Open Shotgun Carry in Austin

[marksiwel]

Any Updates, did you vist the UT Lawyer? Ask the Young Conservatives? (who I've been told are more Die hard than the Young Republicans)

[PeteCamp]

With Student Government elections coming up at UT Austin, as a student, I've heard some campaigning on making the Drag (Guadalupe St. near campus) safer. Also, I live in West Campus (on 22nd Street), and there have been quite a few car robberies and home invasions as of late.

After some thought, I've decided I would like to start raising awareness in the area and make it known that there will be students and locals walking around at night openly with long guns. I thought I'd start by carrying a 12-gauge around with me (It's a Winchester hunting shotgun, nothing tactical or particularly threatening).

I'm confused. I have read all 9 pages of this. What started as a concern for crime in your area on page 1 has now turned into a campaign for open carry? How will open carry of an unloaded shotgun serve to deter criminals with loaded guns? Do you really think your pepper spray will deter some thug who will take your unloaded shotgun and load it later? And then there is the issue of choice of weapon to carry. What began as a Winchester hunting gun is now this:

Any suggestions for a black, low- to mid- range shotgun in 12ga with a high shell capacity? That's what I'm looking for. And I'll need a shoulder strap and would like a stock bandoleer.

Huge difference in appearance. Surely in your readings you must have crossed paths with the ... well ... idiot in Tennessee who walks around city parks with a slung AK-47 pistol painted hi-vis orange daring cops to do something?

As some others who are many years your senior have attempted to do, please let me give you a little fatherly advice based on many years of formal education and over six decades of life experience.
1. Figure out exactly what you want to accomplish before deciding how to accomplish it
2. Clearly understand the associated risks. Don't hide behind the mantra of youth, "it will never happen to me."

I am a Police Chaplain. I carry a badge and drive a police car. I don't carry a weapon, but I work with a lot of guys who do. If you think you clearly understand how the officers who respond to the inevitable 911 call (irregardless of your pre-meetings) of a "man with a big, black hi-cap shotgun there now" are going to respond, you're taking an incredible risk with your life, and theirs. They will respond with lights and siren, running stop signs and red lights. Most officer fatalities occur in just this way. Adrenaline will be flowing. You might not survive the encounter. Legal won't make a bit of difference unless you're thinking martyr.

If you think you'll argue the finer points of law with a street cop, think again. He'll probably just tell you to impress the judge with your legal expertise while he cuffs you. The resulting mess might not go the way you expect it to - or even according to the law. It is a roll of the dice. This is not a perfect world and the criminal justice system is far from perfect. And civil litigation?

I applaud your zeal. Please consider channeling it so as to not throw your life away on some venture that will accomplish nothing. If you want to help with a crime problem, there are better ways to do so. Drawing police resources away to deal with you is not one of them. If you want to champion RKBA, be a wise chess player. Consider six or eight moves ahead.

As a good friend once said, "Choose carefully the hill you wish to die upon."

[DaveT]

One of the many calls I responded to that involved a subject with a gun was handled according to department procedure. I exited my patrol unit with service weapon in hand. After locating the subject, he refused instruction, choosing instead to raise his gun and fire a shot at me. I returned fire, he died.

Had this man informed the police in advance that he was going to conduct a public demonstration by carrying an unloaded shotgun on a sling?

Thank you for your service, and I'm sorry you were forced to take that shot, but the two situations are hardly analogous.

But then again, maybe you have more experience in this area than I do to back up your remarks?

But then again, do you really believe the two scenarios are analogous?
1. Man notifies the local PD in advance that he will be engaged in a legal demonstration with an unloaded shotgun slung over his shoulder.
2. Man is brandishing a gun in a threatening manner, and responds to your arrival by shooting at you.

Again: thank you for your service, and I'm sorry you went through that experience, but it's apples and oranges.

PeteCamp has just provided your "analogous" and has linked those pesky "apples and oranges" you refer to...... it's called Officer response and Officer safety. HOW the Officers will respond to a 'man with a gun' dispatch has a lot of potential for danger.

If you are assuming that every Officer on the street will be aware that this would be a pre-planned demonstration..... well, there is an old saying about the word 'assume'.

I guess it's all a moot point though, since the OP has not posted an update since his meeting with the attorney.

I've said all I can think of in this thread. I'll be moving on.

[ifanyonecan]

I'm sorry I haven't been on here in awhile. I had a lot of work to do for this coming week, and I hadn't had time to come on here.

I am extremely impulsive and come up with on-the-fly ideas that, at the time, I really want to go through with. I've learned to live with it. I make myself wait a couple days before buying anything major, etc.. For this reason, I didn't go out and buy a shotgun and walk around with it right off the bat. I decided to thoroughly research it (and my motives) beforehand.

After thinking about it, I've decided to take the advice of the large number of experienced people that have advised against it. If there were an OC rally in Austin tomorrow, I'd go, but I'm not going to go by myself. A large rally would have a different impact than just one person. It tells the public that this is something that many of their peers want instead of just one "nutjob", and the police are less likely to respond with force since it is more clearly a protest instead of a robbery-in-progress. Also this would allow me to take out my concern that I might just want to do this to stir things up or for attention, since I'd be just one in a crowd.

Thank you to everyone that kept me from potential death or imprisonment. Rather than jump out and start organizing my own ways of going about things, I'll take the suggestions to heart to lend support and follow those with more experience and power with lawmakers and police.

[OldCannon]

Well said, sir. There are many ways that you can direct your passion constructively, and I applaud your maturity to think this whole process through. I think you're on the right path now!

[frazzled]

Well said, sir. There are many ways that you can direct your passion constructively, and I applaud your maturity to think this whole process through. I think you're on the right path now!

+1

[PeteCamp]

Well said, sir. There are many ways that you can direct your passion constructively, and I applaud your maturity to think this whole process through. I think you're on the right path now!

+1 here also. Don't let the fire go out.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Well said, sir. There are many ways that you can direct your passion constructively, and I applaud your maturity to think this whole process through. I think you're on the right path now!

+1

I watched this thread and resisted the urge to join in. I think you made a very wise and well informed choice. Good job!