TexasCHLforum.com

03Lightningrocks wrote:Open carry without a permit or license means ANYBODY can carry a weapon and not be questioned. This includes some very unsavory types that frequent many of the larger cities in Texas. It could make it very hard to know the good guys from the bad guys.

No, friend! Put restrictions on "who can carry", just like is done in the motorists protection act.

1) Not engaging in criminal activity

2) Not prohibited from possessing a firearm (this one weeds out most of the bad guys out there)

3) Not a member of a street gang.

So, if open carry is given the same restrictions (which seem reasonable to me), then images of unsavory types running around Dallas with a six shooter are unrealistic for two reasons:

1) Many of the bad guys have a criminal record that would prohibit their carrying.

2) The bad guys will continue to carry concealed (illegally) so as to not draw attention to themselves. It would be stupid for a thug to walk around in front of the cops with a gun on his side. He'll hide it in his pants as he always has.

Therefore, only good guys with a clean record and nothing to fear from the police will be the ones openly carrying.

If open carry is made as a licensed privilege and if 30.06 is amended to remove the word "concealed", then I see a huge risk of an increase in 30.06 signs. Because of that risk, I would argue vehemently against licensed open carry legislation.

But, I'm advocating unlicensed open carry. A business who then wants to get rid of guns will simply post a gunbuster sign, and that would be that. Complaints from his customers would stop since they wouldn't be seeing any evil 6 shooters any more. It wouldn't make sense for the owner to post 30.06, as that would do nothing to stop open carrying. I would also submit that in his quest to learn how to stop open carrying in his business, a 30.06 wouldn't even cross his mind.

This is why unlicensed open carry is the only reasonable approach, as far as I can see.

If anything, CHLs would be granted a whole new level of respect. After all, these are licensed people who (from the public's perspective) can be "trusted" to carry, and the weapon is concealed as well, so the customers don't even know about it.

The terrified masses don't want to disarm the cops or known-good guys ("CHLs"), they just don't want joe six pack walking around with a six shooter. I do believe (but can't prove) that the vast majority would get used to it in a real fast hurry, especially once the benefits (crime reduction) of a visibly armed populace become apparent.

03Lightningrocks wrote:Places with 30:06 signs are going to triple over night.

I don't understand this fear. 30.06 signs are exclusively for licensed concealed carry. If someone wanted to stop unlicensed open carry in their building, then a 30.06 would be completely ineffective as it doesn't address unlicensed individuals. So it would make no sense for them to post it. Someone would be able to open carry right past a 30.06 sign!

A gunbuster sign would be used instead, and us CHLs would walk right past it.

nitrogen wrote:This puts me in the position of defending the free speech of people I do not like, as well as defending the rights of people I might not like to own guns.

I support unlicensed open carry with the same restrictions that are currently applied to the Motorists Protection Act. That would pretty much solve the problem of "bad guys" carrying guns. Known gang members, people committing crime, those who can't own a firearm, etc, would then be disallowed from carrying.

The Texas constitution allows regulation of firearms with an eye toward preventing crime, so those restrictions seem exactly in line with our highest law of the state.

I met a guy the other day who doesn't have a CHL but he keeps a handgun in his truck. I asked him why he didn't just get a CHL so he could carry it, and he mentioned infringement, licensing, etc. He said he's waiting for unlicensed open carry so that he can finally carry his gun around. I support open carry precisely for people like this guy.