off.

I think an effective way to gain wider support sooner is visibility. When people see me OCing with my wife and 2 kids, hopefully it will help to normalize the idea of having a gun for your family and self protection.

I have several family and friends who are now gun owners, CHL/LTC holders and Pro-2A supporters who were not before. It's because I practice what I preach and have educated them and have provided a visible example.

Like when the discussion turns to LTC and then I reveal my thoughts to them impact of seeing someone who is actually doing it is a tremendous encouragement that they can do it and should do it too!

Educating them about why they should do it, how to do it and removing the media propaganda baloney and replacing it with facts and common sense about gun ownership and the whole process from buying a gun, training, storage, maintenance, carrying, LTC.... they have finally the guts to do it themselves. "

I am glad and thankful that it passed. I want to once again thank to all who have contributed their time, money, nerves etc. to make this happen.

Now, while it's inconvenient to have to switch your favorite restaurant, grocery store, or any establishment that you grown to enjoy over the years, we must not forget that the "sacrifices" that we are blessed frankly to endure right now, pale in comparison to what people sacrificed around the world in the past for their freedoms and rights.

You can just about get majority of "stuff" ordered right to your door step nowdays, often at a cheaper price. The rest of activities and stuff, well, it's a sacrifice.
We are creatures of habit, and we will adjust accordingly.
Eat an elephant one bite at a time.

LSUTiger wrote:I posted this in another thread, added a few edits, but it applies here as well........

I am sure OC has played a role in speeding up the inevitable. But IMHO, it was only a matter of time before 30.06 was going to inevitably be posted in more and more places as time goes on regardless of OC.

Every time there is an incident that gains national media attention or another gun control push by congress or executive action more and more signs go up. And the more anti-gunners see the signs the more they become educated about them. The more they become educated about them the more they put up.

As these things happen, they get discussed and those who want to feel safe want to do something but they almost always do the wrong something, like putting up signs that create gun free zones instead of the right something like arming themselves and allowing law abiding citizens protect themselves against criminals who don't obey signs or laws.

Why some people would rather just feel safe than actually be safe is beyond me.

It just goes to show that relying on peoples ignorance of posting/not signs is not an effective Pro Gun strategy. Sooner or later the cat will be let out of the bag.

I just think sitting back trying to maintain the status quo is more detrimental to our cause in the long run as the anti gunners continue to chip away at our rights. Sometimes forging ahead can be painful but in the long run we will be better off.

I think an effective way to gain wider support sooner is visibility. When people see me OCing with my wife and 2 kids, hopefully it will help to normalize the idea of having a gun for your family and self protection.

I have several family and friends who are now gun owners, CHL/LTC holders and Pro-2A supporters who were not before. It's because I practice what I preach and have educated them and have provided a visible example.

Like when the discussion turns to LTC and then I reveal my thoughts to them impact of seeing someone who is actually doing it is a tremendous encouragement that they can do it and should do it too!

Educating them about why they should do it, how to do it and removing the media propaganda baloney and replacing it with facts and common sense about gun ownership and the whole process from buying a gun, training, storage, maintenance, carrying, LTC.... they have finally the guts to do it themselves. "

Unocat wrote:Don't have buyer's remorse just yet. let people settle into it. the signs will slowly come down over the next year or two.
When the crime statistics go down, when a LTC holder is a hero, when the OCT AR/AK wielders go away... things will get better.

No that new Star Wars movie - that I regret... I should have just thrown $11.50 in the toilet.

unfortunately I don't think that's how it works. Once those signs go up it will take more than crime statistics for them to come down.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

baldeagle wrote:All of this was predictable.

It was more than predictable. It was predicted. And it came to pass.

I don't have regrets about passage, but I DO have major regrets about people who carry and don't care what damage they do to the reputations of all of us. THAT is a huge regret.

Pride goeth before the fall.

I worry that some of those same people do far more damage than good while trying to "educate" companies that have chosen to post 30.07 /.06 recently.

Many of us knew that this was going to happen. The publicity was huge, and with the OCT, and more so the OCTC folks acting a fool, it has become an issue.

I heard some of the old timers talking about 30.06 signs in 1997 when that became the law and how at first they were everywhere, but they slowly came down.

We all knew that lots of 30.07 signs were going to go up. And if you didn't, then I don't know what to tell you.

Carry everywhere you can, OC as much as is advisable, and when you do OC, be a good representative of the other 900,000 of us in the state.

There will be an adjustment period and we just have to roll with it. It doesn't help that we are being vilified by a small, but insanely vocal group full of glittering jewels of colossal ignorance. But even those Priestesses of Baal will be shamed into silence when months go by without blood in the streets, women cowering in fear while angry white men use their open carried pistols to intimidate them, or any of the other drivel that they have said.