Charles L. Cotton wrote:According to the video report, the only thing the proposed ordinance will do is make it unlawful to carry a firearm (or replica) to a city counsel meeting. As Keith noted, they have the authority to do this, but they will still have to comply with state law and post a 30.06 sign.
More importantly, it's proof that in-your-face tactics rarely if ever have a positive outcome. In this instance, the ordinance will be meaningless, but in other situations it may create an issue we have to fight in court or in the legislature. Anyone who truly wants to see open-carry pass needs to stop these destructive tactics and let the NRA and TSRA handle this issue. We can pass this legislation by calming fears, not by creating fear.
Some have posted that the NRA/TSRA have been dragged kicking and screaming into this fight. Such comments show an utter lack of understanding of how we work as well as delusions of grandeur on the part of those who believe they can scare people into supporting their position. For at least four years now I have stated that we build and promote our agenda over multiple years, much of it behind the scenes, and that we had commitments that had to be addressed before other high-profile, emotionally-charged issues could be added to our legislative agenda. We have done much ground work since the end of the 2013 Texas Legislative Session to build support for licensed open-carry. Some will complain that we don't publicize our efforts, but we cannot do so without harming our overall effectiveness. To all bomb-throwing types, consider your posts well; we will not tolerate your false allegations and spiteful attacks for even a moment.
Chas.
I have said all along as have many here that the in your face tactics will cause more harm than good to the cause and thus far, that has held true. In fact, it would not surprise me that it has swayed some of the "on the fence" politicians the other way. Almost always these types of tactics go the opposite direction as intended and it appears this is so in this case, at least so far.