Open Carry

[John R. Fuller]

Answers to John Fuller's Qs.
#1 - Yes. Self employed.
#2 - Undecided. Do carry concealed.
#3-5 YES, YES, YES.

Long Tooth:
Thank you for your honesty. As much as I would like the option of open carry, I think that I would probably limit myself a little more than the law. I must be honest about church. I sing in the choir and am front and center as I am a bass singer that is both big and loud. I am sure that many would notice the big .45 strapped to the big boy in the choir loft and would probably obcess more over that than what I hope they would be thinking about.

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989. I was such a good Methodist, but after marrying my wife and finding a Baptist church where the choir could read and sing music from sheet music, I switched my place of worship.

[longtooth]

Long Tooth:
Thank you for your honesty. I must be honest about church. I sing in the choir and am front and center as I am a bass singer that is both big and loud. I am sure that many would notice the big .45 strapped to the big boy in the choir loft and would probably obcess more over that than what I hope they would be thinking about.

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989. I was such a good Methodist, but after marrying my wife and finding a Baptist church where the choir could read and sing music from sheet music, I switched my place of worship.

My Sunday carry is a back pocket K-T 3AT. I have carried my .45 on Sunday also in a high threat time. Good School. East Tex Bapt Univ. here. 1985 - 1st graduating class at Univ. standing. Wish I could sing. Play guitar but can't sing much. Have a great day.

[KBCraig]

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989.

Does that mean you're a reformed Reddie?



Kevin
-- Wonderboy, 1981-85

[KBCraig]

Carefully consider how you would think, feel and react in this situation.

You are at the Grocery store and there is a real scumbag, gang banger looking dude walking around with open carry.................




You are at an office building and there is a man dressed in slacks, a polo shirt open carrying into a family law attorney's office..................

No differently than I think and feel right now, knowing any of those people could be carrying concealed.

The historical view is that only cowards or criminals carried concealed weapons. Gentlemen were openly armed. If open carry were made legal in Texas, cowards and criminals would continue to (illegally) carry concealed, to avoid attention and scrutiny.

Kevin

[txinvestigator]

The historical view is that only cowards or criminals carried concealed weapons. Gentlemen were openly armed. If open carry were made legal in Texas, cowards and criminals would continue to (illegally) carry concealed, to avoid attention and scrutiny.

Kevin

Thats hogwash.

And there is NO data to support your claim that criminals would "only" carry concealed if open carry were allowed for law abiders.

[John R. Fuller]

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989.

Does that mean you're a reformed Reddie?



Kevin
-- Wonderboy, 1981-85

I don't know what a Reddie is unless you are talking about the Rho Sig Fraternity. I shunned all fraternaties until I joined the Masons a few years ago.

[John R. Fuller]

Long Tooth:
Thank you for your honesty. I must be honest about church. I sing in the choir and am front and center as I am a bass singer that is both big and loud. I am sure that many would notice the big .45 strapped to the big boy in the choir loft and would probably obcess more over that than what I hope they would be thinking about.

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989. I was such a good Methodist, but after marrying my wife and finding a Baptist church where the choir could read and sing music from sheet music, I switched my place of worship.

My Sunday carry is a back pocket K-T 3AT. I have carried my .45 on Sunday also in a high threat time. Good School. East Tex Bapt Univ. here. 1985 - 1st graduating class at Univ. standing. Wish I could sing. Play guitar but can't sing much. Have a great day.

We have similar tastes in Sunday attire. I prefer my P32. It is just enough gun to qualify as better than rock throwing and not enough to make my pocket bulge.

Don't worry about singing ability , I've sung in church since I was 12 years old as a boy soprano. Over the years, I've not observed too many people that allow a lack of talent to prevent them from making a joyfull noise myself included on many occassions.

I don't know anyone that graduated from ETBU but we have the same mascot a Tiger. My proffessor of military science always asked me how it was going in the din of iniquity Methodist Church as I did push ups on Monday mornings. That was some of the most memorable times of my life. I would not trade it for the World. I remember when we at OBU considered Baylor to be a liberal school when they allowed dancing I still don't know how to dance, but it is a good excuse being Baptist and all. From your graduation date, you don't seem to be all that much older than I am. I graduated from OBU in 1992.

