TexasCHLforum.com

cyphertext wrote: ↑Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:35 am

K.Mooneyham wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 11:00 am IMHO, if they allow open carry but not concealed, they've limited the right to bear DE FACTO because of the stigma attached to open carry...and THEY KNOW IT!

I carry concealed because I can. If open carry was my only option, then I would open carry!

I have no reason to doubt that YOU would OC if that was the only option. However, I firmly believe that many would NOT OC for the reasons I have stated earlier. Also, OCing would make it much easier for a business to ban you from the premises while doing so, unless the law stated otherwise. And I think we both know that a legislature bent on preventing people from legally carrying firearms isn't going to do anything to help those carrying. Again, I am not opposed to OCing, nor do am I a believer in any of the misinformation about it.

Now, now, I never said I buy the argument that "open carry will get you shot" (or disarmed); I do NOT believe that. I meant that a lot of folks believe that to be true. In fact, I think I may even have read that argument from a member of this forum in the past, though I cannot say for certain who it was or how long ago.

I want y'all to think about this. Texas passed licensed open carry, and it's been a little while now. However, as many have pointed out on this forum, how many folks actually open carry? Now, I know some will say something like "Well, we can conceal under the same license, so why open carry?" However, there is also a LARGE stigma attached to open carry, even among pro-2A, pro-self-defense people...and there is the common refrain of "if you open carry, you will be immediately shot or have your gun taken away". I say all this to set up a question: if the court allows open carry only, how many will take advantage of that versus allowing concealed carry only? IMHO, if they allow open carry but not concealed, they've limited the right to bear DE FACTO because of the stigma attached to open carry...and THEY KNOW IT!