[longtooth]

Graduation dates gives me +7. Ages at enrollment are far apart I imagine. I was 30 when I started. Too smart to go to college when I got out of high school & had a baseball scholarship offered & a grandmother that would cover the rest of my books. Married & 2 kids later I was a lot dumber.
Singing solos is a no. I do sing while playing in church. Wife plays mandoline & sings. We are country church & sing from Heavenly Highways. All Southern & country Gospel. I do some Bluegrass Gospel when I can find a Banjo player.
The EENT back pocket guns are for formal church atire. There has never been a return fire resolution to a church shooting that I know of. If things continut to escalate I may go to the .45 on a regular basis. Wed. evening I have Kim.(ber) Just finished VBS & She was by my side the whole time. Make a joyful noise in the house of God & atight group noise at the range.

[KBCraig]

The historical view is that only cowards or criminals carried concealed weapons. Gentlemen were openly armed. If open carry were made legal in Texas, cowards and criminals would continue to (illegally) carry concealed, to avoid attention and scrutiny.

Kevin

Thats hogwash.

I like to keep things polite on this forum. While others who have disagreed with you have used stronger language, I'll merely say that you are needlessly brusque and possess an unusually strong degree of confidence in your opinions, despite a lack of empirical merit to said opinions.

Keeping the 10yo daughter rule in mind, and all. Otherwise, I'd use stronger language to someone who just called me a liar.

Just for the record, I do appreciate your familiarity with the Texas Penal Code, even thought I don't always agree with your interpretation. You're a valuable asset here on this forum. Unfortunately, you sometimes seem to believe you are the expert, which is obviously not the case.

And there is NO data to support your claim that criminals would "only" carry concealed if open carry were allowed for law abiders.

From where do you think such data would come, given that we have no base of data for open carry?

I expressed an opinion. You attacked my position on merit. Since you claim merit, the burden is on you to present evidence.

Your turn, sir.

Kevin

[justsome45guy]

I think open carry should top our legislative agenda.

It's not for everyone all the time but the resulting de facto decriminalization of failure to conceal would make things easier all around for CHL holders. As for its deterrent to crime value, I'm reminded of what they used to say about cockroaches while I was growing up in Philadelphia, PA: for every one you see, there're probably 10 you don't see.

A distant second on my agenda would be liberalization of the Texas knife laws. As we've seen in Great Britain, after they come for the guns, they come for the knives. Anything we can accomplish within the political process minimizes what we have do to outside it.

[KBCraig]

By the way, I am a Baptist that got that way after meeting my wife of fourteen years at Ouachita Baptist University in 1989.

Does that mean you're a reformed Reddie?

I don't know what a Reddie is unless you are talking about the Rho Sig Fraternity.

You met her at OBU, and you don't know what a Reddie is? Surely you're familiar with those heathens across The Gulch from OBU?



For the clueless onlookers, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University are rivals --and next-door neighbors-- in Arkadelphia, Arkiesaw. When their football teams play, it's called "The Battle of the Gulch", because they're situated in a valley.

Kevin

[longtooth]

Thanks KB. I was one of those clueless onlookers.

[Lonnie Wilson]

First, to everyone, open carry vs. concealed carry is debating the right answers but answering the wrong question. This has absolutely zero to do with tactics and everything to do with choice. I don't like fanny packs, and you aren't catching me in Texas with 110 degree weather trying to conceal my handgun in a shoulder holster or in a SmartCarry rig rubbing me heat raw.

The state of Texas is only one of 5, count them, FIVE states that ban open carry but have a right to carry concealed statute. Most states issue shall-issue permits. Only 7 states ban open carry entirely (5 shall-issue states: AR, TX, OK, SC, FL, 1 may issue state: NY, 1 no license state: IL). TN, IN, ND, GA, IA, MN, UT, CT, NJ(!),HI(!), MD(!)MA(!), RI (with AG License!) all allow open carry with a license to carry a firearm.

I understand that Texas had to give up a lot to get the law passed in 1995, but folks, it's been almost 12 years. Give the people who live in hot weather and don't want to rust out their firearms due to their perspiration a break, ok?

To conclude: Right answers, wrong questions. At the very least, persue making Texas' CHL an "HCL" (handgun carry license) similar to Tennessee and the states above I named. Come on, folks, if NEW JERSEY, MARYLAND, and MASSACHUSETTS LTC holders can open or concealed carry with their licenses, then you folks in Texas can at the very least match them.

[longtooth]

Agree completely. Your 1st post. Welcome aboard & good thinking. Your last statement was, you folks in Texas, Whar ya from friend?

[RPBrown]

I'm on the fence whether I would carry open or not. BUT, I would like to have the option. Although I do open carry around the house, I'm not sure that I would off property.